THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE OF GENOA.
After the death of Vincentello, the seigniors contended with each other
for the title of Count of Corsica; Simon da Mare, Giudice d'Istria,
Renuccio da Leca, Paolo della Rocca, were the chief competitors; now
one, now another, assuming the designation. In Genoa, the Fregosi and
Adorni had split the Republic into two factions; and both families were
endeavouring to secure the possession of Corsica. This occasioned new
wars and new miseries. No respite, no year of jubilee, ever came for
this unhappy country. The entire population was constantly in arms,
attacking or defending. The island was revolt, war, conflagration,
blood, from one end to the other.
In the year 1443, some of the Corsicans offered the supremacy to
Pope Eugene IV., in the hope that the Church might perhaps be able to
restrain faction, and restore peace. The Pope sent his plenipotentiary
with troops; but this only increased the embroilment. The people
assembled themselves to a diet in Morosaglia, and chose a brave and
able man, Mariano da Gaggio, as their Lieutenant-general. Mariano first
directed his efforts successfully against the degenerate Caporali,
expelled them from their castles, destroyed many of these, and declared
their office abolished. The Caporali, on their side, called the Genoese
Adorno into the island. The people now placed themselves anew under
the protection of the Pope; and as the Fregosi had meanwhile gained
the upper hand in Genoa, and Nicholas V., a Genoese Pope, favoured
them, he put the government of Corsica into the hands of Ludovico Campo
Fregoso in the year 1449. In vain the people rose in insurrection under
Mariano. To increase the already boundless confusion, Jacob Imbisora,
an Arragonese viceroy, appeared, demanding subjection in the name of
Arragon.
The despairing people assembled again to a diet at Lago Benedetto, and
adopted the fatal resolution of placing themselves under the Bank of
St. George of Genoa. This society had been founded in the year 1346
by a company of capitalists, who lent the Republic money, and farmed
certain portions of the public revenue as guarantee for its repayment.
At the request of the Corsicans, the Genoese Republic ceded the island
to this Bank, and the Fregosi renounced their claims, receiving a sum
of money in compensation.
The Company of St. George, under the supremacy of the Senate, entered
upon the territory thus acquired in the year 1453, as upon an estate
from which they were to draw the highest returns possible.
But years elapsed before the Bank succeeded in establishing its
authority in the island. The seigniors beyond the mountains, in league
with Arragon, made a desperate resistance. The governors of the Bank
acted with reckless severity; many heads fell; various nobles went
into exile, and collected around Tomasin Fregoso, a man of a restless
disposition, whose remembrance of his family's claims upon Corsica had
been greatly quickened, since his uncle Lodovico had become Doge. He
came, accompanied by the exiles, routed the forces of the Bank, and
put himself in possession of a large portion of the island, after the
people had proclaimed him Count.
In 1464, Genoa fell into the hands of Francesco Sforza of Milan, and
a power with which Corsica had never had anything to do, began to
look upon the island as its own. The Corsicans, who preferred all
other masters to the Genoese, gladly took the oath of allegiance to
the Milanese general, Antonio Cotta, at the diet of Biguglia. But on
the same day a slight quarrel again kindled the flames of war over
all Corsica. Some peasants of Nebbio had fallen out with certain
retainers of the seigniors from beyond the mountains, and blood had
been shed. The Milanese commandant forthwith inflicted punishment on
the guilty parties. The haughty nobles, considering their seigniorial
rights infringed on, immediately mounted their horses and rode off to
their homes without saying a word. Preparations for war commenced. To
avert a new outbreak, the inhabitants of the Terra del Commune held a
diet, named Sambucuccio d'Alando--a descendant of the first Corsican
legislator--their vicegerent, and empowered him to use every possible
means to establish peace. Sambucuccio's dictatorship dismayed the
insurgents; they submitted to him and remained quiet. A second diet
despatched him and others as ambassadors to Milan, to lay the state of
matters before the Duke, and request the withdrawal of Cotta.
Cotta was replaced by the certainly less judicious Amelia, who
occasioned a war that lasted for years. In all these troubles the
democratic Terra del Commune appears as an island in the island,
surrounded by the seigniories; it remains always united, and true
to itself, and represents, it may be said, the Corsican people. For
almost two hundred years we have seen nothing decisive happen without
a popular Diet (_veduta_), and we have several times remarked that the
people themselves have elected their counts or vicegerents.
The war between the Corsicans and the Milanese was still raging with
great fury when Thomas Campo Fregoso again appeared upon the island,
trying his fortunes there once more. The Milanese sent him to Milan
a prisoner. Singular to relate, he returned from that city in the
year 1480, furnished with documents entitling him to have his claims
acknowledged. His government, and that of his son Janus, were so cruel,
that it was impossible the rule of the Fregoso family could last long,
though they had connected themselves by marriage with one of the most
influential men in the island, Giampolo da Leca.
The people, meanwhile, chose Renuccio da Leca as their leader, who
immediately addressed himself to the Prince of Piombino, Appian IV.,
and offered to place Corsica under his protection, provided he sent
sufficient troops to clear the island of all tyrants. How unhappy
the condition of this poor people must have been, seeking help thus
on every side, beseeching the aid now of one powerful despot, now of
another, adding by foreign tyrants to the number of its own! The Prince
of Piombino thought proper to see what could be done in Corsica, more
especially as part of Elba already belonged to him. He sent his brother
Gherardo di Montagnara with a small army. Gherardo was young, handsome,
of attractive manners, and he lived in a style of theatrical splendour.
He came sumptuously dressed, followed by a magnificent retinue, with
beautiful horses and dogs, with musicians and jugglers. It seemed as
if he were going to conquer the island to music. The Corsicans, who
had scarcely bread to eat, gazed on him in astonishment, as if he were
some supernatural visitant, conducted him to their popular assembly at
the Lago Benedetto, and amid great rejoicings, proclaimed him Count of
Corsica, in the year 1483. The Fregosi lost courage, and, despairing of
their sinking cause, sold their claim to the Genoese Bank for 2000 gold
scudi. The Bank now made vigorous preparations for war with Gherardo
and Renuccio. Renuccio lost a battle. This frightened the young Prince
of Piombino to such a degree, that he quitted the island with all the
haste possible, somewhat less theatrically than he had come to it.
Piombino desisted from all further attempts.