Famous Trials in World History

Famous Trials in World History Links

Chronological Order | Alphabetical Order

Chronological Order

Socrates (399 B.C.) | Sextus Roscius (c. 80 B.C.) | Jesus (30 A.D.) | John (Jan) Hus (Huss) (1415) | Joan of Arc (1431) | Savonarola (1498) | Martin Luther (1521) | Thomas More (1535) | Mary Queen of Scots (1586) | Giordano Bruno (1592 &1600) | Walter Raleigh (1603) | Guy Fawkes (1606) | Galileo (1633) | John Lilburne (1638 & 1653) | Charles I (1649) | William Penn and William Mead (1670) | Alice Lisle (1685) | Admiral John Byng (1757) | Warren Hastings (1788–95) | Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (1792 &1793) | Theobald Wolfe Tone (1798) | Marshal Michel Ney (1815) | Louis Riel (1885) | Alfred Dreyfus (1894–1906) | Oscar Wilde (1895) | Emile Zola (1898) | Roger Casement (1916) | Mata Hari (1917) | Nuremberg Trials (1945–49) | Adolf Eichmann (1961) | Nelson Mandela (1963–64) | Natan Shcharansky (Sharansky) (1978) | Lindy Chamberlain (1982) | Tiananmen Square Dissidents (1991) | Saddam Hussein (2006)

Alphabetical Order

Giordano Bruno (1592 &1600) | Admiral John Byng (1757) | Roger Casement (1916) | Lindy Chamberlain (1982) | Charles I (1649) | Alfred Dreyfus (1894–1906) | Adolf Eichmann (1961) | Guy Fawkes (1606) | Galileo (1633) | Mata Hari (1917) | Warren Hastings (1788–95) | John (Jan) Hus (Huss) (1415) | Saddam Hussein (2006) | Jesus (30 A.D.) | Joan of Arc (1431) | John Lilburne (1638 & 1653) | Alice Lisle (1685) | Louis XVI (1792–93) | Martin Luther (1521) | Marie-Antoinette (1793) | Mary Queen of Scots (1586) | Thomas More (1535) | Nelson Mandela (1963–64) | William Mead (1670) | Marshal Michel Ney (1815) | Nuremberg Trials (1945–49) | William Penn (1670) | Walter Raleigh (1603) | Louis Riel (1885) | Sextus Roscius (c. 80 B.C.) | Savonarola (1498) | Natan Shcharansky (Sharansky) (1978) | Socrates (399 B.C.) | Theobald Wolfe Tone (1798) | Tiananmen Square Dissidents (1991) | Oscar Wilde (1895) | Emile Zola (1898)

Socrates (399 B.C.)

Wikipedia: Trial of Socrates

Famous Trials: Socrates

Jurist: The Trial of Socrates

Radio National: Encounter: The Trial of Socrates

New York Times Magazine: I.F. Stone Breaks the Socrates Story

Professor James E. Mahon: Socrates

1911 Britannica: Socrates

Citizendium: Socrates

Encarta: Socrates

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socrates

Was Socrates Right to Submit to his Punishment? By Dean Railton.

Euthyphro by Plato Online book.

Wikipedia: Euthypro

Comments on the Euthyphro

The Euthyphro Question From Dr. John Corvino.

SparkNotes: Euthyphro Study guide.

NovelGuide: Euthyphro Study guide.

The Apology of Socrates by Plato Online book.

The Apology of Socrates by Plato Another site with the online book.

An Outline of The Apology of Socrates

Wikipedia: Apology (Plato)

SparkNotes: The Apology Study guide.

BookRags: The Apology Study guide.

NovelGuide: The Apology Study guide.

Commentary on Plato’s Apology of Socrates

Socrates’ Apology: The Background

Plato’s Socrates: The Apology: the Conscience of a Community By Gordon L. Ziniewicz.

Dr. J’s Lecture on Socrates and The Apology

Crito by Plato Online book.

Plato’s Crito: Text Outline

SparkNotes: Crito Study guide.

NovelGuide: Crito Study guide.

Plato’s Socrates: The Crito: Customs (Nomoi) As Parents and Adversaries by Gordon L. Ziniewicz.

Phaedo by Plato Online text.

Wikipedia: Phaedo

NovelGuide: Phaedo Study guide.

SparkNotes: Phaedo Study guide.

Structure and Narrative Outline of the Phaedo

The Last Days of Socrates This site is designed to help first year philosophy students read the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and the death scene from the Phaedo.

