The Crime Book

304

See also: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln 306–09 ■ The Assassination of

John F. Kennedy 316–21

H

elvius Pertinax became

ruler of the Roman Empire

in January 193, after the

murder of emperor Commodus. The

disastrous reign of his predecessor

had left the empire’s finances so

depleted that Pertinax initiated

cuts to state spending. The move

was unpopular, especially with the

Praetorian Guard – soldiers of the

emperor’s household – who plotted

to remove Pertinax from the throne.

Sale of the empire

The Praetorian Guard thought the

sums Pertinax gave in exchange for

their service were too small. They

refused to believe that treasury

funds were insufficient to offer more,

and on 28 March, they mutinied.

Some 300 soldiers stormed the

imperial palace, and although he

was warned to leave, Pertinax

decided to confront them. He hoped

to quell the uprising, but instead, he

was stabbed to death.

In the power vacuum that

followed, the Praetorian Guard

decreed that no new emperor would

be chosen without their approval.

Pertinax's father-in-law, Flavius

Sulpicianus, offered the soldiers

5,000 drachmas each if they would

appoint him emperor. Instead they

decided to sell the throne to the

highest bidder. Consul Didius

Julianus saw his chance. He went

to the guards’ camp, and when

asked to wait outside, he shouted

his monetary offer from the foot of

the rampart. He won the auction,

and the empire was sold for 6,250

drachmas per soldier. Julianus

became emperor – but just 66 days

later, he too was murdered. ■

IN CONTEXT

LOCATION

Rome, Italy

THEME

Assassination of a head

of state

BEFORE

44 ce Roman dictator Julius

Caesar is assassinated by

members of the Senate, the

Roman Republic’s governing

and advisory council, who are

unhappy with his social and

political reforms.

AFTER

1610 Henry IV of France is

killed by François Ravaillac,

a Catholic fanatic who does

not trust the Protestant king’s

conversion to Catholicism.

31 October 1984 I ndia’s

prime minister, Indira Gandhi,

is killed in a hail of bullets fired

by two of her Sikh bodyguards,

in retaliation for an attack that

she ordered on the holy Sikh

shrine at Amritsar on 6 June

that year.

I see that you need a ruler,

and I myself am best fitted of

any to rule you.

Didius Julianus

INSATIABLE AND

DISGRACEFUL

LUST FOR MONEY

THE ASSASSINATION OF PERTINAX, 193 ce

304-305_Roman-Empire.indd 304 13/01/2017 15:20

305

See also: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln 306–09 ■ The Assassination of

John F. Kennedy 316–21 ■ The Abduction of Aldo Moro 322–23

T

he Hashashin, also known

as the “Assassins”, was

a military religious order

founded by Hasan-i-Sabbah in Persia

(modern-day Iran). Sabbah was the

leader of the Nizari Ismailites, a Shia

Islamic sect. In 1090, he decided to

expand Nizari interests and oppose

the Seljuk Turks – Sunni Muslims

who had conquered Persia. Sabbah

travelled to the ancient castle of

Alamut, in the mountain kingdom

of Daylam, a province of the Seljuq

Empire. Once inside, he secretly

converted prominent residents to

his cause, and captured the fortress

in a bloodless coup from within.

From Alamut, Sabbah sent

missionaries into enemy territories

to find further Shia converts. When

the missionaries were unable to

turn one muezzin, they killed him

so he could not report their efforts.

However, the vizier soon found out,

and executed the missionaries’

leader. In response, Sabbah

dispatched an assassin to murder

the official using the Hashashin’s

weapon of choice – the quiet and

easily concealable dagger. He was

the first of many prominent Seljuks,

Persians, and later, Crusaders, to be

killed for opposing the order.

Assassination was employed as

a political tool by the Hashashin

throughout their history. After the

Mongols swept into Persia in 1228,

the order's power began to ebb. ■

ASSASSINATIONS AND POLITICAL PLOTS

IN CONTEXT

LOCATION

Persia and Syria,

southwestern Asia

THEME

Assassination for political

and religious motives

AFTER

1336 –1600 In Japan, covert

agents called ninja, or shinobi,

are hired as spies, surprise

attackers, and assassins.

1948 Mahatma Gandhi, leader

of the nationalist movement

against British rule in India, is

assassinated by a young

Hindu with extremist links.

1965 Civil rights activist

Malcolm X is assassinated by

three members of the Nation

of Islam while giving a speech

in New York. He had fallen out

with the leaders of the African

American movement – which

blended elements of Islam

with black nationalism – a

few years earlier.

MURDERING

SOMEONE BY

CRAFT

THE HASHASHIN, 11TH–13TH CENTURIES

Hasan-i-Sabbah issues orders to

two of his assassins at the castle of

Alamut. The Hashashin assassinated

at least 14 high-profile individuals in

total, including royalty.

304-305_Roman-Empire.indd 305 02/12/2016 15:04