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102-510: Much of the island's fame is derived from the fact that it provides the title of 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo , by Alexandre Dumas , and is one of the novel's settings. The history of the island begins with the Iron Age . The Etruscans exploited the forests of oak needed to fuel the bloomeries of the mainland where the iron ore of Elba's mines was melted. The Greeks gave Montecristo its oldest known name, Oglasa or Ocrasia , after

204-463: A Bonapartist . Dantès's neighbor, Caderousse, is present; he too is jealous of Dantès, but although he objects to the plot, he becomes too drunk to prevent it. On the day of his wedding, Dantès is arrested, but the cowardly Caderousse stays silent. Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, is Noirtier's son. Knowing that it would destroy his political career for it to be known that his father

306-454: A literary classic today. According to Lucy Sante , " The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of Western civilization's literature." On the day in 1815 when Napoleon escapes from Elba , Edmond Dantès sails the Pharaon into Marseille after the death of the captain, Leclère. The ship's owner, Morrel, will make Dantès the next captain. On his deathbed, Leclère charged Dantès to deliver

408-452: A French nineteen-year-old first mate of the merchant ship Pharaon , is falsely accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If , a grim island fortress off Marseille . A fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, correctly deduces that romantic rival Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate Danglars, and double-dealing magistrate De Villefort are responsible for his imprisonment. Over

510-403: A banker, buys Morrel's debts, and gives him three months' reprieve. At the end of the three months, Morrel is about to commit suicide when he learns that they have been mysteriously paid and that one of his lost ships has returned with a full cargo, secretly rebuilt and laden by Dantès. Dantès reappears nine years later, in 1838, as the mysterious, fabulously wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. Fernand

612-585: A client Spanish state. The island was annexed to the French Empire under Napoleon ; after his fall, it became the possession of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany . The first attempts to colonise Monte Cristo, at the time owned by Charles Cambiagi, were made in 1840 by two German hermits, Augustin Eulhardt and Joseph Keim, who eventually abandoned the attempt. In 1843, other people arrived with the intention of cultivating

714-491: A drug that will give her limited resistance to the poison. Caderousse attempts to rob the Count's house but is caught by "Abbé Busoni" and forced to write a letter to Danglars, exposing "Cavalcanti" as an impostor. When Caderousse leaves the estate, he is stabbed by Benedetto. Caderousse dictates a deathbed statement naming his killer, and the Count reveals his true identity to Caderousse before he dies. The Count anonymously leaks to

816-472: A duel. Benedetto ingratiates himself to Danglars, who betroths his daughter Eugénie to him after canceling her engagement to Albert. Caderousse blackmails Benedetto, threatening to reveal his past if he does not share his newfound wealth. Heloïse begins poisoning members of Villefort's family, intending to ensure that all of the family's wealth will be inherited by her son Édouard, rather than her stepdaughter Valentine; Noirtier secretly begins dosing Valentine with

918-506: A fair number of residents. Pisa had custody of the island after a nearby naval battle victory in 874. In the Middle Ages the island's ownership was disputed by Pisa and Genoa because of its strategic position. In 1238, Genoa sent troops to the island with the pretence that the inhabitants engaged in piracy . The troops destroyed the village and the fortifications built by the Pisans and took

1020-558: A faithfully adapted Manga edition of the classic novel. The first Japanese translation by Kuroiwa Shūroku was entitled "Shigai Shiden Gankutsu-ou" (史外史伝巌窟王, "a historical story from outside history, the King of the Cavern"), and serialized from 1901 to 1902 in the Yorozu Chouhou newspaper, and released in book form in four volumes by publisher Aoki Suusandou in 1905. Though later translations use

1122-500: A maximum security prison to confine Mafia bosses and terrorists of the Red Brigades : Giovanni Senzani, Renato Curcio , Alberto Franceschini , and Bruno Seghetti. Under the article 41-bis prison regime , in May 1977 aircraft and helicopters transferred 600 convicts from all over Italy to Pianosa in only two days. A reinforced concrete wall, six metres high and 3 km (2 mi) long,

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1224-561: A new translation by Robin Buss. Buss' translation updated the language, making the text more accessible to modern readers, and restored content that was modified in the 1846 translation because of Victorian English social restrictions (for example, references to Eugénie's lesbian traits and behavior) to reflect Dumas' original version. In addition to the above, there have also been many abridged translations such as an 1892 edition published by F.M. Lupton, translated by Henry L. Williams (this translation

1326-452: A package to General Bertrand (exiled with Napoleon ), and a letter from Elba to a Bonapartist in Paris named Noirtier. Crewmate Danglars is jealous of Dantès's rapid promotion. On the eve of Dantès's wedding to his Catalan fiancée Mercédès, Danglars meets Fernand Mondego, Mercédès's cousin and a rival for her affections, and Mondego and Danglars hatch a plot to anonymously accuse him of being

