page_title: Switzerland in the Napoleonic era
section_title: Civil war and the end of the Republic
hierarchical_section_title: Switzerland in the Napoleonic era / Helvetic Republic / Civil war and the end of the Republic
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Eine Münze zu 16 Franken (7.61 gm, 6h) der Helvetischen Republik 1798-1803, geprägt in Bern 1800. English: 16 Franken coin of the Helvetic Republic (7.61 gm, 6h), Bern mint. Dated 1800. HELVETISCHE REPUBLIK, B in exergue, Swiss soldier standing facing, holding banner in right hand and left hand on hip. 16 FRANKEN 1800 in three lies across field; all within wreath. Friedberg 281; KM 12 English: The Helvetian Republic, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1798, was the first centralized government imposed on the Swiss cantons, and its coinage the first national coinage of Switzerland. It also represented the last time Switzerland was under the influence of a foreign power and its last involvement in a war. The canton system was restored in 1803 with Napoleon as mediator, and in 1813, with the withdrawal of French troops, the Swiss Confederation promulgated a policy of perpetual armed neutrality.
context_page_description: During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies marched eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. In 1798, Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and was renamed the Helvetic Republic. The Helvetic Republic encountered severe economic and political problems. In 1798 the country became a battlefield of the Revolutionary Wars, culminating in the Battles of Zürich in 1799.
  In 1803 Napoleon's Act of Mediation reestablished a Swiss Confederation that partially restored the sovereignty of the cantons, and the former tributary and allied territories of Aargau, Thurgau, Graubünden, St. Gallen, Vaud and Ticino became cantons with equal rights.
  The Congress of Vienna of 1815 fully re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise Swiss neutrality. At this time, the territory of Switzerland was increased for the last time, by the new cantons of Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva.
  The Restoration, the time leading up to the Sonderbundskrieg, was marked with turmoil, and the rural population struggling against the yoke of the urban centres, for example in the Züriputsch of 1839.
context_section_description: Instability in the Republic reached its peak in 1802–03—including the Stecklikrieg civil war of 1802. Together with local resistance, financial problems caused the Helvetic Republic to collapse, and its government took refuge in Lausanne. Due to the instability of the situation, the Helvetic Republic had over 6 constitutions in a period of 4 years.
  At that time Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France, summoned representatives of both sides to Paris in order to negotiate a solution. Although the Federalist representatives formed a minority at the conciliation conference, known as the "Helvetic Consulta"; Bonaparte characterised Switzerland as federal "by nature" and considered it unwise to force the area into any other constitutional framework.
  On 19 February 1803, the Act of Mediation restored the cantons. With the abolition of the centralized state, Switzerland became a confederation once again.
  The period of the Helvetic Republic is still very controversial within Switzerland. It represents the first time that Switzerland as a unified country existed and a step toward the modern federal state. For the first time the population was defined as Swiss, not as members of a specific canton. For cantons like Vaud, Thurgau and Ticino the Republic was a time of political freedom from other cantons. However the Republic also marked a time of foreign domination and revolution. For the cantons of Bern, Schwyz and Nidwalden it was a time of military defeat followed by occupation. In 1995 the Federal Parliament chose to not celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the Helvetic Republic, but to allow individual cantons to celebrate if they wished.
caption: 16 Frank coin issued by the Helvetic Republic, this represents the first national coinage of Switzerland.
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