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The Consulta of Morosaglia
By a strict military reckoning, Theodore's reign had so far been a success. Since his arrival, the Genoese had lost their capital of Bastia, as well as San Pellegrino, Calenzana, Sartena, and numerous other villages. Only a handful of coastal garrison towns remained in their grasp, and even these seemed to be endangered as Count Andrea Ceccaldi's forces skirmished with the Genoese in the Nebbio and Marquis Luca d'Ornano renewed his siege of Ajaccio with his newly-acquired heavy artillery.
Nevertheless, his reign was beginning to show cracks that indicated just how fragile it really was. It was true that he had delivered considerable amounts of munitions and money to the Corsican rebels, much of it from confiscated Genoese properties and arsenals, but his promises of imminent great power support had so far been empty. Certainly his initial contributions had been valuable, both materially and in terms of leadership, but now rebel generals were prosecuting the war and some were paying for it quite effectively through smuggling. What use, then, was Theodore if he could not provide the beneficent intervention which he had promised?
Theodore had created nobility, assigned ministers, and minted coins to emphasize that he was not merely a benefactor or foreign general here to provide his services in wartime but the permanent crowned head of a legitimate and functioning government. As a practical matter, however, the "government" had virtually no power save that which it exercised in military matters by Theodore's personal commands, and even then much of the armed struggle was carried out autonomously. The government collected no taxes; even if the destitute Corsicans had been able to pay, Theodore dared not, lest he completely destroy his own popularity. The king's various edicts had little effect, for there was no real system of justice or enforcement. Theodore had repealed many onerous Genoese laws, but many of these had been ignored anyway since 1729, as the Corsicans had hardly waited for a royal edict to tell them they could hunt and fish once Genoese power in the interior had collapsed.
What Theodore had which maintained him in power was honor and money. By honor, we mean the pledges of the Corsican leaders, who for the most part believed in the importance of their word and would not lightly renounce solemn oaths they had made at Alesani. Even honor, however, would mean little if Theodore did not also have money. If he ever were to be broke, he would be truly worthless; at least in the present circumstances he could pay his soldiers, which was more than most of the provincial colonels and caporali could say of their irregular bands, bound to them more by local pride and family ties than the promise of regular remuneration. Yet managing money had never been Theodore's strong suit, and although he yet had funds to draw upon he was continually scrambling for more. Smuggling into Livorno alone could not pay the bills, and there was only so much Genoese property that could be seized. Certainly arms were needed too, but if he could not pay the men who bore them, he would not retain his throne for long.
Theodore knew he needed a victory, and where he needed a victory most was the Nebbio, which was the island's second richest agricultural region (after the Balagna). Yet while the Genoese Colonel Marchelli had utterly lost the will to go on the offensive, his defensive position in the northern Nebbio seemed strong, and the rebel advantage in numbers was not great. To address the concerns of the rebel leaders and hopefully gin up support for a new campaign, Theodore announced that a new consulta would be convened by royal authority at the Convent of St. Francis at Morosaglia on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14th.
For the second time, King Theodore sat enthroned before the national assembly, wearing his coronation robe of crimson brocade and his long peruke.[1] The mood was less joyous than before; the delegates were respectful, but they were wary of unfilled promises and some were certainly being courted by the indifferenti to renounce the king. Theodore began with matters of state, announcing the twenty-four members of the constitutionally mandated Diet. The members were all distinguished men, most of whom were not actively serving as his military officers. They included Filippo Antionio Gaffori, the podesta of Corti and father of his secretary of state Giampietro Gaffori, as well as Decia Ciavaldini, a good friend of Count Anton-Francesco Giappiconi. The latter was chosen, perhaps, as it was rumored that Giappiconi had been considering a defection to the indifferenti. In theory, Theodore could make no decision on levying taxes or making war without them, but in practice the Diet did little of consequence at this point in the revolution, serving primarily as a sinecure for the grey-haired "elites" of the kingdom who were not useful or physically vital enough to make ministers or officers.
