Subalpine Republic Repubblica Subalpina (Italian) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800–1802 | |||||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||||
| Motto: Liberté, Égalité Liberty, Equality | |||||||||||
 The Subalpine Republic in 1801 | |||||||||||
| Status | Client state ofFrance | ||||||||||
| Capital | Turin | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Italian,French | ||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism Waldensianism | ||||||||||
| Government | Provisional Republic | ||||||||||
| Provisional Executive | |||||||||||
• 1801–1802 | Jean-Baptiste Jourdan | ||||||||||
| Historical era | French Revolutionary Wars | ||||||||||
• Established | 20 June 1800 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 11 September 1802 | ||||||||||
| Currency | French franc | ||||||||||
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TheSubalpine Republic (Italian:Repubblica Subalpina) was a short-livedrepublic that existed between 1800 and 1802 on the territory ofPiedmont during its military rule bythe French Consulate.
Piedmont was the main part of theKingdom of Sardinia which, despite its name, had its core on the mainland. The kingdom suffered a first French invasion in 1796, which led to theTreaty of Paris and the loss ofSavoy andNice. After a second invasion in 1798, KingCharles Emmanuel IV escaped to Rome, but he never agreed to sign a new peace treaty, approving a final arrangement of its continental territories according to international law.
ThePiedmontese Republic was declared on 10 September 1798 and it existed until 20 June 1799, when it was conquered by Austro-Russian troops. However, Russian MarshallAlexander Suvorov was the sole political actor showing the will to restore the Kingdom of Sardinia's authority in Piedmont: as the old Republic’s fate was the annexation to France, the Austrian goal was the union of the region to the Holy Empire. More, this dispute was one of the main reasons of the political collapse of theSecond Coalition.
In 1800,Napoleon returned to Italy, taking back much of the new republics. The Piedmontese Republic was re-established on 20 June 1800. To mark a difference with the Austrian occupation, the First Consul temporary suspended his annexation desires, and the local government took the name of Piedmontese Nation (Italian:Nazione Piemontese).[1]
The republic had its capital atTurin. On 9 July 1800, it adopted a new flag, which consisted of a red-blue-gold triband (based on the flag of the earlierRepublic of Alba).[2] Its motto wasLiberté, Égalité, which was taken from the French mottoLiberté, égalité, fraternité.[3]
The Subalpine Republic was heavily dependent on France and was never really independent as it was under Frenchmilitary occupation. The state wasnot recognized by the international community. Its government changed a number of times during its brief existence, and was made up of the following people:[4]
| Government | Members |
|---|---|
| Commission of Government 27 June – 24 December 1800 | Filippo Avogardo, conte di Quarenga e Cerreto |
| Innocenzo Maurizio Baudisson | |
| Ugo Bottone, conte di Castellamonte | |
| Francesco Brayda | |
| Giuseppe Cavalli, conte di Olivola | |
| Pietro Gaetano Galli, conte della Loggia | |
| Stefano Giovanni Rocci | |
| Executive Commission 24 December 1800 – 19 April 1801 | |
| Giuseppe Carlo Aurelio di Sant'Angelo | |
| Carlo Stefano Giulio | |
| Carlo Giuseppe Guglielmo Botta | |
Provisional Executive 20 April 1801 – 11 September 1802 | Jean-Baptiste Jourdan |
Paris introduced French-style reforms within the Subalpine Republic. It used theFrench franc, and also minted its own coins.[5]
In March 1801, when theTreaty of Lunéville ended the war with Austria, Paris resumed its annexation goals, the Piedmontese Army was incorporated into the French Army, and a few months later the administrative management of the region ended up completely in French hands as theSubalpine Gaul. Scholars in Paris underlined the resemblance of thePiedmontese language, at time the popular speaking while theItalian language was limited to the universities, with theFrench language. On 4 June 1802, Charles Emmanuel abdicated in favour of his brotherVictor Emmanuel I, who was inCagliari underBritish naval protection. Napoleon took this opportunity to declare the final forfeiture of the old sovereignty over Piedmont, and plans were made to annex it to France.
The Subalpine Republic ceased to exist on 11 September 1802, when it was divided between theFrench Republic and theItalian Republic. The French Republic annexed thedépartements ofDoire,Marengo,Pô (briefly named "Éridan", afterEridanos),Sesia,Stura, andTanaro, while the Italian Republic annexedNovara (as the department ofAgogna).
| Sister republics |
|  Europe at the height of Napoleon's Empire | |||||||||||
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| Napoleonic creations |
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45°04′N07°42′E / 45.067°N 7.700°E /45.067; 7.700
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