Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Giuseppe Maria Fieschi
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quick Facts
Born:
Dec. 13, 1790, Murato, Corsica, Fr.
Died:
Feb. 19, 1836, Paris (aged 45)
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Giuseppe Maria Fieschi

French conspirator
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Giuseppe Maria Fieschi (born Dec. 13, 1790, Murato, Corsica, Fr.—died Feb. 19, 1836, Paris) was a French republican conspirator who on July 28, 1835, unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate King Louis-Philippe.

As a youth Fieschi served in the Neapolitan army. After returning to Corsica, he was imprisoned for theft for 10 years, from 1816 to 1826. Making his way to Paris after the July Revolution of 1830, he obtained government employment under the name Gérard. Apparently he also served for a time as a secret police agent among the Bonapartists. Later, however, he made contact with the republicans of the Société des Droits de l’Homme (Society for the Rights of Man), and with two of its members, Pierre Morey and Pierre Pépin, he contrived an “infernal machine” of 25 guns that could be discharged simultaneously. They fired the device at Louis-Philippe as he passed Fieschi’s lodging on the Boulevard du Temple on his way to a review of the troops. The king and his sons escaped injury, but 18 persons were killed and many others wounded. The conspirators were guillotined.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.