Why is Corsica a part of France? (Short Animated Documentary)

Since, like, forever Corsica has been close in proximity, language, culture, and economy to the Italian peninsula. Today though, it's a part of France which obviously means we have to ask why. To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.
/ histmattersyt
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[@benw4409]

I love how 99% of European history is "Britain doesn't let France have what it wants" and vice versa.

[@Higamers2007]

Ikr

[@flopunkt3665]

Things took a turn when Germany became a thing

[@_blank-_]

@@flopunkt3665 Then it became "France and Britain don't let Germany have what it wants"

[@jaimepujol5507]

Throw in Spain and there you have 500+ years of three nations just fukin over each other

[@su1t0n11]

Western european history* Eastern one is, this bully that, that bully this, that bully this with that

[@AquaAtia]

Corsica was originally a private island owned by James Bisonette but in a generous donation he gave it to France

[@reevanamin5865]

No because James bisonette didn't want it to fall in the hands of Kelly moneymaker.

[@baker4589]

@@reevanamin5865 or Aaron the White

[@sharkronical]

@@baker4589 or Spinning Three Plates

[@Bruh-nb1hj]

how generous

[@gagutrix1271]

Or David Archeologist

[@Balandai98]

Fun fact: Napoleon was born about 3 months after France completed the annexation of Corsica. He never learned French spelling, he spoke with a distinct Corsican accent and was even an outspoken Corsican nationalist in his early life. Of course he was bullied like hell for all of this.

[@ecurewitz]

Well, he sure showed them

[@EpicRenegade777]

this angerd napoleans father, who punished him severely

[@gamebawesome]

@@EpicRenegade777 Napoleon: “No, YOU go to your room. Dad!”

[@1224chrisng]

@@EpicRenegade777 Who makes horses? Horses make horses! (vomitting noises)

[@jonathanwebster7091]

Yep, and he didn't adopt the French spelling of his name ('Bonaparte', as opposed to the original 'Buonaparte') until well into the 1790s. Indeed a lot of British caricatures and other lampooning of Napoleon during his rise to and reign of power took note of that, often referring to him as 'Buonaparte' to insult him.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

An interesting 18th-century Corsican is Pasquale Paoli. He became President of the Corsican republic and effected the first national constitution to embody Enlightenment principles. After the French conquest, he moved to London and became part of the Samuel Johnson-Joshua Reynolds circle. (His secretary, Napoleon's father, turned collaborationist and got the connections to place his son in a French military school.) After the French Revolution broke out he returned to France a hero and was put in charge of Corsica again. But the British desire to use him as their tool (they told him to invade Savoy-controlled Sardinia) led to quarrels with Napoleon himself, who returned to France. British support protected Corsica's de facto independence for a while, but eventually the French retook the island and Paoli spent the rest of his life back in London.

[@felixb6]

He also inspired Alexander Hamilton during the American Revolution. His regiment was called "The Corsicans"

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Very interesting, I grew up in Paoli, IN. Founded in 1816, not sure exactly why the founders named the town for him?

[@KangaKucha]

Interesting story mate

[@uptonmanor]

Buanoparte became a traitor to the Corsican fight for Independence lured by the bigger bauble of Paris and France. But Paoli remained faithful to a free Corsica.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

@@uptonmanor I've heard that Corsicans have mixed feelings about their famous son...

[@nathanyakich3152]

Dude you can't just drop "Corsica was owned by a bank at one point" and not go in to further detail! I'm down a massive rabbit hole about the Bank of St George now

[@dpk6639]

I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight either

[@borritoguy2286]

@@dpk6639 Wrong comment, and probably, wrong video

[@hebl47]

@@borritoguy2286 So you've never went down a curiosity rabbit hole half an hour before you intended to go to bed, eh?

[@internetual7350]

@@Charlie-yi8cf *Only based individuals.

[@trippystipples]

Now I have to do some googling as well...

[@leon1x1]

It would be interesting to know what the corsicans thought of Napoleon when he was in charge since he was Corsican

[@abbyalphonse499]

I think he was seen as too french-aligned, and they didn't like him that much.

[@piepiedk8678]

The Bonaparte family wasn't really popular in Corsica before him either

[@DeusVultGamer]

Changing his name from Napoleone di Buonaparte to the more Francophone Napoleon Bonaparte, probably didn't sit well, but he changed his name well before the revolution so he would be less likely to be held back for advancement based on his heritage. He was a fierce proponent of Corsican independence in his youth, but steered away from this when he was caught up by the French revolutionary zeal (which he desperately tried to spread to Corsica). In truth, Corsica was Napoleon's political crucible, where he made his first political writings. Eventually, Napoleon and his family were forced to flee Corsica as Napoleon's political enemies made it impossible to stay. That said, there were mixed feelings towards Napoleon as the leader of France. It is most likely the animosity between Napoleon and his former mentor and idol, Paoli, that set some Corsicans against Napoleon. Paoli favored the British model of government while Napoleon came to favor the new French republican model. Thus Corsican military units served in both the French and British militaries during the course of the Napoleonic Wars.

