Today, assassinations of public figures are considered on a "different level" than murders of ordinary people. We even have a special term for them. How long has this been the case?

by Abdiel_Kavash

I am not exactly sure how to define this, but hearing "so and so was assassinated" today carries quite different connotations from just "so and so was killed". How far back into history can we find this distinction? (Not necessarily using the literal word "assassination")?

Would Julius Caesar's death be considered to be something "different" from an ordinary murder, by his contemporaries? Henry IV's? Abraham Lincoln's? Franz Ferdinand's? JFK's?

In general, when did people start attributing special importance to murders for political reasons, as opposed to killings for personal gain or out of anger/passion?

jschooltiger

Hi folks,

Please don't just post dictionary definitions of "assassination."

OP is asking about when and why assassination started to be considered distinct from murder.

If you can't answer that question, don't post here.

Thanks.