During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies marched eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. In 1798, Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and
The people of Zürich celebrate dancing around an Arbre de la liberté on the Münsterhof while the French carry off the treasury (1848 woodcut).
The Battle of Zurich by François Bouchot, 1835. Masséna at the Second Battle of Zurich
16 Frank coin issued by the Helvetic Republic, this represents the first national coinage of Switzerland.
Act of Mediation, 1803
Helvetic Republic
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The Helvetic Republic was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolut
Switzerland in the Napoleonic era
…marched eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. In 1798, Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and was renamed the Helvetic Republic. The Helvetic Republic encountered severe economic and political problems. In 1798 the country became a battlefield of the Revolutionary Wars, culminating…
Strategic situation of Europe in 1796
Alois von Reding led Central Swiss troops against the French.
Painted silk tricolour of the Helvetic Republic with image of William Tell and son, with motto Freÿheit, Gleichheit ('Freedom, Equality').
William Tell fights the revolution (1798), by Dunker, praises the struggle of the Old Confederation against the Helvetic revolution supported by French invasion. It depicts the Swiss folk hero William Tell, carrying a shield with the Rütlischwur, and his son fighting the revolution, represented as a chimera wearing a phrygian cap