Criminals & Notorious Women

Anne Boleyn, queen of England, second wife of Henry VIII, and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, resisted Henry's advances for years while he obtained a divorce -- but her marriage didn't last long when she did not give Henry the son he wanted.

A biography of Lizzie Borden, accused (and acquitted) murderer of her father and stepmother.

A summary of the biography of Elena Ceausescu, an influence on her husband, the dictator of Romania until their execution in 1989.

Charlotte Corday biography - a biography of Charlotte Corday, figure in the French Revolution

Yes, she went to North Vietnam and denounced the United States presence in Vietnam - but no, she didn't directly turn in POWs and cause their deaths.

Emma Goldman, anarchist and socialist, was harasssed by the law and convicted in 1893 for inciting to riot.

Catherine Howard biography - profile of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, beheaded for adultery and concealing her previous sexual history from Henry.

Trained by her mother Theodora to be a major player in papal politics, she was allegedly the mistress of one Pope, mother of another and grandmother of yet another.

An evangelical missionary preacher, with America and its sinners as her mission field -- when she disappeared in 1926, was she really hiding away in a "love nest" with a man on her radio station's staff, or was she kidnapped? Was she a hypocrite or was she a victim of the media and of those who couldn't stand a woman with such power in a position normally closed to women?

Bonnie Parker biography - profile of Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde fame, bank robber during the Great Depression.

In the New Testament she's famous for asking for the head of St. John the Baptist -- and she's also been a favorite subject for artists, her depiction reflecting the fantasies of each time. Find a brief biography of Salome with notes about many of the depictions in art -- with links.

The first woman to get the death sentence from the U.S. government, Mary Surratt was convicted of being part of the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln. Was the conviction fair or not?

Convicted of treason for propaganda broadcasts during World War II (only the 7th American ever convicted of treason), she was later pardoned amidst a public campaign to exonerate her. POWs working with her in Japan during the war tell the story of her subtle undermining of the Japanese efforts.

She was believed to have been involved in an incestuous relationship with her brother, the emperor Caligula. Later, she was accused of murdering her husband, the emperor Claudius, after getting him to adopt her son Nero as his heir.

Infamous for promiscuity, perhaps even with her brother, Clodia was the subject of love poems by Catullus. Her break-up with Caelius resulted in accusations and counter-accusations, with Cicero defending Caelius.

The worst of mothers? Medea sided with the Argonauts in capturing the Golden Fleece, herself escaping with Jason and living with him, bearing his children. But when he abandoned her for another wife, she took terrible revenge.

A Transylvanian with a reputation for torture and bathing in the blood of her victims, she was tried in 1611, found guilty and imprisoned.

Her name has become synonymous with a shameless, disobedient woman or seductress. A biblical character, she was married to King Ahab and gained her reputation for, among other sins, remaining loyal to her pagan gods. (Her name includes the name of the god Baal.)

She made her town infamous with her 1956 novel, Peyton Place -- and her neighbors, who knew her life, tell stories on her, as well. She lived hard and died early -- of cirrhosis at 39 years old.

Doña Marina, La Malinche, was an Aztec slave of the Spaniards under Cortes. Of noble origins, she served as interpreter for Cortes, and has been reviled since as a traitor to her people. This article credits her as a heroine, instead, helping "save Mexico from its brutal, blood-thirsty rulers."