King Theodore's Corsica

[Carp]

Alas, the Savoyards have male-only succession, which makes it effectively impossible for them to be "inherited" by means of marriage. This is why the genealogically distant (but male line) Savoy-Carignano branch eventually inherited the throne from the senior Savoyard branch in 1831, as opposed to some closer female-line relative.

Any foreign monarch inheriting Corsica would also have to deal with the 1736 constitution, which states that the king "shall always reside in the kingdom" - a provision inserted specifically to ensure that Corsica had its own monarch, rather than becoming a neglected overseas province of a more powerful state as they had been under Genoa. Granted, this is just a clause on a piece of paper, but flouting the constitution and forcing Corsica into a union against the will of the island notables might get messy.

Inheritance aside, a Savoy match for Elisabetta is certainly plausible - the main line Savoyards are too lofty for such a marriage, but a Carignano prince might still be available. It's not going to happen while Louis XV is alive, but he won't be alive for much longer, and his successor probably won't have the same personal animus towards the Neuhoffs.

 

[The Undead Martyr]

Maybe Tuscany or Naples would be another possibility then? Tuscany the most plausible, IIRC thr Medici have already died out so it has reverted to the Habsburgs.

I would love to see the Neuhoff line export its peculiar brand of populist monarchy onto the continent.

 

[Icedaemon]

...A document which would create the Kingdom of Corsica as a constitutional monarchy.

Article 1. It is therefore agreed and established that the new Sovereign and King of this Kingdom is the named Most Excellent Sir Theodore Free-Baron of Neuhoff, and after him his male descendants, by the firstborn and, in default of males, his female descendants, provided that those who shall be admitted to the Crown and to the Authority thereof be Roman Catholics and shall always reside in the kingdom as shall be the residence of the aforesaid Baron.

It is the very first article of the constitution, but it is vague. One can argue Theodore I did live outside of the kingdom briefly after all and this was entirely unremarked upon. Thus, legally the case that the monarch should reside in the kingdom only some of the time can be made quite easily. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Corsica itself already includes islands other than Corsica, ergo residing in the kingdom of Corsica does not necessarily mean residing on the island of Corsica.

 

[Sardar]

It is the very first article of the constitution, but it is vague. One can argue Theodore I did live outside of the kingdom briefly after all and this was entirely unremarked upon. Thus, legally the case that the monarch should reside in the kingdom only some of the time can be made quite easily. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Corsica itself already includes islands other than Corsica, ergo residing in the kingdom of Corsica does not necessarily mean residing on the island of Corsica.

Yea, that's what I was thinking. The "kingdom" could include more than the Island of Corsica, but also be the "Kingdom of Corsica and (so and so)"

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

Inheritance aside, a Savoy match for Elisabetta is certainly plausible - the main line Savoyards are too lofty for such a marriage, but a Carignano prince might still be available. It's not going to happen while Louis XV is alive, but he won't be alive for much longer, and his successor probably won't have the same personal animus towards the Neuhoffs.

That's actually pretty cool, especially if said Prince of Carignano (or one of their descendants) finds themselves in a position to inherit the Corsican throne before the one in Tunis becomes available.

 

[Grand_Panjandrum]

Personally, I would prefer Corsica remain its own thing separate from Italy. It seems like its uniqueness would be washed out by the much larger population and cultural dominance of peninsular Italy. I do hope it does get Bonifacio back eventually, though, just to neaten up the map, and maybe the Carthusians can sell them Gorgona.

 

[Jürgen]

Personally, I would prefer Corsica remain its own thing separate from Italy. It seems like its uniqueness would be washed out by the much larger population and cultural dominance of peninsular Italy. I do hope it does get Bonifacio back eventually, though, just to neaten up the map, and maybe the Carthusians can sell them Gorgona.

Yes everything which make this Corsica interesting would be destroyed by it losing its independence. If it becomes part of the kingdom of Italy it would just be one more impoverished and mismanaged province.

 

[jamesboxjames]

Yes everything which make this Corsica interesting would be destroyed by it losing its independence. If it becomes part of the kingdom of Italy it would just be one more impoverished and mismanaged province.

I want to argue but then I look at Sicily and just sigh

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

I want to argue but then I look at Sicily and just sigh

Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples as a whole was pretty much a feudal society under an absolutist government prior to the Napoleonic Wars; Corsica might be economically stagnant when compared with the rest of Northern Italy, but it's also pretty democratic (after it's own fashion), and can potentially play off in some pretty interesting ways against longstanding republics on the peninsula (some occasionally prone to their own "democratic" outbursts), provided we were only talking about an Italian Unifcation north of (or potentially including) the Papal State. At least IMHO.

 

[Jürgen]

Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples as a whole was pretty much a feudal society under an absolutist government prior to the Napoleonic Wars; Corsica might be economically stagnant when compared with the rest of Northern Italy, but it's also pretty democratic (after it's own fashion), and can potentially play off in some pretty interesting ways against longstanding republics on the peninsula (some occasionally prone to their own "democratic" outbursts), provided we were only talking about an Italian Unifcation north of (or potentially including) the Papal State. At least IMHO.

