An assassination is defined as the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure.
Assassinations which took place on the continent of Europe include the following:
Albania
Austria DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesFranz Schuhmeier socialist member of the ReichsratPaul KunschakCount Karl von Stürgkh, Minister-President of AustriaFriedrich AdlerAssassinated by Social Democratic politician in protest of World War IHugo Bettauer, journalist and writer, critic of antisemitismOtto Rothstock, Austrian Nazi Party memberEngelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of AustriaPaul Hudl, Otto Planetta and other Austrian NazisPart of a failed coup d'état, the July Putsch.Moritz Schlick, German philosopherJohann Nelböck, student Shot at the University of ViennaDaniş Tunalıgil, Turkish ambassadorJustice Commandos of the Armenian GenocideHeinz Nittel, Austrian politician and president of the Austrian-Israel SocietyAbu Nidal OrganizationHamid Reza Chitgar, exiled Iranian politician Agents of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of IranAbdul Rahman Ghassemlou, dissident Kurdish Iranian political leaderIntelligence operatives of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence led by Mohammad Jafar SahraroudiKilled in Vienna during negotiationsUmar Israilov, Former bodyguard of Chechen President Ramzan KadyrovChechen criminal group, ordered by Ramzan Kadyrov
Belarus DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesWilhelm Kube, German Nazi Generalkommissar for Weissruthenien (Belarus)Yelena Mazanik, a Soviet partisanKilled in Minsk during the Second World WarSolomon Mikhoels, Chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist CommitteePolice officers, led by Sergei OgoltsovOrdered by Joseph Stalin
Belgium DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesCharles I, Count of FlandersHacked to death by knights with broadswoards in St. Donatian's CathedralJulien Lahaut, chairman of the Communist Party of BelgiumBelgian royalistsShot in his home town of Seraing.Maximiliano Gómez, Dominican communist leaderPoisoned by his lover in Brussels.Gerald Bull, Canadian developer of the Martlet cannonShot outside his apartment in Brussels. Believed to have been assassinated by Mossad for his work on the Project Babylon "supergun" in Ba'athist IraqAndré Cools, former president of the Walloon Council, former chairman of the Socialist Party and minister of stateRichard Taxquet and Giuseppe "Pino" di MauroKilled in Liège.Jusuf Prazina, Bosnian organized crime figure and warlord during the Bosnian WarSuspected to be Bosnian Croat extremistsLast seen the night of 3 December with two bodyguards in Liège after a game of cards. Prazina's body was discovered in a canal alongside a highway near the German border in Eupen by two Romanian hitch-hikers on New Year's Eve.
Bosnia and Herzegovina DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesPavle Radinović, noblemanSandalj Hranić, Vukmir Zlatonosović and his menArchduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife SophieGavrilo PrincipAssassinated by the Serbian nationalist organization the Black Hand in Sarajevo. This assassination played a role in starting World War IWorld Almanac 2004, p155Hakija Turajlić, deputy prime ministerArmy of Republika SrpskaKilled at a roadblock while under UNPROFOR escort during the Bosnian War
Bulgaria DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesIvan Asen I, Tsar of BulgariaIvankoStefan Stambolov, former prime minister of BulgariaIMRODied in Sofia after being stabbed.Dimitar Petkov, Prime Minister of BulgariaKilled in Sofia by an anarchist.Naum Tyufekchiev, IMRO memberTodor Aleksandrov (IMRO)He was assassinated by Todor Aleksandrov, the leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization as part of factional warfare within the organizationAleksandar Stamboliyski, Prime Minister of Bulgaria IMRO activistsKilled in his home town of Slavovitsa during the 9 June coup d'étatTodor Aleksandrov, IMRO member and leader IMRO voivodes Shteryu Vlahov and Dincho VretenarovAssassinated in unclear circumstances in the Pirin Mountains15 April 1925Konstantin Georgiev Atanas Todovichin Georgiev was chosen as a high-profile target whose funeral would draw Bulgaria’s political and military elite Stefan Nerezov, former Chief of the General StaffWas among 150 killed in the Saint Nedelya Church bombingAleksandar Protogerov, member of SMAC and the IMRO.IMROAassassinated on the orders of Ivan MihailovHristo Lukov, military officer, former Minister of War and leader of the far-right Union of Bulgarian National LegionsVioleta YakovaKilled by the Bulgarian Resistance in Sofia. Vasil Iliev, insurance boss and owner of "VIS-2", former wrestlerShot while being driven in Sofia.Andrey Lukanov, former prime minister of Bulgaria"Historic Assassinations Since 1865," The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004, p156 (World Almanac 2004)Shot outside his apartment in Sofia.Iliya Pavlov, president of Multigroup corporation and the wealthiest man in Bulgaria, former wrestlerShot outside his office in Sofia.Georgi Iliev, football club owner, brother of the assassinated Vasil IlievShot in a restaurant in Sunny Beach.Emil Kyulev, banker, ex-professional swimmer, voted Mr. Economics in Bulgaria for 2002Shot while driving along Bulgaria Boulevard, Sofia.Borislav Georgiev, CEO of "Atomenergoremont" nuclear plant repair companyGeorgi Stoev, writer and former Bulgarian mafia mobsterAssassinated in what is believed to be a mafia hit in the street in Sofia.
