The Image of Corsica in British Narratives during the Anglo-Corsican Reign of 1794—1796

Abstract

The author of the article analyzes the letters and diaries of the British military relating to the period of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. The British failed to hold Toulon in 1793, so their fleet needed to gain a foothold in some other major port of the Mediterranean. Corsican leader Pascal Paoli has been asking for help from the British in gaining independence from France since the autumn of 1793. In January 1794, the English Admiral Samuel Hood took advantage of this offer to establish British control over Corsica. Previously, the British knew about this island only from the stories of writers in the middle of the 18th century, in particular James Boswell, who was fascinated by Corsica and believed in the freedom-loving nature of Corsicans. However, Boswell's praise, according to the British who arrived, turned out to be far from reality. The British expected to see paradise on earth, but in fact they were faced with undeveloped agriculture, specific Corsican mores, sometimes poverty of the population and a manner of fighting different from the European one. In addition, not all the laws introduced by the British were suitable for Corsican customs. The most striking example of this is the Corsican vendetta. The British quickly became convinced of the otherness of the Corsicans, besides, the Republican Party began to gain more and more power on the island. As a result, both the Corsicans and the British did not live up to mutual expectations and after the evacuation of the British from Corsica, both rejected in fact any possible alliance with each other from now on.