Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris was an Italian general who fought in the wars of independence that unified his country. In May 1898, he was in command of troops in Milan when the city was threatened by rioters protesting against rising food prices. After the rioters erected barricades, Bava-Beccaris ordered his men to open fire on the unarmed protesters. Many were killed (118 according to the government; 400 according to opposition claims).

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The king, Umberto I, rewarded him with the Great Cross of the Order of Savoy, but the general became a hate figure to many Italians. However, although Umberto was assassinated in 1900 by an anarchist who explicitly stated he had acted to revenge those who died in the massacre, Bava-Beccaris himself lived another 26 years and died at the age of 93.

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Answered by: Nick Rennison

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