[@DankBench]

he called corsicans pigs so, in my experience as a french man having lived in Corsica, hate Napoleon and spitted on his name regularly

[@charvolth]

@@theophileburtz1624 So they embraced him when they learned he was good for tourism.

[@xaviersaavedra7442]

1:45 for those who are having trouble reading the small writing, it says: “only applies to Europeans.”

[@febrian0079]

I thought it says "only applies to English" LOL, thanks

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

Thanks! Indeed, the footnote was all too true for non-Europeans... This is quite grimly comedic, though!

[@NoaManic]

The origin of the Corsican flag and symbol is interesting. It comes from an old legend in the 13th century (that may or may not have actually happened) where a Corsican woman was supposed to be sold into slavery by Moors, however Corsican men fought back and allegedly decapitated the leader of the Moor slavers. This head is depicted on basically everything officially Corsican.

[@thomascatty379]

Very interesting thank you

[@Nico-iv3wr]

This is just a myth which is spread here in Sicily too, as we have the "head of the Moor" as a jar as one of our symbols. The same figure appears in the flag of Sardinia, and I'm pretty sure they've heard this myth. The symbol is spread in many other towns and regions all over Europe

[@Bustycat]

And Paoli moved the bandana above the Moor’s eyes.

[@chourtout]

@@Nico-iv3wr moors slavers weren't a myth though

[@Nico-iv3wr]

@@chourtout No of course not, I'm just saying that the beheading of a moor by some woman is a myth spread here in Sicily too. It's pretty much the same story, but based in Sicily

[@bigblue6917]

Being a linguist in Corsica has got to be and advantage. You're never going to be out of work.

[@writershard5065]

You might even say that in Corsica it is great to be a cunning linguist. I'll show myself out.

[@heisenstein6392]

@@writershard5065 No wait, let me buy you a beer first 🍺

[@b3nl555]

@@writershard5065 that was smooth

[@hatoosy]

@@writershard5065 I didn't get ir

[@bigblue6917]

@@writershard5065 probably for the best

[@ahmedmuawia2447]

I love how this channel became a telescope that looks on history and ask questions, then gives us answers. Why is this good in any way? Well from what I have experienced history is often told through a narrative, which I understand is a great way of understanding a grand context. But the tiny bits of information that this channel gives us by asking these questions and answering them us become more invested to learn the full story. Like here in this episode he mentions how corsica remained part of France because the coalition wanted a temporary return to pre war borders, now we are invested "what exactly did the coalition want from France after their defeat? How did they hope to achieve these goals?" And its all down hill from there

[@1224chrisng]

if you're wondering that, you should go to Historia Civilis, he's doing a series on the 99 year peace after the Napoleonic wars

[@xeixi3789]

@@1224chrisng This

[@edivimo]

Yes, is pretty good that History Matters can achieve that with a 4 minutes video, he doesn't shy away of showing that history is complicated.

[@miltonfarmer1139]

I love how there are so many things in this video that could take hours to discuss. These are great.

[@AFNick]

I love how this channel answers the not so obvious questions that I have have been curious about but never know it.

[@maskthem0ney295]

Subject idea: what was the point of the Roman Senate during the empire?

[@viktorcoudere3615]

Pretending that Rome was still a republic.

[@lambosforusal]

I believe there were "imperial provinces" which were ruled directly by the emperor. This would usually be the more peripheral provinces with large armies stationed in them. The more Romanised provinces were still ruled by the senate. But I'm sure there is much more to say about it and it sound like an interesting topic.

[@connorgolden4]

Well the early empire was called the principate. The senate still played did it’s usually stuff, played it’s part, and had influence. To some degree more power was put in their hands after it was taken from the assemblies. The emperor wasn’t some royal position, his title was princeps and a slew of other titles that have him authority. Although it was basically controlled by the emperor who was really in command and people tried to join it for prestige not because of merit or real power. But this influence went into steep decline during the crisis of the third century and was greatly reduced by Diocletian. After that as far as I know it was basically the local government and had some ceremonial power and was even more so a social club then an actual governing body. Although it did gain some more influence under Odoacer and the Ostrogoths after him. But this would make for an interesting video!

[@actin9294]

The standart procedure for the new emperor was to get approval from The Senate. And there were a few times when The Senate successfully deposed an emperor, such as Nero or Maximinus Thrax.

[@lionsandeaglespodcast360]

+support

[@wariodude128]

The only thing I knew about Corsica is that Napoleon was from there and he apparently had a terrible Corsican accent when he spoke French. This broadened my horizons a little bit.

