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Fenian Fire Christy Campbell

Fenian Fire By Christy Campbell

Fenian Fire by Christy Campbell


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Summary

A historical investigation into one of the most serpentine attempts on Queen Victoria's life that reveals for the first time the true instigator at the heart of government.

Fenian Fire Summary

Fenian Fire: The British Government Plot to Assassinate Queen Victoria by Christy Campbell

A historical investigation into one of the most serpentine attempts on Queen Victoria's life that reveals for the first time the true instigator at the heart of government.

  • There were eight attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria during her long reign; four of them were of Irish origin. The most serious of all was the 'Jubilee Plot', a conspiracy apparently hatched in New York by the Fenian Brotherhood to blow up the Queen, her family and most of the British Cabinet with dynamite at the great service of thanksgiving to commemorate the 50th anniversary of her accession, held at Westminster Abbey in June 1887.
  • The plot was 'uncovered' by Scotland Yard with just a few days to go. Several of the bombers were caught, tried and sentenced to penal servitude for life. But - warned off in time - the master bomber escaped to America...
  • Now, using recently declassified Foreign Office Secret files (marked 'Fenian Brotherhood'), the author discloses for the first time the huge secret at the heart of the British counter-intelligence operation against militant Irish nationalists: the entire conspiracy was masterminded for its own reasons by a clandestine British agency reporting directly to the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury.

Fenian Fire Reviews

'Christy Campbell has come up with a genuine historical scoop... In a superb piece of historical detective work, Campbell has pieced together every element of the conspiracy on both sides of the Atlantic, from the prime minister's house in St James's to the Islington garret where the dynamitards were arrested in November 1887... It was a classic case of an agent provocateur sting.' Andrew Roberts, The Times

'Campbell has uncovered an extraordinary web of personal and political intrigue... an enthralling tale... the pace never slackens... Particularly good is his account of the origins of Irish revolutionary nationalism... To tell this involved story against the backdrop of bureaucratic bickering, revolutionary intrigue and clandestine meetings between spies and informers is both original and clever. Campbell is making this type of breezy investigative history his own.' Andrew Lycett, Sunday Times

'The jubilee plot is such a bizarre episode that I would regard it as the product of a febrile imagination had Christy Campbell not documented sufficient evidence to remove all reasonable doubt... From Mexico City to Liverpool and from the House of Commons to Chicago coroner's court, the story moves at the pace of the best sort of adventure story. All the Boy's Own Paper ingredients are there... colourful characters and compelling story... Its account of Fenian organisation and activity makes a real contribution to nineteenth-century history.' Roy Hattersley, Observer

About Christy Campbell

Christy Campbell was a publisher's editor before turning freelance writer. He has written for the Sunday Telegraph since 1990 when he joined as Defence Correspondent covering the Gulf War. He has made a speciality of 'forensic historical investigations' and produced a series of special supplements for the Sunday Telegraph on 20th-century history. He has written a number of non-fiction books on World War II and broadcast on radio and television, and is the author of The Maharajah's Box published HarperCollins.

Additional information

GOR003874821
9780007104826
0007104820
Fenian Fire: The British Government Plot to Assassinate Queen Victoria by Christy Campbell
Used - Very Good
Paperback
HarperCollins Publishers
20030407
448
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Fenian Fire