Croatia DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesJulius Nepos, Roman emperorAssassinated near Salona (modern Solin).Milan Šufflay, nationalist writerBranko Zwerger, alongside other members of Young Yugoslavia (The Kingdom of Yugoslavia's official youth organization).Bludgeoned with an iron rod.Josip Predavec, politician and vice-president of the Croatian Peasant PartyAnte Paradžik, politician and founder of the Croatian Party of RightsIvo Pukanić, editor-in-chief of Nacional magazineCroatian mafiaKilled by a car bomb alongside Niko Franjić.
Cyprus DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesPolykarpos Giorkatzis, government ministerShot in Mia Milia.Rodger Paul Davies, United States Ambassador to CyprusKilled by EOKA B sniper fire during an anti-American demonstration in Nicosia denouncing the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Czech Republic DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesSaint Ludmila, wife of Duke Bořivoj, grandmother of Duke Václav ITunna and GomonStrangled by Viking warriors hired by Ludmila's daughter-in-law Drahomíra I.Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (Saint Wenceslaus)Noblemen affiliated with Boleslaus IStabbed to death in Stará Boleslav.Wenceslaus III, King of BohemiaKilled in Olomouc.Albrecht von Wallenstein, Bohemian Generalissimo during the Thirty Years' WarWalter DevereuxStabbed to death in Cheb.Alois Rašín, Finance Minister of CzechoslovakiaJosef ŠoupalShot in Prague.Rayko Daskalov, Bulgarian politician and former cabinet ministerYordan TsitsonkovShot by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in Prague Ceno Kryeziu, Albanian ambassador to CzechoslovakiaAlqiviadh BebiShot in Prague.Reinhard Heydrich, General in the Nazi German Schutzstaffel, major organizer of the Holocaust and governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and MoraviaJan Kubiš, Jozef GabčíkDied after being wounded by a bomb thrown at him as he was being driven through Libeň near Prague, as part of Operation Anthropoid organized by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile and the British Special Operations Executive. The Lidice Massacre followed as retribution by the Nazis. A legend has it that he deliberately put the Crown of Bohemia on his head beforehand, meaning an untimely death.František Mrázek, controversial entrepreneurShot in the heart by a sniper
Denmark DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesHarald Greycloak, King of DenmarkHaakon SigurdssonKilled in retaliation for the death of Sigurd Haakonsson in Hals in the Limfjord.Canute IV, King of DenmarkKilled in a peasant revoltErik V Klipping, King of DenmarkKilled in a conspiracy by members of the nobility
Estonia DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesJaak Nanilson, member of the RiigikoguUnknown (suspects were acquitted due to lack of evidence)The assassination was endorsed by local pro-communist MPs and in the Soviet mediaKarl Kark, Minister of Transportation Shot by communist insurgents during the 1924 Estonian coup d'état attempt. Johan Unt, military major-generalUnknown
Finland DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)NotesNikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov, Governor-General of FinlandEugen SchaumanKilled by a Finnish nationalist for implementing Russification in Finland. Happens on day described in James Joyce's novel Ulysses, is briefly mentioned in the book.Eliel Soisalon-Soininen, Chancellor of JusticeLennart HohenthalShot in his apartment in Helsinki.Valde Hirvikanta, President of the Turku Court of AppealBruno ForsströmShot for unclear reasons while leaving his home; Forsström immediately committed suicide afterward.Heikki Ritavuori, Minister of the InteriorErnst TandefeltShot at his home in Helsinki.
France