Luigi Córti

Count Luigi Córti, dating unknown

Luigi Conte Córti (also: Count Luigi Córti) (born October 24, 1823 in Gambarana in Piedmont ; † February 18, 1888 in Rome ) was an Italian diplomat and politician. From March 26 to October 19, 1878 he was Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Italy in the Cairoli cabinet .

Life

Family and education

Córti grew up with his brother Alfonso, who was one and a half years older, in a noble family in the Kingdom of Sardinia . After completing a degree in mathematics at the University of Pavia in 1842, he initially entered the diplomatic service in his home country as a volunteer . During the first Italian War of Independence in 1848 he volunteered for the artillery of Sardinia-Piedmont and was made a lieutenant during the campaign.

Diplomatic career

After the end of the war, Córti returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1848. In 1850 he was transferred to London as legation secretary , where he stayed until the end of 1863 and was promoted to legation councilor during these years . He took up his first post as Head of Mission in January 1864 as Minister Resident in Stockholm , the next positions were - as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister from January 1867 in Madrid , from April 1869 in The Hague , from February 1870 in Washington, DC and from August 1875 in Constantinople . Here he was promoted to "Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister First Class" in January 1877, before being transferred to London in December 1885. During his time in Constantinople he participated in several international conferences as a representative of Italy:

• Berlin Congress 1878
• Conference on Montenegro in Constantinople 1880
• Conference on Greece in Constantinople 1881
• Conference on Egypt in Constantinople 1882.

The negotiations and the conclusion of the Mediterranean Agreement in February 1887 were the last significant political and diplomatic achievement of Córtis, who was recalled and retired from London in October of that year as a result of a change of government in Rome.

Political views and political careers

Insofar as Córti took part in the political life of Italy, which rarely happened because of his stays abroad, he took conservative positions in domestic affairs and advised caution in foreign affairs, as he was aware of Italy's weakness compared to the other major European powers . In particular, he referred to the need for friendly relations with Austria-Hungary and the German Empire if Italy wanted to pursue an active policy in the Mediterranean region. He was therefore one of the supporters of the Triple Alliance . At the beginning of his tenure as foreign minister he was appointed senator for life. After his return from the Berlin Congress, his cautious foreign policy led to the fact that he was whistled and mocked on the streets of Rome by irredentists who accused him of not having received any compensation for the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria. Since his head of government Francesco Crispi himself belonged to the irredentist tendency, he received no official support, whereupon he took the next opportunity to resign and return to his post in the Ottoman Empire .

Honors

In Rome, Chivasso and Livorno there is a "Via Luigi Córti" in his memory.

Web links

Commons : Luigi Corti  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} article "CORTI, Luigi" in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani , Volume 29, 1983., accessed on March 17, 2016.
2. ↑ Entry 'CORTI Luigi "on the website of the Italian Senate.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

predecessor	Office	successor
	Italian envoy to Sweden from 1864 to 1866
Filippo di Bella Caracciolo	Italian envoy to Spain from 1867 to 1869	Marcello Cerruti
	Italian envoy to the Netherlands from 1869 to 1870
Marcello Cerruti	Italian envoy to the United States from 1870 to 1875	Alberto Blanc
Raffaele Ulisse Barbolani	Italian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire 1875 to 1878	Francesco Galvagna
Costantino Nigra	Italian Ambassador to the United Kingdom 1885 to 1888	Tommaso Catalani