1428-523: A particularly gripping television series. Day after day, at breakfast or at work or on the street, people talked of little else. George Saintsbury stated that " Monte Cristo is said to have been at its first appearance, and for some time subsequently, the most popular book in Europe. Perhaps no novel within a given number of years had so many readers and penetrated into so many different countries." This popularity has extended into modern times as well. The book

1530-581: A rich Englishman named George Watson-Taylor bought Montecristo and transformed Cala Maestra into a garden, planting eucalyptus and many exotic plants, among them the Asiatic Ailanthus altissima , an invasive species which now infests the island. The few modern buildings of Montecristo, such as the Royal Villa, date from this period. The island was then purchased by the Italian government on 3 June 1869 for

1632-471: A right wing Albanian expatriate organization known as the Bloku Kombetar Independent led by activist Alush Leshanaku, according to Shyqri Bicaku, an Elbasan native, who underwent training; Bicaku was also taught to use a field radio and became so proficient he was hired on to instruct secret agents from Romania to use the radio for their October, 1951 covert parachute drop into Romania's mountains;

1734-489: A speculator, amassed a fortune, married a wealthy widow, and became a baron. Fernand served in the French Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Dantès rewards Caderousse with a diamond. Later, Caderousse negotiates the sale of the diamond to a jeweler, but kills the jeweler to keep both the diamond and the money; he is eventually arrested and sentenced to the galleys . To rescue Morrel from bankruptcy, Dantès poses as

1836-465: A spy on behalf of England in a period of wars between France and England. Picaud was placed under a form of house arrest in the Fenestrelle Fort , where he served as a servant to a rich Italian cleric. When the cleric died, he left his fortune to Picaud, whom he had begun to treat as a son. Picaud then spent years plotting his revenge on the three men who were responsible for his misfortune. He stabbed

1938-472: A subspecies also present in southern Italy, and today considered introduced by humans) and Discoglossus sardus , an amphibian found only in a couple of islands in Tuscany and Sardinia. An endemic subspecies of lizard , Podarcis muralis calabresiae , thrives on the island. Montecristo is also a resting place for thousands of migratory birds and is home to large colonies of seabirds (particularly relevant

2040-542: A time. The state nature reserve Isola di Monte Cristo is a biogenetic reserve of 1,039 hectares established in 1971 by ministerial decree to protect the unique nature of the island. Today it belongs to the Tuscan Archipelago National Park . It was also awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas in 1988, and recognized as a site of pan-European interest. Visitors face a number of restrictions. It

2142-468: Is Cala Maestra , on the northwest side. The island has plentiful water resources. The island of Montecristo, like all the islands of the archipelago, has a mild climate, with a constant sea breeze, much sunshine, and very little rainfall (average annual values much lower than 500 mm (20 in)); the climate is characterised by mild and moderately rainy winters and summers that are hot and dry, but sometimes very muggy. The conditions that restricted

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2244-513: Is a Bonapartist, he destroys the letter and silences Dantès by sentencing him without trial to life imprisonment. After six years of solitary imprisonment in the Château d'If , Dantès is on the verge of suicide when another prisoner, the Abbé Faria, an Italian scholarly priest, digs an escape tunnel that by mistake ends in Dantès's cell. The Abbé helps Dantès deduce the culprits of his imprisonment. Over

2346-415: Is about 10.25 km (3.96 sq mi) in area, with a coastal perimeter of 26 km (16 mi). In Roman times, the island was named Planasia (plain) because of its flatness – its highest point stands at 29 m (95 ft) above sea level . It is a triangular-shaped land mass 14 km (9 mi) south-west of Elba and is a frazione of the municipality of Campo nell'Elba . Pianosa

2448-605: Is also mentioned in the Pléiade edition of this novel, and it probably served as a model for the chapter of the murders inside the Villefort family. The introduction to the Pléiade edition mentions other sources from real life: a man named Abbé Faria existed, was imprisoned but did not die in prison; he died in 1819 and left no large legacy to anyone. As for Dantès, his fate is quite different from his model in Peuchet's book, since that model

2550-537: Is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas ( père ) serialized from 1844 to 1846. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers . Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet . The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839:

2652-560: Is left with a ruined reputation and 5,000,000 francs he has been holding in deposit for hospitals. The Count demands this sum to fulfill their credit agreement, and Danglars embezzles the hospital fund. He flees to Italy with the Count's receipt for the cash and 50,000 francs of his own, and is reimbursed the 5,000,000 francs from the Count's own bank account. While leaving Rome, he is kidnapped by Luigi Vampa. The bandits extort Danglars's ill-gotten gains out of him by forcing him to pay exorbitant prices for food and water; Dantès anonymously returns

