Corsican Republic
In July 1755, Pasquale Paoli proclaimed the Corsican Republic on the island of Corsica. He drove the Genoese from the entire island except for a few coastal towns. Paoli set to work re-organizing the government and introducing many reforms. He founded a university at Corte in 1765. This institution used Italian as its official language. The republic also created a short-lived Order of Saint-Devote in 1757. This order honored the patron saint of the island, Saint Devota. Paoli minted his own coins at Murato in 1761. These coins were imprinted with the Moor's Head, the traditional symbol of Corsica. His ideas of independence, democracy, and liberty gained support from philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. James Boswell published An Account of Corsica in 1768. This book made Paoli famous throughout Europe. Diplomatic recognition was extended to Corsica by the Bey of Tunis.
The Corsican Constitution became the first constitution written in the Italian language. It included various Enlightenment principles. One principle involved female suffrage. Women traditionally voted in village elections for podestà or village elders. They also voted in national elections under the Republic if they were head of the family. Suffrage was extended to all men over the age of 25. Men over the age of 35 could become members of the Council. In 1758, the Diet reduced the Council from over 100 to 18 members. Each member had to live in Corte. Their terms were limited to six months. The number of Council members dropped again to 9 in 1764. Each was elected for a year. From 1763, members of the clergy sent around 137 members to the Diet. By the following year, the elected speaker of the diet until the dissolution of the republic was always a member of the clergy. In December 1763, the Diet passed legislation modifying the method of election of its members. A reduced 68 members were to be indirectly elected. This legislation was never respected and de facto continued under the old system.
The legislature, known as the Corsican Diet or Consulta Generale, composed of over 300 members met once a year on call of the head of state. Delegates were elected by acclamation from each parish for three-year terms. The Diet enacted laws, regulated taxation, and determined national policy. Executive powers were handled by the Council of State. It was elected by the Diet initially for life and met twice a year. In the absence of the Council, powers were held by the General or the President General. Two-thirds of its members came from Deçà des Monts while the remainder came from Delà des Monts. Members split into two tiers: 36 first class Presidents and 108 second class Councillors. The Council divided into three magistracies: the Chamber of Justice, the Chamber of War, and the Chamber of Finance. Petitions made to the Council were addressed to the General. He passed them to the applicable magistracy based on importance. From there, it would pass to the full Council for a vote. The head of the Council received two votes while other members received one. In case of a tie, the secretary of state voted to break it.
Niccolò Tommaseo called Pasquale Paoli the precursor of Italian irredentism. Paoli was the first to promote the Italian language and socio-culture in his island. He wanted the Italian language to be the official language of the newly founded Corsican Republic. His appeal in 1768 against the French invader highlighted this stance. Paoli regarded his own native language as an Italian dialect. Corsican is an Italo-Dalmatian tongue closely related to Tuscan. The Corsican Constitution of 1755 was written in Italian. The short-lived university he founded in the city of Corte in 1765 used Italian as the official language. Under France, the use of Corsican has gradually declined in favor of the standard French language. Italian remained the official language of Corsica until 1859. This shift marked a significant cultural change following the republic's fall.
In 1767, Corsica took the island of Capraia from the Genoese. One year later, Genoa sold their claim to the Kingdom of France with the Treaty of Versailles. France invaded Corsica the same year. Paoli's forces fought to keep the republic intact. In May 1769, at the Battle of Ponte Novu, they were defeated by vastly superior forces commanded by the Comte de Vaux. They were obliged to take refuge in the Kingdom of Great Britain. French control was consolidated over the island. In 1770 it became a province of France. The fall of Corsica to the French was poorly received by many in Great Britain. It was seen as a failure of the Grafton Ministry that Corsica had been lost. A number of exiled Corsicans fought on the British side during the American Revolutionary War. They served with particular distinction during the Great Siege of Gibraltar in 1782.
The New York militia later named Hearts of Oak originally called themselves The Corsicans. Their membership included Alexander Hamilton and other students at New York's King's College. They considered the Corsican Republic as a model to be emulated in America. The aspiration for Corsican independence along with many democratic principles were revived by Paoli in the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom of 1794, 1796. British naval and land forces deployed in defense of the island failed. The French regained control. To this day, some Corsican separatists advocate the restoration of the island's republic. Groups like the now-disbanded Armata Corsa continue these efforts. The legacy of the Corsican Republic influenced European philosophy and American revolutionary movements. Its unique constitutional structure remains a subject of historical study.
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Common questions
When did Pasquale Paoli proclaim the Corsican Republic?
Pasquale Paoli proclaimed the Corsican Republic in July 1755. He drove the Genoese from the entire island except for a few coastal towns.
What language was used as the official language of the Corsican Republic?
The Corsican Constitution and university founded by Pasquale Paoli used Italian as the official language. Italian remained the official language of Corsica until 1859 under French rule.
How many members were in the Council after the Diet reduced it in 1758?
In 1758, the Diet reduced the Council from over 100 to 18 members. Each member had to live in Corte with terms limited to six months.
Where did Pasquale Paoli mint his own coins in 1761?
Paoli minted his own coins at Murato in 1761. These coins were imprinted with the Moor's Head, the traditional symbol of Corsica.
Who commanded the French forces that defeated Pasquale Paoli in May 1769?
French forces commanded by the Comte de Vaux defeated Paoli's forces at the Battle of Ponte Novu in May 1769. This defeat forced Paoli to take refuge in the Kingdom of Great Britain.