Introduction to Corsican

Corsican is a term that has several uses. When it derives from the Latin word cursus (which can be translated as “race”), it refers to the campaign carried out by a merchant ship that, with the authorization of the government of its country, attacks and loots ships of enemy nations.

Those who carried out this type of action are known as corsairs. According to abbreviationfinder.org, corsairs are often associated with pirates, although corsairs had permission from the authorities to act according to the laws of war. The pirates, on the other hand, were outside the legal framework.

The guarantee that privateers received was called a letter of marque. This document was granted by mayors or monarchs to ship owners so that they could attack the ships of enemy countries and keep their merchandise. Thus, the owner of the ship joined the navy of the territory that granted him the letter of marque.

Spain, England and France are some of the countries that issued letters of marque. The Treaty of Paris, in 1856, abolished such permits, although they continued to be authorized in certain regions.

Nor should we forget the General Ordinance of Corso. It is a document made up of 18 articles that were in charge of regularizing and normalizing the conditions of the artiguista corsairs. Thus, for example, mention is made of the alienation of the prizes, the obligations of the shipowners or the limitation of the action of the aforementioned corsairs in the environment of friendly or neutral ports.

In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of a book entitled precisely “Patent of marque”. It is a work published in 1998, which is a compendium of the best articles written by the journalist and author Arturo PĂ©rez Reverte. Articles that appeared in the Sunday supplement “El Semanal” during the period between 1993 and 1998.

When the concept of Corsican comes from Corsus, it refers to that or that related to the island of Corsica. This island territory that belongs to the French State is located in the Mediterranean Sea. On this island a language called, precisely, Corsican is spoken.

In some areas of South America, on the other hand, the parade of comparsas that takes place within the framework of the carnival celebration is called corso.

Lastly, the Cane Corso is a breed of dog also known as the Italian Mastiff.

It is a bulldog-type dog that is highly valued as a companion dog, guard dog and even as a hunting dog. It has a size between 60 to 68 centimeters, it has a weight that can range between 40 and 50 kilos and its head is wide and square.

There is no single coat of this animal as it can be black, lead gray, fawn red or light fawn, among others. Formerly it was used by farmers with the clear objective of being able to save and protect the animals they had and it has upper lips that hang a little.

Corsican