Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy

A history of Victorian England as seen through the eight assassination attempts on the queen's life, ranging from attacks by lone madmen to one of the first modern terrorist plots.A NewYork Times Notable Book of 2012Shooting Victoria is historical narrative at its most thrilling, from the cloak and dagger nature of several of the assassination attempts, to Victoria’s brilliant responses to the attacks, alongside astute analysis of how these events actually revitalized the British monarchy at a time when monarchy was quickly becoming unpopular abroad. While thrones across Europe toppled, the Queen’s would-be assassins contributed greatly to the preservation of the crown and to the stability that it enjoys today. After all, according to Victoria herself, “It is worth being shot at—to see how much one is loved.”