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], capital of Corsica during the five centuries of the ] domination]] ], capital of Corsica during the five centuries of the ] domination]]
'''Corsican Italians''' are the Italian speaking populations of the island of ] (Corse in French), who promoted the union of Corsica to ]. They were called this by the ] movement of the ] after the Unification of Italy in the XIX century, mainly during the ]. The '''Italian Corsicans''' are ]-speaking people from the island of ], who promoted the union of Corsica with ]. They were so termed by ] in the ] after ] in the late 19th century and during the country's ] period.<ref></ref>


==History== ==History==


Corsica was fully Italian (ethnically, linguistically and historically) until 1768, when the ] ceded the island to ], exactly one year before ] was born in the capital Ajaccio. Since then the ] has been slowly but steadily substituted by the ], mainly after 1870.<ref>Melillo, A.M. ''Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica''. pag 48</ref> Corsica was considered Italian (ethnically, linguistically and historically) until 1768,<ref>Melillo, A.M. ''Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica'' p. 46</ref> when the ], which had ruled the island for centuries, ceded the island to ], one year before the birth of ] in the capital city of ]. Under French rule, the use of the ], which is closely related to standard Italian, has gradually declined and has been replaced by ].


] promoted the unification of the Corsican Italians to Italy when ] was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, but ] did not agree to it. ] promoted the unification of the Corsican Italians to Italy when ] was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, but ] did not agree to it.


The process of the ] affected marginally Corsica and only during the ] of ] were started in Corsica the first organizations promoting strongly the unification of the island to the ]. The process of the Italian irredentism only marginally affected Corsica, and only during the Fascist rule of ] were the first organizations promoting strongly the unification of the island to the Kingdom of Italy founded.<ref>http://www.cg06.fr/culture/pdf/rr187-rivendicazionefascista.pdf</ref>


Before ] in Livorno (]) professor Francesco Guerri founded the review "Corsica antica e moderna", inspired on the "Archivio storico di Corsica" of Gioacchino Volpe. Petru Rocca created in the 1920s the ''Partito autonomista'' of Corsica (of which was segretary) with the support of monsignor Domenico Parlotti and dr. Croce, director of the "Archivi di Stato della Corsica". Before ] in ], professor Francesco Guerri founded the review "Corsica antica e moderna", inspired on the "Archivio storico di Corsica" of Gioacchino Volpe. Petru Rocca created in the 1920s the ''Partito autonomista'' of Corsica (of which was segretary) with the support of monsignor Domenico Parlotti and dr. Croce, director of the "Archivi di Stato della Corsica".
], who was named in December 1942 as the potential "Governor of Corsica" if Italy should ] Corsica. The map misrepresents the distance between Corsica and the Italian island of ] (top right).]]
Before and during ], some Corsican intellectuals staged pro-Italian propaganda and cultural activities in Italy (mainly in the "Gruppi di Cultura Corsa"). These included Marco Angeli, Bertino Poli, Marchetti, Luccarotti, Grimaldi and Petru Giovacchini (he was later proposed as a possible governor of Corsica if Italy had annexed it).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saturniatellus.com/portale/viewtopic.php?p=8218 |title=SATVRNIA TELLVS :: Mostra argomento - Petru Giovacchini, un patriota esule in patria |publisher=Saturniatellus.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-30}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The most renowned was ], who considered ] (the hero of Corsica) as the precursor of the Corsican irredentism in favor of the unification of the island to Italy.<ref>
Mastroserio, Giuseppe. ''Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria''. pag 114</ref> The "Gruppi di Cultura Corsa" of Giovacchini reached a membership of 72,000 members by 1940, according to the historian R.H. Rainero.<ref>Rainero, R.H. ''Mussolini e Pétain. Storia dei rapporti tra l’Italia e la Francia di Vichy (10 giugno 1940-8 settembre 1943)'', page 29.</ref>


In November 1942 the VII Army Corps of the ] occupied Corsica as part of the German led response to the Ally landings in Africa, leaving the island still under the formal sovereignty of Vichy France. Because of the lack of partisan resistance at first, and to avoid problems with Marshal ], no Corsican units were formed under Italian control (except for a labour battalion formed in March 1943). However, a ] movement based on local inhabitants loyal to France and boosted by ] leaders developed, opposing the irredentist propaganda and the Italian occupation, and was repressed by Italian fascist forces and subsequently by German troops.
Before and during WW2 there were Corsican intellectuals making pro-Italian propaganda and cultural activities in Italy (mainly in the "Gruppi di Cultura Corsa"), like Marco Angeli, Bertino Poli, Marchetti, Luccarotti, Grimaldi and Petru Giovacchini (he was later chosen as possible governor of Corsica if Italy had annexed it). The most renowned was ], who considered ] (the hero of Corsica) as the precursor of the Corsican irredentism in favor of the unification of the island to Italy.<ref>
Mastroserio, Giuseppe. ''Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria''. pag 114</ref>


