history of elba island p.2

In the 11th century, Elba was invaded by the forces of Al-Mujahid, who, after conquering Balear and Sardinia (1015), also occupied Elba. He held on to it until he was defeated in front of Luni by a united flotilla from Genoa and Pisa. To protect the island from the ever present threat of Saracen pirate invasion, Pisa saw fit to fortify various locations on the island, especially Marciana, Rio and Capoliveri and to reconstruct the fortress of Luceri and Volerraio where formerly stood and Etruscan acropolis.  Pisan rule was never solidified thanks to continued attempts by Genoa to take control of the island, which offered a coveted strategic and commercial position in the center of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With the battle of Meloria, disastrous for Pisa, The Genovese took possession of the island, but after only two years, (1292) they had to cede it back to the Pisans. After alternating successions, which included the war with Florence, Elba, in 1399, became a part of the state of Piombino, Suvereto, Buriano, Scarlino, Vignale, Populonia, Elba, Pianosa and Montecristo. Squeezed by the rivalry between the various powers and by the frequent incursions, the lords of Piombino had to maneuver through a thousand difficulties to maintain their rule, which was repeatedly threatened by Siena and Florence. Elban rule continued to be disputed by Genoa and in 1441 they tried to take possession, and 1448 Alphonse of Aragon tried to take control. During the war for domination between Spain and France, the State of Piombino, not-withstanding its declaration of neutrality, couldn't avoid becoming involved. Elba was used as a naval base, from time to time, by the French forces and by the Spanish forces.  In 1501, Caesar Borgia, known as the Valentine, son of the Pontiff Alexander VI, was forced to exile Giacomo IV Apian, who was able to repossess his State in 1503, only at the death of the Pope. To further solidify his power, Giacomo IV allied himself with Ferdinand il Cattoli, from whom he was able to obtain the title of Captain for the Spanish forces in the kingdom of Naples. And so, he was entrusted with a contingent of troops and a fleet in order to defend his territory. In 1509, to also ensure the protection of Maximilian I of Hapsburg, he had the rule of Piombino elevated to a principality and it was declared a feudal empire. Rudolf II of Hapsburg then ratified this recognition.

During the reign of Giacomo V, the coast and Tuscan islands underwent innumerable Barbarian attacks, especially by Khadir ad-din, known as Red Beard, who had established his lair on the Isle of Palmaiolo. Elba was repeatedly raided and many of the inhabitants were deported as slaves, some of whom were later freed by Charles V, for retaliation attacked and destroyed Tunis. The danger of more attacks continued and to thwart the constant threat of the Saracens, in 1548, Carlo V entrusted the defense to Cosimo I de'Medici, duke of Tuscany, assigning him the domain of Piombino. This assignment was revoked only a year later following the protests of the Regent Duchess Elena Apian of the Genovese and mother to Giacomo VI. The arrangement was modified: the Medici retained control of the area around Portoferraio and the rest of the island went to the Apians. On the ruins of the ancient villages of Fabricia and Ferraia formed by three forts connected by solid and imposing walls, they constructed a stronghold, that, in honor of Cosimo was to be called Cosmopoli, but in the end, was called Portoferraio. By 1734, with extinction of the Apians, the emperor sold the principality of Piombino to Niccolo' Ludovisi, husband of Polissena Apian, and in 1735, Longone and the garrison became a part of the reign of the Bourbons of Naples. After Corsica's succession to the French (1768), England put pressure on Pietro Leopoldo to take possession of Elba, but the Bourbons and the French opposed him. In 1796, on the pretext of protecting the 4000 French royalists, who two years previously took asylum in Portoferraio, the English, following the occupation of Livorno by the Republican troops, embarked on the island. The continued guerilla warfare amongst the French, English, Bourbons and Lorraines kept the situation of the island uncertain until the resolution in 1802 when, with the peace treaty of Amiens, Elba was annexed to the French. A French administration was introduced to the island and the islands of Capraia, Pianosa, Palambaia and Montecristo also fell under French jurisdiction. In the end, the French rule benefited the island by improving the roads, increasing commerce, and noticeably stimulating the economy. The new fiscal system and the institution of land tax, produced great discontent and unbalance, especially amongst the small landholders and, in general, amongst all those who couldn't benefit from maritime commerce. In the area of Capoliveri, the aversion to the French resulted in frequent revolts that often repressed by bloodshed. With the treaty of Fontainebleau (April 11, 1814), Elba and Pianosa were given over to the independent rule of Napoleon. Napoleon held the islands from May 3, 1814 to February 26, 1815 after which they returned to the Grand duchy of Tuscany and thus the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.