Prenapoleon History

THE PRENAPOLEONIC HISTORY FROM ELBA ISLAND

In March 1799, French troops were sent from Livorno to occupy Portoferraio. The citizens were initially hostile towards the occupants, but being able to rely on the approval of the governor and the sympathizing Jacobeans, the resistance was soon won. The men of the military sector remaining faithful to the Grand Duke were forced to embark for the continent, while the governor and the Jacobean fringe flaunted cockades and tri-color banners. A patriotic civic party was formed by conscription and the first of April the Tree of Liberty rose in the Piazza d'Arme (today known as Piazza della Republica). Succeeding the provisionary governor of the Republic was Luigi Lambardi, already the French consul in Portoferraio, who was mandated to organize the municipality in accordance with the French laws. Both the administration and the Jacobeans felt isolated and the National Guard had difficulty forming because of lack of volunteers. So with the threat that the evaders would be considered rebels, four companies were finally formed at the cost of City Hall. The citizens were exasperated by the poor behavior of the French troops who obliged the municipality to allow ordinary courts to judge and sentence the military. On the rest of the island, the few French forces met with unexpected resistance and after an ambush at Capoliveri, General Miollis, commander in chief of the troops stationed in Tuscany, arrived on Elba in order to suppress the revolt and ordered the sacking of the town. The attempt to take control of Longone failed because the Napolitan forces had garrisoned the town and supplies were able to arrive from the British by way of the sea and at the same time block to arrival of supplies to the French in Portoferraio. The troops from Longone who were joined by inmates and rebel Elbans drove the French back as far as the walls of Portoferraio devastating the surrounding countryside. After the revolt in Marciana it soon became clear that the French didn't have sufficient force to occupy the island. Monserrat, commander of the military sector of Portoferraio, was forced to surrender signing the truce in the Church of San Rocco in July 1799. Portoferraio was occupied briefly by Napolitan troops while awaiting the return of the Grand Duchy's administration.After Napoleon's victory on the second coalition, the French returned to Tuscany and took control of the entire Elban territory. The strategic value of the island and the constant threat that the English could occupy it, made possession of Elba and its mines more important than ever to the French government. While the commander of the Elban military forces agreed to oppose any new attempt at occupation, an order from the King of Naples arrived in Longone commanding them to peacefully surrender. And so it happened. Fixon, commander in Portoferraio, on orders from the Grand Duke to retreat to Vienna, decided to resist and in May 1801, French troops coming from Corsica embarked on Longone on there way to Portoferraio.

The French Parliament called for surrender, but it was refused. And so began the cannon fire from the French naval squadron and the battery set up in the Grotto. Failing at a land attack and uselessly sending other members of the French parliament, Fixon called for a momentary ceasefire in order to receive orders from Vienna, but in reality he was counting on help from the English. Various fortunate sorties caused a lot of damage to the French batteries that were running low on provisions and munitions and were suffering from malaria caused by their proximity to the swamplands. With British reinforcements joining them in Prtoferraio, Fixon commanded all the citizens to fight to the death. The Peace of Amiens, signed by France and England, came about seven months into the siege, but it was ignored and took another six months until the governor decided to surrender after receiving express orders from the Grand duke Ferdinando III. It was finally in June 1802 that the French garrison could finally enter Portoferraio that was now annexed to France. On July 14, 1802, the Elbans, represented by deputies, were sworn into the French republic and Elba was able to send a representative to Paris. September 3, 1802, a delegation from Elba went to Napoleon to obtain an exemption from paying custom charges, specifically those on wine. They thanked Napoleon for giving them the distinctive benefit of having returned the territory to the French. Napoleon although welcoming them, naturally did not hide his discontent that they did not take part in the hostilities against the Victorious Nation of the French, but rather maintained neutrality that befitted them. A General Commissioner (Briot) was nominated for Elba, Capraia, Pianosa, Plmaiola and Montecristo. Where it was possible, French law was modified according to local usage and the ports were exempt from customs duty. The military commander Rusca, originally from Piemonte, earned the esteem of the Elbans and so consequently the Corsican commissioner Galeazzini to who is owed the construction of bridges and roads on the island. Communication with the mainland was also increasing and so the postal service became more efficient. The French also thought about creating a method of extracting and working articulated iron in centers situated on the shores of the Mediterranean, but the didn't carry it out. In 1804 carried out a vote to proclaim Napoleon Emperor of France and out of 4587 votes, 4487 were favorable. In 1809, Elba became an under prefecture and was joined to the Department of the Mediterranean. The French judicial system was applied and the Napoleonic Code. The primary schools were under the charge of the municipalities, while the secondary schools could also be privately held. The clergy fell under the diocese of Ajaccio and the priests were able to continue teaching by conforming to the public school program. Every year ten students were chosen from the most deserving or from children of public functionaries to attend the French high school. In Portoferraio, the French domination also meant the return to working on the fortifications adhering to more modern standards, that provided for a defensive ring including Fort Saint Cloud at the mouth of the port to the English Fort Saint Hilaire and up to the small fort on Mount Albero. Amongst the French military to be remembered is Leopold Hugo, father of celebrated author Victor, who vacationed in Portoferraio as a child staying in a house on Via Buongusto, which today is known as Via Garibaldi.