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| Treaty of Campo Formio between the French Republic and Austria Traité de Campo-Formio entre la République française et l'Autriche | |
|---|---|
 Last page of the public part of the treaty | |
| Signed | 17 October 1797 (1797-10-17) |
| Location | Campoformido,Republic of Venice |
| Signatories | |
| Depositary | Archives Nationales |
| Language | French |
TheTreaty of Campo Formio (todayCampoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26Vendémiaire VI)[1][2] byNapoleon Bonaparte and CountPhilipp von Cobenzl as representatives of theFrench Republic and theAustrian monarchy, respectively.[3][4] The treaty followed thearmistice of Leoben (18 April 1797), which had been forced on the Habsburgs by Napoleon's victoriouscampaign in Italy. It ended theWar of the First Coalition and leftGreat Britain fighting alone against revolutionary France.
The treaty's public articles concerned only France and Austria and called for aCongress of Rastatt to be held to negotiate a final peace for theHoly Roman Empire. In the treaty's secret articles, Austria as the personal state of the Emperor promised to work with France to certain ends at the congress. Among other provisions, the treaty meant the definitive end to the ancientRepublic of Venice, which wasdisbanded and partitioned by the French and the Austrians.
The congress failed to achieve peace, and by early 1799 France and Austria were at war again. The new war, theWar of the Second Coalition, ended with thePeace of Lunéville, a peace for the whole empire, in 1801.
Campo Formio, now calledCampoformido, is a village west ofUdine in the historical region ofFriuli in north-eastern Italy, in the middle between Austrian headquarters in Udine and Bonaparte's residence. The French commander resided atVilla Manin, the country mansion ofLudovico Manin, the lastDoge of Venice, nearCodroipo. The treaty was signed in an old house in the main square of the village, property of Bertrando Del Torre, a local merchant.
On 18 January 1798, Austrian troops entered Venice, and three days later, they held an official reception at theDoge's Palace, where Ludovico Manin was a guest of honour.[5]
Beyond the usual clauses of "firm and inviolable peace", the treaty transferred a number of Austrian territories into French hands. Lands ceded included theAustrian Netherlands (most of modern Belgium). Territories of theRepublic of Venice were divided between the two states: certain islands in theMediterranean, includingCorfu and otherVenetian possessions in the Ionian Sea were turned over to the French.
The city ofVenice with theTerraferma (Venetian mainland),Venetian Istria,Venetian Dalmatia and theBay of Kotor region were turned over to the Habsburg emperor. Austria recognized theCisalpine Republic and the newly createdLigurian Republic, formed ofSavoyard state andGenoese territories, as independent powers.
The Italian states formally ceased to owe fealty to theHoly Roman Emperor, ending the formal existence of theKingdom of Italy, which, as a personal holding of the emperor, had existedde jure but notde facto since at least the 14th century.
The treaty contained secret clauses signed by Napoleon and representatives of the Holy Roman emperor,[6] which divided up certain other territories, and agreed to the extension of the borders of France up to theRhine, theNette, and theRoer. Free French navigation was guaranteed on the Rhine, theMeuse and theMoselle. The French Republic had been expanded into areas that had never before been under French control.
The treaty was composed and signed after five months of negotiations.[citation needed] Its terms largely reflected those agreed upon earlier in theTreaty of Leoben in April 1797, although the talks were prolonged by both parties for various reasons. During this period, the French had to suppress theCoup of 18 Fructidor, a royalist uprising in September, which served as a pretext for the arrest and deportation of royalist and moderate deputies from theDirectory.
Napoleon's biographer,Felix Markham, wrote "the partition of Venice was not only a moral blot on the peace settlement but left Austria a foothold in Italy, which could only lead to further war." In fact, the Peace of Campo Formio, though it reshaped the map of Europe and marked a major step in Napoleon's fame, was only a respite. One consequence was thePeasants' War, which erupted in theSouthern Netherlands in 1798 following the French introduction ofconscription.[7]
As a result of the treaty,Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, a prisoner from the French Revolution, was released from Austrian captivity.
By passing Venetian possessions in Greece, such as theIonian Islands, toFrench rule, the treaty had an effect on later Greek history neither intended nor expected at the time.[citation needed]
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Media related toTreaty of Campo Formio at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Neuwied (1797) | French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns Treaty of Campo Formio | Succeeded by French invasion of Switzerland |
