Treaty of Bastia
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Bastia was an agreement signed in 1814 between Britain
and representatives of Corsica
which conferred sovereignty of the island to the British crown. The treaty was agreed near the end of the Napoleonic Wars
. British troops had been landed by the British commander in Italy Lord William Bentinck
to take control of Corsica from French
forces.
At a request of councils in Bastia
, Saint-Florent
and L'ille Rousse Bentinck despatched troops to Corsica and signed the Treaty of Bastia. Bentinck had in mind the recreation of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
which had lasted between 1794 and 1796 when British forces had been invited in by the Corsican Parliament and sovereignty of the island given to British
. Bentinck was also an advocate of a united, independent Italy
and may have regarded the treaty as a step towards Corsica later forming a part of this.
The possibility of reviving the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was rejected by the British Foreign Secretary Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
who was a strong supporter of a restoration
of the Bourbon
family of kings who had been overthrown in the French Revolution
. Castelreagh sent an order that the treaty was to be repudiated as it had already been agreed by Britain and her allies that Louis XVIII
was to rule Corsica.
The Treaty was not universally accepted on the island, and was unpopular with many. The Court of Appeals in Ajaccio
specifically rejected its legality.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and representatives of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
which conferred sovereignty of the island to the British crown. The treaty was agreed near the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. British troops had been landed by the British commander in Italy Lord William Bentinck
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant-General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck GCB, GCH, PC , known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman...
to take control of Corsica from French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
forces.
At a request of councils in Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, Saint-Florent
Saint-Florent
Saint-Florent is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse, in the Haute-Corse département* Saint-Florent, Loiret, in the Loiret département* Saint-Florent-des-Bois, in the Vendée département...
and L'ille Rousse Bentinck despatched troops to Corsica and signed the Treaty of Bastia. Bentinck had in mind the recreation of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
The Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was a short-lived self-declared independent state on the island of Corsica during the mid-1790s.-Background and history of the kingdom:During the time of the French Revolution, Corsica had been a part of France for just two decades...
which had lasted between 1794 and 1796 when British forces had been invited in by the Corsican Parliament and sovereignty of the island given to British
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. Bentinck was also an advocate of a united, independent Italy
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
and may have regarded the treaty as a step towards Corsica later forming a part of this.
The possibility of reviving the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was rejected by the British Foreign Secretary Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
who was a strong supporter of a restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
of the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
family of kings who had been overthrown in the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Castelreagh sent an order that the treaty was to be repudiated as it had already been agreed by Britain and her allies that Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
was to rule Corsica.
The Treaty was not universally accepted on the island, and was unpopular with many. The Court of Appeals in Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
specifically rejected its legality.