Corsica History

Known as the Mountain in the Sea, the island territory of Corsica is as famous for its pristine Mediterranean beaches and skiing as it is for being the birthplace of Napoleon.

Early history

The island’s history is storied with successions of takeovers. It began in the early Neolithic era, around 6600 BC, when the earliest evidence of human activity on the island dates back to, and today, statues from this period still stand in Filitosa.

Its position as a regional port of commerce was stepped up under Carthaginian rule until 237 BC, when the island was taken over by the Roman Empire. Following more struggles, the island passed through the hands of the Goths and Vandals until it assumed Byzantine rule in 522. After the Byzantine Empire’s collapse, Corsica found itself governed by the Moors and then by the Vatican. In 1282, it came under rule by Genoa, with interruptions from Aragon and France, to whom the Mediterranean island was sold in 1768.

Despite 200 years of French rule, Corsica retains many landmarks of its history, with its Genoese fortresses and Baroque churches.

Modern history

Corsica's relationship with its mainland government has declined over the last few decades. The early 1970s saw the rise of a nationalist movement in a reaction to years of cultural indifference and economic neglect, and armed factions still wage a violent struggle against the central government.

Factions of the movement have also waged war against one another and political and Mafia-related killings rose in the late 1990s. Attempts by prime ministers Alain Juppé and Lionel Jospin to halt the violence yielded little positive results and in 1998, the island's popular government representative was shot dead in Ajaccio. Support for the separatist movement then waned, until his replacement was found guilty of ordering a team of police commandos to raze a restaurant built illegally on a beach near Ajaccio.

While relations with the central government are not good, total independence for Corsica is mainly an issue supported only by extremists, as infrastructure improvements and social and government perks awarded to Corsica have taken the steam out of hostility toward Paris.