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Pasquale Paoli

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Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli (Pascal Paoli, April 6, 1725 – February 5, 1807), was a Corsican patriot and leader, the leader of the first democratic republic of the modern age.

Biography

Paoli was born at Stretta in the parish of Rostino, the son of Giacinto Paoli, who had led the Corsican rebels against Genovese tyranny. Pasquale followed his father into exile in 1739, serving with distinction in the Neapolitan army; on his return to Corsica on April 29, 1755 he became the General of the Corsican Nation, the commander-in-chief of the Corsican independence forces.

Corsican Republic

In November 1755 Corsican independence was proclaimed and the Corsican Constitution was created - this was the first constitution written under Enlightenment principles, including the first implementation of female suffrage, later revoked by the French when they took over the island in 1769. The republic created an administration, justice system, and founded an army. After a series of successful actions Paoli drove the Genovese from the whole island except for a few coastal towns. He then set to work to reorganize the government, introducing many reforms. He founded a university at Corte. He created a short-lived "Order of Saint-Devote" in 1757 in honor of the patron saint of the island, Saint Devota.

Paoli's ideas of independence, democracy and liberty gained support from such philosophers as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Raynal, Mably . The publication in 1766 of An Account of Corsica by James Boswell made Paoli famous all over Europe. In 1767 Corsica took the island of Capraia from the Genoese, who, one year later, despairing of ever being able to subjugate Corsica again, with the Treaty of Versailles sold their rights over it to France.

French invaded Corsica the same year, and for one year Paoli's forces fought desperately for their new republic against the new invaders. However, in 1769 he was defeated in Ponte Nuovo by vastly superior forces under the Comte de Vaux, and obliged to take refuge in England.

Pasquale Paoli and the Italian Irredentism

Pascal Paoli was considered by Niccolo Tommaseo, who collected his Lettere (Letters), as one of the precursors of the Italian irredentism. The "Babbu di a Patria" (father of Corsica), as was nicknamed Pasquale Paoli by the Corsican Italians, wrote in his Letters the following message in 1768 against the French invaders: We (Corsicans) are Italians because of birth and feelings, but first of all we feel Italians because of language, roots, traditions and all the Italians are all brothers for History and for God....As Corsicans we do not want to be slaves nor "rebels" and as Italians we have the right to be treated like all the other Italian brothers.... Or we 'll be free or we'll be nothing...Or we'll win or we'll die (against the French) with the arms in our hands...The war against France is holy and right as holy and right is the name of God, and here on our mountains will appear for all Italy the sun of the liberty.. ("Siamo còrsi per nascita e sentimento ma prima di tutto ci sentiamo italiani per lingua, origini, costumi, tradizioni e gli italiani sono tutti fratelli e solidali di fronte alla storia e di fronte a Dio… Come còrsi non vogliamo essere né schiavi né "ribelli" e come italiani abbiamo il diritto di trattare da pari con gli altri fratelli d’Italia… O saremo liberi o non saremo niente… O vinceremo con l’onore o soccomberemo (contro i francesi) con le armi in mano... La guerra con la Francia è giusta e santa come santo e giusto è il nome di Dio, e qui sui nostri monti spunterà per l’Italia il sole della libertà…")

Pasquale Paoli even wanted the Italian language to be the official language of his Corsican Republic. His Corsican Constitution of 1755 was in Italian and was used as a model for the American constitution of 1787. In the city of Corte Paoli founded in 1765 the first University of Corsica (that used the Italian).

After the republic

After the French revolution Paoli became something of an idol of liberty and democracy. In 1789 he was invited to Paris by the National Constituent Assembly and was celebrated as a hero in front of the assembly. He was afterwards sent back to Corsica having been given the rank of lieutenant-general.

Eventually however Paoli became disgusted with the excesses of the French Revolution, and having been accused of treason by the French National Convention, he summoned a consulta (assembly) at Corte in 1793, with himself as president and formally seceded from France. He then offered the sovereignty of the island to the British government and invited the British Admiral Samuel Hood to take Corsica in the name of the king of England. For a short time, Corsica was added to the dominions of King George III, chiefly by the exertions of Hood's fleet, and Paoli's cooperation. Paoli was however soon forced to go into exile once more, and Corsica became a French département. He retired to London in 1796, when he obtained a pension.

Paoli commemmorated in the USA

The American Sons of Liberty were inspired by Paoli and his struggle against despotism.

In 1768, the editor of the New York Journal described Paoli as "the greatest man on earth". Image:JoshuaReynoldsParty.jpg|A literary party at Sir Joshua Reynolds (1781). The painting shows the friends of Reynolds (one is Paoli) - many of whom were members of "The Club" - use cursor to identify. |400px|thumb

poly 133 343 124 287 159 224 189 228 195 291 222 311 209 343 209 354 243 362 292 466 250 463 Dr Johnson - Dictionary writer poly 76 224 84 255 43 302 62 400 123 423 121 361 137 344 122 290 111 234 96 225 Boswell - Biographer poly 190 276 208 240 229 228 247 238 250 258 286 319 282 323 223 323 220 301 200 295 Sir Joshua Reynolds - Host poly 308 317 311 270 328 261 316 246 320 228 343 227 357 240 377 274 366 284 352 311 319 324 David Garrick - actor poly 252 406 313 343 341 343 366 280 383 273 372 251 378 222 409 228 414 280 420 292 390 300 374 360 359 437 306 418 313 391 272 415 Edmund Burke - statesman rect 418 220 452 287 Pasqual Paoli - Corsican independant poly 455 238 484 253 505 303 495 363 501 377 491 443 429 439 423 375 466 352 Charles Burney - music historian poly 501 279 546 237 567 239 572 308 560 326 537 316 530 300 502 289 Thomas Warton - poet laureate poly 572 453 591 446 572 373 603 351 562 325 592 288 573 260 573 248 591 243 615 254 637 280 655 334 705 396 656 419 625 382 609 391 613 453 Oliver Goldsmith - writer rect 450 86 584 188 prob.The Infant Academy 1782 rect 286 87 376 191 unknown painting circle 100 141 20 An unknown portrait poly 503 192 511 176 532 176 534 200 553 219 554 234 541 236 525 261 506 261 511 220 515 215 servant - poss. Dr Johnson's hier rect 12 10 702 500 Use button to enlarge or use hyperlinks

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Many place names in the USA are named after him. These include:

See also

Further reading

  • James Boswell's Account of Corsica and Memoirs of P Paoli (1768)
  • N Tommaseo, "Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli" (in Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. xi.), and Della Corsica, etc. (ibid., nuova serie, vol. xi., parte ii.);
  • Pompei, De L'état de la Corse (Paris, 1821); Giovanni Livi, Lettere inedite di Pasquale Paoli (in Arch. stor. ital., 5th series, vols. v. and vi.);
  • Bartoli, Historia di Pascal Paoli (Bastia, 1891); Lencisa, P. Paoli e la guerra d'indipendenza della Corsica (Milano, 1890).
  • John Ralston Saul, Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West.

References

External links

References



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