Pietro Umberto Acciarito (27 June 1871 – 4 December 1943) was an

Italian anarchist Italian anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, Giuseppe Fanelli, and Errico Malatesta. Rooted in collectivist anarchism, it expanded to include illegalist individualist anarchism, mutualism, anarcho- ...

who at the age of 25 attempted to assassinate the then king of Italy,

Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

Early life

Acciarito was born in

Artena Artena is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River. It is approximately southeast by rail, and direct from Rome. The economy is based ...

, where his family had migrated to a decade before his birth. His parents were Camillo Acciarito, and Anna Jossi. Acciarito's family were in a state of poverty due to Rome's housing construction boom in the 1880s which the Italian government did nothing to relieve. In 1885 Acciarito found work as a blacksmith with the Bank of Naples however due to his frustration with the lack of payment he was dismissed. He then proceeded to form his own business however the depressed economy of the time meant business was low. Acciarito frequently dealt with suicidal thoughts which were exasperated by his inability to marry his lover Pasqua Venaruba, who he met in the summer of 1886. He disclosed to his friends that if were to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

he would do so in a way which would send a message to the Italian government: "the government must provide for the poor people"

Assassination attempt

As Acciarito's anger and disillusionment grew, reports of him muttering to himself, intending to kill either himself or someone of status soon emerged. His father became worried and reported Acciarito to the police. The police were unable to locate him and so the Police Chief of Rome, Ernesto Martelli informed all those concerned with the King's safety to be on high alert. On 20 April 1897, he closed his workshop permanently and visited his father announcing that it was the last time they will see each other. Acciarito soon learned of the king's appearance at the derby horse Capannelle track outside of Rome on the 22 April 1897. Aware that Umberto was travelling along the Via Appia Nuova, Acciarito waited for him near the Porta San Giovanni, armed only with a homemade dagger. The royal carriage arrived at 14:00 to which Acciarito attacked the carriage and attempted to murder the king although it failed and he was subsequently detained.

Aftermath

After the attempted assassination, anarchists and

socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...

were routinely harassed and arrested, particularly those in the Esquilino district, the arrests included the staff of the ''L'Agitazione'' (the turmoil), Acciarito's friends who were deemed, accomplices along with a man named Romeo Frezzi who possessed a photo including Acciarito which was used as evidence for his and the other men in the photo's involvement. Frezzi was soon found dead after his arrest, which the police claimed was either a suicide or

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

, however, evidence found in the autopsy report showed he was certainly beaten to death by prison guards. Frezzi soon becomes mystified and used as a symbol of an oppressive regime prosecuting and abusing innocents and protests soon erupted all throughout Italy. Despite claims by the police there was no proof of Acciarto having any associates or any connection to anarchists whatsoever. Legalisation was then proposed to clamp down on the press with greater censorship and prevent the election of democrats and socialists. Acciarito's trial took place on 28-29 May 1897, at the Rome Court of Assize. Chief prosecutor Eugenio Forni hoped to establish a connection between the attack and the anarchist movement although Acciarito denied such a connection existing, never referring to anarchist principles, ideas or even identifying as one. Acciarito was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with the first seven years spent in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

in chains and provided with a diet which could barely sustain life. Acciarito seemed unfazed, with him commenting "Very well, me today, tomorrow the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

government. Long live the social revolution!. Long Live Anarchy!".

Life in prison, second trial and death

Despite absolute proof of no connection to anarchism or others involved, the state still claimed otherwise saying that the anarchist socialist party based in

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

were responsible. The government tried to coerce him into confessing the identity of assumed associates such as informing Acciarito of his friend's arrest and placing a fellow prisoner into the adjacent cell posing as an anarchist hoping to gain Acciarito's trust. When these proved to be fruitless they convinced a new plan amounting to

psychological torture Psychological torture or mental torture is a type of torture that relies primarily on psychological effects, and only secondarily on any physical harm inflicted. Although not all psychological torture involves the use of physical violence, there ...

-convince Acciarito that his girlfriend had given birth to a son. Acciarito quickly become obsessed with this hypothetical child and feared he would be killed unless Acciarito collaborated and named associates. Acciartito quickly requested to write to his son, which was then used against him as prison officials drafted a false letter imitating the nonexistent child in hope of Acciartito confessing in order to secure a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

. On 2 December, 1898 he signed a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

requesting pardon. Weeks later once it became clear that this was to no avail he signed a second petition this time naming supposed associates "Collabona, Gudini and Trenta". Collabona and Gudini pleaded their innocence, stating their only involvement was searching for him on April 22 to notify him of the police's search. He would later apologise to both for implicating them, believing it to be necessary for a pardon. At the hearing of his pardon, Acciarito was informed that the son he believed to exist, was instead a fabrication. Acciarito, devastated, then placed into evidence the letters he had supposedly received from his son. The defence attorneys questioned as to why such flagrant abuse could knowingly happen to which the prison officials replied that they believed it was in the best interest of the state. On July 3, 1899, the trial was suspended however it quickly resumed to which Acciarito discredit his past testimonies restating that he was the only perpetrator. On 5 April 1900, he was acquitted of all charges, however, a pardon was never granted. Acciarito would spend the rest of his life in prison and a mental asylum upon being diagnosed as insane.

Legacy

Acciarito is one of a long line of Italian anarchist attempted assassins, including Gaetano Bresci's successful assassination of Umberto I, Michele Angiolillo's assassination of

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (8 February 18288 August 1897) was a Spanish politician and historian known principally for serving six terms as Prime Minister and his overarching role as "architect" of the regime that ensued with the 1874 restor ...

, Sante Geronimo Caserio's assassination of

Marie François Sadi Carnot Marie François Sadi Carnot (; 11 August 1837 – 25 June 1894) was a French statesman, who served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894. Early life Marie François Sadi Carnot was the son of the statesman Hippo ...

, among many others.

References

External links

Pietro Acciarito at the Daily Bleed's Anarchist Encyclopedia and painting of the assassination attempt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acciarito, Pietro 1871 births 1943 deaths 1897 crimes in Italy People from the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital Failed regicides Italian anarchists Anarcho-communists Italian atheists Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy People convicted of attempted murder