[@nanoboso3656]

To be fair,before the third republic, every french had a terrible regionalist accent The accent everyone knows is the Angevin one, but south-western French still have an Occitan (not far from Catalan) one and south-eastern a Provencal one for example You also have people from Quebec who still claims that they have the same accent that the kings of France did have And there are also some Germanic remains in Alsace, a very specific accent in the north and lots of others that I'm forgetting So yeah, whenever you're thinking to a French historic figure, it probably had a very weird accent

[@felixbabuf5726]

@@nanoboso3656 Interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@winnienguyen4420]

Just like they say Hitler spoke German with a terrible Austrian accent and Stalin spoke Russian with a terrible Georgian accent. Seems to be a trend.

[@winnienguyen4420]

@@nanoboso3656 interesting. I've also heard that Napoleon III actually spoke French with a German accent because he was living there in his early life.

[@julien3331]

@@winnienguyen4420 that's exactly that. He spoke with a swiss-german accent. And he also spoke French German Italian English and he learn Spanish.

[@facund8]

This channel always answering the questions i have just a few days later since the first time i think of it

[@sail2byzantium]

More Swiss Guards, please! (@ 2:12). That was delightful with your so apt drawing and animation style for this channel.

[@rodrigodepierola]

I love how accurate your maps are. You miss tiny things like exclaves or minor holdings.

[@AaronMcDaid]

Why is there a gap around Avignon in this video? #1:03 . It's too late for the pope to still be there

[@CheapCharlieChronicles]

Before watching the video I’m guessing it had something to do with Napoleon.

[@MapletreePaper]

Fact fact: Napoleon grew up on Corsica.

[@sail2byzantium]

Napoleon was born in Corsica in 1769, the year after it first became French (1768). Maybe the island just had a preternatural sense of which way the historical winds were going to blow . . .

[@treysonmcgrady4750]

@@sail2byzantium That’s crazy. I wonder what his life would have been like not growing up in a French territory.

[@leontrotsky7816]

@@treysonmcgrady4750 Young Napoleon was a big fan of Corsican independence before he decided he was actually French and the whole idea sucked.

[@sail2byzantium]

@@treysonmcgrady4750 It's a great question as not growing up French it seems less likely Napoleon could have played the role he did in the French Revolution rising through the ranks of the French army to become eventual first consul (1799 - 1804) and then emperor of France (1804 - 184; 1815). It is interesting to speculate if his military genius would have had any pivotal role in the history of Italy (even if not a unified country yet) had he remained officially Italian.

[@enquetedhistoire]

Such a good explanation in so few minutes! Good job!

[@sydclark5581]

These are of educational quality and value. Easy to follow, entertaining and thus memorable.

[@CraftsmanOfAwsomenes]

By “spoke Italian” you mean “spoke Corsican” which is a dialect closely related to Tuscan and to the Florentine dialect that was used for a lot of literature and ultimately became the basis for standard Italian.

[@GiulioImparato]

There are as many regional languages in Italy as there are regions in Italy anyways...but yeah what you wrote is correct and as a consequence Corsican is easily understandable by italians.

[@LucaPasini2]

The weird thing is that Corsican is much, much closer to standard Italian than the language traditionally spoken in my Italian region, Romagnol, which has a widely different grammar which for some aspects is closer to French and Catalan than to standard Italian

[@Boretheory]

it's also worth remembering that the first inhabitants of the islands were italic and that Corsica is similar ( in almost every way) to my region (Sardinia) than any other region of Italy or France

[@maskr5520]

@@LucaPasini2 where are u from ? I can tell romagnol has some french roots by its name lmao

[@RickJaeger]

He said, verbatim, that they "spoke Corsican _and Italian."_ If he meant by "spoke Italian" that they "spoke Corsican," then he would be saying they spoke "Corsican _and_ Corsican," which is fucking nonsense. So obviously, that's _not_ what he meant.

[@billcutting6287]

The love of my life is from Corsica and she passed away last summer! It broke my heart every time I see something who reminds me about her!

[@mysteriousDSF]

God bless you. Stay strong.

[@billcutting6287]

@@mysteriousDSF thank you very much! I try my best! God bless you too and your close one!

[@guillaumel9977]

@@billcutting6287 I will pray for her. You're the best my friend.

[@billcutting6287]

@@guillaumel9977 thank you. I appreciate it. And I’m she does too from where she is now.

[@guillaumel9977]

@@billcutting6287 You re welcome. Take care of you my brother.

[@thatveganhater302]

I knew this but i had to watch this masterpeace keep up the good work and this channel dhall take off i believe in you

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff!!

[@akahiro1671]

Questions no one ever asked answered and somehow interesting

[@thysonita2114]

In the last few days, there have been many protests(even violent) by Corsican separatists. The media is too focused on Ukraine and russia to even notice

[@akahiro1671]

@@thysonita2114 its even topical, what a great content

[@gamermapper]

A lot of Corsicans ask it themselves every day lol

[@lekevire]

I (sorta) asked it. I know why, but I just want to know about this island more.

