Roman Republic (1798–1799)

Roman Republic
*Repubblica Romana* (Italian)
Roman Republic Repubblica Romana (Italian)
1798–1799
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: Il popolo solo è sovrano (Italian) The people alone are sovereign
	Departments of the Roman Republic in 1798
Status	Sister republic of Revolutionary France
Capital	Rome
Common languages	Italian
Government	Unitary directorial republic
Directory
• 1798–99	Consulate
Legislature	Legislative Council (Tribunate & Senate)
Historical era	French Revolutionary Wars
• Republic proclaimed	15 February 1798
• Neapolitan occupation	30 September 1799
Currency	Roman scudo, Roman baiocco
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Papal States
	Anconine Republic
	Tiberina Republic
Papal States
Today part of	Italy ; Vatican City ;

Last updated January 02, 2025

Alternative Coat of Arms of the Roman Republic (1798–99)

The Roman Republic (Italian : Repubblica Romana) was a sister republic of the First French Republic that existed from 1798 to 1799. It was proclaimed on 15 February 1798 after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of the French Revolutionary Army, had occupied the city of Rome on 11 February. It was led by a Directory of five men and comprised territory conquered from the Papal States. The Roman Republic immediately incorporated two other former-papal revolutionary administrations, the Tiberina Republic and the Anconine Republic. It proved short-lived, as Neapolitan troops restored the Papal States in October 1799.

Background

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the Papal States, under the temporal authority of the pope in Rome, was part of the First Coalition. After defeating the Kingdom of Sardinia early in the Italian campaign of 1796-1797, General Napoleon Bonaparte turned his attention south of Piedmont to deal with the Papal States. Bonaparte, skeptical over divided command for the invasion, sent two letters to the French Directory. The letters let the Directory relent the invasion of the Papal States for a while.^{[ citation needed ]} On 3 February 1797, the French defeated the pope's army at the Battle of Faenza. Under the Treaty of Tolentino, signed on 19 February, Pope Pius VII was forced to accept an ambassador of the French First Republic.^[1]

On 27 December 1797, General Léonard Duphot, a military attaché at the French embassy in Rome, was killed while trying to defuse a riot in front of the embassy.^[2] After throwing himself between the rioters and papal troops, he was shot by the soldiers and later lynched by a mob in front of the Porta Settimiana.^[2] Duphot's death led to the departure of the French ambassador, Joseph Bonaparte, and his entourage.^[2]

History

The Directory decided that Duphot's killing would be avenged.^[2] The next year, French troops under General Louis-Alexandre Berthier invaded the Papal States and occupied Rome on 11 February 1798. Berthier proclaimed the Roman Republic on 15 February 1798, while Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner, escorted out of Rome on 20 February and exiled to France, where he later died.^[3] The institutions of the new sister republic were organized on the French model by Gaspard Monge and Pierre Daunou, with the help of local revolutionaries such as the engraver Francesco Piranesi and French residents of Rome such as Joseph-Antoine Florens [ fr ].

On 24 February 1798, on the occasion of a ceremony for General Duphot, hundreds of French soldiers gathered in front of the Pantheon and addressed their grievances to generals Berthier and André Masséna, commander of the Army of Rome (Armée de Rome).^[4] The soldiers demanded the payment of salaries and the punishment of those responsible for looting during the invasion of the Papal States.^[4] Masséna refused to acknowledge the soldiers' demands, but after they stormed the Palazzo Ruspoli he committed to pay part of the soldiers' salaries within 48 hours and the rest within two weeks.^[4] At the same time, Berthier negotiated with the officers in revolt.^[4]

The next day, Masséna ordered the withdrawal of the French army to the other bank of the Tiber in order to disperse the military insurrection.^[4] However, a civilian uprising, quickly defeated, broke out in multiple districts of Trastevere.^[4] The officers then attempted to have Masséna dismissed.^[4] At the end of these two days of unrest, Masséna moved out of the city and Berthier left the Roman Republic.^[4] Claude Dallemagne, then provisional commander of Rome, found himself responsible for the city amid contradictory directives from Berthier and Masséna.^[4] New insurrections broke out on 2 March, when the officers refused follow to Masséna's order for a transfer of troops, and on 14 March, when the latter returned to Rome and the revolting officers called for his dismissal, his departure within 24 hours and the attribution of powers to Dallemagne while awaiting orders from the Directory.^[4]

