Famous Murderesses of the Christian World

Theophano, 10th Century

Theophano, a Greek lady, was the wife of the Byzantine Emperor, Romanus II (958 - 963 AD). She had accelerated the beginning of her husband’s reign by poisoning her father-in-law, Constantine VII, and shortly thereafter she poisoned her husband.

Before Romanus had completely expired, Theophano took for her lover the general, Nicephorus II Phocas, who at her urging seized power. After several successful battles, driving the Moslems out of Cyprus and Antioch, his ambition waned and he retired in religious seclusion.

Theophano, bored with this new life-style, took a new lover, General John Tzimisces. At her urging he killed Nicephorus in 969 AD and seized the throne. Once he had gained sole power, he became remorseful and exiled Theophano.

Beatrice Ceni, 16th Century

Beatrice Cenci was the daughter of one of the most evil fathers of the 16th century, Francesco Cenci, a wealthy nobleman. Leaving aside the fact that he had been imprisoned twice for various crimes, what attracts our attention is the fact that his wife and several children actually made an appeal to the pope that he be killed in order that they might live in peace. The pope, who had received large cash bribes on several occasions from Francesco, not only denied the proposal, but told the father. Now the family felt in such peril that they decided to take matters into their own hands.

In the summer of 1598, the family was staying at a castle known as the Rock of Petrella. A young prelate, Cardinal Guerra, who was in love with Beatrice, supplied a drug for Francesco’s wine and the father soon fell into a deep sleep. The plan was for two servants to then kill him, but at the last moment they held back on the principle of killing a man in his sleep. Beatrice stepped forward, recalled the many evils of the father and told the servants that if they would not do it, she would. Thus shamed, the servants drove a long nail through one of Francesco's eyes into his brain, then tossed the body from an upper window into the branches of a tree below.

Francesco’s body was discovered, the family pretended grief and he was given a great funeral. The family now began to live in peace for the first time, a tranquil interval that was soon interrupted by the accusation that they had been responsible for the death of the father. After the family denied participation, they were all taken to prison and tortured until they finally admitted their guilt. The pope issued an order that they all be beheaded.

At this point, however, various cardinals or other members of the nobility who knew of the evils of Francesco now took an interest in the case. Several of the best lawyers in Rome made a plea before the pope, which included a dark rumor of specific abuse of the father toward Beatrice. The pope, moved by public sentiment, ordered the family released and implied that they would not be charged.

Unfortunately, at this moment another young nobleman, Paolo Santa Croce, killed his mother during a family quarrel. The pope, now fearing the Cenci family had become a symbol for parricidal mania, suddenly changed his mind and ordered them all killed the following Saturday, saving only the youngest son.

The pope gave some of the family’s estates to his nephews. In the Villa Borghese, on one of these estates, was for many years a portrait of Beatrice, painted by Guido Reni while she was in prison. Shelley, visiting the villa on an one of his trips to Italy, was moved by this portrait and in the preface of his tragedy, The Cenci, he wrote, in 1819,

There is a fixed and pale composure upon the features, she seems sad and stricken down in spirit, yet the despair thus expressed is lightened by the patience of gentleness. Her head is bound with folds of white drapery, from which the yellow strings of her golden hair escape and fall about the neck. The molding of her face is exquisitely delicate, the eyebrows are distinct and arched, the lips have that permanent meaning of imagination and sensibility which suffering has not repressed and which it seems as if death scarcely could extinguish. Her forehead is large and clear, her eyes, which we are told were remarkable for their vivacity, are swollen with weeping and lusterless, but beautifully tender and serene. In the whole mien there are simplicity and dignity which, united with her exquisite loveliness and deep sorrow, are inexpressible pathetic. Beatrice Cenci appears to have been one of those rare persons in whom energy and gentleness dwell together without destroying one another; her nature was simple and profound. The crimes and miseries in which she was an actor and a sufferer are as the mask and the mantle in which circumstances clothed her for her impersonation in the scene of the world.

Sister Umilia, 16th Century

Lucrezia Malpigli was a young 16th century girl of Ferrara who fell in love with one Massimiliano Arnolfini and wished to marry him. Her parents, however, determined that she marry into the Buonvisi family, arranged for her engagement with the eldest son of that family. Before the wedding could occur, the young man died. Lucrezia was now engaged to the next son, but he too died before the wedding could take place. Finally she was married to the third Buonvisi son.

Shortly after her marriage she met her young love, Arnolfini, in Lucca and they discovered their love had not died. Her husband was soon stabbed by one of Arnolfini’s servants as he was returning with her from church. While her guilt in this murder is not known, she cut her hair, moved into the convent of Santa Chiara and took the name, Sister Umilia.

We next hear of her 13 years later when two young men were fighting over her love, the convent being a den of iniquity and the supposedly pious nuns being profligates. A young nobleman, Tommaso Samminiati, supplied her with poison with which she killed a Sister Calidonia, who had become repentant and was threatening to reveal the secrets of the convent to the world.

Sister Umilia was imprisoned for 9 years, after which she was allowed again to wear the dress of the convent.

Vittoria Accoramboni, 16th Century

Vittoria Accoramboni, a 16th century Italian lady, was married to Francesco Peretti. When the Duke di Bracciano, a member of the famous Orsini family of Padua, indicated a desire to marry her, seeing the possibility of an important advancement, Vittoria and her mother arranged for her brother to kill her husband. It did not seem to trouble her mind that the Duke di Bracciano had recently strangled his wife.

Despite the pope’s opposition the couple were married and lived happily for a time, until Vittoria was charged with her first husband’s death. She was eventually acquitted, but only under the stipulation that she be divorced from the duke. They separated but after a time remarried, although the family of the duke remained displeased and constantly threatened prosecution.

