Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die: The Assassination of a British Prime Minister - Andro Linklater Audiobook

Written by Andro Linklater
Read by Stephen Rashbrook
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die: The Assassination of a British Prime Minister

Written by: Andro Linklater
Narrated by: Stephen Rashbrook
Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
Audiobook
Release Date:05-10-12
Publisher: Audible Studios

Publisher’s Summary

On the afternoon of May 11, 1812, Spencer Perceval, the all-powerful prime minister of Great Britain, was fatally shot at short range in the lobby of Parliament by John Bellingham, a Liverpool businessman. Perceval polarized public opinion: Revered by some and hated by others for his fight against the lucrative slave trade, he domineeringly kept Britain at war against Napoléon and was driving her into war with the United States despite the huge economic drain of each, raising taxes to new heights to finance his decisions. Bellingham was not alone in blaming Perceval and his government for their ruinous policies; indeed, he claimed to have killed Perceval “as a matter of justice,” and believed he would not only be exonerated, but also applauded for his action. But he was not to enjoy relief; within a week, granted the briefest of trials that trampled his right to due process, he was hanged.

In Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die, Andro Linklater examines the assassination against the dramatic events of the time with the eye and insight of the finest detective.

©2012 Andro Linklater (P)2012 Audible Ltd