Books:

The Trial of SocratesBy I.F. Stone .

Socrates Against Athens: Philosophy on TrialBy James Colaiaco.

Socrates on Trial By Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith.

Yahoo Directory: Socrates

Google Directory: Socrates

Open Directory Project: Socrates

Sextus Roscius (c. 80 B.C.)

Wikipedia: Cicero

Cicero’s Oration for Sextus Roscius

Wikisource: For Sextus Roscius of Ameria Cicero’s speech.

Plutarch’s Lives: Cicero

Cicero: Pro Roscio Amerino A nice summary of the Roscius case.

Defence of Roscius Cicero’s Speech defending Roscius.

The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero

Books:

Roman Blood By Steven Saylor.

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician By Anthony Everitt.

Cicero: Defense Speeches

Cicero: Political Speeches

Jesus (30 A.D.)

Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus

Citizendium: Jesus

Famous Trials: Jesus

Jurist: The Trial of Jesus

CourtTV Crime Library: The Trial of Jesus Christ and the Last Supper

Jewish Encyclopedia: The Last Supper

1911 Britannica: Jesus Christ

Encarta: Jesus Christ

Catholic Encyclopedia: Jesus Christ

Books:

The Trial of Jesus of Nazareth By Max Radin.

The Trial of Christ: A Twenty-First Century Lawyer Defends JesusBy Dee Wampler.

The Trial of JesusBy Alan Watson.

Yahoo Directory: Jesus

Google Directory: Jesus Christ

Open Directory Project: Jesus Christ

John (Jan) Hus (Huss) (1415)

Wikipedia: Jan Hus

John Huss From Ten Men of the Church before 1500 by Bob Sander-Cederlof, November 1973.

Crusades-Encyclopedia: John Huss

John Hus From GreatSite.

John Huss—Jan Hus Compiled & Edited David L. Brown, Ph.D.

John Huss and the Hussites By Ed Babinski.

1911 Britannica: John Huss

Encarta: Jan Hus

Catholic Encyclopedia: Jan Hus

Books:

A Brief History of Heresy By G.R. Evans.

500 Years of Revolution: European Radicals from Hus to Lenin By Charles George.

John Huss: His Life, Teachings and Death After Five Hundred Years By David S. Schaff.

Google Directory: Jan Hus

Open Directory Project: Jan Hus

Joan of Arc (1431)

Wikipedia: Joan of Arc

Citizendium: Joan of Arc

1911 Britannica: Joan of Arc

LawBuzz: Joan of Arc

Encarta: Joan of Arc

Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Joan of Arc

Jeannedarc.info Trial transcripts in English and more.

Joan of Arc Museum

Saint Joan of Arc Center: Her Trials

Medieval Sourcebook: The Trial of Joan of Arc The transcript translated into English.

Avalon Project: The Trial of Jeanne D’Arc

Joan of Arc Archive: Issues Concerning Her Trial

Joan of Arc Online Archive: Trial Issues

IMDB: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

Books:

Joan of Arc: Her Story By Regine Pernoud.

The Trial of Joan of Ark By Don Nardo.

Yahoo Directory: Joan of Arc

Google Directory: Saint Joan of Arc

Open Directory Project: Joan of Arc

Savonarola (1498)

Wikipedia: Savonarola

1911 Britannica: Savonarola

Catholic Encyclopedia: Savonarola

Encarta: Savonarola

NNDB: Savonarola

History Guide:

Savonarola and the Protestant Reformation

Books:

Life and Times of Girolamo SavonarolaBy Pasquale Villari.

Martin Luther (1521)

1911 Britannica: Martin Luther

Encarta: Martin Luther

Spartacus: Martin Luther

Catholic Encyclopedia: Martin Luther

BBC: Diet of Worms Audio file.

PBS: Martin Luther

Martin Luther: Excerpts from his account of the Diet of Worms (1521)

Books:

Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings

Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority

Yahoo Directory: Martin Luther

Google Directory: Martin Luther

Open Directory Project: Martin Luther

Thomas More (1535)

Wikipedia: Thomas More

Famous Trials: Sir Thomas More

1911 Britannica: Sir Thomas More

Encarta: Sir Thomas More

Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Thomas More

Spartacus: Thomas More

The Life of Sir Thomas More By William Roper.

The Story of Thomas More An online book by John Farrow.

Sir Thomas More: A Man for One Season A biography critical of More by James Wood.

Integrity and Conscience in the Life and Thought of Thomas More By Gerald Wegemer, Professor of Literature, University of Dallas.

