For example, just as an anecdote, a Nepali diplomat was sent to Europe in 1785 and he apparently met with Charles Louis de Marbeuf. Nepali records of the man show him remarking that Corsica felt just like a European version of Sri Lanka - whatever that meant. He traded some Nepali goods, opened the idea of further talks, and then left Corsica, traveling to Valencia.
I wasn't aware of that, and I didn't come across anything with a quick search - could you give me some sources on this? It's rather remarkable to me that a foreign dignitary visiting France would have visited Corsica in the 1780s!
It's got me curious what do other Europeans think of Corsica now that it's more settled on the world stage and is no longer an eccentric curiousity?
We're coming up on another "family update" talking about the Neuhoffs themselves which will touch on this - basically, while
Corsica fits into the established European system pretty easily ("small Italian state" is not a new thing), there's a lot more resistance to seeing the
kings of Corsica as royal peers. Spain, for instance, is perfectly willing to deal with Corsica on a political and diplomatic basis and accept the kingdom as a legitimate state, but nobody in Madrid would consider for a moment the idea of marrying a Bourbon to a Neuhoff. The best they can really do for the moment is prominent but non-sovereign nobility (like the Boncompagni-Ludovisi) and cadet/illegitimate branches of actual royal lines (like the Savoy-Carignano).
Which also begs another question, who do the Corsicans views as their "friends" for lack of a better word? Obviously Genoa is seen as an eternal enemy and the french are looked at with some ambivalence, but who would Corsicans and the state at large view positively?
Well, in part it depends in part on who you mean by "Corsicans:" a southern aristocrat, a Castagniccian farmer, and an urban shopkeeper may all have very different views.
That said, I think the general Corsican view of the French is not quite as good as "ambivalent." Certainly there is a lot of
respect for France, but it's often grudging respect. Nobody can deny that they are a military, political, and cultural powerhouse. But they have also constantly meddled with Corsica and have actively fought to crush her national ambitions - from the Revolution, to the Monaco Debt and the
decennio Francese, to the ultimatum of Ajaccio and the "barefoot revolt" in Bastia, to the French taking it upon themselves to end the Coral War. I'm reminded of the way that many Latin American countries see the USA - as a powerful, intrusive, domineering neighbor, impressive for its wealth and cultural power but also an ever-present threat lurking just over the horizon. There are some Corsicans who have more open admiration for France, particularly the landholding nobility (who wish they were as powerful and distinguished as French aristocrats) and some intellectuals who admire French literature and philosophy, but even these elites often harbor some resentment towards France for continually sticking its nose in Corsica's business.
Spain is viewed more favorably. Corsica has a long history with Spain, having been contested by the Kings of Aragon for centuries, and the Spanish legacy can still be seen in things like the title of "don" and perhaps even the Moor's Head flag (often thought to be an Aragonese symbol). The Corsicans view the Spanish as closer to them than the French both culturally and morally, as the Spanish are perceived as more pious, sober, and honorable than those godless libertines up in Paris. The Corsicans also see Spain, and Carlos III in particular, as a "good neighbor" - Spain has never tried to overtly dominate Corsica as France has, and Carlos has been regarded as a friend of Corsica ever since he turned a blind eye to Corsican smugglers and expatriates as King of Naples. (You may recall that the first person the Corsicans asked to be their king, even before Theodore was on the scene, was Carlos back when he was just Duke of Parma.) If you actually polled the Corsicans as to their favorability towards other countries at this point in time, Spain would probably come out on top.
Corsican views of
other Italians are complicated. On the one hand, they are "brother nations" - the Corsicans absolutely think of themselves as Italian and see themselves as part of that cultural and intellectual world. But the Corsicans also tend to look down on other Italians; many are exposed to them only through the
lucchese, Italian seasonal workers, who are treated with absolute contempt by the Corsican peasantry. There's definitely an inferiority complex at work here - the Corsicans know that they are seen in Italy as poor, rustic, and barbarous, and so they lionize themselves as more moral, more honorable, more courageous, and just plain
manlier than those soft, pampered mainlanders who have forgotten what war means. The Genoese, of course, are the most decadent and cowardly of all Italians. The Piedmontese are probably the only Italians that the Corsicans really see as their equals, at least in terms of courage; they are really the only other Italian state whose "martial vigor" can't really be questioned. Indeed, they're even equal in
rank, as Corsica and Sardinia are both kingdoms unlike all these other duchies and republics.
The English relationship is also complicated, but for other reasons. Britain is the old friend who sided with the revolutionaries in battle, but while Britain has been a powerful ally they also have a history of leaving the Corsicans twisting in the wind. Corsica is a fad to the English, something that goes in and out of fashion, and thus they can't really be relied upon. Perhaps it's because they're money-grubbing Machiavellians who do only what serves their interests, or perhaps it's because they're heretics and just don't have the same sense of honor and loyalty as "true Christians." The English are respected as rich and powerful, but they don't really have much cultural impact on Corsica. Most Corsicans probably view them in the same ambivalent manner as other Protestant "maritime powers" like the Dutch and the Danes - good people to trade with, but you wouldn't let one of them marry your daughter.
Which makes me wonder, how are the d'Ornanos doing at this time? They used to be the almost untouchable dukes of South Corsica during Theodore I reign.
Luca's son and successor is Marquis Francesco Maria d'Ornano, who we haven't really seen in the chapters. By this time in the story he's in his late 50s. He's still a very influential nobleman, but he doesn't quite have the political instincts that his father did, and the growth of Ajaccio and the imposition of the provincial chamber have limited the horizons of an old-fashioned rural clan network like his. Whereas Don Luca never cared much about receiving "national" office, content to be a feudal lord in the
Dila, Don Francesco served as inspector-general of militia in Matra's government, is elected to the
consulta generale pretty much every year, and is presently a colonel-in-chief of one of the provincial regiments (largely a do-nothing job). Don Francesco will probably welcome the completion of the National Road, because it will make it easier for him to be at court and nearer the center of power. Don Luca helped arrange his son's government post in the 1770s, which suggests he may have seen where the wind was blowing - Corsica was changing, and the family was going to have to establish a national presence to stay relevant.
Historically, Francesco d'Ornano (or "Francois-Marie d'Ornano") was a French general and fervent royalist who lost his head to Madame Guillotine, so he's probably better off ITTL.
Gorgona has basically been given to the "commune" of Capraia to do with as they please. There will probably be some minor settlement there, but the island's main interest is as a waystation for fishing, and the government has more important things to spend its development money on for the time being.