He then fulfilled another of his constitutionally mandated duties, that of constituting an "order of true nobility." This, he announced, was the Order of Deliverance.[2] Its knights would wear a sky-blue mantle, and Theodore presented a proof of the medal itself, presumably struck with at least moderately more artfulness than his currency. Worn upon a green ribbon, it was a fourteen-pointed star upon a cross, seven points black and seven gold, upon which was the nude figure of Justice; in one hand she held a sword, and in the other a scale holding a drop of blood and a ball of lead (or iron) above a triangle inscribed with a "T." He gave no reasons for this particular emblem, and we can only imagine it came directly from his own head; some European observers wondered if the triangle was an allusion to the Freemasons, who used similar symbols. Theodore himself never explained it. Notably, the order was explicitly non-denominational, unlike most knightly orders of Catholic monarchs which were open only to Catholics; as part of the induction ceremony involved swearing upon the gospels, however, Theodore's ecumenism was evidently not so radical as to encompass Jewish or Mohammedan knights. Knights of the order were exempt from taxation, allowed access to the royal palace "as far as the forechamber," and could use the title of "illustrious" (It: illustrissimo). Always conscious of money, however, Theodore added that knights would be required to loan the state (that is, Theodore) 250 pounds sterling. The king promised that the order would swiftly be recognized by the Pope.
The king then launched into a speech. He directly acknowledged the lack of foreign support thus far, but explained that had been delayed only by the machinations of the Genoese and the divisions of the Corsicans themselves. He implicated the indifferenti, albeit not by name, saying that no power would easily see Corsica as a peer so long as the Corsicans were divided and bickering. A new spirit of unity and a demonstration of resolve was necessary, and as such the kingdom should at once endeavor at once to drive Marchelli and his army from San Fiorenzo. He called upon the delegates to muster all strength for this endeavor, which he would lead personally for the honor and salvation of the nation.
Theodore the traveling salesman always knew how to work a crowd. Costa wrote that the mood of the consulta was entirely transformed by the end of his speech; the quiet skepticism had been replaced by delegates cheering and shouting "Evviva u Rè!" The Wizard of Westphalia had worked one more miracle, but he knew well that his spell would be short-lived. If he could not best Marchelli and finally deliver what he had promised, he would not be able to dissolve the skepticism of the Corsicans with rousing words alone.
Presumably, Theodore had chosen Morosaglia for the consulta not only because of the village's history as a revolutionary stronghold but because it was fairly close to San Fiorenzo, only seventeen miles as the crow flies.[A] The militia companies in the Nebbio alone, under Ceccaldi, had proven insufficient to match the Genoese defenders, and the king needed the same sort of swell of volunteers and irregulars which, after his coronation, he had marched forth with to defeat the Genoese at Furiani and lay siege to Bastia. While a crowd of the same magnitude was not quite within his reach in September, he nonetheless succeeded in attracting a large force in the Castagniccia who were willing to follow the king, who had thus far been personally undefeated in battle. For his own sake, he needed to remain so.
Footnotes
[1] A peruke being a wig. He brought three to Corsica, described as "one long, one short, and one with a pigtail." Theodore's wardrobe was rather limited given the difficulty of finding wigs and silk in Corsica; his "coronation robe" had been made from brocade which Francesco dell'Agata happened to have on hand shortly before his voyage to Corsica.
[2] The order's original name in Italian was l'Ordine della Liberazione ("The Order of the Liberation"), but "deliverance" is also a reasonable synonym for liberazione and that is what stuck, perhaps because "deliverance" was favored by the contemporary English-language press. Occasionally "Order of [the] Redemption" is also seen. Theodore later referred to it as specifically a Military Order (l'Ordine Militare della Liberazione).
Timeline Notes
[A] It's also the birthplace of Pasquale Paoli, and there's a museum devoted to him in Morosaglia today. As mentioned, ITTL Pasquale is currently only 11 years old and a non-entity, although his (much) older brother Clemente is 25 years old and already a rebel officer. It was Clemente who IOTL suggested that Pasquale, then abroad in Naples, would make a good leader following the assassination of Gaffori, and laid the groundwork for his brother's swift rise to leadership over the rebel movement.
