Famous Assassinations of History: From Philip of Macedon, 336 B. C., to Alexander of Servia, A. D. 1903

Francis Johnson

• Publisher: Paeroa House
• Year: 2026
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781779795533
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

Across twenty-three centuries of human history, a single blade thrust or poison cup has repeatedly changed the course of civilizations. From the shadowy corridors of ancient Macedonia to the blood-soaked palaces of turn-of-the-century Europe, the most powerful rulers who shaped our world met their end not on glorious battlefields, but through the calculated violence of those who moved in darkness. Francis Johnson's meticulously researched chronicle unveils the shocking true stories behind history's most consequential murders, where personal vendettas collided with political ambition to alter the destiny of nations. This gripping historical investigation plunges readers into the dangerous world of palace intrigue, revolutionary fervor, and deadly conspiracies that toppled emperors and kings. Johnson masterfully reconstructs each assassination with forensic precision, revealing the intricate webs of betrayal that surrounded figures like Julius Caesar, whose death throes echoed through the Roman Senate, and the mysterious circumstances that claimed Alexander of Serbia in the royal chambers of Belgrade. Each account pulses with the tension of those final moments when history pivoted on the edge of a dagger, exposing the fragile nature of absolute power and the ruthless determination of those who sought to claim it. Written during an era when political violence dominated international headlines, this compelling work offers modern readers profound insights into the timeless patterns of power, corruption, and retribution that continue to shape our world today. Johnson's vivid storytelling transforms distant historical events into immediate, visceral experiences that illuminate the human drama behind the dates and names we learned in school. For anyone fascinated by the intersection of personal ambition and political upheaval, this extraordinary collection reveals how individual acts of violence created the world we inhabit, making it essential reading for understanding both our past and our present.

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Preface
• Illustrations
• CHAPTER I—PHILIP OF MACEDON
• CHAPTER II—TIBERIUS GRACCHUS
• CHAPTER III—JULIUS CÆSAR
• CHAPTER IV—TIBERIUS, CALIGULA, CLAUDIUS, NERO
• CHAPTER V—HYPATIA
• CHAPTER VI—THOMAS À BECKET
• CHAPTER VII—GESSLER
• CHAPTER VIII—IÑEZ DE CASTRO
• CHAPTER IX—ASSASSINATIONS OF RIZZIO AND DARNLEY (March 9, 1566; February 9, 1567)
• CHAPTER X—WILLIAM OF ORANGE
• CHAPTER XI—IVAN THE TERRIBLE
• CHAPTER XII—HENRY THE FOURTH OF FRANCE
• CHAPTER XIII—WALLENSTEIN
• CHAPTER XIV—JOHN AND CORNELIUS DE WITT
• CHAPTER XV—ALEXIS, SON OF PETER THE GREAT
• CHAPTER XVI—PETER THE THIRD OF RUSSIA
• CHAPTER XVII—GUSTAVUS THE THIRD OF SWEDEN
• CHAPTER XVIII—JEAN PAUL MARAT
• CHAPTER XIX—PAUL THE FIRST OF RUSSIA
• CHAPTER XX—AUGUST VON KOTZEBUE
• CHAPTER XXI—DUC DE BERRY
• CHAPTER XXII—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
• CHAPTER XXIII—ALEXANDER THE SECOND OF RUSSIA
• CHAPTER XXIV—WILLIAM MCKINLEY
• CHAPTER XXV—ALEXANDER I AND DRAGA