# Orsini assassination attempt (1858)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1858-orsini-assassination-attempt
Location: Paris

A failed attack on Napoleon III influenced domestic security and Italian policy. Within the broader Second Empire period, Napoleon III combined authoritarian rule with economic modernization, Parisian reconstruction and an ambitious foreign policy. Liberal reforms came late, and defeat by Prussia destroyed the empire. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Napoleon III (Emperor of the French). Orsini assassination attempt mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Orsini assassination attempt mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority.

Ruler at the time: [Napoleon III](https://history-france.com/rulers/napoleon-iii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Orsini assassination attempt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Orsini+assassination+attempt&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Orsini assassination attempt](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Orsini+assassination+attempt)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)