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Forget dry history books. The most gripping tales of the past involve the people who refused to leave. In this article, we dive into the world’s most famous ghost stories, featuring everyone from executed queens to wicked popes, and learn where you can visit the haunted spots today.
Top Ghost Stories in History: Royal Spectres, Corrupt Popes, and Cursed Lands
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these tales of restless spirits are rooted in real lives, deaths and eerie sightings. Take them or leave them, but they sure make for great travel stories.
8. Marie Antoinette, The Queen of Shadows (France, 1793)
Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the revolution, was an Austrian archduchess whose extravagant lifestyle was forever tied to the infamous quote, “Let them eat cake.” She was guillotined in 1793, a fate that perfectly symbolized the violent fall of the European monarchy during a period when the U.S. was barely four years old.
AI generated image of Marie Antoinette’s ghost.
The Execution: She was sentenced to death and executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution.
The Ghostly Garden Party: In 1901, two Englishwomen claimed to have seen her ghost at the Petit Trianon garden at Versailles, though they initially thought they had stumbled into a costume party.
The Mystery: The two women didn’t even realize the figure was a ghost until weeks later, highlighting how seamlessly Marie Antoinette’s presence seems to blend into the scenery.
7. Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, Rome’s ‘Female Pope’ (Rome, 1600s)
Donna Olimpia Maidalchini was the powerful sister-in-law (and rumored lover) of Pope Innocent X during the 1600s, earning the notorious nickname “La Papessa,” which means “Female Pope,” for her intense influence over the Vatican. Her immense greed and power made her one of the most feared and celebrated figures in Rome, even though she was never formally elected.
AI generated image of Donna Olimpia Maidalchini’s ghost.
The Scandal: Romans said she fled with a hoard of Vatican treasure when Pope Innocent X died, cementing her reputation as the most corrupt woman in the city.
The Haunting: A ghostly black carriage is said to thunder through Piazza Navona—where her family still has a palace (now the Brazilian Embassy)—on stormy nights.
The Sound: For centuries, Romans swore they could hear her carriage wheels grinding on the cobblestones long after her death, but only during fierce thunderstorms.
6. Anne Boleyn, The Headless Queen (England, 1536)
Anne Boleyn was the second of Henry VIII’s six wives, whose inability to provide a male heir led to a charge of treason and her infamous execution at the Tower of London in 1536. Her death was the ultimate royal betrayal and helped spark the English Reformation during a time when Michelangelo was painting The Last Judgment.
AI generated image of Anne Boleyn’s ghost.
The Tower Spectre: Her ghost is most frequently spotted stalking the grounds of the Tower of London, often near the Traitor’s Gate, where she entered for the last time.
The Headless Horseman: Her spectral image is also said to haunt Blickling Hall, where she was born, reportedly arriving in a carriage drawn by headless horses.
The Haunting Icon: Her apparition is consistently reported carrying her own severed head under her arm, an image that makes her the ultimate symbol of the bloody Tudor court.
Not looking to book a tour? Check out our article on how to visit the Tower of London!
5. Nero & His Cursed Walnut Tree (Rome, 68 AD)
Emperor Nero was one of Rome’s most infamous tyrants, a ruler so tyrannical he ended his life by suicide in 68 AD near what is now the Piazza del Popolo. His scandalous reign—forever defined by the myth that he “fiddled while Rome burned”—was so despised that by the Middle Ages, his tomb was believed to be a source of demonic and magical activity.
AI generated image of Nero’s ghost.
The Demonic Haunting: His tomb was said to be haunted by demons, witches, and Nero’s own ghost.
The Exorcism: To end the haunting, Pope Paschal II performed a ceremony in 1099 where he cut down a walnut tree growing on the site and exorcised the area.
The Holy Solution: The Pope then erected the Santa Maria del Popolo church over the site to permanently bury the haunting and keep Nero’s ghost at bay.
4. Mary I, “Bloody Mary,” The Unrestful Queen (England, 1558)
Mary I, Queen of England, earned her ominous moniker “Bloody Mary” for attempting to reverse the English Reformation, a campaign that resulted in the burning alive of hundreds of Protestants in the 1550s. Her name is now a fixture in urban legend, giving rise to the “Bloody Mary” mirror ritual used by generations of children daring to conjure a ghost.
AI generated image of Mary I’s ghost.
The Royal Haunting: Her ghost is primarily said to haunt St. James’s Palace, the site where she died in 1558.
The Sound of Death: Guards at St. James’s Palace still report strange knocking and unexplained footsteps in the room where she passed away.
The Religious Terror: Her reign was a desperate, fiery attempt to undo her father Henry VIII’s revolution, making her an enduring embodiment of religious terror and dynastic struggle.
3. Beatrice Cenci, The Tragic Bride of Rome (Rome, 1599)
Beatrice Cenci was a young Roman noblewoman whose horrific life was cut short when she was executed in 1599 for the murder of her notorious and abusive father, Francesco Cenci. Her scandalous trial and execution, which happened while Shakespeare was debuting plays in London, made her a tragic symbol of the injustice and tyranny of papal Rome.
AI generated image of Beatrice Cenci’s ghost.
The Execution: She was publicly beheaded at the age of 22 in front of Castel Sant’Angelo.
The Bridge Ghost: Her ghost is famously said to walk the Ponte Sant’Angelo each year on the anniversary of her execution, carrying her own severed head.
The Relics: On the night of her execution, heartbroken Romans supposedly dipped their handkerchiefs in her blood, keeping them as relics against tyranny.
2. Pope Formosus, The Cadaver on Trial (Rome, 896 AD)
Pope Formosus, whose name ironically means “Handsome,” died peacefully, but was later subjected to one of history’s most grotesque and bizarre events: the Cadaver Synod of 897 AD. Approximately seven months after his burial, his corpse was exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and placed on trial for alleged crimes.
AI generated image of Pope Formosus’ ghost.
The Trial of a Corpse: He was publicly condemned in front of the Church hierarchy and stripped of his vestments.
The Spectral Revenge: After his corpse was eventually dumped into the Tiber River, rumors of his ghost rising in the Vatican began to spread, terrifying clergy.
The Tides of Terror: The rumors only intensified when floods later washed his rotting body back onto the riverbank, fueling new fears that the dead Pope was truly cursed.
1. Giles Corey & The Salem Witch Trials (Massachusetts, 1692)
The Salem Witch Trials were a period of Puritan hysteria in 1692 where 19 people were executed, 200 were accused, and Giles Corey was famously pressed to death with heavy stones after refusing to enter a plea. This was a time when Isaac Newton had just published Principia Mathematica, yet across the ocean, people still believed the Devil walked among them.
AI generated image of PGiles Corey’s ghost.
The Curse: Giles Corey, at 81, cursed the community with his last breaths as he was pressed to death.
The Premonition: Corey’s ghost is said to appear in the Salem area just before major local disasters, like the Great Salem Fire of 1914.
The Haunting Ground: Both Gallows Hill and the old Salem cemeteries are reportedly haunted by voices and apparitions from the accused.
Best Tours For a Chance to See History’s Ghosts
If you’re looking to step into these haunted chapters of history, you need an expert local guide who can bring the dramatic stories to life (and maybe point out a shadow or two). Our tours cut the fluff and deliver the real, high-stakes history that led to these famous hauntings.
The greatest ghost stories are always rooted in the greatest historical drama. From royal executions to religious purges and papal corruption, these figures’ spectacular lives and tragic ends ensure they remain the ultimate, restless stars of history. Whether you’re a skeptic or a seeker, walking the streets they haunted is the best way to connect with the incredible, often terrifying, reality of the past.
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