[@thunderbird1921]

Now I'm curious how China got Formosa (present day Taiwan). I've heard it was once ruled by Japan.

[@Lithilic]

Thank you! I can't even remember how many times I've seen this island on the map and wondered why it was part of France.

[@nerfherder4284]

These videos are awesome 👍🏻 thanks so much!

[@nuqueerwarhead3564]

This is something that I had wondered about. Thanks!

[@gideonmele1556]

They foresaw a Napoleon and thought it would be better if he was on their side

[@conserva-chan2735]

The real reason the Italian military sucks

[@ilcondottierocartografo6770]

Lmaoo

[@Jmotist]

the french can only do well with a non french leader

[@Ave88]

@@Jmotist De Gaulle? Louis the XIV? King Francis? And sorry but Napoleon was very much French.

[@fra3296]

@@Ave88 he was Corsican

[@eyeofoldmain3183]

I really like this show and I'm really interested in The Republic of Venice right now and not a lot of people talk about it so I really want you to do a video on it.

[@mataya-waldenberg]

DAMN, I literally just randomly read up on Italian irredentism in regards to Corsica yesterday and was a bit confused by the literature and THEN you upload this the very next day!

[@fredschneidernonotthatone286]

Same thing happened to me with the recent Constantinople video!

[@Volctra]

2:20 I really like how you always have these jokes about Flanders/Belgium ^^

[@JosePineda-cy6om]

You avoided to mention that, to diminish the possibility of further rebelions, the French Republic has engaged on a policy of linguicide in order to erradicate Corsican off the face of the Earth, and force everyone to speak just French and nothing but French. Same policy was applied to Occitan, once spoken by 50% of France's population and with a much, much longer literary tradition than French - now it's a moribund language, alongside Breton and Basque.

[@1988kcmo]

Unfortunately, that's just what conquerors do: Kill off languages and cultures......

[@trouverunpseudomarrant9423]

In Corsica this policy, while quite violent, was less effective, today most young corsicans have great notion of their langage and speak it with the elders. The fight to preserve the language is real. Unfortunately other traditional language like occitan, despite a very important use in poetry in song and a strong identity, havent really manage to resist, maybe being on a island had help the corsican langage more. I hope one day the "regionals" language will retake an important place in all of France.

[@trouverunpseudomarrant9423]

@@blap4890 I don't think regional identity will automatically leads to independence, even with the exemple of Catalonia. But It's true that France, with all the regimes, have always been a very centralized country so yes it's could cause some trouble to change that even just a litle bit. But I think the debate must exist and we must find balance between french century long centralism and traditional folk culture

[@pierren___]

Thats the 3rd republic

[@Perrirodan1]

@@trouverunpseudomarrant9423 It's still one more tool for potential secession or foreign interventions, I think Spain know one thing or two about regionalists, the UK as well. Regional identity may be great for people but they are a potential danger for the state. If we just follow the perspective of the state it's best to have a single unified culture to lessen any potential division.

[@rotehaus]

2:20 Words to live by --> French: Unity creates strength. Dutch: Stroopwaffels are delicious.

[@kiosk5595]

I’m glad someone else caught this. I don’t speak Dutch but I knew for sure that Stroopwafels was not whatever the French translation is. And I knew that they are, in fact, delicious

[@Aniram789]

I caught a glimpse of the stroopwafels and had to go back to double check. But why would Belgians want stroopwafels (Dutch) when they have their own Brusselse wafels and Luikse wafels?

[@rotehaus]

@@Aniram789 I don't have the answer. Perhaps someone from the waffle bakers guild can answer.

[@Stefaangoossens]

Belgium has a French (south), a German (neglected) and a Dutch speaking part. Waffels are Belgian, belonging to both. To indicate that North and South are different in more ways and one has even a separately political movement, making so the national coat of arms complete ridicule is funny. Also Dutch is from the Netherlands and in Belgium the (dutch) Flamish speak, well: Flamish. They don't want to be part of the Netherlands, but in the South french part however some want to slightly join France if ever...

[@bencegyors]

I love this channel keep it up!!!

Fantastic timing on this one

[@zacktong8105]

I've made a trip to Corsica with family long ago. Having just spent a year learning Italian my French was rusty, but they said it was okay if I spoke Italian. I was to have proceeded on a short ferry to Livorno, but there was a boat strike and I had to fly there and back to get my car. There have been movements for independence but they don't have wide support.

[@plumebrisee6206]

I mean as a French , all these language are intelligible (Even tho I never learned something about them) : -Italian -Corsican Gallo-Romance family (French is part of this family) -Occitan -Franco-Provençal -Catalan -Valencian -Gallo-Italic (Family of language inside the Gallo-Romance family) ( -Rhaeto-Romance (Family of language inside the Gallo-Romance family) It's also possible with Spanish and Portuguese but you need atleast the basic for these .

