Invasion of Corsica (1553)
Encyclopedia
The Invasion of Corsica of 1553 occurred when French, Ottoman
and Corsica
n exile forces combined to capture the island of Corsica
from the Genoese
.
The island had considerable strategic importance in the western Mediterranean, being at the heart of the Habsburg communication network and a forced stopover for small boats sailing between Spain and Italy
.
The island had been administered since 1453 by the Genoese Bank of Saint George. The invasion of Corsica was accomplished for the benefit of France.
The island had major strategic importance, as it was located on the sea route between Spain and Italy, which was vital for the Holy Roman Empire
.
had entered into a major war with the Habsburg Emperor Charles V
in 1551, starting the Italian War of 1551–1559. Looking for allies, Henry II, following the Franco-Ottoman alliance
policy of his father Francis I
, sealed a treaty with Suleiman the Magnificent
in order to cooperate against the Habsburgs in the Mediterranean.
The Ottomans, accompanied by the French ambassador Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon, had already defeated a Genoese fleet under Andrea Doria
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, had been signed between France and the Ottoman Empire
.
, together with a French squadron under Baron Paulin de la Garde, raided the coasts of Naples
, Sicily, Elba
and then Corsica
.
The island of Corsica was occupied by the Genoese
at the time. The Ottoman fleet supported the French by ferrying the French troops of Parma
under Marshal Paul de Thermes
from Siennese
Maremma
to Corsica. The French were also supported by Corsican exiles under Sampiero Corso and Giordano Orsini
(Francicized as "Jourdan des Ursins") in this adventure. The invasion had not been explicitly approved beforehand by the French king however. Bastia
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
and the Papacy.
With the Ottoman fleet gone for the winter and the French fleet having returned to Marseilles, the occupation of Corsica was jeopardised. Only 5,000 old soldiers remained on the island, together with the Corsican insurgents.
and started the long recapture of the island with the siege of Saint-Florent.
An Ottoman fleet sailed in the Mediterranean under Dragut but was too late, and only sailed the coast of Naples
before returning to Constantinople. The French only obtained the cooperations of galliots from Algiers
.
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 Persian Empire, 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
, 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
near Bastia
, possibly due to the failure of the commander Dragut to honour Suleiman's orders. The Ottoman fleet led the Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands
instead. Suleiman would apologize in a letter to Henry at the end of the year 1558.
The Franco-Ottoman military alliance is said to have reached its peak around 1553. Finally, in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559 the French returned Corsica to Genoa.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n exile forces combined to capture the island of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
from the Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
.
The island had considerable strategic importance in the western Mediterranean, being at the heart of the Habsburg communication network and a forced stopover for small boats sailing between Spain and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The island had been administered since 1453 by the Genoese Bank of Saint George. The invasion of Corsica was accomplished for the benefit of France.
The island had major strategic importance, as it was located on the sea route between Spain and Italy, which was vital for the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Context
The French king Henry IIHenry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
had entered into a major war with the Habsburg Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
in 1551, starting the Italian War of 1551–1559. Looking for allies, Henry II, following the Franco-Ottoman alliance
Franco-Ottoman alliance
The Franco-Ottoman alliance, also Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the king of France Francis I and the Turkish ruler of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent. The alliance has been called "the first non-ideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a...
policy of his father Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, sealed a treaty with Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
in order to cooperate against the Habsburgs in the Mediterranean.
The Ottomans, accompanied by the French ambassador Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon, had already defeated a Genoese fleet under Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria was an Italian condottiere and admiral from Genoa.-Early life:Doria was born at Oneglia from the ancient Genoese family, the Doria di Oneglia branch of the old Doria, de Oria or de Auria family. His parents were related: Ceva Doria, co-lord of Oneglia, and Caracosa Doria, of the...
in the Battle of Ponza
Battle of Ponza (1552)
The Battle of Ponza was a naval battle that occurred in front of the Italian island of Ponza. The battle was fought between an Ottoman fleet under Turgut Reis and a Genoese fleet commanded by Andrea Doria....
the previous year in 1552. On 1 February 1553, a new Franco-Ottoman treaty of alliance
Franco-Ottoman alliance
The Franco-Ottoman alliance, also Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the king of France Francis I and the Turkish ruler of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent. The alliance has been called "the first non-ideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a...