Italy would do it best to destroy any local culture and enforce the Italian national identity on Corsica. It would be left a unimportant backward, whose young people migrated to the industrial centers on mainland. Corsica with it geographic position gain few to none of the benefit of Italian unifcation and it get most of the cons.

 

[Grand_Panjandrum]

Italy would do it best to destroy any local culture and enforce the Italian national identity on Corsica. It would be left a unimportant backward, whose young people migrated to the industrial centers on mainland. Corsica with it geographic position gain few to none of the benefit of Italian unifcation and it get most of the cons.

Indeed. One need only look south to Sardinia, where its "kings" left it to languish and imposed Italianization upon it while enriching their Alpine realms. Corsica in particular, given its origin story after centuries of Genoese occupation, would certainly be wary of too many continental entanglements, since it's not like their higher-rank "kingdom" title did much to protect it in the past from being exploited and underdeveloped.

 

[Space Oddity]

Why must people dream of empire for the House of Corsica, when all they need and want is the quiet garden of their own island-kingdom?

 

[Grand_Panjandrum]

Why must people dream of empire for the House of Corsica, when all they need and want is the quiet garden of their own island-kingdom?

Playing too many Paradox games and dreaming of a Corsican blob.

 

[The Undead Martyr]

I blame Napoleon personally.

Playing too many Paradox games and dreaming of a Corsican blob.

I would also caution about being too uncritical of the romanticism of idependence. Yes Corsica would be less of a priority for an Italian state, but independence means less resources and leverage overall. One need only look at the history of smaller states like Estonia to realize that smaller nations, be they independent or otherwise, are at an inherent disadvantage in the international arena. The obvious solution is a system of pooling sovereignty for collective action- this can be done supranationally a la the EU or in eg a federal system.
One of the defining features of Italian identity Imo is precisely the rich diversity of its regional variations. IMO a German unification path would have been much more natural and possibly avoided some of the pitfalls of the OTL Italian state. Corsica, by history, custom, culture and geography, would be a natural member of any Italian confederation.

 

[htgriffin]

Indeed. One need only look south to Sardinia, where its "kings" left it to languish and imposed Italianization upon it while enriching their Alpine realms. Corsica in particular, given its origin story after centuries of Genoese occupation, would certainly be wary of too many continental entanglements, since it's not like their higher-rank "kingdom" title did much to protect it in the past from being exploited and underdeveloped.

Not the best comparison, as the Dukes of Savoy had never considered the namesake of their new notational crown as much of anything but a colony. However the resident Kings of Corsica gaining even North Italy would likely have to deal with the same tail-wag-dog thing as the Stuart Kings of Scotland did when they inherited England.

 

[Jürgen]

Not the best comparison, as the Dukes of Savoy had never considered the namesake of their new notational crown as much of anything but a colony. However the resident Kings of Corsica gaining even North Italy would likely have to deal with the same tail-wag-dog thing as the Stuart Kings of Scotland did when they inherited England.

I disagree, the problem is that Corsica doesn’t really bring anything to the table in a united Italy beside a few more tax payers. Nothing. they produce could not produced elsewhere in Italy cheaper.

 

[Brainbin]

Why must people dream of empire for the House of Corsica, when all they need and want is the quiet garden of their own island-kingdom?

I think it's because there's that lingering sense of determinism that Italian nationalism will still emerge as it did IOTL, even without He Who Must Not Be Named, and that it will successfully create an Italian nation-state which will subsume a Corsica that is not occupied by France. And if so, why not have the King of Corsica become the King of this new Italy? Someone has to, right? Never mind that it could become a republic, or even a German-style federation where the member states continue to exercise considerable autonomy (probably the best case for any Corsica which joins Italy). Personally I think a Corsica remaining independent of a Greater Italian state is more interesting anyway, but that's just me...

 

[RyuDrago]

Glad to see the Neuhoff dynasty would thrive and "Corsicanize", the small but proud island looks projected on times of recovery and progress, hopefully would stand the test of time... While wondering where would grow next (Economically? Culturally? Demographically? Geographically?)... All paths are open now.

 

[The Undead Martyr]

I'd love to see an Italian confederation of sorts, possibly leading to a federal (liberal-republican?) northern Italy eventually. Corsica could thrive as a part of such a liberal Italian scene, a true republic of letters.

 

[Jürgen]

I think it's because there's that lingering sense of determinism that Italian nationalism will still emerge as it did IOTL, even without He Who Must Not Be Named, and that it will successfully create an Italian nation-state which will subsume a Corsica that is not occupied by France. And if so, why not have the King of Corsica become the King of this new Italy? Someone has to, right? Never mind that it could become a republic, or even a German-style federation where the member states continue to exercise considerable autonomy (probably the best case for any Corsica which joins Italy). Personally I think a Corsica remaining independent of a Greater Italian state is more interesting anyway, but that's just me...

I agree, a Independent Corsica while having it own trouble have a much greater potential to develop into something interesting. Italian Corsica will be pretty much the same as French Corsica except for the language of the civil servants.