[@LeJobastre1215]

Big 🧢 Most corsicans don't speak italian

[@thebeastofbrayroad9382]

it is for this reason that the Corsican nationalists were elected in majority to the assembly of Corsica ?

[@capellonepigrieco5260]

@@LeJobastre1215 most italians don't speak italian too

[@LeJobastre1215]

@@capellonepigrieco5260 What are you even on about

[@santinucomiti9114]

As a Corsican, it feels very odd to see some english guy on the internet speaking and knowing so much about my island ! Good job man !

[@Matt-kq3ks]

119K views 2 hours after uploading?! Glad you have this fanbase, you definitely deserve it

[@ellichrisott]

Amazing as always

[@StarmanStarman]

History matters alway answer questions we never ask, but not this one. Everyone who have seen the map of Italy and France will ask this. Almost everyone.

[@gengis737]

About Napoleon and Corsica: Napoleon's father, once a strong supporter of Paoli, father of Corsican independance, rallied after the crushing defeat of Ponte Novu, and was granted French nobility, giving his children to French military schools. Napoleon was all for Corsica independance and took a leave from French army to support Paoli, returning form exile. But Paoli and Napoleon could not get tot term. Paoli found Napoleon too ambitious, and did not want to align with French Republic, sabotaging a small military expedition against Sardinia Napoleon was a part of, while Napoleon saw no contradiction between remote French Republic and local elected power. Things went very wrong when Paoli supported another clan in Napoleon hometown, Ajaccio, and Napoleon lost election. Plus, the most political brother of Napoleon, Lucien, was a representative of French Republic and correspondence with Napoleon was considered treacherous by Paoli's supporter. Napoleon had to send his family out of Corsica to Marseilles, where they lived of charity, and had to flee himself after narrowly escaping a vendetta (clans' feud). To avoid any French retaliation, Paoli declared Corsica possession of the English king but things did not go well with British governors, who saw the island as a kind of colony. Napoleon never came back to Corsica, but considered it as part of France and had numerous supporters there. After his French army of Italy took Leghorn, main base of Royal Navy in Tuscany, the British considered the island indefensible and too agitated and evacuated, Paoli went again in exile. French government was reinstated, but had to face numerous supporters of Paoli. So Napoleon raised two battalions of Corsican fighters, and gave one of his general, Morand, special power to crush guerilla by dozen of executions ("Morandinian justice" was a corsican expression of despise). Many Corsican flew the island, some formed a Royal Corsican battalion in British mediterranean army under Hudson Lowe (the only British officer speaking corsican, hence perhaps his appointment at St Helena). Napoleon did not show much preference for Corsicans in French state, but for his relatives (one of his mother's nephew was general at Waterloo). Still, some Corsican were famous during his reign : Corsican Legion was an elite light infantry unit, combined with Northern Italian Po Legion. General Sebastiani was a successful general and ambassador to Constantinople when Ottomans repelled a Royal Navy attempt.

[@gubernatorial1723]

I always liked that the Pozzo di Borgo family took their local Corsican vendetta with the Bonapartes onto the international stage, with one of them being an important advisor to the Tsar in Napoleon's ultimate defeat.

[@gengis737]

@@gubernatorial1723 One of Pozzo di Borgo relative, when Tuilerie palace was destroyed in French civil war of 1871, bought the remnants of the residency of Napoleon and Napoleon III to build a villa in Corsica.

[@gubernatorial1723]

@@gengis737 Trampling on the dead bones of your completely defeated enemy is sweeter than roses. I sympathise and revel in it, coming from Scottish Highlanders, no strangers to the feud. Though I feel guilty about it, with our Calvinist religion. Paoli was as much a celebrity in London as Franklyn in Paris. Taken up by Johnson and Boswell.

[@fredeickthegreat6951]

The French can only do well under a non- French leader.

[@nik65stgt60]

Short and concise! Thank you!

[@Michaelkaydee]

Love this channel

[@Giotsche]

I see that the thinking: "a country does historically belongs to us" only leads to problems

[@pabcu2507]

Because France got the approval from James bissonette

[@koytail546]

Gotta love James bissonette

[@Blub_525]

God appreciate James bissonette

[@eliasstrindberg6290]

Who doesn’t

[@MCTogs]

I love James Bissonette‼️‼️‼️

[@jamesbissonette4438]

True

[@nik65stgt60]

Excellent content!

[@henrylane8966]

Cool I never knew that, I was always Interested in this subject

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I have looked at maps of Europe, and found it interesting that Sardinia is part of Italy, but Corsica isn't. I knew of the Corsican Republic and its conquest by France (just months before Napoleon, the most famous Corsican, was born!), but I learned a lot more from this video! For instance, I did not know a _bank,_ of all entities, ran the island! Thanks for the information!

[@zimriel]

Sardinia has a strong case for independence on account its language isn't just not-Italian, it's not-Romance. It split from protoRomance when Romanian split, even before.

