Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy

play by Schiller

Also known as: “Die Verschwörung des Fiesko zu Genua”

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June 26, 2026

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Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy is a republican tragedy by Friedrich Schiller, written in 1783. The play is based on the historical conspiracy of Gian Luigi Fieschi the Younger against the powerful Doria family in 16th-century Genoa.12

The drama explores themes of ambition and the struggle for power. Fieschi, a nobleman from a prominent Genoese family, plots to overthrow Andrea Doria, who controlled Genoa and aligned himself with the Holy Roman emperor. Fieschi's conspiracy, however, ultimately fails, leading to his death by drowning and the confiscation of his family's estates. Schiller's play examines the rise and fall of a would-be dictator, portraying ambition in action and its ultimate defeat.132

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Friedrich Schiller
Early years and plays
…des Fiesko zu Genua (1783; Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy), subtitled “a republican tragedy”: the drama of the rise and fall of a would-be dictator, set in 16th-century Genoa, picturing, in Schiller’s own phrase, “ambition in action, and ultimately defeated.”
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…des Fiesko zu Genua (1783; Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy), subtitled “a republican tragedy”: the drama of the rise and fall of a would-be dictator, set in 16th-century Genoa, picturing, in Schiller’s own phrase, “ambition in action, and ultimately defeated.”
Read More