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Genoa-Corsica Conflict (1470s)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1471–1480

In the 1470s, the Republic of Genoa continued to rule Corsica through the Casa di San Giorgio, but nobles and peasants on the island repeatedly resis…

Timeline

  1. 1471–1474Corsica · CorsicaFrom 1453 Corsica was directly administered by Genoa's Casa di San Giorgio; in the early 1470s the bank raised taxes to cover wartime deficits, provoking widespread islander discontent. Local clans (such as Della Rocca) resisted the governor's authority, and mountain villages refused tribute, continually challenging the legitimacy of Genoese rule.
  2. 1474–1478Corsican interior highlands · CorsicaA combined force of Corsican nobles and peasants waged guerrilla warfare in the mountains, attacking Genoese garrisons and tax stations. Genoa dispatched governors leading mercenaries and the navy to blockade ports, attempting to divide the clans. The war became a stalemate: Genoa held coastal fortresses, resistance in the interior continued, and neither side could achieve a decisive victory.
  3. 1478–1480Bastia · CorsicaBy around 1480, Genoa and local Corsican forces reached a fragile truce under papal mediation; Genoa retained nominal sovereignty but was forced to ease some harsh measures. French and Aragonese designs on Corsica further complicated the situation. This phase of conflict was not fully resolved, laying groundwork for French intervention in Corsica in the 16th century.

Sources