[@privatehudson516]

Austria: my citizen became one of the most important rulers of my cousin nation despite not being from that nation himself, and he almost took Russia! Corsica: First time?

[@jonathanwebster7091]

Georgia: oof. Speaking of Russia, you know that chap Josip Dzugashvili?

[@incrediblyintelligentman2895]

@@jonathanwebster7091 Stalin was not the leader of Russia.

[@jyro6095]

@@incrediblyintelligentman2895 What do you mean not the leader?

[@ozeppeo]

@@jyro6095 I think he wanted to point out that he was the leader of the soviet unio is and not russia

[@jonathanwebster7091]

@@incrediblyintelligentman2895 perhaps not, but you are.

[@flawyerlawyertv7454]

That's what I had wondered. Thanks!

[@ntamsma]

The Age of Napoleon podcast does a great job on this whole thing.

[@ilcampigiano5502]

Before turning to France, the Republic of Genoa had proposed the Corsica sale to the Grand Duke of Tuscany who had however declined the offer

[@michielpetitjean6891]

As a Belgian, I do appreciate the fact that in 2:20 you changed our national motto to 'waffles are delicious' in Dutch!

[@billhanna2148]

Only channel on KZbin that has credits as nearly awesome as the content 👏👏👏👏 Thank you 🙏 ..the McWhopper .. Scottish Trekkie .. spinning 3 plates ... James Bissinette To name a few

[@jamesbissonette4438]

Bissonette

[@billhanna2148]

@@jamesbissonette4438 I ..we can not thank you 🙏 enough for your excellent taste of a pithy succinct KZbin history channel to support 👏👏👏👏

[@goldnile718]

You ask all the right questions sir

[@Awesomewithaz]

Corsica: "you can't control me" Genoa: "Okay. France you want this?" Corsica: "Oh fuck."

[@Boretheory]

no france forced Genoa a bit like a french student of da Vinki sold the Mona lisa to their king even though the painting wasn't his ....

[@solwen]

@@Boretheory But Da Vinci finished it in France because he took refuge there after having been banned from Italy. And he was the protégé of the king of France. It's only justice that that painting ended in Paris.

[@GB-ko8cv]

@@solwen ''I give u food and bed u give me paintz'' justice

[@solwen]

@@GB-ko8cv "I give you shelter from the Italians who banished you and house you in the royal castle. I pay you handsomely for nothing. I consider you as my spiritual father and keep you in my close entourage for years. And after all that i buy one of the painting you had brought with you in exile. A painting that you finished in France" This is 100% legit. Next time, my Italian friends, don't chase away one of your genius.

[@Boretheory]

@@solwen that’s not chasing away it was the system that when a faction was defeated their members were kicked out. He was more than free of serving other cities like he did. Second thing he left paintings to the French yes but the Mona Lisa wasn’t on the list and it wasn’t even finished unlike what you said. There were multiple versions of the Mona Lisa that’s why Italy has 3 other copies ( one found a month ago hidden in one of our thousands museum’s storages). Da Vinci wasn’t French exactly like Petrarca wasn’t, the difference is that Petrarca actively refused anything that the French gived him outside of working for the Pope in Avignone, while Da Vinci was more open. He didn’t consider himself French. You guys have to stop with this Balkan-like behaviour towards our ppl. We’re our own thing. Also the French king can say the fuck he want but the painting wasn’t finished or left to him one of his scholars selling it was makes it even more clear. The painting wasn’t even for the French it was of an Italian women for his Italian husband.

[@ThisGuitarIsAWeapon]

Can i just pop in and say that if these digestible, accurate, and pertinent videos on world history were consumed on a large scale that the world would be a measurably better place? Thanks for what you do.

[@jockmackay9582]

Pipe down nob jockey

[@ThisGuitarIsAWeapon]

@@jockmackay9582 🤣

[@morsecode980]

I remember when I wrote a fan-script for this exact question in one of your comment sections a while back 😂

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

Nice video.

[@lucianoosorio5942]

Corsica: We’re declaring independence. Genoa: Hey France do you want to buy this island? France: Sure thing. Narrator: Just in time for Napoleon to be born French. Corsicans: Go home French soldiers. Young Napoleon: Yeah they said it. Carlo Bonaparte: I embrace my French bros. Young Napoleon: Oh look at me I’m dad. I wear powdered wigs, silverbuckle shoes and I’m a traitor to the Corsican people. Carlo: Go to your room Napoleon! Napoleon: No you go to your room dad! Carlo: Ok

[@Boretheory]

and the Napoleon does the same shit of his father without the fighting for his ppl part XD

[@roderickstockdale1678]

@@Boretheory a complete house boy

[@carlogrignaschi8773]

«Siamo Còrsi per nascita e sentimenti, ma prima di tutto ci sentiamo Italiani per lingua, costumi e tradizioni... E tutti gli Italiani sono fratelli e solidali davanti alla Storia e davanti a Dio... Come Còrsi non vogliamo essere né servi e né "ribelli" e come Italiani abbiamo il diritto di essere trattati uguale agli altri Italiani... O non saremo nulla... O vinceremo con l'onore o moriremo con le armi in mano... La nostra guerra di liberazione è santa e giusta, come santo e giusto è il nome di Dio, e qui, nei nostri monti, spunterà per l'Italia il sole della libertà.» (Pasquale Paoli a Napoli nel 1750[1

[@carlosalvarez4641]

You missed why they ended up speaking french, would be a nice addition :-) Super nice summary, thanks!

