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Castellorizo (Megisiti)
Overprinted Killing of
Francesco Ferrucci Commemorative

map showing location of Castelrosso
Castellorizo is in the eastern Mediterranean, 125 kilometres
east of Rhodes and 280 kilometres north west of Cyprus.

The Greek island of Castellorizo (officially named Megisti) is located two kilometres off the coast of Turkey. The island passed from British military administration to the Greek government as a result of the Treaties of Paris in 1947. Prior to that, in 1921, the island had been removed from Turkish rule and awarded to Italy as a result of the Treaties Sèvres and Lausanne. British forces occupied the island when Italy surrendered in 1943.

Fabrizio Maramaldo killing Francesco Ferrucci
Overprinted Italian definitive depicting Fabrizio Maramaldo killing Francesco Ferrucci.

Under French military occupation from 1920-1922, thirty-eight stamps were issued for the island with overprints on stamps for French Offices in Turkey or on the stamps of France. An additional thirty-nine stamps were issued between 1920 and 1932, most of which were overprinted Italian stamps. The exception was a set of five stamps depicting a map of Castellorizo and the Italian flag issued in 1923. The stamp depicted above was one in a set of five stamps issued in 1930 commemorating Francesco Ferrucci.

Francesco Ferrucci (1489-1530) was a Florentine military leader, renowned as a courageous soldier and audacious strategist. His exploits were glorified in Fascist Italy to promote militaristic values. His murder, depicted on this stamp, is regarded as the epitome of villainy. After his mercenary forces had decimated the Florentine forces and wounded and captured Ferrucccio, Fabrizio Maramaldo killed Ferruccio himself. The dying man's last words are reputed to have been, "Vile, tu uccidi un uomo morto!" ("Coward, you kill a dead man!").


Bibliography

"Castellorizo." Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue.

"Francesco Ferruccio." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 29 Mar. 2015. Wikimedia Foundation.
     Web. 1 Apr. 2015.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Ferruccio.

"Kastellorizo." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 9 Mar. 2015. Wikimedia Foundation.
     Web. 1 Apr. 2015.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kastellorizo.


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