New orders arrived in Rome on 18 March, indicating a strengthening of the authority of the civil commissioners, the transfers of Berthier to the Army of England and of Masséna to Genoa, and the attribution of powers in the city to General Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr with orders to arrest the officers involved in the insurrections.^[4]

The Kingdom of Naples invaded the Roman Republic in November 1798. Although initially victorious at Ferentino, the French evacuated Rome and a Neapolitan army entered the lightly guarded city unopposed on 29 November, the very day that the War of the Second Coalition had begun. Nevertheless, French troops led by General Jacques MacDonald, governor of the Roman Republic, and General Jean Étienne Championnet, commander of the Army of Rome, defeated the Neapolitans at Ferentino, at Civita Castellana on 5 December, and at Otricoli on 9 December, re-entering Rome on 14 December.^[5] Championnet would go on to occupy Naples in January 1799 and proclaim the Parthenopean Republic.^[6]

Following a second Neapolitan invasion on 30 September 1799, the Papal States were restored under the rule of Pope Pius VII in June 1800, bringing the Roman Republic to an end.^[7] The French Army invaded the Papal States again in 1808, after which it was partitioned between the First French Empire and the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.

Government

The Roman Republic's constitutional organization was heavily influenced by that of the French Constitution of 1795, which itself was inspired by and loosely based on that of the ancient Roman Republic. Executive authority was vested in five consuls. The legislative branch was composed of two chambers, a 60-member Tribunate and a 30-member Senate, which elected the consuls.^[8]

Gallery

Entry of the French army into Rome on 15 February 1798 (Musée de la Révolution française)
Entry of the French army into Rome on 15 February 1798 (Palace of Versailles)
Polish legionnaires on Capitoline Hill, May 1798
Assegnato issued by the Roman Republic
2 baiocchi coin minted by the Roman Republic
Early modern Italy in 1799

Related Research Articles

1799 (MDCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 1799th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 799th year of the 2nd millennium, the 99th year of the 18th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1790s decade. As of the start of 1799, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

Pope Pius VI was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799.

The Papal States, officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the Pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th century until the unification of Italy, which took place between 1859 and 1870, and culminated in their demise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugène de Beauharnais</span> French nobleman, statesman, and military commander (1781–1824)

Eugène Rose de Beauharnais was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marriage of his mother, Joséphine de Beauharnais, he was the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Under the French Empire he also became Napoleon's adopted son. He was Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy under his stepfather, from 1805 to 1814, and commanded the Army of Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. Historians consider him one of Napoleon's most able relatives.

Louis-Gabriel Suchet, duc d'Albuféra, was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded as one of the greatest generals of the Napoleonic Wars.

The Parthenopean Republic or Neapolitan Republic was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the French First Republic. The republic emerged during the French Revolutionary Wars after King Ferdinand IV fled before advancing French troops. The republic existed from 21 January to 13 June 1799, collapsing when Ferdinand returned to restore monarchial authority and forcibly subdued republican activities.

Jean-Étienne Vachier Championnet was a French Army officer who led a Republican French division in several important battles of the French Revolutionary Wars. He became commander-in-chief of the Army of Rome in 1798 and of the Army of Italy in 1799. He died in early 1800 of typhus. His name is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 3.

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was a made a Marshal of the Empire in 1812 by Emperor Napoleon, who regarded him as his finest general in defensive warfare.

Étienne Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald, 1st duc de Tarente, was a Marshal of the Empire and military leader during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. While not as famous as the other marshals of Napoleon, he was nonetheless a first-rate and successful general.

The War of the Second Coalition was the second war targeting revolutionary France by many European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples and various German monarchies. Prussia did not join the coalition, while Spain supported France.

The papal conclave that followed the death of Pius VI on 29 August 1799 lasted from 30 November 1799 to 14 March 1800 and led to the selection of Cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti, who took the name Pius VII. This conclave was held in Venice and was the last to take place outside Rome. This period was marked by uncertainty for the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church following the invasion of the Papal States and abduction of Pius VI under the French Directory.

The Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1801) were a series of conflicts fought principally in Northern Italy between the French Revolutionary Army and a Coalition of Austria, Russia, Piedmont-Sardinia, and a number of other Italian states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Tolentino</span> 1797 treaty between France and the Papal States

The Treaty of Tolentino was a peace treaty between Revolutionary France and the Papal States, signed on 19 February 1797 and imposing terms of surrender on the Papal side. The signatories for France were the French Directory's Ambassador to the Holy See, François Cacault, and the rising General Napoleon Bonaparte and opposite them four representatives of Pope Pius VI's curia.

The Army of Italy was a field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. It is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.

The relationship between Napoleon and the Catholic Church was an important aspect of his rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Dallemagne</span> French general (1754–1813)

Claude Dallemagne started his career in the French army under the Bourbons, fought in the American Revolutionary War, rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, took part in the 1796 Italian campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte, and held military posts during the Napoleonic Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathurin-Léonard Duphot</span>

Léonard Mathurin Duphot was a French general and poet, whose Ode aux mânes des héros morts pour la liberté was highly fashionable at the time.

The Battle of Feldkirch saw some French corps led by André Masséna attack a weaker Austrian force under Franz Jellacic. Defending fortified positions, the Austrians repulsed all of the French columns, though the struggle lasted until nightfall. This and other French setbacks in southern Germany soon caused Masséna to go on the defensive. The War of the Second Coalition combat occurred at the Austrian town of Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, located 158 kilometres (98 mi) west of Innsbruck.

The Lombard Legion was a military unit of the Cisalpine Republic which existed from 1796 until the Republic's fall in 1799; but despite the downfall of this sister republic, the Cisalpine troops continued to serve the First French Republic. The Lombard Legion was the first Italian military department to equip itself, as a banner, with an Italian tricolor flag.

The Italian campaign of 1796–1797, also known as the First Italian Campaign, was a series of military operations in Italy during the War of the First Coalition. Led by Napoleon Bonaparte, the First French Republic's Army of Italy fought and defeated the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Papal States, as well as various revolts, notably in the Republic of Venice.

References

↑ Imperial City: Rome under Napoleon, Susan Vandiver, (p. 20)
1 2 3 4 Boulot, Georges (1908). Le général Duphot 1769-1797. Plon.
↑ "Napoleon's Campaign in Italy, 1796–97".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Gainot, Bernard; Martin, Virginie (2020). "L'honneur et la solde. L'insurrection des "capitaines" à Rome (février-mars 1798)". Annales historiques de la Révolution française (in French) (401 ed.): 21–58. ISBN 9782200933210.
↑ Six, Georges (1934). "MACDONALD, duc de TARANTE (Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire : 1792-1814 (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. p. 137.
↑ Six, Georges (1934). "CHAMPIONNET (Jean-Étienne Vachier, dit)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire : 1792-1814 (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. p. 218.
↑ Imperial City: Rome under Napoleon, Susan Vandliver, (p. 21)
↑ Ogg, Frederick Austin (1913). The Governments of Europe. New York: Macmillan Company. pp. 354–355. Retrieved 3 February 2018.

[1] Imperial City: Rome under Napoleon, Susan Vandiver, (p. 20)

[Boulot-2] 1 2 3 4 Boulot, Georges (1908). Le général Duphot 1769-1797. Plon.

[3] "Napoleon's Campaign in Italy, 1796–97".

[:0-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Gainot, Bernard; Martin, Virginie (2020). "L'honneur et la solde. L'insurrection des "capitaines" à Rome (février-mars 1798)". Annales historiques de la Révolution française (in French) (401 ed.): 21–58. ISBN 9782200933210.

[5] Six, Georges (1934). "MACDONALD, duc de TARANTE (Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire : 1792-1814 (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. p. 137.

[6] Six, Georges (1934). "CHAMPIONNET (Jean-Étienne Vachier, dit)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire : 1792-1814 (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. p. 218.

[7] Imperial City: Rome under Napoleon, Susan Vandliver, (p. 21)

[8] Ogg, Frederick Austin (1913). The Governments of Europe. New York: Macmillan Company. pp. 354–355. Retrieved 3 February 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]