[@ssnyder1513]

I'll be honest, I'm just here for the humor, I love it!!

[@sibou2b]

Holy Sh*t i'm a huge fan of this serie and i'm living in Corsica XD gg buddy that excatly what happend .... Tons of back & forth :)

[@josephd.5524]

St. Pierre and Miquelon would be an interesting 'Why do they exist' video, I feel. If just because it was very recently I discovered that there is a tiny archipelago belonging to France just south of Newfoundland.

[@CosmicCreeper99]

Just finished watching Oversimplifieds Napoleonic Wars when he was on Genoa. The History Gods are looking over me!

[@raz4355]

Nice Video

[@kentwang44]

At 1:03 there's a hole in the map of France. I think it's Avignon, which was a papal territory. That's a fascinating story for another video.

[@Mr.Nobody01211]

2:20 Stroopwafel is actually a treat from Dutch origin, but I like where you're going :)

[@Boretheory]

yummy

[@moneyboy4754]

I just love the notification popping up

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

Napoleon Bonaparte was a very typical Corsican, of Italian heritage and grew up speaking Italian and Corsican. French was his third language and he never lost his Corsican accent.

[@Wade_Tyler]

Great video. Maybe you could talk about New Caledonia next and why that country is part of France.

[@Connor-iy8sw]

You should do one on France owning St. Pierre and Miquelon which is 20km from Canada. Fun fact too Canada is officially closer to France then the UK is (at the time of this comment if something changes in the future)

[@x-a-]

The island just got invaded by Canadian escapes prisonners

[@paul_9383]

FINALY someone talk about Corsica !

[@JDubs1464]

Oh History Matters I enjoy EVERY episode

[@cyclonegames9215]

Corsica was owned by a bank? You can’t give us a bread crumb like that and not delve deeper!

[@zacharyelliott7161]

Which raises the obvious question, why?

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

@@zacharyelliott7161 i read it in his voice

[@jamesbissonette4438]

Well its my ancestors

[@sticktheok]

if i remember correctly, after Ottoman conquest of Constantinople Genoa gave many of their colonies to the bank of St George. Again correct me if i’m wrong but i think this was an attempt to not have their black sea colony taken over or something.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@sticktheok St George, patron saint of Genoa and England. and banker

[@FastTquick]

I would love to see videos on why France owns Guiana, Polynesia, Mayotte and other current French possessions.

[@skiteufr]

They voted or chose to stay with us.

[@merouln700]

Those places had more pros than cons to stay with France. The biggest advantage was getting french citizenship. Although the relationship between France and its overseas territories is fairly complex. French Polynesia, for example, is an overseas autonomous region, whereas Guiana (or Guyane as we call it) is an overseas department. Mayotte was an overseas territory that became an overseas department.

[@pierren___]

Imperialism

[@no3ironman11100]

We saw good reason to willingly stay as part of france for the most part. People were heavily mixed already, with plenty of europeans having mingled with indians, chinese and africans over various colonies.

[@slook7094]

Colonialism. Duh. They're considered as much a part of France as Corsica, although Polynesia has some autonomy.

[@jaguarstar7426]

I was literally wondering this last night

[@lordnihilus3198]

As a Dutch person: yes, stroopwafels are lovely, thanks for adding the details

[@BobbyBaratheon998]

Corsica: *gets annexed by France* Napoleon in the womb: everything is proceeding exactly as I have forseen

[@dee-jh3bl]

History matters: why does x territory.... The British: let me introduce myself

[@Davemodo]

Thanks!

[@xirtus]

This is funny. Corsica has been on my mind for weeks and now your most recent video regards Corsica. I think your audience could do with a 30 minute video on Corsica. It's almost Southparkian to reduce Corsica's intricate history to a matter of seconds. I feel like I just watched Coruscant explode from the Death Star.

[@ivanf.482]

Love from Italy to our Corsican brothers ❤️

[@tommasofriz2339]

As an Italian, I’m not used to seeing an island about Sardinia, it just looks weird for some reason

[@ronaldwhite1730]

thank you

[@mr.boomguy]

Rarely have I seen a island swapped That frequently throughout history. I've heard of one that are swarped ceremoniously every 6 months, but not one because of conflict (wich I guessed was the reason for this one, but not to that extent)

[@xb70valkyriech]

I know James Bissonette is important, but can we get some recognition for Spinning 3 Plates too?

