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The Invasion of Corsica of 1553 occurred when French, Ottoman, and
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
n exile forces combined to capture the island of
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
from the
Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...
. The island had considerable strategic importance in the western
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
, being at the heart of the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
communication network and serving as a forced stopover for small boats sailing between
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.''The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II'' by Fernand Braudel p.929''ff''
/ref> The island had been administered since 1453 by the Genoese
Bank of Saint George The Bank of Saint George ( it, Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio or informally as ''Ufficio di San Giorgio'' or ''Banco'') was a financial institution of the Republic of Genoa. It was founded in 1407 to consolidate the public debt ...
. The invasion of Corsica was accomplished for the benefit of France.''The Cambridge History of Islam'', p. 328


Context

The French king Henry II had entered the
Italian War of 1551–1559 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional ...
against Habsburg Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...
. Looking for allies, Henry II, following the
Franco-Ottoman alliance The Franco-Ottoman Alliance, also known as the Franco-Turkish Alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the King of France Francis I and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman I. The strategic and sometimes tactical alliance was o ...
policy of his father
Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...
, sealed a treaty with
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...
in order to cooperate against the Habsburgs in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
.Miller, p.2 As for the island of Corsica itself, it was ruled by the
Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...
. The Ottomans, accompanied by the French ambassador Gabriel de Luetz, had already defeated a Genoese fleet under
Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Rep ...
in the Battle of Ponza the previous year in 1552. On 1 February 1553, a new Franco-Ottoman treaty of alliance, involving naval collaboration against the Habsburgs, was signed between France and the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
.''History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey'', Ezel Kural Shaw, p. 10

/ref>


Operations


Summer campaign (1553)

The Ottoman admirals Turgut Reis, Turgut and Koja Sinan, together with a French squadron under Baron
Paulin de la Garde Antoine Escalin des Aimars (1516 - 1578), also known as Captain Polin or Captain Paulin, later Baron de La Garde, was French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1541 to 1547, and ''"Général des Galères"'' ("General of the galleys") from 1544 ...
, raided the coasts of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
, Sicily,
Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...
, and then
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
.''New Turkes: Dramatizing Islam and the Ottomans in Early Modern England'', Matthew Dimmock, p. 4

/ref> The Ottoman fleet supported the French by ferrying the French troops of
Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...
under Marshal Paul de Thermes from Siennese
Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes much of south-western Tuscany and part of northern Lazio. It was formerly mostly marshland, often malarial, bu ...
to Corsica. The French were also supported by Corsican exiles under
Sampiero Corso Sampiero Corso ( co, Sampieru Corsu, born Sampiero da Bastelica; 1498 – 17 January 1567) was a Corsican soldier, father of the Marshal of France Alphonse d'Ornano. Early career Born in Bastelica as a common man (although his mother was of th ...
and Giordano Orsini (Gallicized as "Jourdan des Ursins") in this adventure. The invasion had not been explicitly approved beforehand by the French king however.
Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
was captured on 24 August 1553, and Paulin de la Garde arrived in front of Saint-Florent on 26 August. Bonifacio was captured in September. With only Calvi remaining to be captured, the Ottomans, loaded with spoils, decided to leave the blockade at the end of September, and return to Constantinople. With the help of the Ottomans, the French had managed to take strong positions on the island and finally occupied it almost completely by the end of the summer, to the dismay of
Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth ...
and the
Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
. With the Ottoman fleet gone for the winter and the French fleet having returned to
Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, the occupation of Corsica was jeopardised. Only 5,000 old soldiers remained on the island, together with the Corsican insurgents.


Genoese counter-attack (1553–1554)

Henry II started negotiations with Genoa in November, but Genoa sent a force of 15,000 men with the fleet of
Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Rep ...
and started the long recapture of the island with the siege of Saint-Florent. An Ottoman fleet sailed in the Mediterranean under
Dragut Dragut ( tr, Turgut Reis) (1485 – 23 June 1565), known as "The Drawn Sword of Islam", was a Muslim Ottoman Empire, Ottoman naval commander, governor, and Pasha, noble, of Turkic peoples, Turkish or Greek people, Greek descent. Under his comman ...
but was too late, and only sailed the coast of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
before returning to Constantinople. The French only obtained the cooperations of
galliot A galiot, galliot or galiote, was a small galley boat propelled by sail or oars. There are three different types of naval galiots that sailed on different seas. A ''galiote'' was a type of French flat-bottom river boat or barge and also a flat- ...
s from
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
.


