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In 1711, enraged by his lack of reward, he began a counterplot with the French Crown, which was quickly detected, leading to his arrest and his appearance before the
Council, where he attempted to kill Harley. Why he was allowed into the Council meeting carrying a knife is unknown: the most likely
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in support of the previously mentioned uprising. To this end, he was given command of a regiment to land at
Normandy and incite the revolt but the landing ultimately never took place. This, in combination with no meaningful intelligence or impact eventually led to a steady decline of Guiscard's
70:, but his notorious debauchery made it impossible for him to continue in that calling. He then embarked on a career as a soldier, joining his brother in a number of military campaigns, but was expelled from the French Court for a serious though unspecified offence. In revenge he joined the
125:. Guiscard implored Ormonde to finish the deed, but Ormonde refused, saying that it was not for him to cheat the hangman. Belatedly the Council realised that Guiscard should be kept alive for questioning, and some effort was made to preserve his life, but he died just over a week later in
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The unsuccessful attempt to murder Harley had major political consequences. Harley's popularity, which had been on the decline, recovered at once, as a wave of rejoicing at his survival swept the country, and even his enemies praised his courage in the face of danger.
46:. His motive is not entirely clear, although he was undoubtedly a double agent who acted as a spy for both French and British governments, and was on the point of being charged with
121:, which acted as a shield against the penknife. In the ensuing fracas Guiscard was attacked by several members of the Council and fatally wounded, most likely by
50:
by the
British authorities. Personal malice against Harley, who was responsible for having Guiscard's English pension cut in half, may also have been a motive.
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rebellion against the French Crown, and when it failed he began wandering around Europe, offering his services to any foreign Court hostile to France.
93:. He further substantiated these claims to Hill by claiming to carry a vial of poison with him in case pursuing agents of the French King found him.
81:, in a series of largely impractical schemes to defeat the French. Hill reported that Guiscard would be able to incite revolt among the Catholics in
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Harley, though stabbed and bruised, recovered: his survival was generally attributed to the fact that he was wearing an ornate gold brocade
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explanation is that he had not been searched thoroughly enough, as the
British Government at the time was surprisingly lax about security.
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He was born into a distinguished family, being a younger brother of the Count de
Guiscard who was appointed the first French Governor of
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government to pay him a pension of 600 guineas as well as entertain the thought of leading an invasion of
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He arrived in
England in 1705, where he attempted to interest the authorities, such as diplomat
38:, a leading British statesman, on 8 March 1711 by stabbing him with a penknife during a
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34:, was a French refugee, spy and double agent who attempted to assassinate
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credibility among the
British court as well as a decrease in income.
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as well as provide access to a host of French agents working under
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15:
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Antoine de
Guiscard, 'Abbé de la Bourlie', 'Marquis de Guiscard'
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The Pen and the Sword- Jonathan Swift and the Power of the Press
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The
Backstairs Dragon- a life of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford
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Gregg, Edward Queen Anne Yale
University Press 1980
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Yale University Press London 2018, pp. 266–267
8:
144:The Secret World: A History of Intelligence
26:(1658 – 17 March 1711), also known as the
62:, although his right to call himself a
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123:James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde
174:, 1982 articles, pp. 94–113
66:has been disputed. He became a
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208:Fellows of the Royal Society
163:London Hamish Hamilton 1969
109:The attempt on Harley's life
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96:By 1706, he had convinced
153:HarperCollins London 1984
172:British Library Journal
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166:Jones, Peter (1982) "
159:Hamilton, Elizabeth
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142:Andrew, Christopher
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28:Marquis de Guiscard
24:Antoine de Guiscard
32:Abbé de la Bourlie
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137:References
119:waistcoat
91:Louis XIV
87:Languedoc
44:Whitehall
102:Normandy
83:Dauphiné
72:Camisard
64:Marquis
48:treason
30:or the
68:priest
54:Career
60:Namur
85:and
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