Sampieru Corsu Sampieru Corsu or Sampiero Corso ( born Sampiero de Bastelica ; 1498 Bastelica — 17 January 1567 ) was a Corsican soldier , father of the Marshal of France Alphonse d ' Ornano . Early career . Born as a common man ( although his mother was of the lower nobility ) , he became a " condottiero " mercenary at age 14 , serving Giovanni de ' Medici , then Pope Clement VII , and , in 1530 , Ippolito de ' Medici . As of 1535 , Sampieru ' s career was tied to the French House of Valois . He fought successfully for King Francis I , alongside the Chevalier de Bayard , in the Italian Wars ; in 1547 , he acquired the rank of colonel of the mercenary Corsican troops , and , in accordance with usage , became known by his moniker ( indicative of his place of origin ) . The renown ensured his large fortune , and he married the noblewoman Vannina d ' Ornano ( he was 49 , she was just 15 ) . First Corsican expedition . Corsu ' s expertise became most important as France tried to gain the advantage over Habsburg Spain by occupying the strategically located Corsica ( also striking the Republic of Genoa , Spain ' s ally and overlord of the island ) . Henry II appointed Sampieru leader of a military expedition in the area . With French and Ottoman support , he landed on the shores of Corsica in 1553 , and managed to summon a revolt against the Genoese , defeating the troops of Andrea Doria on several occasions . However , the French became preoccupied by the ties established between the new English Queen Mary Tudor and Emperor Charles V . Corsu was recalled in 1555 , and a five - year armistice was signed the next year between France and Genoa , in Vaucelles . Genoa reoccupied Calvi and Bastia , but the rest of the island remained French - under the rule of Giordano Orsini ( " Jourdan des Ursins " , a member of the Orsini family ) . After the French defeat in the battle of St . Quentin of the Habsburg - Valois War ( 1557 ) , and with the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis ( 1559 ) , Corsica was relinquished to Genoa . Although the French negotiators had attempted to keep hold of the island , it was returned to ensure possession of Calais , Metz , Toul , and Verdun . Later life . Sampieru Corsu became governor of Aix - en - Provence in 1560 , then was appointed French envoy to the Porte . While in Istanbul , he left his wife and children in the mansion he owned in Marseille ; the young woman was corrupted by a Genoese spy who had become tutor of their children , Michelangelo Ombrone , and sold off Sampieru ' s assets before embarking for Genoa . Sampieru was warned , and had the vessel intercepted . He judged his wife on the spot , found her guilty , and decided that she was to be strangled by him rather than fall victim to an executioner . A modern legend holds this to have been partial inspiration for William Shakespeare ' s " Othello " . Backed by Catherine de ' Medici , Sampieru returned to Corsica in 1564 , leading a group of Corsicans and Gascon mercenaries . Although initially victorious in several skirmish es , he was soon left without French support , as well as faced with the indifference of the population and the suspicion of the Corsican nobility ( dominant families fled to Genoa ) . The Ornano family placed 2 , 000 ducats on his head , while Genoa offered 4 , 000 . He was ambushed and decapitated by rival Corsican mercenaries - a group which included three of his wife ' s cousins . His head was exposed in Ajaccio . In culture . Corsu is the main character in the opera " Sampiero Corso " by Marseilles - born Henri Tomasi , who was of Corsican descent .