[@himthatis6698]

yes 🍽🍽🍽 (the closest emoji there is)

[@jamesbissonette4438]

He is Rival

[@xsXRevanXsx]

Another episode of “I didn’t ask to know this, but I am glad I got it”

[@tysvensson1352]

Hey hey, do you guys think you can make a video about why the Holy Roman Empire revolves around Vienna at its beginning - was it simply closer to the wealth of the ancient Roman’s- what were the economic difference between north and south at the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire - love the videos

[@stephenandersen4625]

Just visited Corsica. Outstanding place

[@casper_z1259]

I always find it funny how so many people you identify as being quintessentially part of a country's identity are actually foreigners. Napoleon is Corsican (Italian), Charles V of HRE is Spanish, Catherine the Great is German, Stalin is Georgian, Hitler and Marie Antoinette are Austrian, Alexander Hamilton is from the Caribbean, the Bourbons of Spain are French, and the Windsors of England are German.

[@EmmettMcFly55]

I would call Charles V more Dutch (Dutch as in the entire Netherlands, north and south, including modern Belgium) than Spanish. And I would say that him not being associated with one specific country is a key part of his reputation, much like a key part of Marie Antoinette's is her being hated for being a foreigner.

[@casper_z1259]

@@EmmettMcFly55 Yeah, I think he was born somewhere in Flanders and seems to have been closer to his Germanic roots. But I attribute him to Spain since he was the first true king of Spain and grandchild to the famous Catholic Monarchs, as well as his becoming HRE and his numerous Hapsburg campaigns being funded from the New World riches coming in through Seville. Even the most famous unit of his army, the tercio, was a Spanish contingency with Spain also still fresh off the Reconquista identity which they capitalized on its momentum and reformed it into the conquest of the Maya and the Inca. The whole 16th century itself is even referenced as the Siglo de Oro much like the 19th century/Victorian Age is synonymous with Britain.

[@EmmettMcFly55]

@@casper_z1259 Yeah, I guess that from a Spanish perspective he would be a very significant monarch, and his son was definitely raised in Spain and grew up to feel Spanish, but from my own Dutch perspective at least we never saw Charles V as a "Spanish" king (unlike Philip II). Didn't he famously not spend more than two years in the same country for most of his reign? And the Maya and Inca conquests weren't ones he was personally involved with, unlike dealing with the Reformation in Germany or fighting the French in Italy and on the Franco-Southern Netherlands border. (There's an interesting contrast here with his brother Ferdinand, who actually *was* raised in Spain but later lead the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg.)

[@casper_z1259]

@@EmmettMcFly55 It makes sense why he would spend more time outside of Spain itself. The New World was still "new" and economically not as significant when it came to markets unlike the urban, densely populated, civilized, and proximal centers of Western Europe, particularly that area around the low countries between France and the HRE. My point I guess is that he is both foreign and indigenous. His mother was 100% Spanish, and his enormous power base would have not been available to him without Spanish military prowess and New World gold. Also, while the title of HRE was coveted and more prestigious than say a mere king, as king of Spain he had more authority over a real nation state than simply being an elected monarch over a million petty kingdoms with their own autonomy and agendas. His homeland, the Netherlands and even southern Italy were under the Spanish Crown at the time much like how Puerto Rico is part of the US today despite the cultural differences, and Austria would be the closest thing to a real country he held direct sovereign power other than Spain itself.

[@konglight4070]

Tbf, I don't find this thing with european monarchs to be as impressive. They married other noble families all the time and constantly changed countries based on that.

[@rubber924]

Can we have one in St Pierre and Miquelon? It's off the coast of Canada but still belongs to the French. Or is it literally just that? Nothing exciting, just was never a thought.

[@slook7094]

During decolonization, they decided to stay. So France promoted them from colonies (like the way we treat Puerto Rico) to full parts of France.

[@MIJosueyTV]

I Just Love it when I get a notification … has subscribed to you or … has liked ❤️

[@yannickdrmda5295]

Corsica should be world famous for its cold cuts omg, a must.

[@EsShinkai02]

France: Can I have a Mediterranean island? Also France: Of Corsican!

[@quidam_surprise]

Of corse* 😉

[@cv4809]

Nice

[@Boretheory]

@@cv4809 that's the city of Garibaldi... can we get that back?

[@1000eau]

@@Boretheory no

[@wertyuiopasd6281]

Ofcorse 😂😂

[@Ayush-wu4nz]

Actually Napoleon was born here just after some time France owned it, and he studied in France where he was bullied for corsican accent

[@nickirsel682]

Love the attention for detail at 2:21 “stroopwafels zijn heerlijk” which means “stroopwafels”, a dutch snack of some sort, “are delicious.”

[@ToothpikcOriginal]

Finally an answer to an obscure question I actually asked :D