Everything about The Cisalpine Republic totally explained
The
Cisalpine Republic was a
French client republic in Northern
Italy that lasted from
1797 to
1802.
After the
Battle of Lodi, in May
1796, the French general
Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states — one on the south of the
Po River, the
Cispadane Republic, and one on the north, the
Transpadane Republic. These two along with the province of
Novara were merged into the Cisalpine Republic on
June 29,
1797, with capital
Milan.
Austria acknowledged the new entity in the
Treaty of Campoformio of
October 17 of the same year, gaining in exchange what remained of the
Venetian Republic.
Extension
The Cisalpine Republic consisted of roughly the former
Duchy of Milan, those portions of the
Republic of Venice west of the
Adige River, the
Duchy of Modena, the
Papal Legations, and the Piedmontese province of
Novara. The republic had a territory of more than 42,500 square kilometers (16,000 square miles), and a population of 3,240,000 in 20
départements.
Milan was the capital city, the main center having 124,000 inhabitants in
1764. The country was prosperous despite the spoilings made by occupants in the past centuries. Its economy was based on a
cereal agriculture and
cattling, plus a flourishing small industry, notably the production of
silk.
Relations with Switzerland
The new government aimed to unite all Italian lands into a single state. This created tensions with
Switzerland, which includes Italian-speaking areas south of the
Alps. On
10 October 1797, the French supported a revolt in the
Valtellina. The Cisalpine Republic ended up taking control of
Campione d'Italia and the Valtellina from
Grisons ( ) and joined the republic. A Cisalpine attempt to conquer
Lugano by surprise in
1797 failed.
Institutional form
The institutions of the new republic were much similar to those of
France. The territory was divided in departments, which elected the
judges of peace, the
magistrates and the
electors, one in every 200 people having right of vote. The latter elected two councils: the
Seniori ("Elders") and the
Giuniori ("Youngers"). The first was composed by forty to sixty members, and approved the laws and variations to the Constitutional Chart. The second had from eighty to one hundred twenty members, and proposed the laws. Both councils discussed treaties, the choice of a Directory and the determination of tributes. The legislative corps included men like
Pietro Verri,
Giuseppe Parini and the scientist
Alessandro Volta.
The
Directory included five ministers and represented the executive power: leaders were local politicians like
Gian Galeazzo Serbelloni (first president) and
Francesco Melzi d'Erzil. The supreme authority, however, was the commander of the French troops.
The republic also adopted the
French Republican Calendar.
On
July 7,
1797, the new constitution was promulgated, inspired by the French republican one.
The treaty of Alliance
Formally, the Cisalpine Republic was an independent state allied with
France, but the treaty of alliance stated the effective subalternity of the new republic to its ally. The French in fact had the control of the local police, and left an army consisting of 25,000 Frenchmen, paid by the republic. The Cisalpines had also to form another army of 35,000 men to take part in the French campaigns.
On
March 4,
1798, the Directory presented the treaty to the Giuniori for ratification. The council didn't agree with terms, and took its time before take a decision. In the end the French general
Berthier compelled the members to accept it. The Seniori instead refused it since the very beginning, as the new state hadn't the money to face the conditions requested. Berthier threatened to impose a military government, but later was replaced by general
Brune. The latter, after having changed some Seniors and Juniors, obtained the signing of the treaty on
June 8,
1798.
On
May 11 1798, the Cisalpine Republic had adopted as its flag a squared
Tricolore.
The second Republic
The Republic was dissolved after the defeats of France against the Second Coalition in August 1799. It was occupied by
Austrian forces, who departed only after June
1800, when
Napoleon won the
Battle of Marengo. It was restored after the
Treaty of Lunéville of
February 9,
1801, and its territory was extended to the former Austrian lands of the
Veneto and the
Papal Legations of today's
Marche.
In January
1802, the Cisalpine Republic changed its name to the
Italian Republic, when Napoleon had himself elected president,
24 January, on the advice of
Talleyrand. Two days later, in the scene officially commemorated by Monsiau (
illustration, left) Bonaparte appeared in the Collège de la Trinité of
Lyon, attended by
Murat,
Berthier,
Louis Bonaparte, Hortense and Joséphine de Beauharnais, heard the assembled notables acclaim the Italian Republic.
Later the Republic became the
Kingdom of Italy (
1805–
14).
The state was divided, following the French system, into the following
départements:
Further Information
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