Famous suicides

World Heritage Sites connected to 'Famous suicides':

  • Ancient Kyoto Minamoto no Yorimasa. He killed himself by seppuku in Byodo-in, one of the listed monuments in Uji. His seppuku was the first recorded to have been carried out as an alternative to surrendering to enemies.
  • Imperial Palace Emperor Chongzhen. He was the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty and hanged himself just outside the palace compound as his empire was being conquered. This was after he had ordered almost everyone in his household to commit suicide.
  • Masada Zealots
  • National History Park King Henri I (Henri Christophe) "In August 1820, Christophe suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities, the seeds of rebellion began to grow. On October 2, 1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a revolt. The mutiny coincided with a conspiracy of Christophe's own generals. Some of his trusted aides took him to the Citadel to await the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to bathe him and dress him in his formal military uniform, place him in his favorite chair in his den and leave him alone. Shortly after the attendants left his side, Christophe committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart with a silver bullet. To prevent Christophe's body from being mutilated by the rebels, several of his aides buried him in quick lime"
  • Prague Jan Palach, student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest.
  • Rome Lucretia. She became a symbol of chastity after she preferred committing suicide to living the shame of having been raped.
  • Vatican City Alessandro Benedetti, a young Italian cadet officer of the elite Vatican police force, died of a gunshot wound inflicted by himself in 2007 in the Gendarmes barracks.
  • Yin Xu King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty of ancient China. Another ruler who killed himself as his kingdom was being taken over. He burnt himself along with his palace.