ASSASSINA'TION. The act of taking the
life of any one by surprise or treacherous
violence, either by a hired emissary, as in the case
of political plots, or by a fanatic who hopes to
further his ideas through the death of his victim, as in the case of anarchists (q.v.) in recent times. Generally the term is applied to the
murder of a public pprsonage by one who aims
solely at the death of his victim. In ancient
times assassination was not unknown, and was
often even applauded, as in the scriptural
instances of Ehud and Jael, and in the murder of
Hipparchus by Harmodius and Aristogiton. The
following list includes the most important
assassinations, arranged in chronological order: Philip
of Macedon, 336; Julius Cæsar, 44; Thomas à Becket, 1170; Albert I., Emperor of Germany, 1308; James I. of Scotland, 1437; Alessandro de' Medici, 1537; Cardinal Beaton, 1546; David Rizzio, 1566; Darnley, 1567; James, Earl of Murray, Regent of Scotland, 1570; William of Orange, 1584; Henry III. of France, by Jacques Clément, 1589; Henry IV. of France, by Ravaillac, 1610; Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, by Felton, 1628; Wallenstein, 1634; Archbishop Sharp, 1679; Gustavus III. of Sweden, 1792; Marat, by Charlotte Corday, 1793; General Kléber, at Cairo, 1800; Paul, Czar of Russia, 1801; Perceval, English premier, by Bellingham, 1812; Kotzebue, the dramatist, 1819; Duc de Berry, 1820; Charles III., Duke of Parma, 1854; Abraham Lincoln, by Booth, 1865; Michael, Prince of Servia, 1868; Marshal Prim, 1870; Georges Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, by communists, 1871; Earl of Mayo, Governor-General of India, 1872; Abdul Aziz, 1876; Alexander II., Czar of Russia, 1881; President J. A. Garfield, at Washington, by Guiteau, 1881; Lord Frederick Cavendish and T. H. Burke, Phoenix Park, Dublin, 1882; President Carnot of France, at Lyons, 1894; Stefan Stambuloff, in Sofia, Bulgaria, 1895; Empress Elizabeth, of Austria, at Geneva, by an anarchist, 1898; King Humbert I., of Italy, at Monza, by an anarchist, Bresci, 1900; President Williain McKinley, at Buffalo, N. Y., 1901. No mention is made here of the unsuccessful attempts at assassination, which would include nearly all the crowned heads of Europe and many of the prominent statesmen of Europe and America in the list of prospective victims. For the origin of the word, see .