The Consulta of Morosaglia
The Convent of St. Francis at Morosaglia
The Convent of St. Francis at Morosaglia
By a strict military reckoning, Theodore's reign had so far been a success. Since his arrival, the Genoese had lost their capital of Bastia, as well as San Pellegrino, Calenzana, Sartena, and numerous other villages. Only a handful of coastal garrison towns remained in their grasp, and even these seemed to be endangered as Count Andrea Ceccaldi's forces skirmished with the Genoese in the Nebbio and Marquis Luca d'Ornano renewed his siege of Ajaccio with his newly-acquired heavy artillery.
Nevertheless, his reign was beginning to show cracks that indicated just how fragile it really was. It was true that he had delivered considerable amounts of munitions and money to the Corsican rebels, much of it from confiscated Genoese properties and arsenals, but his promises of imminent great power support had so far been empty. Certainly his initial contributions had been valuable, both materially and in terms of leadership, but now rebel generals were prosecuting the war and some were paying for it quite effectively through smuggling. What use, then, was Theodore if he could not provide the beneficent intervention which he had promised?
Theodore had created nobility, assigned ministers, and minted coins to emphasize that he was not merely a benefactor or foreign general here to provide his services in wartime but the permanent crowned head of a legitimate and functioning government. As a practical matter, however, the "government" had virtually no power save that which it exercised in military matters by Theodore's personal commands, and even then much of the armed struggle was carried out autonomously. The government collected no taxes; even if the destitute Corsicans had been able to pay, Theodore dared not, lest he completely destroy his own popularity. The king's various edicts had little effect, for there was no real system of justice or enforcement. Theodore had repealed many onerous Genoese laws, but many of these had been ignored anyway since 1729, as the Corsicans had hardly waited for a royal edict to tell them they could hunt and fish once Genoese power in the interior had collapsed.
What Theodore had which maintained him in power was honor and money. By honor, we mean the pledges of the Corsican leaders, who for the most part believed in the importance of their word and would not lightly renounce solemn oaths they had made at Alesani. Even honor, however, would mean little if Theodore did not also have money. If he ever were to be broke, he would be truly worthless; at least in the present circumstances he could pay his soldiers, which was more than most of the provincial colonels and caporali could say of their irregular bands, bound to them more by local pride and family ties than the promise of regular remuneration. Yet managing money had never been Theodore's strong suit, and although he yet had funds to draw upon he was continually scrambling for more. Smuggling into Livorno alone could not pay the bills, and there was only so much Genoese property that could be seized. Certainly arms were needed too, but if he could not pay the men who bore them, he would not retain his throne for long.
Theodore knew he needed a victory, and where he needed a victory most was the Nebbio, which was the island's second richest agricultural region (after the Balagna). Yet while the Genoese Colonel Marchelli had utterly lost the will to go on the offensive, his defensive position in the northern Nebbio seemed strong, and the rebel advantage in numbers was not great. To address the concerns of the rebel leaders and hopefully gin up support for a new campaign, Theodore announced that a new consulta would be convened by royal authority at the Convent of St. Francis at Morosaglia on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14th.
For the second time, King Theodore sat enthroned before the national assembly, wearing his coronation robe of crimson brocade and his long peruke.[1] The mood was less joyous than before; the delegates were respectful, but they were wary of unfilled promises and some were certainly being courted by the indifferenti to renounce the king. Theodore began with matters of state, announcing the twenty-four members of the constitutionally mandated Diet. The members were all distinguished men, most of whom were not actively serving as his military officers. They included Filippo Antionio Gaffori, the podesta of Corti and father of his secretary of state Giampietro Gaffori, as well as Decia Ciavaldini, a good friend of Count Anton-Francesco Giappiconi. The latter was chosen, perhaps, as it was rumored that Giappiconi had been considering a defection to the indifferenti. In theory, Theodore could make no decision on levying taxes or making war without them, but in practice the Diet did little of consequence at this point in the revolution, serving primarily as a sinecure for the grey-haired "elites" of the kingdom who were not useful or physically vital enough to make ministers or officers.
