Gaetano Bresci (1869-1901) and Umberto I, King of Italy, 29 July 1900

King Umberto had survived two assaults on his life when Gaetano Bresci arrived from the United States in 1900 to finish the job. In Monza he fired four fatal bullets. He was arrested at once, and mysteriously died in prison barely one year later. This anarchist was born in Tuscany and had worked as a weaver for a long time in Paterson, New Jersey, where there was an Italian community. His colleagues said he was a quiet man who would harm no one. In Paterson, Bresci founded the periodical La Questione Sociale and met the famous Errico Malatesta. Consequently, Malatesta was accused of having incited Bresci, who was relatively unknown, to commit this regicide. In response, Malatesta wrote Cause ed Effetti 1898-1900. He attributed the regicide in 1900 to the abominable social conditions and harsh measures the king had taken in 1898 against his own people. The assassination of King Umberto was thus his own fault.

Periodicals

L'agitazione : giornale anarchico / l'Agitatore Fond. da Errico Malatesta nel 1897. 1897-1906 - IISH callno. Microfilm 2785
l'Aurora. Paterson N.J. 1900-1901 - IISH callno. ZF 6021
L'Avvenire sociale : periodico settimanale socialista-anarchico. 1896-1905 - IISH callno. Microfilm 2797
Combattiamo! : periodico settimanale. Genova 1900 - IISH callno. ZF 53605
Il Pensiero libertario. Pisa 1900 - IISH callno. ZF 53925
L'Ordine : periodico settimanale libertario / Red. Eugenio Carretto. Torino 1900 - IISH callno. ZF 53896
Pro coatti. Genova 1899 - IISH callno. ZF 53962
Il Risveglio : periodico settimanale / Ger. resp.: Guido Pogni. Firenze 1900 - IISH callno. ZF 54053
La Questione sociale : periodico socialista anarchico. Paterson, N.J. 1895-1908 - IISH callno. ZF 6145
Il Risveglio socialista-anarchico / Dir.: L. Bertoni. 1900-1940 - IISH callno. Microfilm 1356-1361
Umberto e Bresci : per cura di un gruppo di anarchici di New York. 1900-1903 - IISH callno. ZF 54120

Archives

Max Nettlau inv.nr. 3168: file on Gaetano Bresci, 1901

References

Cause ed effetti / pubbl. a cura di un gruppo socialista-anarchico. 1900 - IISH callno. Microfiche 1762
La difesa di Gaetano Bresci alla corte d'assise di Milano. (Paterson, L'Aurora-Club, 1903) - IISH callno. Bro An 560/107
Gaetano Bresci : vita, attentato, processo, carcere e morte dell'anarchico che giustiziò Umberto I / Giuseppe Galzerano. (Salerno 2001) - IISH callno. 2003/1356