The Awful End of Prince William the Silent : The First Assassination of a Head of State with a Handgun

Harper Collins, 2005. New book, 175 pages. In this book, Lisa Jardine explores the historical ramifications of the first assassinations of a head of state with a hand gun. The shooting of Prince William of Orange in the hallway of his Delft residence in July 1584 by a French Catholic - the second attempt on his life - had immediate political consequences: it was a serious setback for the Protestant cause in the Netherlands, as it forces fought for independence from the Catholic rule of the Habsburg empite. But, as Jardine brilliantly illustrates, its implications for those in positions of power were even more far reaching, as the assassination brutally and irrevocably heralded the arrival of a lethal new threat to the security of nations: a weapon that could be concealed and used to deadly effect at point-blank range.. Hard Cover. As New/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.