Violet Gibson: The woman who nearly killed Mussolini

Violet Gibson nearly killed Mussolini

The Shot That Almost Changed the World Violet Gibson nearly killed Mussolini

The bullet missed by mere inches. Had Benito Mussolini not tilted his head back in pride at the roaring crowd in Rome’s Piazza del Campidoglio on April 7, 1926, history might have taken a drastically different course. The would-be assassin was not a rugged revolutionary or a political extremist, but a 50-year-old Irish aristocrat named Violet Gibson.

Her weapon, a small revolver, had been concealed within the folds of her dark coat. As Mussolini stepped forward, basking in the admiration of his followers, Violet raised her pistol and fired. The first bullet grazed the dictator’s nose, drawing blood. The second, meant to finish the job, jammed. In an instant, the moment was lost. Mussolini recoiled, dazed but alive, while the crowd erupted in fury. Violet was seized and beaten by bystanders before police dragged her away. Violet Gibson nearly killed Mussolini

A Lady of Privilege, A Mind in Turmoil Violet Gibson nearly killed Mussolini

What had driven this quiet daughter of the British elite to attempt such a brazen act? Born into privilege in 1876, Violet Gibson was the daughter of Lord Ashbourne, Ireland’s former Lord Chancellor. She had been raised among the social elite, destined for a life of refinement, yet her path diverged dramatically. In her later years, she became deeply religious, influenced by Catholic mysticism and anti-fascist sentiment. Whether her actions stemmed from political conviction or personal disillusionment remains debated.

The Dictator’s Pardon

Following her arrest, Mussolini, perhaps seeing an opportunity to appear magnanimous, pardoned her. Instead of execution, she was deported to England, where her fate was sealed not in a prison cell, but in a psychiatric asylum. Declared insane, she was committed to St. Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton, where she spent the remaining 30 years of her life. Forgotten and dismissed, she died in 1956, her story largely erased from history—until recently. Violet Gibson nearly killed Mussolini

The Forgotten Passport

Violet’s passport, a seemingly ordinary document, still bears the traces of her fateful journey. Issued in 1924, it carries the stamps marking her departure from France and entry into Italy, a silent witness to the moment when one woman nearly altered the course of the 20th century. Today, her story has been revived in Frances Stonor Saunders’s book, The Woman Who Shot Mussolini (2010), shedding light on the life of an aristocrat-turned-assassin, and the moment she nearly changed the world.