What if Corsica had been given to Genoa at the Congress of Vienna, keeping in mind that Genoa would be attached to the Kingdom of Sardinia?
Corsica goes to Sardinia-Piedmont at the Congress of Vienna
- Thread starter EvolvedSaurian
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I think that would make not much of a difference. I don't think that the loss of Corsica would be a greater reason for war, given that France already lost Savoy and Nice OTL.
I think history continues pretty much as OTL, Napoleon II helps unification of Italy and gets Savoy and Nice, Corsica stays Italian until today. And there still is a independence movement in Corsica...
I think history continues pretty much as OTL, Napoleon II helps unification of Italy and gets Savoy and Nice, Corsica stays Italian until today. And there still is a independence movement in Corsica...
Exactly. Yet Pascal Paoli and his men had other plans.
Had Corsica been given to Sardinia, I believe that it wouldn't have made much of a difference, as someone else said. Pascal Paoli would still be pushing for an independent Corsica, yet fails as the Risorgimento happens earlier than in OTL, sweeping Corsica with it. Now whether it falls under Mazzini's command or Garibaldi's I'm not sure, but even then Italy then as it was in OTL would still be a little bit disunified, simply because since there had been no country of "Italy" before, everybody is still regionalistic, i.e. everyone ould consider themselves to be Sicilians or Lombards or Corsicans instead of Italians. This could have some effect, AND the Corsican independence movement would still be going on, though at a lower level of activity. So similar to Homer's thinking, but I think that at the same time France would also get the Aosta Valley.
Had Corsica been given to Sardinia, I believe that it wouldn't have made much of a difference, as someone else said. Pascal Paoli would still be pushing for an independent Corsica, yet fails as the Risorgimento happens earlier than in OTL, sweeping Corsica with it. Now whether it falls under Mazzini's command or Garibaldi's I'm not sure, but even then Italy then as it was in OTL would still be a little bit disunified, simply because since there had been no country of "Italy" before, everybody is still regionalistic, i.e. everyone ould consider themselves to be Sicilians or Lombards or Corsicans instead of Italians. This could have some effect, AND the Corsican independence movement would still be going on, though at a lower level of activity. So similar to Homer's thinking, but I think that at the same time France would also get the Aosta Valley.
My first thought was. I wonder what career Napoleon would have gotten in the Sardinian army?
I was just thinking of that.Napoleon was Corsican,so yeah.Thats a get-rid-of-Napoleon POD nobodys thought of before.
Savoy and Nice were never part of France, politically, until 1859. Nice was acquired by the Savoys somewhen in the 14th century (and previously had been under the counts of Provence), and Savoy...well, why do you think the Savoys have that name?
I don't think that Corsica was ever mentioned at the Congress of Vienna; noone asked for it. Sardinia-Piedmont had already sardinia, if you want a piece of poor real estate. Asking for another even poorer island (and one rife with independentism to boot) would have been a very unwise decision. The Savoys wanted Milan, but they could not get it.
Even later in the century, the clashes with France were over Tunisia, not over Corsica.
Max Sinister
Banned
You're wrong. Several people have started threads about Corsica staying Genoese, often with Napoleon helping to unite Italy.
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy
Banned
Pasquale Paoli was already dead.
Do any of you actually have any clue when the Congress of Vienna took place?
Given that Corsica was the place where Napoleon was born... Don't you think that Napoleon III would ask for taking it back in 1860? Maybe just Corsica instead of Savoy+Nice. If this happens I think that there wouldn't be many changes apart that Garibaldi would be more happy with the French in this scenario.
Grey Wolf
Donor
If it remains Italian it would strongly affect Italian strategic thinking in the period 1870-1900. Looking at Ropp's book on the development of the French fleet there is a lot there about Italy being exposed because of Corsica. Sorry, my brain's going a bit dead after an hour and a half walk with no food, but I'm trying to say it will affect Italian NAVAL thinking, may well make Italy decide that redeveloping the arsenal at Naples is the way to go, and lead to Taranto not being developed as a major base.
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Actually, Nice and Savoy were occupied by France in 1793 and became French in 1797. Hence France lost these territories in the congress of vienna. Actually I even think they only lost it after the 100 days, yet I'm not sure about that.
All very true. And exactly the reason why I said that italian Corsica wouldn't change that much.
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy
Banned
They had been assigned a piece of Savoy, about 1/3 I believe, but lost it in a 2nd border revision after Waterloo. I can post the maps if you want.
No. They were taken by Revolutionary France, as Homer said, and I think the French also occupied them during the Italian Wars.
Please ignore what I said, I remeber what year it was held now, I must have been drunk or someting
Yes, just like Napoleon occupied all of Italy. They were never recognized as french possession though, so you cannot consider them a loss: just like Germany in WW2. They occupied a lot of countries, and even annexed some of them; after 1945, the occupied countries became free again and in addition Germany lost some territories.
Well, but France was reduced to the borders of 1792 after the 100 days. Thus France gained territories since 1789. Why were these territories considered French? And why were some territories considered French until the hundret days? After all, Savoy was French from 1795 to 1815. It was considered French several times in several peace treaties with every european power.
Anyway, that's a more technical discussion.
Nice and Savoy would be more interesting for France than Corsica, I guess. Thus the congress of Vienna could easily decide to give Corsica to Genua/Sardinia-Piemont and let Nivce and Savoy stay French. Yet they could also decide that France looses Savoy, Nice and Corsica.
The interesting question now would be if France would try to get it back, as they wanted Nice and Savoy. And I'd say they wouldn't want Corsica back, thus Corsica becomes Italian someday.
Without going into the technicalities of the treaty discussions, there are a couple of obvious points to be kept under consideration:
- France had been the aggressor during the revolutionary wars (at least as seen from the winners POV. And as amatter of fact, once the republic stopped the first onslaught, they didn't cease hostilities but went on a rampage for 20 years). Why should France be awarded territories they did not control before the revolution?
- In any case, the main issue at the Vienna Congress was how to deal with the possibility of a resurgence of French expansionism (be it through a return somehow of Bonaparte - or his heir, or - God forbid - through a new revolution). Both Savoy and the county of Nice control the Alpine passes (in the North and in the South of Western Alps). Giving them to France would have opened once again the possibility for french troops to move into Northern Italy at will; the converse would also apply: if these lands were returned to the Savoys, the Holy Alliance would have the possibility to move quickly into france to suppress any new disorder. I do believe that this worry was very present at Vienna, in particular after the 100 days.
- Last (but not least) Piedmont-Sardinia would have been very much opposed to exchange rich lands with a strategical and sentimental value for a poor island well known for its rebellious history
No deal, guys