Corsican Revolution

From 1755 to 1769 Corsica under Pasquale Paoli built an independent republic with a written constitution that was admired across Enlightenment Europe.

Overview

Corsicans had risen against Genoese rule repeatedly since 1729. In 1755 Pasquale Paoli proclaimed the Corsican Republic with a constitution providing representative government, separation of powers, and suffrage for all men. The regime founded a university at Corte, minted coins, printed laws, and ran an administration that Enlightenment figures including Rousseau, Voltaire, and James Boswell praised, making the island a cause celebre. Genoa sold its claim to France, and French armies defeated Paoli at Ponte Novu in May 1769, the year Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island. The experiment showed constitutional self-government in practice before 1776 and influenced debates from America to Poland.