Sir Thomas More Biography, essays, and links.

Books:

The Life of Thomas More By Peter Ackroyd.

The King’s Good Servant but God’s First By James Monti.

The Last Letters of Thomas More By Alvaro De Silva.

A Thomas More Source Book Edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith.

Yahoo Directory: Thomas More

Google Directory: Saint Thomas More

Open Directory Project: Saint Thomas More

Mary, Queen of Scots (1586)

Wikipedia: Mary I of Scotland

1911 Britannica: Mary Queen of Scots

Encarta: Mary, Queen of Scots

Spartacus: Mary, Queen of Scots

Catholic Encyclopedia: Mary Queen of Scots

Luminarium Encyclopedia: Mary, Queen of Scots

Marie Stuart Society Web Page

History Learning Site: Mary Queen of Scots

Tudor Place: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland

Mary Queen of Scots Biography and links.

Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington Plot By James P. McGill, April 1999.

Mary, Queen of Scots From Scottish Monarchs.

The Trial of Mary Queen of Scots: A Brief History with Documents Review by Richard Burt. You (or your library) must subscribe to JSTOR to get this document.

Trial of Mary Queen of Scots Review by A. Francis Stewart. You (or your library) must subscribe to JSTOR to get this document.

Books:

The Trial of Mary Queen of Scots By Elizabeth Jayne Lewis.

Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley By Alison Weir.

Famous Trials of History by Frederick E. Birkenhead By Frederick E. Birkenhead.

Yahoo Directory: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

Google Directory: Mary Queen of Scots

Open Directory Project: Mary, Queen of Scots

Giordano Bruno (1592 &1600)

Wikipedia: Giordano Bruno

1911 Britannica: Giordano Bruno

Encarta: Giordano Bruno

Catholic Encyclopedia: Giordano Bruno

History Guide: Giordano Bruno

Summary of the Trial Against Giordano Bruno From the Vatican Secret Archives.

The Folly of Giordano Bruno By Prof. Richard W. Pogge, Ohio State University.

Rationalist International: Giordano Bruno: The Forgotten Philosopher Several biographies.

Great Theosophists: Giordano Bruno

Giordano Bruno By J.J. O’Connor and E.F. Robertson, University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Books:

The Pope and the Heretic: The True Story of Giordano Bruno, the Man Who Dared to Defy the Roman Inquisition By Michael White.

Giordano BrunoBy McIntyre Lewis.

Yahoo Directory: Giordano Bruno

Google Directory: Giordano Bruno

Open Directory Project: Giordano Bruno

Walter Raleigh (1603)

Wikipedia: Walter Raleigh

Encarta: Sir Walter Raleigh

1911 Britannica: Sir Walter Raleigh

NNDB: Sir Walter Raleigh A biography.

Spartacus: Walter Raleigh

LexScripta: The Quatercentary of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Trial A long biography of Raleigh with a focus on the trial.

Biography of Sir Walter Raleigh by Christopher Smith

Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight A biography.

Trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight, for High Treason An excerpt from the trial transcript.

Books:

Sir Walter Raleigh By Raleigh Trevelyan.

That Great Lucifer: A Portrait of Sir Walter Ralegh By Margaret Irwin.

Yahoo Directory: Sir Walter Raleigh

Google Directory: Walter Raleigh

Open Directory Project: Walter Raleigh

Guy Fawkes (1606)

1911 Britannica: Guy Fawkes

Encarta: Guy Fawkes

Catholic Encyclopedia: The Gunpowder Plot

House of Lords: Gunpowder Plot: Parliament & Treason

Life & Crimes of Guy Fawkes Biography, timeline, and links.

The transcription of the trial of Guy Fawkes

Transcript of Guy Fawkes Trial

Gunpowder Plot Society: Guy Fawkes Biography.

Britannia: Guy Fawkes A biography by David Herber.

Books:

Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery By Steven Wise.

Sir William Waad, Lieutenant of the Tower, And the Gunpowder Plot By Fiona Benqtsen.

Yahoo Directory: Guy Fawkes

Google Directory: Guy Fawkes Day History

Open Directory Project: Guy Fawkes Day

Galileo (1633)

Wikipedia: Galileo Affair

Citizendium: Galileo Galilei

Famous Trials: Galileo

Jurist: The Trial of Galileo

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Galileo

Catholic Encyclopedia: Galileo Galilei

Catholic Information Resource Center: The Galileo Affair

Wikipedia: Galileo Galilei

Encarta: Galileo

1911 Britannica: Galileo Galilei

Papal Condemnation (Sentence) of Galileo, June 1633

Modern History Sourcebook: The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633

The Galileo Project A source of information on the life and work of Galileo Galilei (1564–1642).

