14 January 1858
Orsini bomb

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Assassins try to kill French emperor Napoleon III (see 19 December 1851) with a bomb. They fail, but several bystanders die. The bomb was made in Britain, and although the conspirators are not British, they are found to have planned the attack while in the country.

To assuage French fury, Palmerston introduces the Conspiracy to Murder Bill, which bans people from plotting against foreign governments while living in Britain. But anti-French feeling is easily stirred up in the British public, and Palmerston is accused of pandering to the enemy. On the defeat of his bill, he resigns, causing the government to fall.

The Conservatives form a minority government, led by Lord Derby and, as chancellor of the Exchequer, Disraeli.

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