Before 1801
| Year | Date | Intended Victim(s) | Notability at the Time | Location of Attack | Would-be Assassin(s) | Method | Initial Outcome / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1757 | Jan 05 | Louis XV of France | French Monarch | Palace of Versailles Versailles | Robert-François Damiens | Knife attack | Wounded |
| 1605 | Nov 05 | King James I | King of England and Scotland | House of Lords; London | Guy Fawkes | Black powder bomb. | Gunpowder Plot |
| 1582 | Mar 18 | William of Orange (also William the Silent) † | Leader of the United Provinces during the Dutch Revolt | Antwerp, Dutch Republic | Juan de Jáuregui killed; and others | Gun attack | Severely injured; unable to speak. Assassinated 1584. |
| 1572 | Aug 22 | Admiral Gaspard de Coligny † | Leader of the Huguenots in France | On a street in Paris, France | Mr. Maurevert | Shot in ambush | Lost a finger and shattered an elbow. (Assassinated 24 August 1572) |
| 1134 | Hugh II of Jaffa | Count of Jaffa | Jerusalem | A Breton knight | Stabbed and beaten. | Wounded; never fully recovered. | |
| 626 A.D. | March – Apr | Saint Edwin of Northumbria | King of Deira and Bernicia | York, Northumbria | Agents of Cwichelm of Wessex | Unreported. | |
| 156-155 B.C. | Ptolemy VIII of Egypt | Egyptian Monarch | Alexandria, Egypt | Ordered by Ptolemy VI Philometor, his brother | Sword attack | Scarred, injured | |
| 218 B.C. | Qin Shi Huang | First Emperor of a unified China | ordered by Zhang Liang (Western Han) | Heavy hammer | no injury reported. | ||
| 227 B.C. | Qin Shi Huang | King of Qin, and future Emperor of China | Qin | Qin Wuyang, Jing Ke and later, Gao Jianli; all executed | Attempted knife attack. | not injured. |
† Indicates victim of later assassination. ‡ Survivor of other significant assassination attempt(s); only most notable listed here. See main article for further information.
Read more about this topic: List Of People Who Survived Assassination Attempts