NOVA: Galileo’s Battle for the Heavens Companion site to the PBS show on Galileo’s struggle with the church.

Recent Endorsements for Galileo Was Wrong Blog arguing that the church was right.

Catholic Education Resource Center: The Galileo Affair

Books:

The Discoverers By Daniel J. Boorstin.

Coming of Age in the Milky Way By Timothy Ferris.

Retrying Galileo, 1633-1992 By Maurice Finocchiaro.

Behind the Scenes at Galileo’s Trial By Richard Blackwell.

Yahoo Directory: Galileo

Google Directory: Galileo

Open Directory Project: Galileo

John Lilburne (1638 & 1653)

Wikipedia: John Lilburne

1911 Britannica: John Lilburne

Spartacus: John Lilburne

Book:

Free-Born John: A Biography of John Lilburne By Pauline Gregg.

Charles I (1649)

Wikipedia: Charles I of England

1911 Britannica: Charles I

Encarta: Charles I

Official Web Site of the British Monarchy: Charles I

Spartacus: Charles I

Books:

The Trial of Charles I: A Documentary History By David Lagomarsino.

A Coffin For King Charles: The Trial and Execution of Charles I By C.V. Wedgewood.

Yahoo Directory: Charles I

Google Directory: Charles I

Open Directory Project: Charles I

William Penn and William Mead (1670)

LawBuzz: William Penn’s Jury Sent to Prison The story of the trial.

U.S. Courts: The Trial of William Penn A play.

The People’s Ancient and Just Liberties Asssrted [sic] in the Tryal of William Penn and William Mead An account of the trial by William Penn.

Wikipedia: William Penn

1911 Britannica: William Penn

Encarta: William Penn

Spartacus: William Penn

Books:

The Trial of William Penn And William Mead (Various Authors)

In the Hands of the People: The Trial Jury’s Origins, Triumphs, Troubles, and Future in American Democracy By William Dwyer.

Freedom Seeker: A Story About William Penn By Gwenyth Swain

Case of William Penn and William Mead The trial transcript.

The Trial of William Penn Another site with the transcript.

Yahoo Directory: William Penn

Alice Lisle (1685)

Wikipedia: Alice Lisle

1911 Britannica: Alice Lisle

Book:

The Regicide’s Widow: Lady Alice Lisle and the Bloody Assize By Antony Whitaker.

Admiral John Byng (1757)

Wikipedia: John Byng

1911 Britannica: John Byng

Trial and execution of Admiral John Byng, 1757 By Peter Davis.

Web Mystery Magazine: Trial and Execution of Admiral the Honourable John Byng

Books:

Celebrated Naval and Military Trials By Peter Burke.

The Torrington diaries,: Containing the tours through England and Wales of the Hon. John Byng (later fifth Viscount Torrington) between the years 1781 and 1794 By John Byng.

Warren Hastings (1788–95)

Wikipedia: Warren Hastings

1911 Britannica: Warren Hastings

Manas: Warren Hastings

Books:

Warren Hastings and the Founding of the British Administration By Lionel Trotter.

Oxford Historical Series The Impeachment of Warren Hastings By P.J. Marshall.

Google Directory: Edmund Burke

Yahoo Directory: Edmund Burke

Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (1792 &1793)

Louis XVI of France

Marie-Antoinette

1911 Britannica

Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette

The Child Queen A New Yorker review of a book about the queen.

PBS: Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution

Indictment of Louis XVI (December 11, 1792)

Saint-Just’s First Speech on Louis XVI

Saint-Just’s Second Speech on Louis XVI

Thomas Paine’s Speech

The Defense of Marie-Antoinette

Books:

Regicide and Revolution By Michael Walzer.

The King’s Trial: Louis XVI vs. the French Revolution By David Jordan.

The Road from Versailles By Munro Price.

Marie Antoinette: And The Decline Of French Monarchy By Nancy Lotz.

Yahoo Directory

Marie-Antoinette

Google Directory: Marie-Antoinette

Open Directory Project: Marie-Antoinette

Bounty Mutineers (1792)

Famous Trials: Bounty Mutineers Court-Martial

Wikipedia: Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny on the HMS Bounty Many resources.

The Bounty Chronicles Essays and paintings.

