My summary of Napoleon’s Role in the Making of Modern Switzerland, by Jost Auf der Maur; translated, annotated, and reorganized by Richard Hacken
— 28 year old Napoleon entered Switzerland in 1797. He went to the city of Basel on 24 November 1797.
— Interesting quote by Johannes Bürkli from Zurich about pre-Napoleonic Switzerland:
“[Switzerland] is a virtually unnoticeable dot on the map of Europe, yet it combines all species of government: despotic, oligarchic, aristocratic, democratic. You can find all of them thrown together here in a nutshell.”
— One dude even suggested that their country be invaded!!! (Isaak Iselin in 1770)
— Anyway, Napoleon went to Switzerland after the 1st Italian campaign, where he had created two sister republics. So he was already extremely famous in Switzerland.
— He avoided the cities where he got word about patricians who hated him (Bern & Solothurn).
— Besides the patricians, many welcomed him and even lined the streets to see him.
— The article notes that Napoleon had already achieved the status of head of state, even though that would not “officially” happen for two more years.
— Peter Ochs: he’s a central Swiss political figure in all of this. He was a supporter of the Enlightenment and the Revolution. He held a banquet for Napoleon at Grand Hôtel Les Trois Rois' (which is still there and has a suite named after Napoleon)
— One detail I really like is that Napoleon went out of his way to give a pastry chef, Werner Faesch, the seat of honor at the banquet 😁😁 (Napoleon actually had Swiss relatives).
— After his meeting with the Swiss, Napoleon went to the Peace Congress of Rastatt in Germany.
— Peter Ochs then went to Paris two weeks later to meet with Napoleon again. (Dec. 8, 1797)
— It was at this meeting that Napoleon recommended to Ochs that there be an uprising in Switzerland with the goal of instituting a new constitution that centered the people's representation. Napoleon wanted there to be a revolution in Switzerland and for it to become a sister republic. He sent French soldiers to the Swiss border, who were to intervene if needed.
— One month later, the Liberty Tree was planted in Basel (Jan. 17, 1798), and Basel began a new order based on freedom.
— This angered some Swiss, who accused the people of Basel of treason.
— So Napoleon officially ordered the French soldiers to invade Switzerland in 1798.
— His message of brotherhood really touched the lower classes of Switzerland, and majority of them consented when he dismissed the old regime.
— The French Military under Napoleon did meet resistance in Bern, but the resistance failed. Peter Ochs officially proclaimed the Helvetic Republic on 12 April 1798.
— Switzerland was now a protectorate of France and Napoleon.
— This is always the interesting thing about the sister republics and first French empire. It can be framed differently by different people. For example, Switzerland under Napoleonic rule starting in 1798 is sometimes referred to as merely a vassal state. Used by France for their own interests, which was to make Switzerland a cushion for France in the delicate balance of power in Europe.
— But there was indeed political progress which majority of the people consented to. The old regime was abolished. Serfdom was abolished. There was increased freedom of press. There was enforced free movement of goods. Entrepreneurship was expanded. The modern nation-state was formed with newly drawn canton borders. So it can also be framed as a positive development for the Swiss people.
— One thing to mention: Napoleon drew the borders for 19 cantons. He actually redrew the map several times, changing it slightly when needed.
— The next time Napoleon goes to Switzerland, he’s now the “official” head of state of France. This is the famous crossing of the Alps that can been seen in the painting of Napoleon on the horse by Jacques Louis David.
— An interesting anecdote: the path Napoleon crossed the alps on, the Great Saint Bernard Pass, went up 2,000 meters high. Napoleon’s mule actually slid while he was on it, and nearly crashed down a ravine. The guide saved Napoleon’s life, and Napoleon rewarded him with the best mule in all of Paris (as well as money).
— Also: the supplies for this campaign included 750,000 kilograms (over 8,000 tons) of pastry goods lol
— He never again returned to Switzerland, but the country would continue to be forever altered by the coming years under Napoleonic rule.
— Since the 1798 Napoleonic invasion and proclamation of the Helvetic Republic, a civil war emerged in Switzerland. Napoleon was obsessed with ending the civil war, and swooped in to suppress the Federalist faction.
— 63 Swiss representatives met with Napoleon in Paris, and he created a new constitution that attempted to compromise with the federalists.
—This was called the Act of Mediation (1803), and proved to be extremely effective at stabilizing conditions in Switzerland. It gave the different cantons within the country more independence.
— The following years saw economic improvements in Switzerland.
— But a great tragedy would occur in 1812 when 9,000 Swiss soldiers marched into Russia and only 1,000 returned.
— The Russians actually knew what Napoleon’s invasion plans were due their impressive spy network, which Napoleon did not realize.
— This invasion created a founding story for Switzerland about their valor and courage in fighting united at the Battle of Berezina until the very end.
— Napoleon fell in 1814, and it was at the Congress of Vienna that Swiss Neutrality was officially declared. This would be delayed the following year in 1815 during the War of the 7th Coalition. After that, Switzerland would be neutral.
— The author says that Switzerland owes its continued existence to Napoleon. He says that if it weren’t for him, the different regions of Switzerland would probably have been absorbed into the different neighboring countries.
To finish, here are two quotes about Switzerland by Napoleon:
“Why would you want to rob these shepherds of the only distraction they are capable of? In a monotonous lifestyle that leaves them so much leisure time, it is natural that they busy themselves with public affairs. It would be cruel to deprive these pastoral peoples of the rights they are so proud of, the ones that have taken such deep roots and the exercise of which, in the final analysis, is harmless in the end.”
And here’s the other one, from a different book:
“Nature destined Switzerland to become a League of States; no wise man would attempt to conquer it.”
