Galeazzo Ciano
Italian foreign minister under Mussolini, executed for treason.
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, the 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari, was an Italian diplomat and politician. He served as the Kingdom of Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1936 to 1943, working under his father-in-law, Benito Mussolini, and was widely considered Mussolini’s likely successor. He is remembered for his diary, which later served as a source for historians such as Winston Churchill and William Shirer.
Ciano was born in Livorno in 1903 to Costanzo Ciano, an admiral and World War I hero who was granted the title of count by King Victor Emmanuel III. Costanzo, a founding member of the National Fascist Party, used his public position for private gain—manipulating stock prices, buying controlling interests, and building a fortune that included a newspaper, Tuscan farmland, and other properties. This wealth allowed Galeazzo to live a glamorous, high-profile life. Both father and son participated in Mussolini’s 1922 March on Rome.
After studying Philosophy of Law at the University of Rome, Ciano briefly worked as a journalist before entering diplomacy. He served as an attaché in Rio de Janeiro and later in Beijing. An unsubstantiated rumor, denied by Ciano’s wife Edda Mussolini, claimed he had an affair with Wallis Simpson that left her infertile. In 1930, at age 27, Ciano married Edda Mussolini; the couple had three children—Fabrizio, Raimonda, and Marzio—though Ciano had several affairs. After marrying, they moved to China, where he served as an attaché in Beijing and later as consul in Shanghai.
Returning to Italy in 1935, Ciano became minister of press and propaganda. He volunteered for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia as a bomber squadron commander, earning two silver medals of valor and the rank of captain. His future opponent Alessandro Pavolini served as a lieutenant in the same squadron.
In 1936, after a heavily publicized return from Ethiopia as a hero, Mussolini appointed Ciano foreign minister. He began keeping a diary shortly afterward and continued until his dismissal in 1943. In 1937, he was allegedly involved in planning the murder of anti-fascist activists Carlo and Nello Rosselli in France. That same year, before Italy’s 1939 annexation, he was named an honorary citizen of Tirana, Albania.
Before World War II, Mussolini may have been grooming Ciano to succeed him as Duce. At the war’s start in 1939, Ciano disagreed with Mussolini’
- born
- 18 March 1903, Livorno, Italy
- died
- 11 January 1944, executed by firing squad
- field
- Diplomat and politician
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Minister of Foreign Affairs under Mussolini; author of a diary used by historians; voted to oust Mussolini in July 1943
Lore & Background
Gian Galeazzo Ciano was born in Livorno in 1903, the son of Admiral Costanzo Ciano, a founding member of the National Fascist Party. Both father and son took part in Mussolini's March on Rome in 1922. After studying Philosophy of Law at the University of Rome, Ciano worked briefly as a journalist before entering diplomacy, serving as an attaché in Rio de Janeiro and later in Beijing. In 1930, he married Benito Mussolini's daughter Edda Mussolini, and they had three children. He served as Italian consul in Shanghai before returning to Italy in 1935.
Reader's Guide
Ciano's significance lies in his role as Mussolini's foreign minister during the lead-up to and early years of World War II, and his eventual break with the regime. He initially supported the war but became disenchanted after Axis defeats, pushing for Italy's exit. His vote to oust Mussolini at the Fascist Grand Council in July 1943 led to his own downfall. After fleeing to Germany, he was handed over to Mussolini's Italian Social Republic and executed. His diary remains a key historical source, cited by Churchill and Shirer, offering insight into Fascist Italy's inner workings.
Did You Know?
- Ciano was the son of Admiral Costanzo Ciano, a founding member of the National Fascist Party.
- He married Benito Mussolini's daughter Edda Mussolini in 1930.
- Ciano voted in favor of Dino Grandi's resolution to oust Mussolini at the Fascist Grand Council on 24 July 1943.
- His diary was used as a source by Winston Churchill in his work 'The Second World War'.
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