Pitcairn Islands Study Center Large collection of materials on the mutiny.

Trincoll Journal: The Historical Significance of The Mutiny on the Bounty

Books:

The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty By Caroline Alexander.

Serpent in Paradise By Dea Birkett.

The Court Martial of the Bounty Mutineers By Owen Rutter.

Yahoo Directory: Mutiny on the Bounty

Theobald Wolfe Tone (1798)

Wikipedia: Theobald Wolfe Tone

1911 Britannica: Theobald Wolfe Tone

LawBuzz: Wolfe Tone

Books:

The Writings of Theobald Wolfe Tone 1763-98: Volume II: America, France, and Bantry Bay, August 1795 to December 1796

Theobald Wolfe Tone and the Irish Nation By Desmond Greaves.

Theobald Wolfe Tone: A biographical study By Frank MacDermot.

Marshal Michel Ney (1815)

Wikipedia: Michel Ney

1911 Britannica: Michel Ney

NNDB: Michel Ney

Napoleon Guide: Michel Ney

Ney Defends Himself A statement Ney made in his defense.

Napoleon Series: Newspaper Accounts of the Trial and Execution of Marshal Michel Ney

Letter from Moncey to Louis XVIII Refusing to preside at the Court-Martial of Ney

Seize the Night: Michel Ney

Books:

Historic Doubts As To The Execution Of Marshal Ney 1895 By James Weston.

Execution Denied: The Story Of Marshal Ney: Napoleon’s “Bravest of the Brave” By H.H. Bradshaw.

Napoleon’s Marshals By Amir Bukhari.

Louis Riel (1885)

Wikipedia: Trial of Louis Riel

Famous Trials: Louis Riel

1911 Britannica: Louis Riel

University of Saskatchewan Libraries: Louis Riel

Books:

Louis ‘David’ Riel: Prophet of the New World By Thomas Flanagan.

Trial of Louis Riel By John Coulter.

The trial of Louis Riel By George Goulet.

Yahoo Directory: Louis Riel

Google Directory: Louis Riel

Open Directory Project: Louis Riel

Alfred Dreyfus (1894–1906)

Wikipedia: Dreyfus Affair

Jewish Virtual Library: Alfred Dreyfus and “The Affair”

Jewish Encyclopedia: Dreyfus Case

Encarta: Dreyfus Affair

New York Times Book Review: The Affair. By Jean-Denis Bredin A book review.

1911 Britannica: Alfred Dreyfus

The Estimated World Impact of the Dreyfus Affair From Department for Jewish Zionist Education.

Books:

The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus By Jean-Denis Bredin.

France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History By Michael Burns.

The Dreyfus Affair By Leslie Derfer.

The Dreyfus Affair: Honour and Politics in the Belle Epoque By Martin P. Johnson.

The Dreyfus Affair, Art, Truth, and Justice Edited by Norman Kleeblatt.

The Dreyfus Case: A Documentary History By Louis Leo Snyder .

The Dreyfus Affair: A Chronological History By George R. Whyte.

Yahoo Directory: Dreyfus Affair

See also Emile Zola below.

Oscar Wilde (1895)

Wikipedia: Oscar Wilde

Famous Trials: Oscar Wilde

Jurist: The Trials of Oscar Wilde

1911 Britannica: Oscar Wilde

Encarta: Oscar Wilde

CourtTV Crime Library: The Trials of Oscar Wilde

Jurist: The Trials of Oscar Wilde

Books:

The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde: The First Uncensored Transcript of The Trial of Oscar Wilde vs. John Douglas (Marquess of Queensberry), 1895 By Merlin Holland.

The Mammoth Book of Famous Trials By Roger Wilkes.

The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Deviance, Morality, and Late-Victorian Society By Michael Foldy.

Yahoo Directory: Oscar Wilde

Google Directory: Oscar Wilde

Open Directory Project: Oscar Wilde

Emile Zola (1898)

Wikipedia: Emile Zola

Books & Writers: Emile Zola

Emile Zola & Dreyfus’ Case: Audio-Visual Project

“J’Accuse ...!” Emile Zola, Alfred Dreyfus, and the Greatest Newspaper Article in History

IMDB: The Life of Emile Zola The winner of the 1937 Academy Award for best picture.

Books:

The Dreyfus Affair: “J`accuse” and Other Writings By Emile Zola.

Emile Zola: A Biography By Alan Schom.

Google Directory: Emile Zola

Yahoo Directory: Emile Zola

Open Directory Project: Emile Zola