ITALY (HISTORY.) 



167 



Venetian territory. The Venetians now made com- 

 mon cause with the brave Tyrolese, who gained 

 advantages over the French in their Alps. Bona- 

 parte, therefore, occupied Venice without striking- a 

 blow, and gave the republic a democratic constitu- 

 tion ; but, by the peace of Campo-Formio (L7th Oct., 

 1797), the Venetian territory, as far as the Adige, 

 was relinquished to Austria, and the rest incorporated 

 with the Cisalpine republic. The king of Sardinia 

 concluded a treaty of alliance and subsidy with 

 France, October 25 ; but, in 1798, the directory, as- 

 sailed in Rome from Naples, deemed it expedient to 

 compel him to resign his territories on the main land. 

 Notwithstanding its treaty of amity with France, 

 Naples concluded an alliance, in 1798, with Britain 

 and Russia. The French, therefore, occupied Naples, 

 and erected there the Parthenopean republic. The 

 grand-duke of Tuscany had likewise formed an 

 alliance with Naples and Britain, and his country 

 was, in return, compelled by the French to receive, 

 like Piedmont, a military administration. After the 

 congress of Radstadt (q. v.) was broken off, Austria 

 and the German empire, under Russian support, re- 

 newed the war against the French, who again left 

 Naples and Rome to the British, Russians, and 

 Turks. The king and the pope returned to their 

 capitals in Lombardy ; the French were defeated by 

 the Austrians, under Kray and Melas, and by the 

 Russians, under Suwarroff, and lost all their fortresses, 

 except Genoa, where Massena sustained a vigorous 

 siege, while his countrymen had to evacuate all Italy. 

 But, in the mean while, Bonaparte was made first 

 consul after his return from Egypt. (See Egypt, 

 Campaign of the French in.) He marched witli a 

 new army to Italy, defeated the Austrians at the 

 memorable battle of Marengo (1800), and compelled 

 them to a capitulation, by which all the Italian for- 

 tresses were again evacuated. By the peace of 

 Luneville (q. v.), Feb. 9, 1801, the possession of 

 Venice was confirmed to A ustria, which was to indem- 

 nify the duke of Modena, by the cession of Brisgau. 

 The duke of Parma received Tuscany, and after- 

 wards, from Bonaparte, the title of king of Etruria. 

 Parma was united with France. The Cisalpine and 

 Ligurian republics were guaranteed by Austria and 

 France, and with the Ligurian territories were united 

 the imperial fiefs included within their limits. The 

 king of Naples, who had occupied the States of the 

 Church, was obliged to conclude peace at Florence 

 (28th of March). By Russian mediation, he escaped 

 with the cession of Piombino, the Stato degli Presidj, 

 and his half of the island of Elba, together with the 

 promise of closing his harbours against the British. 

 The other half of Elba Tuscany had already relin- 

 quished to France. But the whole island was obsti- 

 nately defended by the British and Corsicans, with 

 the armed inhabitants, and not evacuated till autumn. 

 The Stato degli Presidj France ceded to Etruria, 

 September 19. Strong detachments of French troops 

 remained both in Naples and Tuscany, and their sup- 

 port cost immense sums. To the republics of Genoa 

 and Lucca the first consul gave new constitutions in 

 1801. But in January, 1802, the Cisalpine republic 

 was transformed into the Italian republic, in imitation 

 of the new French constitution, and Bonaparte be- 

 came president. He appointed the citizen Melzi 

 d'Erile vice president. Genoa also received a new 

 constitution, and Girolamo Durazzo for doge. Pied- 

 mont, however, was united with France. After 

 Bonaparte had become emperor, in 1804, he attached 

 (March 17, 1805) the royal crown of Italy to the 

 new imperial crown ; he promised, however, never to 

 unite the new monarchy with France, and even to 

 give it a king of its own. The new constitution was 

 similar to that of the French empire. Napoleon 



founded the order of the iron crown, and having 

 placed the crown on his own head, at Milan, May 

 26, and Genoa having been united with France, May 

 25, he appointed his step-son, Eugene Beauharnais, 

 viceroy of Italy, who laboured with great zeal for the 

 improvement of all branches of the government, of 

 industry, and the arts. Circumstances, however, ren- 

 dered this new government oppressive, as the public- 

 expenses, during peace, amounted to 100,000,000 

 francs, which were all to be contributed by less than 

 4,000,000 people. No European power recognised, 

 expressly, the Italian kingdom of Napoleon. The 

 emperor continued to strengthen his power against 

 the active enemies of the new order of things, and 

 gave to his sister Eliza the principality of Piombino, 

 and to her husband, Pasquale Bacciocchi, the 

 republic of Lucca, as a principality, both as French 

 fiefs. Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla were incor- 

 porated with the French empire, July 21st. The 

 pope was obliged to sanction the imperial coronation 

 by his presence. Austria now acceded to the alliance 

 of Russia, and Britain against France. Naples, 

 also, again suffered the British and Russians to land. 

 But the success of the Austrian arms was frustrated 

 by the defeats at Ulm and AusterliU, after which 

 the peace of Presburg (December 26th, 1805), com- 

 pleted the French supremacy in Italy. Austrian 

 Venice, with Istria and Dalmatia, was united to the 

 kingdom of Italy ; and this, with all the French 

 institutions, Italy recognised. The kingdom had 

 now an extent of 35,450 square miles, with 5,657,000 

 inhabitants. Naples was evacuated by its auxiliaries, 

 and occupied by the French, notwithstanding the 

 attempts of the queen to excite an universal insurrec- 

 tion. March 31, Napoleon gave the crown of Naples 

 to his brother Joseph. In vain did the prince of 

 Hesse-Philipsthal defend the fortress of Gaeta. In 

 vain did an insurrection break out in Calabria, 

 encouraged by the British, who, under general 

 Sf.uart, defeated the French at Maida, July 4, and 

 conquered several fortified places on the coast ; but, 

 after Gaeta had fallen (July 18), and Massena 

 penetrated as far as Calabria, they re-embarked. 

 As the British, however, were masters of the sea, 

 Sicily was secured to king Ferdinand. In 1808, the 

 widow of the king of Etruria, who conducted the 

 regency in behalf of her minor son, was deprived 

 of her kingdom, which was united with France. 

 Napoleon, moreover, appointed his brother-in-law, 

 the prince Borghese, governor-general of the depart- 

 ments beyond the Alps, who took up his residence at 

 Turin. As Napoleon had, meanwhile, given his 

 brother Joseph the crown of Spain (who reluctantly 

 left Naples, where he was much esteemed, as he 

 had, within this short time, laid the foundation of 

 the most essential improvements), he filled the 

 throne of Naples with his brother-in-law, Joachim 

 Murat, until that period grand-duke of Berg, who 

 entered Naples Sept. 6, 1808. lu 1809, the emperor 

 gave Tuscany to his sister Eliza, of Piombino, with 

 the title of grand-duchess. In the same year, 

 Austria made new exertions to break the excessive 

 power of France ; but Napoleon again drove her 

 troops from the field, and appeared once more 

 victorious in Vienna, where he proclaimed (May 17) 

 the end of the secular authority of the popes (a 

 measure of which his downfall has delayed the 

 execution), and the union of the States of the 

 Church with France. Rome became the second 

 city of the empire, and a pension of 2,000,000 of 

 francs was assigned to the pope. After the peace of 

 Vienna, by which Napoleon acquired the Illyrian 

 provinces, Istria and Dalmatia were separated from 

 the kingdom of lUtly, and attached to them. On the 

 other hand, Baviiria ceded to Italy the circle or the. 