2754-538: Is murdered by the "Caderousse" of the plot. The Count of Monte Cristo was originally published in the Journal des Débats in eighteen parts. Serialization ran from 28 August 1844 to 15 January 1846. The first edition in book form was published in Paris by Pétion in 18 volumes with the first two issued in 1844 and the remaining sixteen in 1845. Most of the Belgian pirated editions, the first Paris edition and many others up to

2856-542: Is not allowed; there is also a small heliport for emergencies. To visit the island, one must apply for access at the Forestry Corps in Follonica. Visitors with basic authorization must stay at Cala Maestra, and can visit only the Royal Villa, the botanical garden, and the museum. The waiting list for access is long, since the limit for visitors has been set at only 1,000 per year. The average waiting time for approval to visit

2958-420: Is not possible to stay overnight, and swimming, and surfing are prohibited within 1 kilometer of the coast. It is possible to cruise within three miles (4.8 km) of the coast, but fishing is not allowed. Access by sea is possible only at Cala Maestra (where the seabed is sandy) and with an approach course perpendicular to the coast; it is possible to dock at the pier or tie up against a buoy, but dropping anchor

3060-417: Is now the Count de Morcerf, Danglars a baron and banker, and Villefort a procureur du roi ('royal prosecutor'). In Rome, at Carnival time, Dantès befriends Viscount Albert de Morcerf, the son of Mercédès and Fernand. He arranges for Albert to be captured by the bandit Luigi Vampa, and "rescues" the boy, earning his trust. Albert introduces the Count to Parisian high society . Dantès, in his guise as

3162-554: Is popular in Japan, and has spawned numerous adaptations, the most notable of which are the novels Meiji Gankutsu-ou by Taijirou Murasame and Shin Gankutsu-ou by Kaitarō Hasegawa . Its influence can also be seen in how one of the first prominent cases of miscarriage of justice in Japan, in which an innocent man was charged with murder and imprisoned for half a century, is known in Japanese as

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3264-548: Is rich in fish because the coast was unapproachable for a long time, while today National Park regulations forbid fishing. Grouper , dory , dentex , moray , crawfish and many other species of fish inhabit the seas around the island. The island was first inhabited in the Upper Palaeolithic , the Later Stone Age , but when in 5000 BC the sea level rose and reached the current level, the few inhabitants took refuge on

3366-537: Is set mostly on Pianosa, at a fictional United States Army Air Forces bomber base during World War II . Heller notes at the beginning of Catch-22 that the real Pianosa is too small to "accommodate all the actions described." One obvious difference is that Heller's "Pianosa" has a small community of Italian villagers, unlike the real island. Heller had been stationed on Corsica between May 1944 and December 1944, and flew 60 combat missions in B-25 Mitchell bombers as

3468-560: Is the fifth biggest island of the Tuscan Archipelago and the only one to be formed out of sedimentary rock of the Neogene and Quaternary ; such fossils as echinoderms , mollusca and bryozoa of the Pliocene are frequently found. The vegetation consists mainly of Mediterranean species as lentisco , fennel , juniper , rosemary and Pinus halepensis , which was introduced on

3570-462: Is three years, and priority is given to scientific expeditions, associations, and schools. Tours take place only on three existing trails, all of which are very challenging. [REDACTED] Media related to Montecristo island at Wikimedia Commons 42°20′N 10°19′E  /  42.333°N 10.317°E  / 42.333; 10.317 The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo )

3672-580: The Cultural Revolution . Since then, there have been another 22 Chinese translations. The original work was published in serial form in the Journal des Débats in 1844. Carlos Javier Villafane Mercado described the effect in Europe: The effect of the serials, which held vast audiences enthralled ... is unlike any experience of reading we are likely to have known ourselves, maybe something like that of

3774-715: The Lécrivain et Toubon illustrated edition of 1860 feature a misspelling of the title with "Christo" used instead of "Cristo". The first edition to feature the correct spelling was the L'Écho des Feuilletons illustrated edition, Paris 1846. This edition featured plates by Paul Gavarni and Tony Johannot and was said to be "revised" and "corrected", although only the chapter structure appears to have been altered with an additional chapter entitled La Maison des Allées de Meilhan having been created by splitting Le Départ into two. The first appearance of The Count of Monte Cristo in English

3876-436: The yelkouan shearwater , as of 2012 critically endangered on the island). The island also hosts the only Italian population of wild goats . The sea environment is quite rich: there are seagrass meadows , sea anemones , sea fans , corals and moonfishes . Until the 1970s the Mediterranean monk seal was also to be found, a critically endangered species that has become extremely rare in Italian waters. Endemic species include

3978-452: The yellowish colour of the rocks. The Romans, however, knew it under the name Mons Jovis ("Mount Jupiter"), and erected an altar to Iuppiter Optimus Maximus on the highest mountain, of which some traces remain. During the imperial age, the Romans opened some quarries to extract granite , perhaps used in the construction of villas on the islands of Giglio , Elba , and Giannutri . Around

