Dark Stories: On This Day In True Crime History - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1540: Thomas Cromwell Beheaded on Tower Hill for Treason Against Henry VIII

Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII and chief architect of the English Reformation, was executed on Tower Hill on 28 July 1540. Born around 1485 in Putney, Surrey, he had risen from humble origins to become the most powerful man in England after the king, reshaping both church and government. His downfall came after he arranged the king’s disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves, a union annulled within six months. Arraigned under an act of attainder for treason and heresy, he was beheaded without trial.

On the same day Cromwell lost his head, Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Henry later expressed deep regret at the execution of his chief minister, widely regarded as one of the most consequential acts of his reign.

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell Tudor statesman

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England Europe Execution London Political Crime Trial UK

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1791: James Chapman Hanged in Sydney for Burglary One Day After Sentencing

James Chapman arrived in New South Wales in June 1790 aboard a Second Fleet vessel, already a convicted burglar who had stolen fowls from a Hampshire farm in 1787 and been reprieved from death in exchange for transportation for life. Working as a labourer at Parramatta, he lasted barely a year before again crossing into crime, breaking and entering the home of John Petrie in July 1791 and stealing clothing and other goods, with additional charges relating to property belonging to John Medcalf.

Chapman pleaded guilty before the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction on 19 July 1791 and was sentenced to death. He was hanged in Sydney the following day, aged around 29. A man named Joseph Hatton, charged with receiving the stolen goods, was sentenced to 500 or 800 lashes.

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Australia Burglary Colonial Crime Execution NSW Parramatta Prison Robbery Sydney Theft

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1793: Robespierre Joins the Committee of Public Safety

On 27 July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, the twelve-man body that effectively governed France during the most turbulent phase of the Revolution. His appointment marked a turning point: within months, the Committee would become the engine of the Terror, overseeing the execution of thousands deemed enemies of the Republic.

Robespierre’s influence on the Committee was profound and lethal. Under his direction, the Revolutionary Tribunal accelerated its work, sending nobles, clergy, political rivals, and ordinary citizens to the guillotine. His own end came almost exactly a year later, when the Thermidorian Reaction turned the machinery of the Terror against its architect.

Portrait of Robespierre by Louis Boilly

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Europe Execution France Paris Political Crime Terrorism

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1996: The Ivan Milat Verdict: Seven Murders, Life Without Parole

Ivan Robert Marko Milat, known as the Backpacker Murderer, was found guilty on 27 July 1996 of seven counts of murder, the worst serial killing case in Australian history. His victims, mostly young backpackers travelling the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne between 1989 and 1992, were lured under the pretence of a lift before being taken into the Belanglo State Forest in New South Wales and murdered.

Milat was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole and spent 25 years appealing his sentence. Police remained confident he was responsible for more killings than those proven at trial. He died in custody on 27 October 2019.

The <a href='https://darkstories.com.au/belanglo-state-forest-ivan-milat/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Ivan Milat</a> Verdict: Seven Murders, Life Without Parole” style=”max-width:50%; height:auto; display:block; margin:16px auto;”/></p>
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Australia Belanglo State Forest Hunter Valley Melbourne Murder NSW Serial Killer Sydney Trial

1540: Thomas Cromwell Beheaded on Tower Hill for Treason Against Henry VIII

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1791: James Chapman Hanged in Sydney for Burglary One Day After Sentencing

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1793: Robespierre Joins the Committee of Public Safety

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1996: The Ivan Milat Verdict: Seven Murders, Life Without Parole

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