Some irredentist Corsican military officials collaborated with Italy, including the retired Major Pantalacci (and his son Antonio), colonel Mondielli and colonel Petru Simone Cristofini (and his wife, the first Corsican female journalist Marta Renucci).<ref>''Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso'', Rivista Storia Verità</ref> After ] and Resistance forces, together with some Italian troops which sided with the Allies, retook Corsica, Petru Cristofini was executed in 1943. Of nearly 100 irrendentist collaborators (including intellectuals) put on trial by the French authorities in 1946, eight were sentenced to death, but none were executed. Petru Giovacchini was also condemned to death, but fled to Italy where he found refuge until his death in 1955. With him, the Italian irredentistic movement in Corsica died out, though separate movements for independence from France (like the ], ]) and the terrorist organization called ]) are currently active.
]n dialect]]
In November 1942 the VII Army Corps of the ] pacifically occupied Corsica, still under the formal sovereignty of Vichy France. Because of the lack of partizan resistance and to avoid problems with ], no Corsican units were formed under the Italian control (except for a labour battalion formed in March 1943).
Some Corsican military officials collaborated with Italy, as the retired Major Pantalacci (and his son Antonio), colonel Mondielli and colonel Petru Simone Cristofini (and his wife, the first Corsican female journalist Marta Renucci).<ref>''Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso'', Rivista Storia Verità</ref>


===Cristofini Pietro===
After ] nearly one hundred collaborators or autonomists (included the intellectuals) were put on trial by the French authorities in 1946 and found guilty, 8 of them were sentenced to death, but only colonel Cristofini was executed.
Colonel ] (or Petru Simone Cristofini) was born in Calenzana (near ], Corsica) on 26 May 1903 and in 1939 became a captain of the 3rd Algerian Fusiliers regiment. He was initially a supporter of Pétain. After the Allied occupation of French North Africa he commanded the '']''.


In ] he was wounded in one eye and then, before returning to Corsica, met ] in Rome. He was a supporter of the union of Corsica to Italy and defended irredentist ideals. He actively collaborated with Italian forces in Corsica during the first months of 1943. In the island he worked with ] (the possible governor of Corsica if the ] had won the war). Cristofini, as head of the Ajaccio troops, helped the Italian Army to repress Resistance opposition in Corsica before the Italian Armistice in September 1943.
Actually the Italian irredentistic movement in Corsica has disappeared, but has evolved in some independence movements from France (like the ], ]
and the rebel organization called ]).


He was put on trial for treason after the ] retook Corsica, and sentenced to death. He tried to kill himself, and was executed while suffering from his wounds in November 1943. His wife, Marta Renucci, was sentenced in 1946 to 15 years of jail in ] for supporting irredentism and for collaborating with Italian fascism, but served only a reduced sentence.
===A Corsican Irredentist===

Colonel Petru Simone Cristofini was born in Calenzana (near ], Corsica) on 26 May 1903 and in 1939 he was a captain of the 3rd Algerine Fusiliers regiment. He was initially a supporter of ]. After the Allied occupation of French North Africa he commanded the ''Phalange Africaine''.

In ] he was wounded in an eye and, before returning to Corsica (where he supported pro-Italy secessionists), he met ] in Rome and actively collaborated with the Italian forces in Corsica during the first months of 1943. In the island he worked with Petru Giovacchini (the possible governor of Corsica if the ] had won the war). Cristofini, as head of the Ajaccio troops, helped the Italian Army to control successfully the Resistance opposition in Corsica, before the Italian Armistice in September 1943.

Colonel Cristofini was put on trial for treason after the ] occupation of Corsica and sentenced to death. He tried to kill himself, and was executed while he was dying in November 1943. <ref>''Il Martirio di un irredento: il colonnello Petru Simone Cristofini''. Rivista Storia Verità</ref>


==Language== ==Language==


While most Corsicans spoke the Corsican dialect at home, until the first half of the 19th-century Italian was the language most publicly spoken and written on the island.
The first ] was written in Italian (the language of culture in Corsica until the end of XIX century) for the short-lived ], established in 1755 by ] (who proclaimed that the Italian was the official language of Corsica).
] ]
The first ], for the short-lived ] established in 1755, was written in Italian and Paoli proclaimed Italian as the official language of Corsica. Italian was the 'language of culture' in Corsica until the end of XIX century.<ref>Saint-Blancac, C. ''La Corsica. Identità Etnico-Linguistica e Sviluppo'' p.24</ref> Even Paoli's second Corsican Constitution, for the ] in 1794, was in Italian.<ref>{{cite web|author=CIDRP Cumpagnìa |url=http://www.pasqualepaoli.com/english/royaume.htm |title=The Kingdom Anglo-Corsican |publisher=Pasqualepaoli.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-30}}</ref> In the second half of the 19th century ] replaced Italian, mainly because of ]. The Corsican dialect started to be used by Corsican intellectuals.
Even the second Corsican Constitution of Pasquale Paoli, for the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom in 1794, was in Italian.


