Jacques Pierre Abbatucci
Encyclopedia
Jacques Pierre Abbatucci (Geacoms Petro Abbatucci) (7 September 1723, Zicavo
, Corsica - 11 March 1813, Ajaccio
) was a Corsican who became an officer in the army of Genoese Corsica, ancien regime France and the First French Republic.
Jacque Pierre's grandson Jacques Pierre Abbatucci
was a government minister during the French Second Empire
, before graduating with a doctorate in medicine from the university of Padua
in 1746. He moved back to Corsica where in 1753, after the assassination of François Gaffori
, he became an advisor to Petreto
, lieutenant-general of the Piève
militia in Ornano, Istria, Rocca and Talavu. The situation on the island at that time was very tense - Genoa
was trying desperately to hold onto the island, but the departure of the French troops commanded Cursay put this in a perilous situation. In 1755 Pascal Paoli was elected general of the Corsicans by 16 of the 66 pievi or provinces, with the four southern pievi (including Abbatucci's) joining him in 1757. Abbatucci was elected lieutenant general of the south of the island in 1763, in what was effectively an internal coup within the Corsica militias. This led to his arrest and imprisonment at Corte
by Paoli from November 1763 to May 1764, after which he was banished. Even so he remained on Corsica until 1766, before leaving for Tuscany
.
In 1766 Paoli made Abbatucci general of the south of Corsica. In October 1768 he fought Chauvelin
's forces in the battle of Borgo
, before stopping Grandmaison and relieving Narbonne. After defeat at the battle of Ponte Novu
, Abbatucci covered Paoli's retreat, then swore allegiance to the king of France.
on 6 September 1789.
On the French Revolution
, he was elected colonel general of the National Guard
of the southern Piève before being retired. He then became maréchal de camp on 1 March 1791 at the head of the guards of the two Corsican cantons, where he fought off Geneoese threats to Corsican independence. Beaten in the elections to the National Convention
in 1793, he remained on Corsica and with the représentants sent by the Convention
organised the resistance to the British attempts to retake Corsica called in by Pascal Paoli. After their defeat at the siege of Toulon by Napoleon Bonaparte
, another Corsican, the British captured Saint-Florent
in February 1794, then laid Siege to Bastia
in May. Abbatucci took part in the Defence of Calvi against the British, negotiating for the stronghold's surrender with full military honours in August and being repatriated to Toulon by the British.
In 1794 he was made a général de division in the armée de Rhin et Moselle, with whom he fought in all its operations. He was finally made a général de brigade on 17 December 1795 in the armée d'Italie under Bonaparte, rising to général de division on 16 April 1796. He was released from campaigning in 1796 due to his age (he was now 73) and was posted to Aix-en-Provence
, where he exercised a command as général de division on Corsica until the end of 1796. His retirement was authorised in December 1796, and so he was discharged in January 1797 and finally retired on 23 September 1800.
Zicavo
Zicavo is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, Corsica - 11 March 1813, 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....
) was a Corsican who became an officer in the army of Genoese Corsica, ancien regime France and the First French Republic.
Family
His father was a Corsican general in the service of the Venetian Republic, who was himself a grandson of the Corsican general Paganelli, known as Zicavo. Jacques Pierre's three sons also served in the French Republican army:- Séverin - died in 1794 at Toulon from wounds received at the battle of Calvi
- Jean CharlesJean Charles AbbatucciJean Charles Abbatucci or Abatucci was a French general during the War of the First Coalition...
- general, died in 1796 at HuningueHuningueHuningue is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace in north-eastern France. Huningue is a northern suburb of the Swiss city of Basel. It also borders Germany . In 2008 it had a population of 6503 people...
. - Antoine - chef de bataillon, died in 1798 during the French invasion of Egypt.
Jacque Pierre's grandson Jacques Pierre Abbatucci
Jacques Pierre Abbatucci (minister)
Jacques-Pierre Charles Abbatucci was a Corsican-born French politician. He was a grandson of Jacques Pierre Abbatucci and a nephew of Charles Abbatucci, both of them generals of the French Revolutionary Wars.-Life:He began his professional life as a lawyer, finally becoming procureur du roi at...
was a government minister during the French Second Empire
Corsica under Genoese rule
He studied at the Jesuit collège in BresciaBrescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, before graduating with a doctorate in medicine from the university of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
in 1746. He moved back to Corsica where in 1753, after the assassination of François Gaffori
François Gaffori
François Antoine Gaffori was a Corsican politician and soldier. He was the son of Jean-Pierre Gaffori, leader of the Corsican resistance to Genoese rule.- Life :...