4080-464: The "Yoshida Gankutsu-ou incident" (吉田岩窟王事件). A manga adaptation of the novel, titled Monte Cristo Hakushaku (モンテ・クリスト, 伯爵) and made by Ena Moriyama, was published in November 2015. The first translation into Chinese was published in 1907. The novel had been a personal favorite of Jiang Qing , and the 1978 translation became one of the first mass-popularized foreign novels in mainland China after end of

4182-555: The 150 inhabitants prisoner. Pianosa was returned shortly afterward to Pisa, but Genoa had the supremacy of the Tyrrhenian Sea after the Battle of Meloria . The island returned to Pisan control under an agreement that required the Pisans to leave it uncultivated and uninhabited, but the pact was not honoured. The Appiano family, who ruled Pisa, leased the island to the De Leis family and then to

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4284-491: The Abbé Busoni, Dantès finds Caderousse, who regrets not intervening in Dantès's arrest. Caderousse informs him that Mercédès eventually resigned herself to marrying Fernand, that Dantès's father died of starvation, and that his old employer Morrel tried in vain to secure Dantès's release and tend after his father in his absence, but is now on the brink of bankruptcy. Both Danglars and Fernand have prospered greatly. Danglars became

4386-463: The Count of Monte Cristo, who reveals his identity. Fernand shoots himself. At the party to celebrate "Cavalcanti"'s engagement to Eugénie Danglars, the police arrive to arrest Benedetto for Caderousse's murder. Benedetto flees, but is arrested and returned to Paris. Eugénie (who is implied to be a lesbian ) also takes the opportunity to flee Paris with her girlfriend. Valentine barely survives Héloïse's first attempt to poison her, and Maximilien begs

4488-440: The Count to protect her from the unknown poisoner. He does so by faking her death, making it appear that the poisoner succeeded. Villefort, deducing that Héloïse is the murderer, gives her a choice between the shame of a public trial and committing suicide in private, before leaving to prosecute Benedetto's trial. At the trial, Benedetto reveals that he is Villefort's son and was rescued after Villefort buried him alive, having learned

4590-454: The Count, meets Mercédès for the first time in 23 years, and eventually makes the acquaintance of Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort. The Count purchases a home in Auteuil , a suburb of Paris. He has learned from his servant Bertuccio that it is the home in which Villefort once had an extramarital affair with Danglars's wife, who gave birth to a child that Villefort buried alive in order to cover up

4692-573: The Island of Elba. Fishing, diving, or anchoring are not allowed without a special authorization. During the summer season Pianosa can be reached once a week from Rio Marina and Piombino on the Toremar fleet, twice a week from San Vincenzo and daily from Marina di Campo on the service. It is possible to visit the island, but only with organized excursions or trekking by bicycle escorted by park guides. Joseph Heller 's absurdist anti-war novel Catch-22

4794-552: The Italian government founded a penal colony there, a branch of that in Pianosa . In 1889, Montecristo was given to Marquess Carlo Ginori , who restored the Villa and transformed the island into a hunting ground. In 1896, Montecristo was the honeymoon destination of Victor Emmanuel III of Savoy (at that time crown prince) and Elena of Montenegro , and after 1899 it became a royal hunting ground for Victor Emmanuel's exclusive use. During

4896-651: The Landi family in 1344. The Appianos sold Pisa to Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1399 and established the small Principality of Piombino , which included Suvereto , Scarlino , Vignale, Populonia and the islands of Elba , Montecristo and Pianosa. On August 15, 1552, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain consigned to Cosimo I de' Medici the Principality of Piombino in exchange of a loan of 200,000 scudi . Pianosa underwent numerous incursions by pirates ;

4998-611: The Monastery of St. Mamilian was founded; as a result of donations to the Church, its wealth became legendary, and a chapel was built in the St. Mamiliano Cave where the saint had lived in the fifth century. In 1216, the monks joined the order of the Camaldolese . Thanks to the donations of several noble families, the monastery became powerful and rich, and this gave rise to the legend of treasure hidden on

5100-570: The Paris police. The archivist was Jacques Peuchet , and the multi-volume book was called Memoirs from the Archives of the Paris Police in English. Dumas included this essay in one of the editions of his novel published in 1846. Peuchet related the tale of a shoemaker, Pierre Picaud , living in Nîmes in 1807, who was engaged to marry a rich woman when three jealous friends falsely accused him of being

5202-458: The Parlour Novelist respectively. The most common English translation is an anonymous one originally published in 1846 by Chapman and Hall . This was originally released in ten weekly installments from March 1846 with six pages of letterpress and two illustrations by M Valentin. The translation was released in book form with all twenty illustrations in two volumes in May 1846, a month after

