4. Beatrice Cenci was beheaded for murdering her physically and sexually abusive father with a hammer
Beatrice Cenci (b. 1577 CE) was an Italian noblewoman who was executed for the murder of her father, Count Francesco Cenci, in 1599 CE. Born to Count Francesco Cenci and Ersilia Santacroce, her mother died when she was just seven years old at which point Beatrice and her elder sister Antonina were sent to a monastery to be raised. An abusive patriarch, Count Francesco was violent towards his children and first wife in addition to raping Beatrice several times; for these crimes he was imprisoned, but due to his noble status was released prematurely. Upon learning of attempts by Beatrice and his second wife Lucrezia Petroni to prolong his incarceration, Francesco expelled both to his rural castle in the Abruzzi mountains.
Resolving to rid themselves of their captor and tormentor, Beatrice, along with three other Cencis, plotted to murder Francesco. Although their plan to drug Francesco during a visit to the castle failed to kill him, Beatrice, her siblings, and their stepmother, instead subsequently bludgeoned the count to death with a hammer and threw his body off a balcony in an attempt to disguise the murder as an accident. Not believing the cause of death to be accidental, the papal police opened an investigation; although efforts were made to conceal their actions, including Beatrice’s lover dying under torture without divulging the truth and the additional murder of a vassal who was aware of the culprits, the plot was eventually discovered.
The four members of the Cenci family were arrested and sentenced to death. In spite of mass protests by the people of Rome in their defense, understanding and sympathizing with the reasons behind their murderous actions, Pope Clement VIII feared a spate of familial murders should he permit leniency. On September 11, 1599, Beatrice Cenci was beheaded on Sant’Angelo Bridge, as was Lucrezia, whilst her brother Giacomo was publicly tortured before having his head smashed with a mallet; Beatrice’s younger brother Bernardo, aged 12, was spared execution but the family properties were confiscated by the church and he was sentenced to life as a galley slave.