The actual ] is directly related to the Tuscan dialect of ], an Italian city that dominated the island before ]. In the north of the island (]), there is a local dialect very similar to the medieval Genoese. In the mountainous interior of Corsica there are a significant number of villages where nearly all the inhabitants speak ''Corso'', a medieval Pisan dialect mixed with Sardinian words.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignaffairs.tripod.com/armillotta/pisa94_corsica.html |title=Giovanni Armillotta: "I vincoli ultramillenari fra Pisa e la Corsica" |publisher=Foreignaffairs.tripod.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-30}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
While most Corsicans spoke the Corsican dialect at home, until the first half of the XIX century the Italian was the language most publicly spoken and written in the island.


The extreme similarity of the Corso to Italian can be seen in an example phrase:
In the second half of the XIX century the ] substituted the Italian, mainly because of ], but at the same time the Corsican dialect started to be used by many Corsican intellectuals.


<br />Corso: ''Sò natu in Corsica è g'aghju passatu i megli anni di a mio ghjuventù''
The actual ] is directly related to the Tuscan dialect of ], an Italian city that dominated the island before ] . In the north of the island (]), there it is a local dialect very similar to the medieval genoese.
<br />Italian: ''Sono nato in Corsica e ci ho passato i migliori anni della mia gioventù''
<br />English: ''I was born in Corsica and spent the best years of my youth there''


Nearly 12% of Corsicans speak ], while three-quarters understand it thanks to the television programmes from Italy.<ref>Vignoli, Giulio. ''Gli Italiani Dimenticati''. pag 126</ref>
In the mountainous interior of Corsica there are many villages were nearly everybody speaks the ''Corso'', practically a medieval ]n dialect mixed with many Sardinian words.


The irredentist ] wrote the first book in "Corso" (titled ''Terra còrsa'') in 1924 and many lyrics (titled ''Malincunie'') in ]. He created and wrote the newspaper «Gioventù» of the "Partito Corso d'azione", partially in Italian and Corsican.
The extreme similarity of the Corso with the Italian can be understood in this phrase: ''Sò natu in Corsica è g'aghju passatu i megli anni di a mio ghjuventù (Corso)/ Sono nato in Corsica e ci ho passato i migliori anni della mia gioventù (Italian)''.


Actually Italian Corsicans fluently speak ], but most of them are second-language speakers.
The irredentist Marco Angeli di Sartèna wrote in 1924 the first book in "Corso" (titled ''Terra còrsa'') and many lyrics in this dialect (titled ''Malincunie'') in ]. He created and wrote even the newspaper «Gioventù» of the "Partito Corso d'azione", partially in Italian and Corsican.


==Pasquale Paoli and Italian irredentism==
Actually nearly 12% of the Corsicans speaks even the ], while 3/4 understand it thanks to the television programs from nearby Italy. <ref>Vignoli, Giulio. ''Gli Italiani Dimenticati''. pag 126</ref>


] was considered by Niccolo Tommaseo, who collected his ''Lettere'' (Letters), as one of the precursors of Italian ].
==Pasquale Paoli and the Italian Irredentism==
], the Corsican hero who made Italian the official language of his Corsican Republic in 1755]]
The "Babbu di a Patria" (father of Corsica), as Pasquale Paoli was nicknamed by the Corsican Italians, wrote in his Letters <ref>N. Tommaseo. "Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli" (in Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI).</ref> the following message in 1768 against the French invaders: "We (Corsicans) are Italians by birth and feelings, but first of all we feel Italian by language, roots, customs, 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.... Either we'll be free or we'll be nothing.... Either we'll win or we'll die (against the French) with our weapons in our hands.... The war against France is just and holy as the name of God is holy and just, and here on our mountains will appear for all Italy the sun of 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 wanted the Italian language to be the official language of his Corsican Republic. His ] of 1755 was in Italian and was used as a model for the ] of 1787. Furthermore, in 1765 Paoli founded in the city of ] the first University of Corsica (where the teaching was done in Italian).
] was considered by Niccolo Tommaseo, who collected his ''Lettere'' (Letters), as one of the precursors of the Italian ].
], the Corsican hero who made Italian the official language of his Corsican Republic in 1755]]
The "Babbu di a Patria" (father of Corsica), as was nicknamed Pasquale Paoli by the Corsican Italians, wrote in his Letters <ref> N. Tommaseo. "Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli" (in Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI).</ref> 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 ] to be the official language of his Corsican Republic. His ] of 1755 was in Italian and was used as a model for the ] of 1787. Furthermore, in 1765 Paoli founded in the city of ] the first University of Corsica (where the teaching was done in Italian).