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5304-512: The Romanians were captured, tried and executed. Montecristo was used as a Navy training base only from September to November 1948, when the trainees were transferred to Italy's west coast. Four of the trained agents were parachuted into Albania in February, 1949, but soon quit their mission and escaped to Greece due to a failed field radio. After several episodes of vandalism and speculation attempts,

5406-586: The Second World War the island, important because of its position between Italy and occupied Corsica, was garrisoned by the Italian army . In the late 1940s, the Italian Navy Intelligence Agency temporarily took over the island for use as a training base for covert agents. Among Italian officers assigned as instructors were Count Marco deCarrobio and Luigi Ferri. The would-be agents belonged to

5508-653: The U.S.). Fantasy novelist Steven Brust 's Khaavren Romances series have all used Dumas novels (particularly the Three Musketeers series) as their chief inspiration, recasting the plots of those novels to fit within Brust's established world of Dragaera . His 2020 novel The Baron of Magister Valley follows suit, using The Count of Monte Cristo as a starting point. Jin Yong has admitted some influence from Dumas, his favorite non-Chinese novelist. Some commentators feel that

5610-432: The affair. The infant was rescued by Bertuccio, named Benedetto, and raised by Bertuccio's sister Assunta, but Benedetto turned to a life of crime as a young man, murdered Assunta, and was sentenced to the galleys himself. Having impressed Parisian society with his wealth and air of mystery, the Count begins setting up the pieces for his revenge. He persuades Danglars to extend him a credit of six million francs. He discusses

5712-525: The ambrosia which Hebe served at the table of Jupiter". When he arrives in Paris, the Count brandishes an emerald box in which he carries small green pills compounded of hashish and opium which he uses for sleeplessness. (Source: Chapters 31, 32, 38, 40, 53 & 77 in the 117-chapter unabridged Pocket Books edition.) Dumas was a member of the Club des Hashischins . In June 2017, Manga Classics, an imprint of UDON Entertainment, published The Count of Monte Cristo as

5814-548: The beginning of the 1900s, the population on the island was 21 civilians, 80 prison guards , 40 soldiers, and 800 prisoners. Sandro Pertini , later President of the Republic of Italy, became an inmate in 1932 for political reasons. During World War II, on 17 September 1943, German troops invaded Pianosa and occupied it. On 19 March 1944, French commandos landed on the island and, after a short firefight, left with 40 prison guards as hostages. The following month, an Allied bomber attacked

5916-545: The burial sack. When he is thrown into the sea, Dantès cuts through the sack and swims to a nearby island, where, claiming to be a shipwrecked sailor, he is rescued by Genoese smugglers . Some months later, he locates and retrieves the treasure; he later purchases the island of Monte Cristo and the title of count from the Tuscan government. Having sworn vengeance on Danglars, Mondego, and Villefort, Dantès returns to Marseille in search of information for his vengeance. Traveling as

6018-472: The consequences of vengeance and its impact on both the avenger and the targets. The theme of hope is central, driving Dantès through his trials and symbolizing his belief in eventual redemption. Mercy and forgiveness are contrasted with vengeance, as Dantès grapples with the morality of his actions. Additionally, the novel touches on themes of fate, identity, and redemption, making it a complex exploration of human nature. A short novel titled Georges by Dumas

6120-407: The course of their long imprisonment, Faria educates Dantès and, knowing himself close to death, inspires him to retrieve for himself a cache of treasure Faria had discovered. After Faria dies, Dantès escapes and finds the treasure. As the fabulously wealthy, powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo , he enters the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s to avenge himself. The book is considered

6222-561: The era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France . It begins on the day that Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, beginning the Hundred Days period of his return to power. The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story centrally concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. Before he can marry his fiancée Mercédès, Edmond Dantès ,

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6324-488: The establishment of human settlements on Montecristo have favoured the preservation of its flora and fauna. Animals and plants once found throughout the Mediterranean still live on the island. Of particular interest are the giant heather formations covering the valley floors and several thousand-year-old oaks that manage to survive at the highest altitudes. Also interesting are the Montecristo viper ( Vipera aspis hugyi ,

6426-470: The farmers back to Elba and left the island deserted. Napoleon went to Pianosa from Elba twice, rebuilt the tower, set up a garrison to defend the island, and built some houses to settle farmers. The Congress of Vienna assigned Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Although 18th-century documents report that it was once densely wooded, humans and the animals they brought have destroyed

6528-408: The financial markets by bribing a telegraph operator to transmit a false message, causing Danglars to lose hundreds of thousands of francs. Meanwhile, Villefort's daughter Valentine is engaged to marry Albert's friend Franz, but is secretly in love with Morrel's son Maximilien; Noirtier, her grandfather, induces Franz to break the engagement by revealing that Noirtier himself killed Franz's father in

6630-418: The first with a dagger on which the words "Number One" were printed, and then he poisoned the second. The third man's son he lured into crime and his daughter into prostitution, finally stabbing the man himself. This third man, named Loupian, had married Picaud's fiancée while Picaud was under arrest. In another of the true stories reported by Ashton-Wolfe, Peuchet describes a poisoning in a family. This story

