Gaetano Bresci

Gaetano Bresci (Italian pronunciation: [ɡaeˈtaːno ˈbreʃʃi]; 11 November 1869 – 22 May 1901) was an Italian anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. A weaver by trade, Bresci was radicalized by anarchism at a young age, due to his experiences in poverty. He immigrated to Paterson, New Jersey, in the United States, where he became involved with other Italian immigrant anarchists. News of the Bava Beccaris massacre motivated him to return to Italy, where he planned to assassinate Umberto. Inaction from the police allowed him to return safely, while the sparse police presence during Umberto's scheduled appearance in Monza was unable to prevent Bresci from killing the king in June 1900.

The government of Italy suspected that Bresci had been a part of a conspiracy, but no evidence of such was found, indicating that Bresci had acted alone. He was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and confined on Santo Stefano Island, where he was found dead of an apparent suicide within the year. After his death, Bresci gained the status of a martyr within the Italian anarchist movement, who defended his regicidal act. Bresci even inspired some anarchists, such as Leon Czolgosz, to carry out their own acts of propaganda of the deed. Italian anarchists erected a monument to Bresci in Carrara, despite attempts to block it by the government.