==Literature== ==Literature==


The Italian language, promoted by the Corsican Italians, was the language of culture in Corsica since the ]. Many Corsican authors wrote an extensive Literature in Italian in the last centuries. The Italian language, promoted by the Corsican Italians, had been the language of culture in Corsica since the ]. Many Corsican authors wrote an extensive literature in Italian in the last centuries.


In the XIV century there was ''La Cronica'' of Giovanni della Gorda (1388-1464)'', Pier Antonio Monteggiani (1464-1525) and Marcantoni Ceccaldi (1526-1559). ''Storia di Corsica'' was published in 1594 by Anton Pietro Filippini. In the XV and XVI centuries there were Ignazio Cardini (1566-1602), Pietro Cirneo (1447-1507), Guiglielmo Guglielmi di Orezza (1644-1728) with ''A Malannata'' and ''Ottave giocose''. In the 14th century there was ''La Cronica'' of Giovanni della Grossa (1388-1464)'', Pier Antonio Monteggiani (1464-1525) and Marcantoni Ceccaldi (1526-1559). ''Storia di Corsica'' was published in 1594 by Anton Pietro Filippini. In the XV and XVI centuries there were Ignazio Cardini (1566-1602), Pietro Cirneo (1447-1507), Guiglielmo Guglielmi di Orezza (1644-1728) with ''A Malannata'' and ''Ottave giocose''.


In the XVII century in ] was founded the ''Accademia dei Vagabondi'', following the model of the Italian "Accademie". Angelo Francesco Coloma wrote ''Commentario della glorie e prerogative dei Regno e Popoli di Corsica'' in 1685. In the 18th century the ''Accademia dei Vagabondi'' was founded in ], following the model of the Italian "Accademie". Angelo Francesco Colonna wrote ''Commentario delle glorie e prerogative del Regno e Popoli di Corsica'' in 1685.


During the Corsican Republic of Pasquale Paoli there were Giulio Matteo Natali (''Disinganno intorno alla Guerra de Corsica'' in 1736), Don Gregorio Salvini (''Giustificazione della Revoluzione di Corsica (1758-1764)'') and the same ] (''Corrispondenza'' (published only in 1846). During the Corsican Republic of Pasquale Paoli there were Giulio Matteo Natali (''Disinganno intorno alla Guerra de Corsica'' in 1736), Don Gregorio Salvini (''Giustificazione della Revoluzione di Corsica (1758-1764)'') and the same ] (''Corrispondenza'' (published only in 1846).
] castle]] ] castle]]
During the XIX century in Bastia Salvatore Viale wrote ''La Dionomachia'' in 1817, ''Canti popolari corsi'' in 1843 and ''Dell'uso della lingua patria in Corsica'' in 1858. During the 19th century in Bastia Salvatore Viale wrote ''La Dionomachia'' in 1817, ''Canti popolari corsi'' in 1843 and ''Dell'uso della lingua patria in Corsica'' in 1858.


Many Corsican authors (who wrote in Italian) were influenced by the ideals of the Italian ] during the second half of the XIX century, like Giuseppe Multado, Gian Paolo Borghetti, Francesco Ottaviano Renucci (''Storia della Corsica dal 1789 al 1830'' and ''Novelle storiche corse''). Even the Italian Nicolo Tommaseo collected the ''Canti popolari corsi'' (with points of view of Italian irredentism) and made a compilation of the letters (''Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli'') of Pascal Paoli. Many Corsican authors (who wrote in Italian) were influenced by the ideals of the Italian ] during the second half of the 19th century, such as Giuseppe Multado, Gian Paolo Borghetti, Francesco Ottaviano Renucci (''Storia della Corsica dal 1789 al 1830'' and ''Novelle storiche corse''). Even the Italian Nicolo Tommaseo collected the ''Canti popolari corsi'' (with points of view of Italian irredentism) and made a compilation of the letters (''Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli'') of Pasquale Paoli.


Santu Casanova founded the famous literary review ''A Tramuntana'' (published in ] between 1896 and 1914) and wrote in Italian ''Meraviglioso testamento di Francesco'' in 1875 and ''La morte ed il funerale di Spanetto'' in 1892. He is considered the link between the old generations of Corsican writers who wrote in ] and the new ones, who started to use the ]. Santu Casanova founded the famous literary review ''A Tramuntana'' (published in Ajaccio between 1896 and 1914) and wrote in Italian ''Meraviglioso testamento di Francesco'' in 1875 and ''La morte ed il funerale di Spanetto'' in 1892. He is considered the link between the old generations of Corsican writers who wrote in Italian language and the new ones, who started to use the ].


