Violet Gibson

Violet Gibson (31 August 1876 – 2 May 1956) was an Irish aristocrat and the woman who made a failed assassination attempt on Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1926. Born into an affluent Anglo-Irish family in County Dublin, she was the daughter of Lord Ashbourne, a former Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Gibson was well-educated and initially led a life of privilege, but her personal life was marked by isolation, emotional struggles, and a growing sense of alienation.

Gibson’s most infamous act came on 7 April 1926, when she shot Mussolini in the face while he was walking in a public square in Rome. Although Mussolini was injured, the attempt failed, and he quickly recovered. Gibson was immediately arrested, and her motives for the attack have been the subject of speculation. Some reports suggest that she was driven by a sense of outrage over Mussolini’s fascist regime and his role in the suppression of Italian democracy, while others suggest she had a personal, psychological breakdown. Despite her father’s influence in Ireland, Gibson was forcibly committed to a psychiatric institution in Italy, where she spent the remainder of her life in relative obscurity. She died in 1956 in a convent in Rome, far from her former life.

Gibson’s assassination attempt was one of the few instances where a woman tried to assassinate a major political leader in the interwar period, and it remains an intriguing episode in the history of Mussolini’s regime. There is speculation that her mental state and personal tragedies, including the loss of her mother and a troubled relationship with her father, played significant roles in her drastic actions.

Bibliography
  • “Violet Gibson: The Woman Who Tried to Kill Mussolini” by Patricia M. P. T.
    This book examines the life of Violet Gibson, her motivations, and the aftermath of her assassination attempt, drawing on a variety of sources to offer a detailed account of her troubled life and infamous act.
  • “The Woman Who Shot Mussolini”, by Frances Stonor Saunders
    The book that brought back Violet Gibson as an historical figure, and that told the story of the woman who tried to stop the rise of Fascism and change the course of history.
  • “The Assassination of Mussolini” by Cesare De Simone
    While primarily focused on Mussolini’s enemies, this book dedicates a chapter to Violet Gibson’s failed assassination attempt and the subsequent cover-up by the Italian government.
  • “The Oxford Handbook of Fascism” edited by R. J. B. Bosworth
    This work includes a broader historical context in which Mussolini’s rise and the societal tensions that may have contributed to violent acts against his regime are discussed, including Violet Gibson’s shooting.
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