, involving naval collaboration against the Habsburgs, had been signed between France and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Summer campaign (1553)
The Ottoman admirals Turgut and Koca SinanSinan Pasha
Sinan Pasha or Sinan Pashë Kahremanliu was an Albanian Grand Vizier, Ottoman military commander and statesman.-Life:...
, together with a French squadron under Baron Paulin de la Garde, raided the coasts of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Sicily, Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
and then Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
.
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
at the time. The Ottoman fleet supported the French by ferrying the French troops of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
under Marshal Paul de Thermes
Paul de Thermes
Paul de La Barthe de Thermes , also Paul de Terme or Maréchal de Thermes, was a French Army Marshal who led the French effort in the Invasion of Corsica in 1553. The Ottoman fleet supported the French by ferrying the French troops under Marshal de Thermes from Siennese Maremma to Corsica...
from Siennese
Sienna
Sienna is a form of limonite clay most famous in the production of oil paint pigments. Its yellow-brown colour comes from ferric oxides contained within...
Maremma
Maremma
The Maremma is a vast area in Italy bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea, consisting of part of south-western Tuscany - Maremma Livornese and Maremma Grossetana , and part of northern Lazio - Maremma Laziale .The poet Dante Alighieri in his Divina Commedia places the...
to Corsica. The French were also supported by Corsican exiles under Sampiero Corso and Giordano Orsini
Jourdan des Ursins
Jourdan des Ursins , or originally Giordano degli Orsini, was a Corsican general of the French army who participated with Sampiero Corso in the Invasion of Corsica . After the invasion, parts of the island, especially Calvi and Bastia were reclaimed by the Genoese, but many areas remained under...
(Francicized as "Jourdan des Ursins") in this adventure. The invasion had not been explicitly approved beforehand by the French king however. Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
was captured on 24 August 1553, and Paulin de la Garde arrived in front of Saint-Florent
Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse
Saint-Florent is a commune in Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is a fishing port located on the gulf of the same name....
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 de' Medici
Còsimo di Giovanni degli Mèdici was the first of the Medici political dynasty, de facto rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance; also known as "Cosimo 'the Elder'" and "Cosimo Pater Patriae" .-Biography:Born in Florence, Cosimo inherited both his wealth and his expertise in...
and the Papacy.
With the Ottoman fleet gone for the winter and the French fleet having returned to Marseilles, 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 DoriaAndrea Doria
Andrea Doria was an Italian condottiere and admiral from Genoa.-Early life:Doria was born at Oneglia from the ancient Genoese family, the Doria di Oneglia branch of the old Doria, de Oria or de Auria family. His parents were related: Ceva Doria, co-lord of Oneglia, and Caracosa Doria, of the...
and started the long recapture of the island with the siege of Saint-Florent.
An Ottoman fleet sailed in the Mediterranean under Dragut but was too late, and only sailed the coast of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
before returning to Constantinople. The French only obtained the cooperations of galliots from Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
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 UrsinsJourdan des Ursins
Jourdan des Ursins , or originally Giordano degli Orsini, was a Corsican general of the French army who participated with Sampiero Corso in the Invasion of Corsica . After the invasion, parts of the island, especially Calvi and Bastia were reclaimed by the Genoese, but many areas remained under...
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 Persian Empire, 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
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, 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
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
near Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, possibly due to the failure of the commander Dragut to honour Suleiman's orders. The Ottoman fleet led the Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands
Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands (1558)
An Ottoman raid of the Balearic islands was accomplished by the Ottoman Empire in 1558, against the Spanish Habsburg territory of the Balearic islands.-Background:...
instead. Suleiman would apologize in a letter to Henry at the end of the year 1558.
The Franco-Ottoman military alliance is said to have reached its peak around 1553. Finally, in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559 the French returned Corsica to Genoa.
See also
- Franco-Ottoman allianceFranco-Ottoman allianceThe Franco-Ottoman alliance, also Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the king of France Francis I and the Turkish ruler of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent. The alliance has been called "the first non-ideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a...
- History of CorsicaHistory of CorsicaThat the history of Corsica has been influenced by its strategic position at the heart of the western Mediterranean and its maritime routes, only from Sardinia, from the Isle of Elba, from the coast of Tuscany and from the French port of Nice, was first proposed by the 19th-century German...
- List of Ottoman sieges and landings