, he became an advisor to Petreto
Petreto-Bicchisano
Petreto-Bicchisano is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, lieutenant-general of the Piève
Piève
Piève is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
militia in Ornano, Istria, Rocca and Talavu. The situation on the island at that time was very tense - Genoa
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....
was trying desperately to hold onto the island, but the departure of the French troops commanded Cursay put this in a perilous situation. In 1755 Pascal Paoli was elected general of the Corsicans by 16 of the 66 pievi or provinces, with the four southern pievi (including Abbatucci's) joining him in 1757. Abbatucci was elected lieutenant general of the south of the island in 1763, in what was effectively an internal coup within the Corsica militias. This led to his arrest and imprisonment 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:...
by Paoli from November 1763 to May 1764, after which he was banished. Even so he remained on Corsica until 1766, before leaving for Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
In 1766 Paoli made Abbatucci general of the south of Corsica. In October 1768 he fought Chauvelin
François Claude Chauvelin
François Claude Bernard Louis de Chauvelin , marquis de Chauvelin, was a French soldier, diplomat and writer. A correspondent of Voltaire, one of his three children with his wife Agnés Thérèse Mazade d'Argeville was Bernard-François, marquis de Chauvelin.-Life:He served in Italy and Flanders and...
's forces in the battle of Borgo
Battle of Borgo
The Battle of Borgo was a battle between Corsican and French forces over control of the town of Borgo on 8 October 1768.-Prelude:In October 1768, Pascal Paoli tried to recapture U Borgu , where a French force of 700 men under De Ludre was entrenched awaiting reinforcements. During this time...
, before stopping Grandmaison and relieving Narbonne. After defeat at the battle of Ponte Novu
Battle of Ponte Novu
The Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9 1769 between royal French forces under the Comte de Vaux, a seasoned professional soldier with an expert on mountain warfare on his staff, and the native Corsicans under Carlo Salicetti...
, Abbatucci covered Paoli's retreat, then swore allegiance to the king of France.
French army officer
He was immediately made a captain of dragoons with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Corsican legion, before rising to be a full lieutenant colonel in 1770. He consolidated his position by his election to Corsica's Estates then his being made a lieutenant colonel in command of the régiment Provincial-Corse. He also acted as a bandit, notably in the Fium'Orbo, but was implicated in a murder case following false testimony and was arrested in 1779. He was then imprisoned for three years, though the ruling was overturned in 1782 and Abbatucci was declared innocent before the parlement of Aix in 1786. He was made a knight of the Order of Saint LouisOrder of Saint Louis
The 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...
on 6 September 1789.
On the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he was elected colonel general of the National Guard
National 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...
of the southern Piève before being retired. He then became maréchal de camp on 1 March 1791 at the head of the guards of the two Corsican cantons, where he fought off Geneoese threats to Corsican independence. Beaten in the elections to the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
in 1793, he remained on Corsica and with the représentants sent by the Convention
Représentant en mission
During the French Revolution, a représentant en mission was an extraordinary envoy of the Legislative Assembly...
organised the resistance to the British attempts to retake Corsica called in by Pascal Paoli. After their defeat at the siege of Toulon by Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
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...
, another Corsican, the British captured Saint-Florent
Siege of Saint-Florent
The Siege of Saint-Florent took place in February 1794 during the French Revolutionary War when a British force joined with Corsican partisans to capture the French garrison town of Saint-Florent, Corsica....
in February 1794, then laid Siege to Bastia
Siege of Bastia
The Siege of Bastia took place in 1794 during the French Revolutionary War when an allied force of British and Corsicans laid siege to the French town of Bastia. After a six week siege the garrison surrendered due to a lack of supplies owing to a blockade by the Royal Navy...
in May. Abbatucci took part in the Defence of Calvi against the British, negotiating for the stronghold's surrender with full military honours in August and being repatriated to Toulon by the British.
In 1794 he was made a général de division in the armée de Rhin et Moselle, with whom he fought in all its operations. He was finally made a général de brigade on 17 December 1795 in the armée d'Italie under Bonaparte, rising to général de division on 16 April 1796. He was released from campaigning in 1796 due to his age (he was now 73) and was posted to Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, where he exercised a command as général de division on Corsica until the end of 1796. His retirement was authorised in December 1796, and so he was discharged in January 1797 and finally retired on 23 September 1800.