The Irish Woman Who Plotted to Kill Mussolini
On April 7, 1926, Violet Gibson shot Benito Mussolini in the face as the Italian dictator walked through Rome’s Piazza del Campidoglio.
The attack took place after Mussolini had delivered a speech on the advancements of modern medicine to the International Congress of Surgeons. Gibson emerged from the crowd and fired a single shot from a Modèle 1892 revolver, which grazed the Prime Minister’s nose. A second attempt to fire the weapon failed when the gun jammed.
Investigation into the morning of the attack revealed that Gibson rose at 6 a.m., prayed in the chapel at the Santa Brigida convent in Rome, and had breakfast before leaving at 8:30 a.m. When asked if she would return for lunch, she replied “Yes” with a half-smile. She had prepared for the assassination by carrying a revolver wrapped in black cloth in her right pocket and a stone in her left, concealed within a black glove, which she intended to use to smash the windscreen of Mussolini’s car if necessary.
Aristocratic Origins and Social Standing
Born Violet Albina Gibson on August 31, 1876, in Dalkey, she was the seventh of eight children. She grew up at 12 Merrion Square, Dublin, in a four-storey Georgian residence. Her father, Edward Gibson, was a Protestant lawyer who became Lord Ashbourne and served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, the highest legal office in the country. This status granted Violet the title of “Honourable” when she was nine years old.
Gibson’s early life was defined by the expectations of her class. She was educated by governesses in singing, needlework, French, and social graces. At 18, she was presented as a debutante to Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace and maintained a high-profile social life in London characterized by receptions and balls.
Personal Decline and Political Shift
Throughout her life, Gibson struggled with severe health issues, surviving scarlet fever at age five, peritonitis at 14, and pleurisy at 16. Her later years were marked by a rebellion against her family’s status and beliefs. While her mother, Frances, was a Christian Scientist, Violet experimented with Theosophy before converting to Roman Catholicism in 1902. She also adopted socialist views, a transition that caused friction with her family.
Her mental health deteriorated significantly in the early 1920s. Following the sudden death of her fiancé, she suffered a nervous breakdown in 1922 and was declared insane, leading to a two-year commitment in a mental institution. Her instability continued in Italy, where she attempted suicide in early 1925 and was previously imprisoned following a knife attack.
Legal Aftermath and Confinement
Following the shooting in Rome, police intervened to remove Gibson from the crowd to prevent Mussolini’s supporters from killing her. She was jailed in Italy before being deported to England. Although she was eventually released without formal charges, she did not return to her former social circle.
Gibson spent the remainder of her life incarcerated at a psychiatric institution in Northampton. Her life and the attempt on Mussolini’s life have since been the subject of a 2021 film, a play, books, and a radio documentary. In 2022, a plaque was unveiled in Dublin to commemorate her.
Gibson remained confined to the Northampton institution until her death on May 2, 1956.