CASABIANCA, RAPHAEL, COMTE DE (1738-1825), French general, was descended from a noble Corsican family, and in 1793 was appointed lieutenant-general in Corsica in place of Pascale Paoli, who was outlawed for intrigues with England. Af ter the 18th Brumaire he entered the senate and was made count of the empire in 18o6.
His nephew, LOUIS DE CASABIANCA (1762-1798), entered the French navy, and in 1792 was in command of the "Orient," which at the battle of the Nile bore the flag of Admiral Brueys. When the latter was killed, Casabianca, though badly wounded, fought the burning ship to the end, and perished with most of the crew. His son, Giacomo Jocante, a boy of ten years of age, refused to leave the ship and died in trying to save his father. This heroic act was the subject of several poems, including the well-known ballad by Mrs. Hemans.