Army of Helvetia
Encyclopedia
The Army of Helvetia
, or , was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army
. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the armée du Rhin
. It was merged into the command structure of the Army of the Danube
on 29 April 1799, although it continued to operate in the Swiss theater until 1801.
The Army's initial campaigning in the old Swiss Confederation resulted in severe setbacks and losses at Feldkirch, Lusiensteig, and Zurich.
had avoided armed conflict. Several diplomatic incidents undermined this agreement: the reluctance of the Austrians to cede the designated territories; the ineptitude of Second Congress of Rastatt
to orchestrate the transfer of additional territories that would compensate the German princes for their losses; the refusal of Ferdinand of Naples
to pay tribute, followed by the Neapolitan rebellion; and the subsequent establishment of the Parthenopaean Republic
. Other factors contributed to the rising tensions as well. On his way to Egypt, Napoleon had stopped on the Island of Malta and forcibly removed the Knights of Malta from their possessions, angering Paul, Tsar of Russia, who was the honorary head of the order. The French Directory, furthermore, was convinced that the Austrians were conniving to start another war; the weaker the French Republic seemed, the more the Austrians, the Neopolitans, the Russians and the English were discussing this possibility.
On 12 April 1798 121 deputies of the various cantons established the Helvetic Republic by proclamation as "One and Indivisible". The new regime abolished both cantonal sovereignty
, or the practice of particular local governance, and feudal rights, and established a centralized state based on the ideas of the French Revolution
. This change in governing structure was backed up by military force, through the presence of French soldiers.
Bibliography
Helvetia
Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the "Helvetic Confederation".The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as...
, or , was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army
French Revolutionary Army
The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the ancien regime under Louis XVI in 1792 and the formation of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary...
. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the armée du Rhin
Armée du Rhin
The Army of the Rhine is the overall name for one of the main French Revolutionary armies, that operated in the German theater along the River Rhine...
. It was merged into the command structure of the Army of the Danube
Army of the Danube
The Army of the Danube was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army of Observation, which had been observing Austrian movements on the border between First...
on 29 April 1799, although it continued to operate in the Swiss theater until 1801.
The Army's initial campaigning in the old Swiss Confederation resulted in severe setbacks and losses at Feldkirch, Lusiensteig, and Zurich.
Background
From October 1797 until 1–2 March, when the French crossed the Rhine into Germany, the signatories of the Treaty of Campo FormioTreaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
had avoided armed conflict. Several diplomatic incidents undermined this agreement: the reluctance of the Austrians to cede the designated territories; the ineptitude of Second Congress of Rastatt
Second Congress of Rastatt
The Second Congress of Rastatt, which was opened in December 1797, was intended to rearrange the map of Germany by providing compensation for those princes whose lands on the left bank of the Rhine had been seized by France....
to orchestrate the transfer of additional territories that would compensate the German princes for their losses; the refusal of Ferdinand of Naples
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
to pay tribute, followed by the Neapolitan rebellion; and the subsequent establishment of the Parthenopaean Republic
Parthenopaean Republic
The Parthenopean Republic was a French-supported republic in the territory of the Kingdom of Naples, formed during the French Revolutionary Wars after King Ferdinand IV fled before advancing French troops...
. Other factors contributed to the rising tensions as well. On his way to Egypt, Napoleon had stopped on the Island of Malta and forcibly removed the Knights of Malta from their possessions, angering Paul, Tsar of Russia, who was the honorary head of the order. The French Directory, furthermore, was convinced that the Austrians were conniving to start another war; the weaker the French Republic seemed, the more the Austrians, the Neopolitans, the Russians and the English were discussing this possibility.
The Fall of the Swiss Confederation
Canton (subnational entity)
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared to other administrative divisions such as counties, departments or provinces. Internationally the best-known cantons, and the most politically...
, or the practice of particular local governance, and feudal rights, and established a centralized state based on the ideas of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. This change in governing structure was backed up by military force, through the presence of French soldiers.
Commanders
CitationsBibliography
- Blanning, Timothy, The French Revolutionary Wars, New York, Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0340569115
- Gallagher, John, Napoleon's enfant terrible: General Dominique Vandamme, Tulsa, University of Oklahoma Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0806138756
- Jourdan, Jean-Baptiste, A Memoir of the operations of the army of the Danube under the command of General Jourdan, taken from the manuscripts of that officer, London, Debrett, 1799.
- Phipps, Ramsey Weston, The Armies of the First French Republic, volume 5: "The armies of the Rhine in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt and the coup d'etat of Brumaire, 1797-1799," Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1939.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. Napoleon’s Great Adversary: Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army 1792–1914, Stroud, (Gloucester), Spellmount, 2007. ISBN 9781862273832
- Thiers, Adolphe, The history of the French revolution, New York, Appleton, 1854, v. 4.
- Young, John, D.D., A History of the Commencement, Progress, and Termination of the Late War between Great Britain and France which continued from the first day of February 1793 to the first of October 1801, in two volumes. Edinburg, Turnbull, 1802, vol. 2.