Familial assassinations in the "burnt-out forest."
May 3, 2010 11:07 AM Subscribe
Kindly provide me with real-life examples of dictators or tyrants whose family members have attempted assassination (preferably successfully).
So, I recently read Going to St. Ives [2] by Lee Blessing, and it made me think about any possible real-life analogues the play might have. (The play is a dialogue between two women: one a British eye surgeon, the other the mother of a murderous African dictator who wants to kill her son to save their country.)
I reiterate that I'm specifically looking for family members who are behind these assassinations (or who are very, very strongly suspect to have been so). Obviously hard facts are sometimes difficult to come by in these situations, so I will accept strongly-backed historical claims as well.
Thanks!
So, I recently read Going to St. Ives [2] by Lee Blessing, and it made me think about any possible real-life analogues the play might have. (The play is a dialogue between two women: one a British eye surgeon, the other the mother of a murderous African dictator who wants to kill her son to save their country.)
I reiterate that I'm specifically looking for family members who are behind these assassinations (or who are very, very strongly suspect to have been so). Obviously hard facts are sometimes difficult to come by in these situations, so I will accept strongly-backed historical claims as well.
Thanks!
The Roman Empress Livia may have killed off several of her relatives, but perhaps not so much out of a sense of patriotic duty as a lust for power and control.
posted by Asparagirl at 11:21 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by Asparagirl at 11:21 AM on May 3, 2010
Richard III of England was killed in a rebellion led by his uncle. Not exactly as assassination I guess. But he gets bonus point for having probably ascended to the throne himself by murdering his own nephews, for meta-avuncular homicide.
Plus spawning one of the Bard's best.
posted by 256 at 11:21 AM on May 3, 2010
Plus spawning one of the Bard's best.
posted by 256 at 11:21 AM on May 3, 2010
The Roman Emperor Claudius was in all likelihood killed by Agrippina, his wife, so her son Nero would take the throne.
posted by Bromius at 11:22 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by Bromius at 11:22 AM on May 3, 2010
Dammit. I lie. I totally thought that Richard III was killed by his own family and then I misparsed a grammatically ambiguous sentence on Wikipedia while verifying. Never mind.
Richard III himself did still (allegedly) ascend to power by killing his nephews, but they were hardly tyrants.
posted by 256 at 11:23 AM on May 3, 2010
Richard III himself did still (allegedly) ascend to power by killing his nephews, but they were hardly tyrants.
posted by 256 at 11:23 AM on May 3, 2010
Does it have to be an assassination? General Gage was the military governor of Massachusetts and Commander of British forces in North America, and his American-born wife is generally believed to have passed the information about secret British troop movements to the patriots at the Old North Church (where Gage was a parishioner!) to hang their "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns for Paul Revere and William Dawes to make their Midnight Ride, allowing the militia to mount defenses at Lexington and Concord for the "shot heard 'round the world."
Gage is only the sub-tyrant under George III, and it's not an assassination, but a spousal betrayal of secret military intelligence that starts a war is pretty good!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:24 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Gage is only the sub-tyrant under George III, and it's not an assassination, but a spousal betrayal of secret military intelligence that starts a war is pretty good!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:24 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Not as clear cut, and the history of the last days is messy at best (says the amateur, risking being smacked down by the experts), but during the clusterfuck civil war that the Inca Empire self-inflicted itself just as Pizarro was arriving, one emperor claimant (Atahualpa) had his half-brother and enemy emperor claimant (Huáscar) murdered.
posted by Iosephus at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by Iosephus at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was killed by his nephew, Faisal bin Musa in 1975.
In 1385 Bernabò Visconti died after his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti had him imprisoned and presumably poisoned.
(via Avunculicide)
This is sort of backwards, but: In the Ottoman Empire a policy of judicial royal fratricide was introduced by Sultan Mehmet II. When a new Sultan ascended to the throne he would imprison all of his surviving brothers and kill them by strangulation with a silk cord as soon as he had produced his first male heir.
Not necessarily Tyrants (from Regicide):
1828 Shaka King of the Zulus by his half-brother and successor Dingane and accomplices.
1903 Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga by a group of army officers.
See also Tyrannicide.
posted by carsonb at 11:37 AM on May 3, 2010
In 1385 Bernabò Visconti died after his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti had him imprisoned and presumably poisoned.
(via Avunculicide)
This is sort of backwards, but: In the Ottoman Empire a policy of judicial royal fratricide was introduced by Sultan Mehmet II. When a new Sultan ascended to the throne he would imprison all of his surviving brothers and kill them by strangulation with a silk cord as soon as he had produced his first male heir.
Not necessarily Tyrants (from Regicide):
1828 Shaka King of the Zulus by his half-brother and successor Dingane and accomplices.
1903 Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga by a group of army officers.
See also Tyrannicide.
posted by carsonb at 11:37 AM on May 3, 2010
I believe if you look back a little further in the Ottoman Empire you'll find that there was a reason behind Mehmet II's policy. I would have to look up details in a book I have to name names though. The Ottoman Empire out-Byzantined the Byzantine Empire though.
posted by Doohickie at 11:48 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by Doohickie at 11:48 AM on May 3, 2010
Don't know how historically accurate this is, but in the Bible, King Sennacherib of Assyria was assassinated by his own sons:
"And The Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword." (2 Chronicles 32:21 RSV)
posted by orange swan at 12:49 PM on May 3, 2010
"And The Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword." (2 Chronicles 32:21 RSV)
posted by orange swan at 12:49 PM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: The Mongol Empire post-Genghis Khan was notorious for this sort of thing, especially after it splintered into multiple khanates each ruled by a different descendant of his. One guy named Berdibek poisoned his father to ascend to the throne, and was in turn murdered by his brother.
The women of the royal court were sometimes involved in assassination plots, which I thought might interest you given the description of the play you provided above.
posted by xbonesgt at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2010
The women of the royal court were sometimes involved in assassination plots, which I thought might interest you given the description of the play you provided above.
posted by xbonesgt at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: Empress Irene of Byzantium gouged her own son's eyes out so that she could retain absolute power. The son (Constantine) died of his wounds a few days later.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:43 PM on May 3, 2010
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:43 PM on May 3, 2010
Peter III may have been killed on orders from his Wife, Catherine the Great.
posted by dilettante at 2:42 PM on May 3, 2010
posted by dilettante at 2:42 PM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: Shaka Zulu (19th century king of the Zulu Kingdom) was given the old killed by one or two of his half-brothers.
I know this courtesy of a recent In Our Time episode.
posted by southof40 at 2:50 PM on May 3, 2010
I know this courtesy of a recent In Our Time episode.
posted by southof40 at 2:50 PM on May 3, 2010
Shaka Zulu (19th century king of the Zulu Kingdom) was given the old killed by one or two of his half-brothers.
... should have read ...
Shaka Zulu (19th century king of the Zulu Kingdom) was killed by one or two of his half-brothers.
Abortive attempt to be amusing partially edited.
posted by southof40 at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2010
... should have read ...
Shaka Zulu (19th century king of the Zulu Kingdom) was killed by one or two of his half-brothers.
Abortive attempt to be amusing partially edited.
posted by southof40 at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:18 AM on May 3, 2010