Between the tricolor cockade and the moor's head: Corsica in 1793
Verchenkova Victoria
The year 1793 was a difficult one for France as a whole and for many departments in particular. Corsica was no exception: that year became a turning point, when a decision about which path the island would take had to be made. However, Corsica was pushed to make this choice by Paris. It was in 1793 that the Convention declared Corsica rebellious and blamed General Pascal Paoli for it. After the Sardinian expedition, unsuccessful for the republicans, events unfolded very rapidly. The Corsican position was greatly influenced by the «party spirit», as sources call the clan system that had existed throughout virtually Corsica’s entire history. During the first half of 1793, Corsican society was divided. Some sought to prove their loyalty to the Republic, their desire to «be French», while others chose to pursue independence. Ultimately, the proximity of a British squadron cruising at sea, motives of personal vendetta, the Convention’s misunderstanding and its reluctance to delve into the conflict – all this resulted in a confrontation between the Corsicans and the Republic. Corsica’s principal leaders were declared enemies of France. From then on, the Corsicans had to find their own way out of the crisis to prevent the island from plunging into civil war. Based on published and archival sources, the author shows that the Convention itself, unwilling to consider local nuances, effectively pushed Corsica toward its much-vaunted independence, which only worsened the situation on the island.
The study is realized in the State Academic University for the Humanities within the framework of the state task of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (project FZNF–2023–0003 Traditions and values of society: mechanisms of formation and transformation in the context of global history).
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