When the duke died, Vittoria was the sole heir, although the will was immediately disputed by the duke’s younger brother, Ludovico. After being a widow for only a few months, a group of 40 men, all masked in black, came to the Orsini palace and murdered her.

The next day her corpse was exposed to the public and the Padua citizens, believing Ludovico was implicated, stormed the palace. When an intercepted letter revealed that Ludovico had killed Vittoria with his own hand, the assassin coolly gave up his weapons and, taking a small pair of scissors from his pocket, began trimming his finger nails as if nothing had happened.

Mme de Chevreuse, died in 1679

Mme de Chevreuse was the most important woman politician of the 17th century, and perhaps of French history. Beautiful, charming and seductive, with tireless energy she hatched more plots and intrigues and controlled and ruined more men than any other woman. She was the feared enemy of both Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin.

She got her taste for politics through her husband, de Luynes, the minister of Louis XIII who overthrew the power of Marie de Medici. Brought into the court by her husband, she was soon superintendent of the household and an influential advisor of queen Anne.

Her husband died in 1621 and she married Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Chevreuse. This unhappy marriage opened the door to her life of seduction and intrigue. Her first conquest was Lord Kensington, the English ambassador, and through him she tried to involve Queen Anne in an affair with the Duke of Buckingham. When Mme de Chevreuse traveled to England with Henriette Marie, the new queen of Charles I, both Buckingham and Kensington made her the center of attention in London. Cardinal Richelieu, fearing her influence in the English court quickly recalled her husband, but her friends obtained an invitation from the king himself for her to remain. While in England she gave birth to someone’s child.

Back in France, Mme de Chevreuse took on the job, on behalf of the queen, of scheming to prevent Monsieur, the Dauphin, from marrying Mlle de Montpensier. When Richelieu discovered the plot, one noble lost his head, others were exiled and still others lost their positions. Mme de Chevreuse was forced to retire to Lorraine.

In 1626, through the request of England, Mme de Chevreuse returned to court and quietly seemed to support Richelieu. Soon, however, she was plotting with one of his ministers, the Marquis de Châteauneuf. Richelieu intercepted their correspondence, sent Châteauneuf to prison for 10 years and exiled Mme. de Chevreuse to Dampierre. She stole into Paris at night and met with the queen, but Richelieu discovered her and sent her to Touraine.

Now Mme de Chevreuse began to correspond with the dukes of Savoy and Lorraine, the queen, England and Spain. Richelieu, fearful of her influence in England and Spain, and with violence being impossible, now began to court her himself. He showed her every kindness and sent her money, but Mme de Chevreuse, preferring distance to closeness with the cardinal, left for Spain. Richelieu sent her an urgent message to return, offering to forgive her past, but by the time his message arrived in Madrid, Mme de Chevreuse had already made herself the center of the Spanish court and a friend of the king’s sister. When war broke out between France and Spain, Mme de Chevreuse left for England.

Richelieu, needing the support of her husband in the war, tried again to obtain her return but was unable to convince her that she would be safe. In England she organized the émigrés and began correspondence with Spain and Austria. Richelieu, feeling the influence of her intrigues, sent her husband to bring her back to Paris. Mme de Chevreuse, not trusting her own husband, instead went to Brussels.

She was now accused of being behind the plot known as Cinq-Mars and Richelieu was at the point of making even the queen her enemy when he died. Soon after Louis XIII died, leaving a special order that Mme de Chevreuse, whom he called “Le Diable,” be forever exiled. The queen-regent instead recalled her and released her friend, Châteauneuf from prison.

Back in Paris, Mme de Chevreuse now made her goal the overthrow of Cardinal Mazarin. Failing in this objective through her former methods of placing friends in key positions, Mme de Chevreuse now decided to turn to conventional politics and joined a party called The Importants. Through this party she laid plans to assassinate Mazarin, but the plot was discovered and once again men were imprisoned or exiled and Mme de Chevreuse was forced to retire to Dampierre. Before long she was able to escape to Belgium, where she continued to work against Mazarin.

Next she joined the movement known as the Fronde and through it was able to actually acquire real political power and exiled Mazarin. When the queen brought him back, he and Mme de Chevreuse decided to work together and she became, especially after his death, a controlling force. At the height of her power, she retired to the country, having outlived Richelieu, Mazarin, Louis XIII, Queen Anne, the Queen of England, Châteauneuf and her husband.

Charlotte Corday, 1768 – 1793

Charlotte Corday came from a noble, but impoverished, family in Caen. She was educated in a convent and remained there for two years as a nun, but her reading of Plutarch had inspired her toward the glory of ancient Rome and weakened her faith. There may also have been some passed down influence of Voltaire on her thinking. Some years before he had discovered her mother, Marie Corneille, the grand-niece of the playwright, Pierre Corneille. He rescued her from poverty by raising funds to publish the plays of Corneille and for a while spent a considerable amount of time with her.

Charlotte was shocked when she read of the beheading of the king and the target of her anger became Marat, who had been attacking the Girondins. In June, 1793, she left her home with the specific purpose of entering the Convention chambers and killing Marat with a knife she carried with her. On her arrival there she learned he was home ill and she immediately went there but was denied entrance.

She went to her hotel and wrote Marat a brief letter, asking for an audience.

I come from Caen. Your love for the nation ought to make you anxious to know the plots that are being laid there. I await your reply.

There being no reply, she went to his house again and this time was admitted. She found him sitting in a bathtub, soaking in a mineral cure for his skin disease. She gave him the names of deputies of the Convention who were ruling in Caen in collusion with local officials. When Marat responded by saying they would all be guillotined, she drove her knife into him. When the police came to take her away she said, “I have done my duty, let them do theirs.”