45. Willem Mons
During the early 18th Century, Willem Mons was called one of the “best-made and most handsome men” anyone had ever seen. His sister was taken by the tsar, Peter the Great, which granted him access to the Russian court. This allowed him to influence Russian society, which was relatively easy to do with his charming good looks. However, this led to rumors being borne, one of them being that Mons got into the empress’ “good graces,” which angered the tsar immensely. Mons was quickly arrested and decapitated in the city square to set an example to the rest of the public; the tsar then pickled Mons’ pretty head and kept it in a jar beside Catherine’s bed.