6732-420: The heaving of a submarine pluton , has a slightly elliptical shape, and is wholly mountainous, with several rock ledges rising steeply from the sea. It consists almost entirely of granodiorite with large crystals of orthoclase . The mountain chain that crosses the island has three main peaks: Monte della Fortezza (645 m), Cima del Colle Fondo (621 m) and Cima dei Lecci (563 m). Montecristo's only natural harbour

6834-455: The injustices inflicted on him, but agrees not to kill Albert. Realizing that Dantès intends to let Albert kill him, she reveals the truth to Albert, who makes a public apology to the Count. Albert and Mercédès disown Fernand, renounce their titles and wealth and depart to begin new lives. Albert enlists as a soldier, while Mercedes lives alone in Dantès's old house in Marseilles. Fernand confronts

6936-529: The island in the 1900s. The animals living on the island are largely small mammals , such as hedgehog and hare , introduced in the 1800s, as well as the pheasant and the red-legged partridge ; the magpie and the Audouin's gull nest along the coast and are protected by the National Park. The island is a stopping place for migrating birds in their seasonal passage from North to South. The sea around Pianosa

7038-404: The island, killing six people. In the post-war period, the colony returned to its original role as a prison island. A Carabinieri station was established, as was a detachment of Guardia di Finanza , and houses were built to accommodate the families of the soldiers. In the 1970s, on order of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa , the former sanatorium , named Agrippa Branch, was transformed into

7140-574: The island. The island was once a possession of the Republic of Pisa , but was later acquired by the Principality of Piombino . In 1553, Ottoman pirate Dragut , heading for Elba, stormed the monastery, enslaved the monks, and decreed its end. After that, the island was uninhabited. In the second half of the sixteenth century, together with most of the Tuscan Archipelago, it became part of the Stato dei Presidi ,

7242-403: The island: young Tyrolean Adolph Franz Obermüller, and after a few months, Frenchman Charles Legrand and his girlfriend. Also during 1843, there were other attempts of colonisation by French agriculturalist George Guiboud, which ended with yet another failure. In 1846, some Genoese made a similar effort, while in 1849 Frenchman Jacques Abrial was able to farm the island for three years. In 1852,

7344-581: The middle of the fifth century AD, the caves of the island became home to several hermits escaping from the Vandals of Genseric , the most important of whom was St. Mamilian . They christened the island Mons Christi ("Mountain of Christ"), from which the modern name is derived. At the beginning of the seventh century, Pope Gregory the Great submitted them to the monastic rule of the Benedictines . In this period,

7446-437: The money to the hospitals. Danglars finally repents of his crimes, and a softened Dantès forgives him and allows him to depart with his 50,000 francs. Maximilien Morrel is driven to despair by Valentine's apparent death and considers suicide. Dantès reveals his true identity and persuades Maximilien to delay his suicide for one month. One month later, on the island of Monte Cristo, he reunites Valentine with Maximilien and reveals

7548-501: The name of the street-corner hustle three-card monte ." Modern Russian writer and philologist Vadim Nikolayev determined The Count of Monte-Cristo as a megapolyphonic novel. The novel has been the inspiration for many other books, from Lew Wallace 's Ben-Hur (1880), then to a science fiction retelling in Alfred Bester 's The Stars My Destination , and to Stephen Fry 's The Stars' Tennis Balls (entitled Revenge in

7650-489: The nature reserve was established in 1971. In December 2011 it was reported that black rats , present on the island at least since Roman times, have greatly increased in numbers and pose a serious threat to the birds of Montecristo. Due to the inaccessibility of the terrain, the island was bombed from the air with poison pellets , as had recently been attempted on Giannutri and Sardinia , despite concerns raised by environmental groups that indigenous species of wildlife and

7752-673: The nearby Scola islet, where traces of their presence were found. Fishing tools and ceramics of the Mesolithic were found, as well as artefacts in quartz and flint , probably coming from Elba. The ancient Romans ' Planasia had structures and was extensively cultivated. It became noted in history when the princeps Augustus banished his grandson and former designated heir Agrippa Postumus there in 6 or 7 AD . Postumus remained there until his murder by an assassin sent by Tiberius , around 14 AD. Postumus lived in Pianosa at Villa Agrippa , which

7854-469: The newspapers Fernand's betrayal of Ali Pasha, and at the Chamber of Peers ' inquiry into the accusations Haydée testifies against him as an eyewitness. Albert blames the Count for his father's downfall and challenges him to a duel . The Count is later visited by Mercédès, who had recognized him as Dantès upon their first meeting but chose not to say anything. Mercédès begs Dantès to spare her son. He tells her of

