François Gaffori
Encyclopedia
François Antoine Gaffori (14 August 1744, Corte
- February 1796, Corte) was a Corsican politician and soldier. He was the son of Jean-Pierre Gaffori, leader of the Corsican resistance to Genoese
rule.
When Corsica became French, François Gaffori joined the French royal army on 1 September 1769 and was attached to the Corsican legion. The king made him a captain of dragoons, the legion having non-Corsican infantrymen but Corsican infantry officers. Trained at the military school at Tarascon
, he was transferred to the garrison at Libourne
, then Strasbourg
, then back to the garrison at Libourne
. François Gaffori was promoted to major on 16 April 1771. He was put in command of the regiment with the rank of colonel on 23 August 1772 - this new corps was based on Corsica and he took over the duties of the local gendarmerie
In 1788 he was made maréchal de camp and deputy to the island's commander in chief, replacing Armand Charles de la Galissonnière vicomte de Barin. Bastia
was then in turmoil and colonel de Rully (commander of the régiment du Maine) was assassinated on 18 April 1790. The proclamation of the civil constitution of the clergy
also aroused an uprising among the highly religious islanders.
François Gaffori was promoted to general and ordered to suppress the new ideas espoused by the young Bonaparte
. However, he was greeted with disdain and forced to stay away from his friend Bacciocchi, the future prince of Lucca and Piombino and husband of Napoleon's sister Elisa
. Betrayed by Gaffori some years before, Paoli returned to Corsica in 1790 as a result of an amnesty and on seeing him said "So, Gaffori, still just as small" (referring to his small-mindness as well as his small physical stature). Paoli forced Gaffori to leave Corsica with his family to spend some years in Tuscany before returning to the island in 1794 in secret, dying at Corte
in February 1796.
François Gaffori was elected by the nobility, as a supplementary député.
The first two députés opposed the revolution and the two others favoured it, dividing the island in two, with Bastia
favouring the clergy and Ajaccio
(supported by Gaffori's troops) which stirred up the people and high-ranking young people like the Bonaparte brothers and Charles-André Pozzo di Borgo
(1764-1842).
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
- February 1796, Corte) was a Corsican politician and soldier. He was the son of Jean-Pierre Gaffori, leader of the Corsican resistance to Genoese
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
rule.
Life
When his father was assassinated by Roméi at the instigation of the Genoese government, François Gaffori was only nine years old. As a teenager he became a partner-in-arms with his father's successor Pascal Paoli, who made him one of the main leaders of his army's militia components. François Gaffori and Buttafuoco by a stratagem sought and favoured French intervention on Corsica, which strongly displeased Paoli.When Corsica became French, François Gaffori joined the French royal army on 1 September 1769 and was attached to the Corsican legion. The king made him a captain of dragoons, the legion having non-Corsican infantrymen but Corsican infantry officers. Trained at the military school at Tarascon
Tarascon
Tarascon , sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
, he was transferred to the garrison at Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
, then Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, then back to the garrison at Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
. François Gaffori was promoted to major on 16 April 1771. He was put in command of the regiment with the rank of colonel on 23 August 1772 - this new corps was based on Corsica and he took over the duties of the local gendarmerie
In 1788 he was made maréchal de camp and deputy to the island's commander in chief, replacing Armand Charles de la Galissonnière vicomte de Barin. 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....
was then in turmoil and colonel de Rully (commander of the régiment du Maine) was assassinated on 18 April 1790. The proclamation of the civil constitution of the clergy
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government....
also aroused an uprising among the highly religious islanders.
François Gaffori was promoted to general and ordered to suppress the new ideas espoused by the young Bonaparte
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. However, he was greeted with disdain and forced to stay away from his friend Bacciocchi, the future prince of Lucca and Piombino and husband of Napoleon's sister Elisa
Elisa Bonaparte
Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, Princesse Française, Duchess of Lucca and Princess of Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Countess of Compignano was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, making her the younger sister of...
. Betrayed by Gaffori some years before, Paoli returned to Corsica in 1790 as a result of an amnesty and on seeing him said "So, Gaffori, still just as small" (referring to his small-mindness as well as his small physical stature). Paoli forced Gaffori to leave Corsica with his family to spend some years in Tuscany before returning to the island in 1794 in secret, dying at Corte
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
in February 1796.
Marriage and issue
Around 1767 François Gaffori married Maria Apollonia Sansonetta, with whom he had 12 children, including:- Marie-Anne Gaffori, known as la Gafforina, who married Mathieu Buttafuoco, François's old comrade in the Paolist resistance
- François-Louis Gaffori, born around 1770, lawyer, then colonel in the National GuardNational Guard (France)The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
, then procureur impérial to the tribunal of Vico. - Gian Pietro Gaffori, father of François-Xavier Gaffori (1811)1877), bishop of Ajaccio,
- Anne Félicie Gaffori (1784-1807), who in 1799 married Stéphane Tertian (1774-1802), son of Denys Tertian (1745-1818), a doctor who had come to Corsica as surgeon-major to the army
Corsican context
The island had four députés :- Charles-Antoine Peretti della Rocca : Canon and grand vicar of the diocese of Aléria, for the clergy
- Mathieu Buttafuoco : maréchal de camp and knight of the order of saint LouisOrder of Saint LouisThe Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
, for the nobility - Christophe Saliceti : lawyer, for the third estate
- Pierre-Paul Colonna de Cesari-Rocca (1748-1829), captain of the régiment provincial, député for the third estate on Corsica
François Gaffori was elected by the nobility, as a supplementary député.
The first two députés opposed the revolution and the two others favoured it, dividing the island in two, with 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....
favouring the clergy and 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....
(supported by Gaffori's troops) which stirred up the people and high-ranking young people like the Bonaparte brothers and Charles-André Pozzo di Borgo
Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo
Carlo Andrea, count Pozzo di Borgo , was a Corsican politician who became a Russian diplomat.He was born at Alata, near Ajaccio, of a noble Corsican family, four years before the island became a French possession...
(1764-1842).
Honours
- 1780 : Order of Saint LouisOrder of Saint LouisThe Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
- 1784 : Brigadier des armées du roi - honorary peacetime title
Sources
- Miroir de l'Histoire : February 1970 - n°242