He then fulfilled another of his constitutionally mandated duties, that of constituting an "order of true nobility." This, he announced, was the Order of Deliverance.[2] Its knights would wear a sky-blue mantle, and Theodore presented a proof of the medal itself, presumably struck with at least moderately more artfulness than his currency. Worn upon a green ribbon, it was a fourteen-pointed star upon a cross, seven points black and seven gold, upon which was the nude figure of Justice; in one hand she held a sword, and in the other a scale holding a drop of blood and a ball of lead (or iron) above a triangle inscribed with a "T." He gave no reasons for this particular emblem, and we can only imagine it came directly from his own head; some European observers wondered if the triangle was an allusion to the Freemasons, who used similar symbols. Theodore himself never explained it. Notably, the order was explicitly non-denominational, unlike most knightly orders of Catholic monarchs which were open only to Catholics; as part of the induction ceremony involved swearing upon the gospels, however, Theodore's ecumenism was evidently not so radical as to encompass Jewish or Mohammedan knights. Knights of the order were exempt from taxation, allowed access to the royal palace "as far as the forechamber," and could use the title of "illustrious" (It: illustrissimo). Always conscious of money, however, Theodore added that knights would be required to loan the state (that is, Theodore) 250 pounds sterling. The king promised that the order would swiftly be recognized by the Pope.
The king then launched into a speech. He directly acknowledged the lack of foreign support thus far, but explained that had been delayed only by the machinations of the Genoese and the divisions of the Corsicans themselves. He implicated the indifferenti, albeit not by name, saying that no power would easily see Corsica as a peer so long as the Corsicans were divided and bickering. A new spirit of unity and a demonstration of resolve was necessary, and as such the kingdom should at once endeavor at once to drive Marchelli and his army from San Fiorenzo. He called upon the delegates to muster all strength for this endeavor, which he would lead personally for the honor and salvation of the nation.
Theodore the traveling salesman always knew how to work a crowd. Costa wrote that the mood of the consulta was entirely transformed by the end of his speech; the quiet skepticism had been replaced by delegates cheering and shouting "Evviva u Rè!" The Wizard of Westphalia had worked one more miracle, but he knew well that his spell would be short-lived. If he could not best Marchelli and finally deliver what he had promised, he would not be able to dissolve the skepticism of the Corsicans with rousing words alone.
Presumably, Theodore had chosen Morosaglia for the consulta not only because of the village's history as a revolutionary stronghold but because it was fairly close to San Fiorenzo, only seventeen miles as the crow flies.[A] The militia companies in the Nebbio alone, under Ceccaldi, had proven insufficient to match the Genoese defenders, and the king needed the same sort of swell of volunteers and irregulars which, after his coronation, he had marched forth with to defeat the Genoese at Furiani and lay siege to Bastia. While a crowd of the same magnitude was not quite within his reach in September, he nonetheless succeeded in attracting a large force in the Castagniccia who were willing to follow the king, who had thus far been personally undefeated in battle. For his own sake, he needed to remain so.
Footnotes
[1] A peruke being a wig. He brought three to Corsica, described as "one long, one short, and one with a pigtail." Theodore's wardrobe was rather limited given the difficulty of finding wigs and silk in Corsica; his "coronation robe" had been made from brocade which Francesco dell'Agata happened to have on hand shortly before his voyage to Corsica.
[2] The order's original name in Italian was l'Ordine della Liberazione ("The Order of the Liberation"), but "deliverance" is also a reasonable synonym for liberazione and that is what stuck, perhaps because "deliverance" was favored by the contemporary English-language press. Occasionally "Order of [the] Redemption" is also seen. Theodore later referred to it as specifically a Military Order (l'Ordine Militare della Liberazione).
Timeline Notes
[A] It's also the birthplace of Pasquale Paoli, and there's a museum devoted to him in Morosaglia today. As mentioned, ITTL Pasquale is currently only 11 years old and a non-entity, although his (much) older brother Clemente is 25 years old and already a rebel officer. It was Clemente who IOTL suggested that Pasquale, then abroad in Naples, would make a good leader following the assassination of Gaffori, and laid the groundwork for his brother's swift rise to leadership over the rebel movement.
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