During the first half of the XX century the most important Corsican publication in Italian was the literary review ''A Muvra'' of Petru Rocca. Other Corsican authors in Italian were Versini Maiastrale, Matteu Rocca (''I lucchetti'' in 1925), Dumenicu Carlotti (''Pampame corse'' in 1926), Ageniu Grimaldi and Ugo Babbiziu (''Una filza di francesismi colti nelle parlate dialettali corse'' in 1930). During the first half of the 20th century the most important Corsican publication in Italian was the literary review ''A Muvra'' of Petru Rocca. Other Corsican authors in Italian were Versini Maiastrale, Matteu Rocca (''I lucchetti'' in 1925), Dumenicu Carlotti (''Pampame corse'' in 1926), Ageniu Grimaldi and Ugo Babbiziu (''Una filza di francesismi colti nelle parlate dialettali corse'' in 1930).


The Corsican Italians who promoted the ideal of Corsican irredentism published mainly in Italy, because of the persecutions from the ] regime in the island in the first half of the XX century. The Corsican Italians who promoted the ideal of Corsican irredentism published mainly in Italy, because of the persecutions from the French regime in the island in the first half of the XX century.


So, ] wrote the poems ''Musa Canalinca'' and ''Rime notturne'' in 1933 in Corsica, but successively wrote and published ''Aurore, poesie corse'', ''Corsica Nostra'' and ''Archiatri pontifici corsi'' in ] (the last, while he was in exile in 1951, a few years before his premature death). Thus ] wrote the poems ''Musa Canalinca'' and ''Rime notturne'' in 1933 in Corsica, but successively wrote and published ''Aurore, poesie corse'', ''Corsica Nostra'' and ''Archiatri pontifici corsi'' in ] (the last, while he was in exile in 1951, a few years before his premature death).


The irredentist Marco Angeli published in ] ''Gigli di Stagnu'' and ''Liriche corse'' in 1934 and Bertino Poli wrote ''Il pensiero irredentista corso e le sue polemiche'' in ] in 1940. The irredentist Marco Angeli published in ] ''Gigli di Stagnu'' and ''Liriche corse'' in 1934 and Bertino Poli wrote ''Il pensiero irredentista corso e le sue polemiche'' in ] in 1940.


==Main Corsican Italians== ==Notable Corsican Italians==
], born "Napoleone Buonaparte", the most famous Corsican of ] descent.]]

Small list of renowned Corsican Italians: Small list of renowned Corsican Italians:
* ], irredentist candidate for Governor of Italian Corsica during WWII.
* ], founder of the ''Partito autonomista'' of Corsica and director of ''A Muvra'' literary review.
* ], irredentist colonel who was executed for treason in 1943.
* ], first Corsican female journalist.
* ], founder of newspaper «Gioventù» of the "Partito Corso d'azione" and writer/poet.


==See also==
* ], irredentist candidate for Governor of Italian Corsica during WWII.


* ]
* ], founder of the ''Partito autonomista'' of Corsica and director of ''A Muvra'' literary review.
* ]

* ]
* ], colonel irredentist executed in 1943.
* ]

* ]
* ], first Corsican female journalist.
* ]

* ]
* ], founder of newspaper «Gioventù» of the "Partito Corso d'azione" and writer/poet.
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|2}}


==Bibliography==
<references/>

==Bibliography==

* Durand, Olivier. ''La lingua còrsa''. Paideia Editrice, Brescia, 2003 ISBN 88-394-0674-3 * Durand, Olivier. ''La lingua còrsa''. Paideia Editrice, Brescia, 2003 ISBN 88-394-0674-3
* Fusina, Jacques. ''Parlons Corse''. Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris, 1999 * Fusina, Jacques. ''Parlons Corse''. Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris, 1999
* Mastroserio, Giuseppe. ''Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria''. Editrice Proto. Bari, 2004. * Mastroserio, Giuseppe. ''Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria''. Editrice Proto. Bari, 2004.
* Melillo, A.M. ''Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica''. Pacini Editore. Pisa, 1977. * Melillo, A.M. ''Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica''. Pacini Editore. Pisa, 1977.
* Rainero, R.H. ''Mussolini e Pétain. Storia dei rapporti tra l’Italia e la Francia di Vichy (10 giugno 1940-8 settembre 1943)''. Ussme Ed. Roma, 1990.
* Saint-Blancac, C. ''La Corsica. Identità Etnico-Linguistica e Sviluppo''. CEDAM, Padova, 1993 * Saint-Blancac, C. ''La Corsica. Identità Etnico-Linguistica e Sviluppo''. CEDAM, Padova, 1993
* Tommaseo, Niccoló. ''Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli''. Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI. Roma * Tommaseo, Niccoló. ''Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli''. Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI. Roma
* Vignoli, Giulio. ''Gli Italiani Dimenticati'' Ed. Giuffè. Roma, 2000 * Vignoli, Giulio. ''Gli Italiani Dimenticati'' Ed. Giuffè. Roma, 2000
* ''Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso'', Rivista Storia Verità, n.4, 1997 * ''Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso'', Rivista Storia Verità, n.4, 1997
* ''Il Martirio di un irredento: il colonnello Petru Simone Cristofini''. Rivista Storia Verità, n.11, 1998. * ''Il Martirio di un irredento: il colonnello Petru Simone Cristofini''. Rivista Storia Verità, n.11, 1998.