7956-399: The next eight years, Faria educates Dantès in languages, history, culture, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, and science. Knowing himself to be close to death from catalepsy and having grown fond of his pupil, Faria tells Dantès the location of a vast treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo . On 28 February 1829, Faria dies. Dantès takes Faria's body to his cell and takes its place in

8058-472: The plant Limonium Montis-christi , the invertebrate Oxychilus oglasicola ( snail of Monte Cristo), also present on the islet of Scola, near Pianosa, and the reptile Podarcis muralis calabresiae . Nowadays the island has only two permanent human inhabitants, both nature reserve keepers. In addition, agents of the State Forestry Corps from Follonica live there in alternating shifts of two weeks at

8160-532: The plot of A Deadly Secret resembles The Count of Monte Cristo , except that they are based in different countries and historical periods. Pianosa 42°34′56″N 10°04′42″E  /  42.58222°N 10.07833°E  / 42.58222; 10.07833 Pianosa ( Italian pronunciation: [pjaˈnoːza] ) is an island in the Tuscan Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea , Italy . It

8262-568: The properties of various poisons with Villefort's second wife Heloïse, and allows her to borrow some of his supply. He allows his ward, Haydée—the exiled daughter of Ali Pasha of Janina , whom Dantès purchased from slavery—to see Fernand, recognizing him as the man who betrayed and murdered her father and stole his fortune. Having freed Benedetto and Caderousse from the galleys (under the alias "Lord Wilmore"), he anonymously hires Benedetto to impersonate an Italian nobleman, "Viscount Andrea Cavalcanti", and introduces him to Parisian society. He manipulates

8364-617: The regions of Piombino, Elba, and the part of Pianosa that was fortified to his sister Elisa Bonaparte . On 9 April 1809, the Archipelago returned to Tuscan ownership, when Tuscany was ruled by the French. On 10 May, British marines and sailors from HMS  Seahorse and HMS Halcyon landed on Pianosa and Giannutri . The landing parties destroyed the forts and captured about 100 prisoners during four hours of fighting. British losses were one marine killed and one wounded. The landing party also sent

8466-496: The release of the first part of the above-mentioned translation by Emma Hardy. The translation follows the revised French edition of 1846, with the correct spelling of "Cristo" and the extra chapter The House on the Allées de Meilhan . Most English editions of the novel follow the anonymous translation. In 1889, two of the major American publishers Little Brown and T.Y. Crowell updated the translation, correcting mistakes and revising

8568-505: The sum of £100,000. Montecristo had previously been plundered in 1860 by Italian exiles living in London, who had come to Italy to join up with the Camicie rosse , but were shipwrecked on the island. Faced with the huge sum of money claimed by the owner to repair the damage, the government thought it better to buy the island, which was still uninhabited. After other attempts at colonisation in 1878,

8670-507: The surrounding waters might also be adversely affected. The Ailanthus trees were also to be eradicated. Montecristo is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea east of Corsica , south of Elba , west of the island of Giglio and the Monte Argentario peninsula, southeast of the island of Pianosa and east of the Scoglio d'Africa rock, also known as Formica di Montecristo. The island, formed by

8772-400: The text to reflect the original serialized version. This resulted in the removal of the chapter The House on the Allées de Meilhan , with the text restored to the end of the chapter called The Departure . In 1955, Collins published an updated version of the anonymous translation which cut several passages, including a whole chapter entitled The Past , and renamed others. This abridgment

8874-400: The title "Monte Cristo-haku" (モンテ・クリスト伯, the Count of Monte Cristo), the "Gankutsu-ou" title remains highly associated with the novel and is often used as an alternative. As of March 2016, all movie adaptations of the novel brought to Japan used the title "Gankutsu-ou", with the exception of the 2002 film, which has it as a subtitle (with the title itself simply being "Monte Cristo"). The novel

8976-452: The trees on the island, which is now largely grassland except some coastal areas. In 1856, Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany established a penal colony in Pianosa because it was considered a perfect place to isolate, segregate, and oversee detainees. At the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, there were 149 prisoners on the island. In 1864 a structure able to contain 350 prisoners

9078-637: The true sequence of events. Having found peace, Dantès leaves the couple part of his fortune on the island and departs for the East to begin a new life with Haydée, who has declared her love for him. The reader is left with a final line: " l'humaine sagesse était tout entière dans ces deux mots: attendre et espérer! " ("all human wisdom is contained in these two words: 'Wait and Hope'"). The Count of Monte Cristo explores key themes such as justice and vengeance, focusing on Edmond Dantès' quest for revenge against those who wronged him. This pursuit raises moral questions about

9180-429: The truth from Bertuccio. Villefort admits his guilt and rushes home to prevent his wife's suicide but is too late; she is dead and has poisoned her son Édouard as well. The Count confronts Villefort, revealing his true identity, which drives Villefort insane. Dantès tries but fails to resuscitate Édouard, causing him to question if his revenge has gone too far. As a result of the Count's financial manipulations, Danglars

