The most famous executions in history

Anne Boleyn - Perhaps the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne Boleyn is renowned in Tudor history for her inability to provide the King with a male heir.

Anne Boleyn - She was also charged with a number of crimes including treason and adultery, and it was this that led to her execution by beheading on May 19, 1536.

Socrates - Socrates was a pioneering and prolific Greek philosopher who is widely credited with having founded Western philosophy. He was greatly admired by his followers.

Socrates - Unfortunately for Socrates, he was not so popular with everyone. Hated by the people of Athens, he was convicted of impiety and corrupting the youth.

Che Guevara - Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary who played an important role in the Cuban Revolution. He was executed by the Bolivian army on October 9, 1967.

Che Guevara - Despite the controversy surrounding him, Che Guevara remains a hero in the eyes of many, acting as an important symbol of anti-imperialism and revolution.

Pierre Laval - Pierre Jean Marie Laval was a controversial French politician from the 20th century.

Pierre Laval - In 1945, he was executed by firing squad in France, after being found guilty of plotting against the security of the state and collaborating with the enemy.

Mary, Queen of Scots - When Mary, Queen of Scots was removed from her position as Queen of Scotland in 1567, she ran to her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England for protection.

Mary, Queen of Scots - Sensing a threat to her own right to reign, Queen Elizabeth I locked her cousin up and kept her there for some 18 years, before finally having her beheaded in 1587.

Guy Fawkes - When the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 failed, English Catholic Guy Fawkes was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered for his involvement.

Guy Fawkes - When it came to his execution day, Fawkes' neck broke as he was hanged. Some sources claim that he jumped, so as to avoid the full agony of his sentence.

Saddam Hussein - In one of the most infamous executions of the 21st century, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006.

Saddam Hussein - The former Iraqi leader was sentenced to death after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for the Dujail massacre.