==See also== ==External links==
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*


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{{Italian irredentism by region}}
{{Italian diaspora}}

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Revision as of 14:38, 7 September 2011

The typical Genoese architecture of Bastia, capital of Corsica during the five centuries of the Republic of Genoa domination

The Italian Corsicans are Italian-speaking people from the island of Corsica, who promoted the union of Corsica with Italy. They were so termed by Irredentists in the Kingdom of Italy after Italian unification in the late 19th century and during the country's Fascist period.

History

Corsica was considered Italian (ethnically, linguistically and historically) until 1768, when the Republic of Genoa, which had ruled the island for centuries, ceded the island to France, one year before the birth of Napoleon Bonaparte in the capital city of Ajaccio. Under French rule, the use of the Corsican language, which is closely related to standard Italian, has gradually declined and has been replaced by French.

Giuseppe Garibaldi promoted the unification of the Corsican Italians to Italy when Rome was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, but Victor Emmanuel II did not agree to it.

The process of the Italian irredentism only marginally affected Corsica, and only during the Fascist rule of Benito Mussolini were the first organizations promoting strongly the unification of the island to the Kingdom of Italy founded.

Before World War I in Livorno, professor Francesco Guerri founded the review "Corsica antica e moderna", inspired on the "Archivio storico di Corsica" of Gioacchino Volpe. Petru Rocca created in the 1920s the Partito autonomista of Corsica (of which was segretary) with the support of monsignor Domenico Parlotti and dr. Croce, director of the "Archivi di Stato della Corsica".

File:Corsicaterraitaliana.jpg
Image of "Italian Corsica" promoted by the Gruppi di Cultura Corsa of Petru Giovacchini, who was named in December 1942 as the potential "Governor of Corsica" if Italy should annex Corsica. The map misrepresents the distance between Corsica and the Italian island of Elba (top right).

Before and during World War II, some Corsican intellectuals staged pro-Italian propaganda and cultural activities in Italy (mainly in the "Gruppi di Cultura Corsa"). These included Marco Angeli, Bertino Poli, Marchetti, Luccarotti, Grimaldi and Petru Giovacchini (he was later proposed as a possible governor of Corsica if Italy had annexed it). The most renowned was Petru Giovacchini, who considered Pasquale Paoli (the hero of Corsica) as the precursor of the Corsican irredentism in favor of the unification of the island to Italy. The "Gruppi di Cultura Corsa" of Giovacchini reached a membership of 72,000 members by 1940, according to the historian R.H. Rainero.

In November 1942 the VII Army Corps of the Regio Esercito occupied Corsica as part of the German led response to the Ally landings in Africa, leaving the island still under the formal sovereignty of Vichy France. Because of the lack of partisan resistance at first, and to avoid problems with Marshal Philippe Pétain, no Corsican units were formed under Italian control (except for a labour battalion formed in March 1943). However, a Resistance movement based on local inhabitants loyal to France and boosted by Free French leaders developed, opposing the irredentist propaganda and the Italian occupation, and was repressed by Italian fascist forces and subsequently by German troops.

Some irredentist Corsican military officials collaborated with Italy, including the retired Major Pantalacci (and his son Antonio), colonel Mondielli and colonel Petru Simone Cristofini (and his wife, the first Corsican female journalist Marta Renucci). After Free French forces and Resistance forces, together with some Italian troops which sided with the Allies, retook Corsica, Petru Cristofini was executed in 1943. Of nearly 100 irrendentist collaborators (including intellectuals) put on trial by the French authorities in 1946, eight were sentenced to death, but none were executed. Petru Giovacchini was also condemned to death, but fled to Italy where he found refuge until his death in 1955. With him, the Italian irredentistic movement in Corsica died out, though separate movements for independence from France (like the Corsica Nazione, Partitu di a Nazione Corsa) and the terrorist organization called National Front for the Liberation of Corsica) are currently active.

