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Helvetische Republik (de) République helvétique (fr) Repubblica Elvetica (it) Helvetic Republic Client state of the First French Republic ←   ←   ← 1798 – 1802 → Flag of the Helvetic Republic Official seal of the Helvetic Republic, depicting William Tell Helvetic Republic, with borders as at the Second Helvetic constitution of 25 May 1802 Capital Lucerne Government Republic Historical era Napoleonic Wars  - Swiss Confederation     collapsed on French     invasion     March 5, 1798  - Republic proclaimed April 12, 1798  - Mutual defence treaty     with France   19 August 1798  - Diplomatic recognition     by French allies   19 September 1798  - Malmaison constitution 29 May 1801  - Federal constitution 27 February 1802  - Act of Mediation 19 February 1803  - Independence restored     by Congress of Vienna   June 8, 1815 Note: See below for a full list of predecessor states

v • d • e French Revolutionary Wars Swiss Campaign, 1799
1st Zürich • 2nd Zürich

History of Switzerland
Early history	(before 1291)
Old Swiss Confederacy
Growth	(1291–1516)
Reformation	(1516–1648)
Ancien Régime	(1648–1798)
Transitional period
Napoleonic era	(1798–1814)
Restauration	(1814–1847)
Switzerland
Federal state	(1848–1914)
World Wars	(1914–1945)
Modern history	(1945–present)
Topical
Military history

The Helvetic Republic was a state lasting for five years, from 1798 to 1803. Its name came from the Helvetii people. It was an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then was made up mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance. It was an unpopular regime but some aspects of it have survived into present-day Switzerland.

Contents 1 History 2 Constitution 3 Legacy 4 Administrative divisions 5 Predecessor states 5.1 Associate states 5.2 Condominiums 5.3 Protectorates 5.4 Unassociated territories 6 References 7 See also

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland on the grounds of "liberating" the Swiss people whose own system of government was deemed to be feudal. Some Swiss nationals had called for them to intervene on these grounds.

On 5 March 1798, Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and the Swiss Confederation collapsed. On 12 April 1798 the Helvetic Republic, 'One and Indivisible', was proclaimed; cantonal sovereignty and feudal rights were abolished. The occupying forces established a centralised state based on the ideas of the French Revolution.

These 'progressive' ideas were widely resisted, particularly in the central areas of the country. Some of the more controversial aspects of the new regime limited the freedom of worship, which outraged many of the more devout citizens. There were several uprisings, most notably in the canton of Nidwalden which was crushed, with towns and villages burnt down by French troops.

There was no unity about the future of Switzerland. The leading groups were divided between the Unitaires who wanted a united republic and the Federalists which represented the old aristocracy and demanded a return to cantonal sovereignty. Coup attempts were frequent and the new regime had to rely on the French to survive. Furthermore, the occupying forces plundered many towns and villages. This made it difficult to establish a new working state.

In 1799, Switzerland became a virtual battle zone between the French, Austrian and Imperial Russian armies, with the locals supporting mainly the latter two, rejecting calls to fight with the French armies in the name of the Helvetic Republic.

Instability in the Republic reached its peak in 1802–03. Together with the local resistance, financial problems caused the Helvetic Republic to collapse and the government took refuge in Lausanne.

At that time Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France, summoned representatives of both sides to Paris in order to negotiate a solution. It was called the Helvetic Consulta (conciliation conference). Although the Federalist representatives were in a minority, Bonaparte insisted that Switzerland was by nature a federal state and that it would be unwise to force it into anything else.

On February 19, 1803, the Act of Mediation was introduced which restored the cantons. The centralized state was abolished and Switzerland became a confederation yet again.

Before the Helvetic Republic, Swiss affairs had been handled mainly by individual cantons exercising complete sovereignty over their territory. There was little in the way of central authority. Matters concerning the country as a whole were confined mainly to meetings of leading representatives from the cantons. These were known as Diets ^[1].

The constitution of the Helvetic Republic was drawn up mainly by Peter Ochs, a magistrate from Basel. It established a central two-chamber legislature which included the Grand Council (with 8 members per canton) and the Senate (4 members per canton). The executive was known as the Directory and was made up of 5 members. It also established actual Swiss citizenship, as opposed to being just a citizen of one's canton of birth ^[1].

After an uprising led by Alois von Reding, four of the more troublesome cantons were united to form a single one, thus reducing their effectiveness in the legislature.

Due to the instability of the country, over 6 constitutions were introduced over 4 years ^[1].

The Helvetic Republic did highlight the need for a central authority to handle affairs that would concern the country as a whole as opposed to the individual cantons which handled matters at a local level. In the post-Napoleonic era the differences between the cantons (different currencies, different systems of weights and measurements) and the need for better co-ordination between them were raised and culminated in the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848.

The Republic's 5-member Directory is very similar to the 7-member Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's present-day executive.

The formerly sovereign cantons were reduced to mere administrative districts, and in order to weaken the old power structures, new boundaries were defined for some cantons. The act of 1798 resulted in the following cantons:

As well as the Old Swiss Confederacy, the following territories were annexed to the Helvetic Republic:

Two territories that were not previously a part of Switzerland were also annexed to the Helvetic Republic:

• Fricktal, a part of the Breisgau, within the Habsburg Further Austria, retained by Aargau
• Konstanz, a part of the Bishopric of Constance, later restored to the Grand Duchy of Baden

• Switzerland in the Napoleonic era

v • d • e Client states of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815)
French client republics	Balkans Illyria Germany Cisrhenia · Danzig · Mainz Ireland Connaught Italy Alba · Ancona · Bergamo · Bologna · Brescia · Cisalpinia · Cispadania · Crema · Etruria · Italy · Liguria · Parthenopaea · Pescara · Rome · Subalpinia · Tiberina · Transpadania Netherlands Batavia · Bouillon Switzerland Helvetia · Lemania · Rauracia · Rhodania	Europe in 1811
Other Napoleonic creations	Germany Confederation of the Rhine   ·    Berg · Frankfurt · Leyen · Westphalia · Würzburg Italy Etruria · Italy · Naples Netherlands Holland Poland Warsaw