11 Famous Historical Figures Whose Body Parts Were Separated After Death

 Historical Figures Whose Body Parts Were Separated After Death

1. The Stolen Brain of Albert Einstein

• Why it was removed: In 1955, right after Einstein's death, the pathologist Dr. Thomas Harvey removed the brain during the autopsy without the family's permission. He wanted to study it scientifically to discover the secret behind Einstein's genius.

• Where it is now: Today, major portions of Einstein's brain are preserved and on public display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, USA. The remaining fragments are kept at the Princeton University Medical Center.

2. The Severed Heart and Relics of Napoleon Bonaparte

• Why it was removed: During his autopsy in 1821, Napoleon's heart was removed because he wanted it sent to his wife, though it was ultimately sealed in a jar. Additionally, his doctor secretly cut off his private part (penis) as a souvenir or act of revenge.

• Where it is now: His heart was buried with him inside his grand tomb at Les Invalides in Paris, France. However, his severed private part changed hands for decades and is currently owned by the family of a private American urologist, kept in a secure box in New Jersey, USA.

3. The Separated Middle Finger of Galileo Galilei

• Why it was removed: In 1737 (95 years after Galileo's death), when his body was being moved to a grand monumental tomb, a group of his devoted admirers and scientists cut off three fingers, a tooth, and a vertebra as historical relics to honor his legacy.

• Where it is now: His famous middle finger, along with an index finger and a thumb, is permanently displayed at the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy.

4. The Preserved Heart of Frédéric Chopin

• Why it was removed: Chopin had a deep phobia of being buried alive. Before dying in Paris in 1849, he requested that his heart be removed and returned to his beloved homeland, Poland.

• Where it is now: His sister smuggled the heart back to Warsaw, and today it remains preserved in alcohol inside a pillar at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, Poland.

5. The Stolen Skull of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Why it was removed: Mozart was buried in a nameless pauper's grave in 1791. Ten years later, a gravedigger who knew where the body was buried secretly dug it up and stole the skull as a unique relic.

• Where it is now: After changing hands multiple times and being tested by scientists, the skull is now kept by the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria.

6. The Posthumous Execution of Oliver Cromwell's Head

• Why it was removed: Cromwell died in 1658 and was buried. However, when the monarchy was restored in 1660, King Charles II ordered his body to be dug up and ritually executed for treason. His head was chopped off and displayed on a spike for 24 years.

• Where it is now: After being lost, sold, and passed down through collectors for centuries, the head was finally buried in a secret location at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, UK, in 1960.

7. The Relic Finger of Saint Francis Xavier

• Why it was removed: When his body was moved to Goa in the 16th century, it was found perfectly preserved (incorrupt). A Portuguese woman, out of intense religious devotion, bit off his right big toe as a holy relic. Later, a pope also ordered his right arm to be cut off to use as relics.

• Where it is now: His main body lies in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, India. The severed arm is kept at the Gesu Church in Rome, Italy, while the toe is kept in a silver reliquary in Goa.

8. The Scattered Bones of Thomas Paine

• Why it was removed: In 1819, an English radical named William Cobbett dug up Paine’s body in America and brought it to England, planning to give him a grand burial. However, he ran out of money, and the bones were left in a trunk.

• Where it is now: After Cobbett died, the bones were lost. Over the years, different pieces (like his skull and jawbone) were reportedly sold to private collectors worldwide, and their exact current locations remain unknown.

9. The Guillotined Head of King Louis XVI

• Why it was removed: During the peak of the French Revolution in 1793, the King was convicted of high treason by the revolutionaries and executed publically using the guillotine, separating his head from his body.

• Where it is now: His remains were initially thrown into a mass grave. Later, during the Restoration, his bones were recovered and moved to the royal crypt at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris, France.

10. The Exhumed Skull of Ludwig van Beethoven

• Why it was removed: In 1863, Beethoven’s grave was opened so scientists could study his skeleton to understand his severe deafness. During this process, fragments of his skull were separated from the rest of his body.

• Where it is now: Some of these skull fragments were kept by a doctor and passed down through generations. They were officially donated back to the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University in California, USA.

11. The Shared Cremation Relics of 

Gautam Buddha (5th Century BCE)

• Why it was removed: After Buddha's death and cremation, his ashes and remaining bodily relics (including teeth and bones) were divided into eight equal portions among the different royal kingdoms of India. Each king wanted a sacred piece of Buddha to build stupas (monuments) for worship and spiritual devotion.

• Where it is now: Buddha's relics were spread across Asia. The most famous parts include his Sacred Tooth Relic, which is kept inside a golden casket at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Another significant bone fragment (the finger bone relic) is enshrined at the Famen Temple in Shaanxi, China.