Cristofini Pietro

Colonel Cristofini Pietro (or Petru Simone Cristofini) was born in Calenzana (near Calvi, Corsica) on 26 May 1903 and in 1939 became a captain of the 3rd Algerian Fusiliers regiment. He was initially a supporter of Pétain. After the Allied occupation of French North Africa he commanded the Phalange Africaine.

In Tunisia he was wounded in one eye and then, before returning to Corsica, met Benito Mussolini in Rome. He was a supporter of the union of Corsica to Italy and defended irredentist ideals. He actively collaborated with Italian forces in Corsica during the first months of 1943. In the island he worked with Petru Giovacchini (the possible governor of Corsica if the Axis had won the war). Cristofini, as head of the Ajaccio troops, helped the Italian Army to repress Resistance opposition in Corsica before the Italian Armistice in September 1943.

He was put on trial for treason after the Allies retook Corsica, and sentenced to death. He tried to kill himself, and was executed while suffering from his wounds in November 1943. His wife, Marta Renucci, was sentenced in 1946 to 15 years of jail in Algiers for supporting irredentism and for collaborating with Italian fascism, but served only a reduced sentence.

Language

While most Corsicans spoke the Corsican dialect at home, until the first half of the 19th-century Italian was the language most publicly spoken and written on the island.

The influence of Pisa in Corsica can be seen in the Romanesque-Pisan style of the Church of Aregno

The first Corsican Constitution, for the short-lived Corsican Republic established in 1755, was written in Italian and Paoli proclaimed Italian as the official language of Corsica. Italian was the 'language of culture' in Corsica until the end of XIX century. Even Paoli's second Corsican Constitution, for the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom in 1794, was in Italian. In the second half of the 19th century French replaced Italian, mainly because of Napoleon III. The Corsican dialect started to be used by Corsican intellectuals.

The actual Corsican language is directly related to the Tuscan dialect of Pisa, an Italian city that dominated the island before Genoa. In the north of the island (Calvi), there is a local dialect very similar to the medieval Genoese. In the mountainous interior of Corsica there are a significant number of villages where nearly all the inhabitants speak Corso, a medieval Pisan dialect mixed with Sardinian words.

The extreme similarity of the Corso to Italian can be seen in an example phrase:


Corso: Sò natu in Corsica è g'aghju passatu i megli anni di a mio ghjuventù
Italian: Sono nato in Corsica e ci ho passato i migliori anni della mia gioventù
English: I was born in Corsica and spent the best years of my youth there

Nearly 12% of Corsicans speak Italian, while three-quarters understand it thanks to the television programmes from Italy.

The irredentist Marco Angeli di Sartèna wrote the first book in "Corso" (titled Terra còrsa) in 1924 and many lyrics (titled Malincunie) in Ajaccio. He created and wrote the newspaper «Gioventù» of the "Partito Corso d'azione", partially in Italian and Corsican.

Actually Italian Corsicans fluently speak French, but most of them are second-language speakers.

Pasquale Paoli and Italian irredentism

Pasquale Paoli was considered by Niccolo Tommaseo, who collected his Lettere (Letters), as one of the precursors of Italian irredentism.

Monument to Pasquale Paoli, the Corsican hero who made Italian the official language of his Corsican Republic in 1755

The "Babbu di a Patria" (father of Corsica), as Pasquale Paoli was nicknamed by the Corsican Italians, wrote in his Letters the following message in 1768 against the French invaders: "We (Corsicans) are Italians by birth and feelings, but first of all we feel Italian by language, roots, customs, 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.... Either we'll be free or we'll be nothing.... Either we'll win or we'll die (against the French) with our weapons in our hands.... The war against France is just and holy as the name of God is holy and just, and here on our mountains will appear for all Italy the sun of 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 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. Furthermore, in 1765 Paoli founded in the city of Corte the first University of Corsica (where the teaching was done in Italian).

Literature

The Italian language, promoted by the Corsican Italians, had been the language of culture in Corsica since the Renaissance. Many Corsican authors wrote an extensive literature in Italian in the last centuries.

In the 14th century there was La Cronica of Giovanni della Grossa (1388-1464), Pier Antonio Monteggiani (1464-1525) and Marcantoni Ceccaldi (1526-1559). Storia di Corsica was published in 1594 by Anton Pietro Filippini. In the XV and XVI centuries there were Ignazio Cardini (1566-1602), Pietro Cirneo (1447-1507), Guiglielmo Guglielmi di Orezza (1644-1728) with A Malannata and Ottave giocose.

In the 18th century the Accademia dei Vagabondi was founded in Bastia, following the model of the Italian "Accademie". Angelo Francesco Colonna wrote Commentario delle glorie e prerogative del Regno e Popoli di Corsica in 1685.

During the Corsican Republic of Pasquale Paoli there were Giulio Matteo Natali (Disinganno intorno alla Guerra de Corsica in 1736), Don Gregorio Salvini (Giustificazione della Revoluzione di Corsica (1758-1764)) and the same Pasquale Paoli (Corrispondenza (published only in 1846).

