Roderick Maclean

Roderick Maclean attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria of England in 1882 with a pistol. This was the last of seven attempts over a period of forty years to kill Victoria, and it was the only one in which the gun in use was actually loaded. Maclean's motive was puportedly a curt reply to poetry of his mailed to the Queen.

Related Topics:
Assassinate - Queen Victoria - England - 1882 - Poetry

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Tried for high treason, the jury found the Scotsman Maclean "not guilty, but insane" and he lived out his remaining days in an asylum. The verdict prompted the Queen to change English law regarding cases with similar outcomes to be considered as "guilty, but insane."

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A poem was later written about Maclean's attempt on the Queen's life by William Topaz McGonagall, considered by some the "worst" poet in the English language.

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