Bloody Christmas (1920)

Bloody Christmas
Part of Company of the River clashes
Date 24–29 December 1920 Location Rijeka Result Italian victory.
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy	Italian Regency of Carnaro
Commanders and leaders
Enrico Caviglia	Gabriele D'Annunzio
Strength
8,000	2,500 legionnaires
Casualties and losses
25 soldiers dead 139 soldiers injured 2 civilians dead (Rijeka) 7 civilians injured (Rijeka)	22 dead Legionnaires (Rijeka) 4 dead Legionnaires (Krk) 5 civilians dead (Rijeka) 15 civilians injured (Rijeka)

The Bloody Christmas of 1920 (Italian language: Natale di sangue ) was a series of clashes in Fiume (now Rijeka), which led to the conclusion of the Rijeka campaign carried out by Italian fascist supporter, Gabriele D'Annunzio in 1920.

Background

Upon the return of the liberal politician Giovanni Giolitti to government in June 1920, during the Biennio Rosso, the official attitude towards the Kingdom of Italy's regency of Carnaro constituted in Rijeka began to waver. On November 12 of the same year, Italy and Yugoslavia signed the Treaty of Rapallo, forming the Free State of Fiume as a consequence to an occupation of Rijeka by Gabriele d'Annunzio and his troops which began with the Impresa di Fiume. As a forerunner to Benito Mussolini and staunch supporter of the Italian fascist movement, d'Annunzio refused to accept the handing over of Fiume at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Occupation

D'Annunzio refused to accept an ultimatum forced upon him to abandon Rijeka and denunciate the Treaty of Rapallo as illegal, as a result provoked a blockade of the city by the Italian forces under the Kingdom of Italy. As a result d'Annunzio declared war on Italy, further provoking a backlash from the Italian forces, resulting in a cannonade from the Royal Navy.

General Enrico Caviglia led his troops against the city, beginning on 24 December 1920 and after just five days occupied the city.

Following defeat

Following the defeat of d'Annunzio's forces, there was an election of the Constituent Assembly, giving separatists 65% of the vote. On 5 October 1921, Riccardo Zanella became the first and only elected president of the short lived Free State of Fiume, however this was unable to end disputes over the city.

Seven months later in Rome, Mussolini became prime minister, and Italy was heading towards a fascist regime. As a result, Zanella was overthrown in a fascist putsch by local fascists in March 1922, resulting in a third Italian military occupation of the city. This period of diplomatic tension ended with the Treaty of Rome on 27 January 1924, which assigned Fiume to Italy and Susak along with other villages, to Yugoslavia, with joint port administration.

See also

• Gabriele D'Annunzio
• Free State of Fiume
• Mutilated victory
• Corpus separatum (Fiume)

References

• Corrado Zoli. The days of Rijeka. Zanichelli, Bologna., 1921.
• Giuseppe Moscati. The five-day River. Publisher Carnaro. Second edition 1931
• James Properzj Bloody Christmas, D'Annunzio in Fiume, Mursia Editore, Milan (2010) ISBN 9788842544258
• Giovanni Savegnago, critical review of Alla Festa Della Rivoluzione. Artisti e libertari con d'Annunzio a Fiume. (Claudia Salaris). Bologna. Il Mulino. 2002.
• New York Times articles on the following dates of 1920: 24 November, December 2, 8, 9, 10, 11th, 13th, 24th, 27th, 28th, 30th.
• Tea Mayhew: Maritime and History Museumof Croatian Littoral RijekaBloody Christmas 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio’s Rijeka Adventure [1]
• http://www.reakt.org/fiume/pdf/011_bloody_christmas.pdf