The Genoese gate at Bonifacio castle

During the 19th century in Bastia Salvatore Viale wrote La Dionomachia in 1817, Canti popolari corsi in 1843 and Dell'uso della lingua patria in Corsica in 1858.

Many Corsican authors (who wrote in Italian) were influenced by the ideals of the Italian Risorgimento during the second half of the 19th century, such as Giuseppe Multado, Gian Paolo Borghetti, Francesco Ottaviano Renucci (Storia della Corsica dal 1789 al 1830 and Novelle storiche corse). Even the Italian Nicolo Tommaseo collected the Canti popolari corsi (with points of view of Italian irredentism) and made a compilation of the letters (Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli) of Pasquale Paoli.

Santu Casanova founded the famous literary review A Tramuntana (published in Ajaccio between 1896 and 1914) and wrote in Italian Meraviglioso testamento di Francesco in 1875 and La morte ed il funerale di Spanetto in 1892. He is considered the link between the old generations of Corsican writers who wrote in Italian language and the new ones, who started to use the Corsican language.

During the first half of the 20th century the most important Corsican publication in Italian was the literary review A Muvra of Petru Rocca. Other Corsican authors in Italian were Versini Maiastrale, Matteu Rocca (I lucchetti in 1925), Dumenicu Carlotti (Pampame corse in 1926), Ageniu Grimaldi and Ugo Babbiziu (Una filza di francesismi colti nelle parlate dialettali corse in 1930).

The Corsican Italians who promoted the ideal of Corsican irredentism published mainly in Italy, because of the persecutions from the French regime in the island in the first half of the XX century.

Thus Petru Giovacchini wrote the poems Musa Canalinca and Rime notturne in 1933 in Corsica, but successively wrote and published Aurore, poesie corse, Corsica Nostra and Archiatri pontifici corsi in Rome (the last, while he was in exile in 1951, a few years before his premature death).

The irredentist Marco Angeli published in Milano Gigli di Stagnu and Liriche corse in 1934 and Bertino Poli wrote Il pensiero irredentista corso e le sue polemiche in Florence in 1940.

Notable Corsican Italians

Napoleon Bonaparte, born "Napoleone Buonaparte", the most famous Corsican of Italian descent.

Small list of renowned Corsican Italians:

See also

References

  1. Italian irredentism in Corsica (in Italian & French)
  2. Melillo, A.M. Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica p. 46
  3. http://www.cg06.fr/culture/pdf/rr187-rivendicazionefascista.pdf
  4. "SATVRNIA TELLVS :: Mostra argomento - Petru Giovacchini, un patriota esule in patria". Saturniatellus.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  5. Mastroserio, Giuseppe. Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria. pag 114
  6. Rainero, R.H. Mussolini e Pétain. Storia dei rapporti tra l’Italia e la Francia di Vichy (10 giugno 1940-8 settembre 1943), page 29.
  7. Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso, Rivista Storia Verità
  8. Saint-Blancac, C. La Corsica. Identità Etnico-Linguistica e Sviluppo p.24
  9. CIDRP Cumpagnìa. "The Kingdom Anglo-Corsican". Pasqualepaoli.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  10. "Giovanni Armillotta: "I vincoli ultramillenari fra Pisa e la Corsica"". Foreignaffairs.tripod.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  11. Vignoli, Giulio. Gli Italiani Dimenticati. pag 126
  12. N. Tommaseo. "Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli" (in Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI).

Bibliography

  • Durand, Olivier. La lingua còrsa. Paideia Editrice, Brescia, 2003 ISBN 88-394-0674-3
  • Fusina, Jacques. Parlons Corse. Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris, 1999
  • Mastroserio, Giuseppe. Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria. Editrice Proto. Bari, 2004.
  • Melillo, A.M. Profilo dei dialetti italiani: Corsica. Pacini Editore. Pisa, 1977.
  • Rainero, R.H. Mussolini e Pétain. Storia dei rapporti tra l’Italia e la Francia di Vichy (10 giugno 1940-8 settembre 1943). Ussme Ed. Roma, 1990.
  • Saint-Blancac, C. La Corsica. Identità Etnico-Linguistica e Sviluppo. CEDAM, Padova, 1993
  • Tommaseo, Niccoló. Lettere di Pasquale de Paoli. Archivio storico italiano, 1st series, vol. XI. Roma
  • Vignoli, Giulio. Gli Italiani Dimenticati Ed. Giuffè. Roma, 2000
  • Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso, Rivista Storia Verità, n.4, 1997
  • Il Martirio di un irredento: il colonnello Petru Simone Cristofini. Rivista Storia Verità, n.11, 1998.

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