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The Great Corsican Revolt, or the Corsican Wars of Independence (sometimes called the "Forty Years War"), was a series of rebellions on the island of Corsica against the Republic of Genoa from 1729, until 1769. The original goal of the rebellion was to overthrow Genoese rule of the island, and to replace it with suzerainty of a different foreign power (such as Spain, or Sardinia). This changed, however, when a minor German noble, Theodore von Neuhoff, offered to aid the rebels if they would make him their king. When this venture failed, the Corsicans continued to fight for their indepencence.

After a few years of minor resistance, Pasquale Paoli, the son of a Corsican nationalist, returned to his homeland from exile, and drove the Genoese from the Island. He established a modern republic based on the principles of the enlightenment. The Genoese sold their claim of the Island to France to settle their debts, and the French conquered the island. Paoli fled to London, where he was revered as a hero.

When he finally returned during the French Revolution, Corsica had a small, three-way civil war between Corsican Nationalists, Monarchists, and the Jacobins (led by a young Napoleon Bonaparte. Using his London connections, Paoli drove out the French with the help of the British, and established the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. This only lasted for a couple years, until the British left Corsica, and it was occupied by the French once again.

The Corsican Revolution is notable for it's role as the first of the Atlantic Revolutions. It was the first time that the ideas of the Englightenment were applied to Constitutionalism, and predated the American Revolution, and the French Revolution in this respect. It was also an early example of universal suffrage, and the Republic of Corsica was one of the first nations to allow women to vote. It was a minor theater during the War of Austrian Succession, in the aftermath of the Seven Years War, and the Conquest of Corsica was an important cause in the fall of the Grafton Ministry. The revolt, its ideals, and Corsican patriotism were instilled in a young Napoleon Bonaparte, and helped to shape much of his early revolutionary spirit.

Background
From the early 16th century, Genoa had served as a junior partner in the Spanish Empire, primarily as a financial backer for Spain's foreign endeavors. When Spain's power, and influence began to wain in the 16th century, Genoa's wealth declined with it. The loss of Chios to the Ottomans, and Spanish losses in Italy following the War of Spanish Succession accelerated the decline of the Republic's trade. Corsica, being one of the Republic's few remaining colonies, provided some income to offset these losses.

http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/18cen/corsica17291732.html

One source of revenue came from firearm licensing on the island; however, the murder rate on the island was exceptionally high. The Genoese sought to disarm the Corsicans, and replace the licensing income with a tax of twelve scudi known as the "due seini", or "two sixes".

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44727?msg=welcome_stranger https://adecec.net/parutions/la-grande-r%C3%A9volte-des-corses-contre-g%C3%AAnes.html

Riots of 1729
In April of 1729, a Genoese tax collector in Bastia came to the home of a destitute widow in an attempt to collect unpaid taxes from her. When she was unable to pay, he began to pillage her home. Her cries attracted the attention of local villagers, who drove the Collector from the town.

An Account of Corsica, Boswell, page 92

Another source claims that the rebellion began when tax collectors attempted to confiscate the property of an old man named Lanfranchi, or "Cardone".

The Rough Guide to Corsica, Page 314

The riot rapidly turned into rebellion, as towns all over the island rose up across the island. The Genoese sent Gerolamo Veneroso.

http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/camillo-tobia-doria_(Dizionario-Biografico)/

Intervention of the Holy Roman Emperor
The Genoese appealed to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, who agreed to send Imperial troops to help quell the rebellion.

Kingdom of Corsica
Theodore von Neuhoff, a German aristocrat and adventurer, agreed to aid the rebels if they would make him their king.

Influence on the American Revolution
Paoli had become famous in Britain, and her colonies, because of the book by James Boswell. The Sons of Liberty were influenced by Paoli, and the Corsican Constitution. They honored him by naming Paoli, Pennsylvania after him. (See also, Battle of Paoli). Samuel Ashe, a politician from North Carolina, named one of his sons after Paoli (Pasquale Paoli Ashe), who later became the namesake for Paoli, Indiana.

Students of King's College, including Founding Father Alexander Hamilton formed a militia unit originally called "The Corsicans", but better known as the Hearts of Oak. The unit eventually evolved into the New York Provincial Company of Artillery, and is today's 5th Field Artillery Regiment, making it one of the oldest Regular Army units in the United States Army.

During the Mediterranean campaign, a few dozen Corsican exiles, lead by Paoli's Nephew, served with the British Army in Menorca, and later helped defend Gibraltar against the Spanish and French.