9282-464: The worst took place in 1553, when a French Turkish fleet commanded by Dragut wiped out the population. After that, the island changed ownership several times and was populated only seasonally by farmers coming from Elba to cultivate the land. On 27 August 1802, Napoleon established that Elba, Capraia , Gorgona , Pianosa, Palmaiola and Montecristo were part of the French territory and in 1805 assigned

9384-444: Was "translated into virtually all modern languages and has never been out of print in most of them. There have been at least twenty-nine motion pictures based on it ... as well as several television series, and many movies [have] worked the name 'Monte Cristo' into their titles." The title Monte Cristo lives on in a " famous gold mine , a line of luxury Cuban cigars, a sandwich , and any number of bars and casinos—it even lurks in

9486-418: Was a prison fortress until 17 July 1997, when Gaetano Murana, the last 41-bis prison regime detainee, was transferred to another prison. Prior to that time Pianosa had hosted Mafia bosses such as Pippo Calò , Nitto Santapaola and Giovanni Brusca , and had become well known for the brutality inflicted on the prisoners. The Prodi government decided to close the penitentiary permanently on 28 June 1998. Pianosa

9588-459: Was also released by M.J. Ivers in 1892 with Williams using the pseudonym of Professor William Thiese). A more recent abridgment is the translation by Lowell Bair for Bantam Classics in 1956. Many abridged translations omit the Count's enthusiasm for hashish . When serving a hashish jam to the young Frenchman Franz d'Épinay, the Count (calling himself Sinbad the Sailor ), calls it, "nothing less than

9690-563: Was an abridged edition with woodcuts published by Geo Pierce in January 1846 entitled The Prisoner of If or The Revenge of Monte Christo . In April 1846, volume three of the Parlour Novelist , Belfast, Ireland: Simms and M'Intyre, London: W S Orr and Company, featured the first part of an unabridged translation of the novel by Emma Hardy. The remaining two parts would be issued as the Count of Monte Christo volumes I and II in volumes 8 and 9 of

9792-504: Was built in 1979 to separate the village from the penitentiary. The murder of judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992 led to the reopening of the Agrippa Branch under the 41-bis regime and during the night of July 20, fifty-five Mafia bosses incarcerated at Palermo Ucciardone prison, among them Michele Greco , were transferred by military transport aircraft to Pisa Airport and then to Pianosa by helicopter. The island

9894-426: Was built, but in 1872 the island was divided into numerous farms organizing the inmates as small communities. In 1880, there were 960 detainees. The captives cultivated cereals, produced oil and wine, such as Sangiovese and Procanico . There were poultry, pig, and cattle farms. From 1884 until 1965, because of its dry climate, Pianosa hosted convicts from the Italian mainland who had been affected by tuberculosis . At

9996-449: Was discovered by abbot Gaetano Chierici in the second half of 1800s and included a theatre, a thermal bath ( Bagni di Agrippa ), and a Roman villa with black and white mosaic floors with marine-themed mythological decorations. In the 4th century, a small Christian community lived in Pianosa and left traces of their presence in catacombs . These are on two levels and are the largest north of Rome; 700 catacombs were discovered, indicating

10098-526: Was evacuated in a single day by the remaining detainees and residents, leaving a few guards on the island as caretakers. Pianosa is part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park , which has been a marine protected area since 1996 to preserve its archaeological and environmental heritage, which had been preserved in the past due to its inaccessibility to tourism. The island permits visits by only 250 tourists per day, arriving by ferry from

10200-501: Was published in 1843, before The Count of Monte Cristo was written. This novel is of particular interest to scholars because Dumas reused many of the ideas and plot devices in The Count of Monte Cristo . Dumas wrote that the germ of the idea of revenge as one theme in his novel The Count of Monte Cristo came from an anecdote ( Le Diamant et la Vengeance ) published in a memoir of incidents in France in 1838, written by an archivist of

10302-600: Was republished by many Collins imprints and other publishers including the Modern Library , Vintage , and the 1998 Oxford World's Classics edition (later editions restored the text). In 2008 Oxford released a revised edition with translation by David Coward. The 2009 Everyman's Library edition reprints the original anonymous English translation that first appeared in 1846, with revisions by Peter Washington and an introduction by Umberto Eco. In 1996, Penguin Classics published

10404-601: Was the first part of a serialization by W. Harrison Ainsworth in volume VII of Ainsworth's Magazine published in 1845, although this was an abridged summary of the first part of the novel only and was entitled The Prisoner of If . Ainsworth translated the remaining chapters of the novel, again in abridged form, and issued these in volumes VIII and IX of the magazine in 1845 and 1846 respectively. Another abridged serialization appeared in The London Journal between 1846 and 1847. The first single volume translation in English

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