Edda Mussolini (1 September 1910 – 9 April 1995) was the eldest child of
Benito Mussolini, Italy's
fascist dictator from 1922 to 1943. Upon her marriage to fascist propagandist and foreign minister
Galeazzo Ciano she became
Edda Ciano, Countess of Cortellazzo and Buccari.
She strongly denied her involvement in the
National Fascist Party regime and had an affair with a
Communist after her father's execution by the
Italian communist partisans in
World War II..
The Telegraph. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
Biography
Early life
She was born out of wedlock to
Benito Mussolini and
Rachele Guidi in
Forlì,
Romagna. Her parents did not marry until December 1915. In her early years, while her father was editor of
Il Popolo d'Italia in Milan, Edda lived with Rachele in Forlì. Her father became Prime Minister of Italy in October 1922 and Dictator after January 1925.
In March 1925, Rachele and Edda with her brothers and sisters, moved from
Milan to
Carpegna and then to
Rome in November 1929 to live with their father. Edda was, herself, a rebellious woman in her youth. Her powerful father made dating difficult, as most young men feared him. She has been described as being opinionated and outspoken. It was while in Rome that she met
Galeazzo Ciano, son of Admiral Count
Costanzo Ciano, a loyal
Fascist and supporter of...
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