Franco-Turkish operations (1555–58)

By 1555, the French had been cleared from most of the coastal cities and Doria left, but many areas remained under French control. In 1555,
Jourdan des Ursins Jourdan des Ursins (1500–1564), or originally Giordano degli Orsini, was a Corsican general of the French army who participated with Sampiero Corso in the Invasion of Corsica (1553). After the invasion, parts of the island, especially Calvi an ...
replaced de Thermes, and was named ''"Gouverneur et lieutenant général du roi dans l'île de Corse"''. The ambassador to the Ottoman Porte Codignac had to go to the Ottoman headquarters in Persia, where they were waging a war against the
Safavid Empire Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
, in the Ottoman-Safavid War (1532–1555), to plead for the dispatch of a fleet. The Turkish fleet only stood by during the siege of Calvi, and contributed little. The same inactivity took place during the siege of
Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
, which had been retaken by the Genoese. The Turkish fleet sent to help was severely undermined by the plague and went home towing empty ships. Another Ottoman fleet was sent to the Mediterranean in 1558 to strategically support France, but the fleet was delayed from joining a French fleet in
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
near
Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
, possibly due to the failure of the commander
Dragut Dragut ( tr, Turgut Reis) (1485 – 23 June 1565), known as "The Drawn Sword of Islam", was a Muslim Ottoman Empire, Ottoman naval commander, governor, and Pasha, noble, of Turkic peoples, Turkish or Greek people, Greek descent. Under his comman ...
to honour Suleiman's orders. The Ottoman fleet led an invasion of the Balearic islands instead. Suleiman would apologize in a letter to Henry at the end of the year 1558.''The Papacy and the Levant'' Kenneth M. Setton p.696''ff''
/ref>''The Papacy and the Levant'' Kenneth M. Setton p.700''ff''
/ref> The Franco-Ottoman military alliance is said to have reached its peak around 1553. Finally, in the
Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...
in 1559, the French returned Corsica to the Genoese Republic.


Gallery

File:Pauldelabarthe.jpg, Paul de Thermes, Commander of the French forces File:Arolsen_Klebeband_01_457_3.jpg, Koja Sinan Pasha, Commander of the Ottoman forces File:Antoine Escalin.jpg, Baron de la Garde, Admiral of the French fleet File:Andrea Doria.jpg,
Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Rep ...
, Commander of the Genoese forces File:Bastelica (Santo) 1 JPG.jpg, Statue of
Sampiero Corso Sampiero Corso ( co, Sampieru Corsu, born Sampiero da Bastelica; 1498 – 17 January 1567) was a Corsican soldier, father of the Marshal of France Alphonse d'Ornano. Early career Born in Bastelica as a common man (although his mother was of th ...
at
Bastelica Bastelica is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. It was the birthplace of Sampiero Corso. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bastelicais'', ''Bastelicaises'', or ''Bastilcacci''. Geography ...
. He combined with the French and the Ottomans to occupy Corsica


See also

*
Franco-Ottoman alliance The Franco-Ottoman Alliance, also known as the Franco-Turkish Alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the King of France Francis I and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman I. The strategic and sometimes tactical alliance was o ...
*
History of Corsica History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
*
List of Ottoman sieges and landings The following is a List of Ottoman sieges and landings from the 14th century to Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, World War I. Rise (1299–1453) Growth (1453–1550) Transformation (1550-1700) Stagnation (1700–1827) De ...


Notes


References

* Peter Malcolm Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis, ''The Cambridge History of Islam'',
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...
, 1977. * William Miller, ''The Ottoman Empire and Its Successors, 1801–1927'' Routledge, 1966 {{ISBN, 0-7146-1974-4 Military campaigns involving France Military campaigns involving the Ottoman Empire Conflicts in 1553 Military history of Corsica Campaigns of the Italian Wars 1553 in the Ottoman Empire 1553 in Europe
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
Invasions by the Ottoman Empire in Europe Invasions of the Republic of Genoa 1553 in the Republic of Genoa