The flag of Corsica (Corsican: bandera di a Corsica) or the Corsican flag (bandera corsa), was adopted by General of the Nation Pasquale Paoli in 1755 and was based on a traditional flag used previously. It portrays a Moor's head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previously, the bandana covered his eyes; Paoli wanted the bandana moved to above the eyes to symbolize the liberation of the Corsican people from the Genoese.
It was used by the Corsican Republic and fell out of usage after 1769, when France forced the island's former Genoese masters to sell it to settle the debts contracted by the Italian maritime republic with France. This was to pay the costs of the French expeditionary corps, which should have helped Genoa to secure its control of Corsica; French troops put down the long-standing rebellion on the island. During this period under French rule, 1769–1789, Corsican patriots again used the version of the flag with blindfolded eyes, as a mark of protest.
