In the American criminal justice system, it’s quite rare for a woman to be executed. The majority of convicts sentenced to death are men, with women making up only 3.6% of the executions performed in the country’s four-century history. While more men around the world have received capital punishment for offenses like murder and treason, the scales tipped the other way for crimes such as adultery and witchcraft.
From accused witches to spies to queens, women from all walks of life have met brutal deaths at the end of a rope or an executioner's axe. Click through the following gallery to remember the most infamous executions of women in history.