1768 Angelo Map of Corsica, Era of the Corsican Revolution / Republic

Last Days of the Corsican Republic.

This is a c. 1768 map of Corsica published by Jean Lattré. It presents the island during the final phase of the Corsican Republic before the French invasion and occupation, which ended the republic.

A Closer Look

The map covers the island of Corsica with its jurisdictional boundaries outlined in hand color. Cities and settlements, roads, mountains, waterways, and other geographic features, especially along the coast (points, capes, gulfs, etc.), are recorded in detail. Aside from the names of the jurisdictions, Italian toponyms are maintained throughout. An inset at top-left demonstrates the location of Corsica in relation to the Genoese and French coasts as far as Marseilles. The extensive text on the right covers the island's geography and history through 1761.

The Corsican Revolution

Little known today outside of Corsica, the Corsican Revolution (1729 - 1769) was an important precursor to the late Age of Revolutions, being inspired in part by the same Enlightenment ideals and establishing what is generally considered the world's first modern democratic republic. It also contained all the romance and optimism of those better-known rebellions. By the early 18th century, Corsica had been under the rule of the Republic of Genoa for four centuries, a period punctuated by periodic revolts. In the early 18th century, the Genoese imposed a series of provocative policies, including special taxes on the local population, their removal from coastal towns, and the colonization of choice lands by Genoese/Ligurians. In December 1729, a series of local revolts motivated by these policies sprung up - these were fragmented but organized enough to fend off Genoese military forces and those of their Austrian allies and to formally call for independence in 1735.

The rebels tried to ensure foreign support by enthroning a German nobleman who had championed their cause, Prince Theodore von Neuhoff (1694 - 1756), as 'King of Corsica,' but he failed to gain international recognition and was expelled by a combined Genoese-French force, which managed to regain control of the coastal cities. Though seemingly defeated, the rebels managed to hold most of the island's interior and, moreover, attracted some international support from the British and Venetians. The revolution reached its zenith with the 1755 return of Pasquale Paoli (1725 - 1807) from exile in London. Known as 'The Father of the Nation,' Paoli was an Enlightenment intellectual who organized the island into a functioning state: the Corsican Republic. One of Paoli's first acts was to draft a constitution that established a representative democracy, a separation of powers, and even granted suffrage to women (provided they were heads of households), decades before such ideas took root elsewhere. Paoli was praised by the likes of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire, as well as the Scottish man of letters James Boswell, whom Paoli had befriended in London, in his bestseller An Account of Corsica, which made Paoli an international celebrity.

Unable to suppress the Corsicans and drowning in debt, in May 1768, Genoa 'pledged' the island to King Louis XV of France as payment for military debts. For its part, France was eager to secure a strategic naval base in the Mediterranean to counter British influence, and quickly moved to occupy the island. The Corsicans managed to fight off an initial French invasion at the Battle of Borgo in October 1768, but the French responded by sending an even larger army, which trapped and slaughtered the Corsican army at the Battle of Ponte Novu (May 8-9, 1769). Following the defeat, Paoli fled to London, where he remained in exile for 20 years. France officially annexed the island in 1770.

Among the many legacies of the Corsican Republic was its impact on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821), who was born in the era of the French invasion. Napoleon's father, Carlo, had supported Paoli but accommodated himself to French rule, befriending the French governor Charles Louis de Marbeuf, who became a godfather to young Napoleon and helped secure him opportunities usually not available to Corsicans.

Publication History and Census

This map was initially published in Lattré's Atlas Geographique in 1763 (Rumsey 11335.000) but appears here without a page number at bottom-right, suggesting a separate issue, perhaps to coincide with the French occupation of the island. One 'Mr. de St. Angelo,' about whom nothing is known aside from his being presumed to be Corsican, is credited as a main source. Most likely, Lattré engraved the map while Louis Claude de Vézoue, who is noted at bottom, designed it, as he is listed as 'géographe' on other maps in the Atlas Geographique. A dated 1768 printing of this map also exists (held and digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Cartes et plans, GE SH 18 PF 78 P 21), also without a page number, lacking the inset at top-left and moving the title and publication information there. The present map is cataloged among the holdings of the University of Michigan, the Bibliotheek Universiteit van Amsterdam, the Utrecht University Library, the Universitätsbibliothek Bern, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in the OCLC.

Cartographers

Jean Lattré (170x - 178x) was a Paris based bookseller, engraver, globe maker, calligrapher, and map publisher active in the mid to late 18th century. Lattré published a large corpus of maps, globes, and atlases in conjunction with a number of other important French cartographic figures, including Janvier, Zannoni, Bonne and Delamarche. He is also known to have worked with other European cartographers such as William Faden of London and the Italian cartographer Santini. Map piracy and copyright violations were common in 18th century France. Paris court records indicate that Lattré brought charges against several other period map publishers, including fellow Frenchman Desnos and the Italian map engraver Zannoni, both of whom he accused of copying his work. Lattré likes trained his wife Madame Lattré (né Vérard), as an engraver, as a late 18th century trade card promotes the world of 'Lattré et son Epouse.' Lattré's offices and bookshop were located at 20 rue St. Jaques, Paris, France. Later in life he relocated to Bordeaux.   Further Details...

Louis Claude de Vézoue (17?? - 1782), sometimes spelled Vezou, was a French mathematician, mapmaker, genealogist, engineer, historiographer, and astronomer active in Paris during the middle and late 18th century. In 1853 he issued an important educational wall map of the world in partnership with Jean Lattré, this was reissued c. 1760. In 1773, as historiographer to the king, he completed a detailed genealogical chart of the Kings of France.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Wear on old folds. Even overall toning.

References

OCLC 71625619, 956298752, 494262375.