SWITZERLAND. 



489 



rights in Geneva, reduced the city to entire sub- 

 mission. But the oppressive manner in which the 

 ducal authority was exercised, led Geneva, in 1525, 

 to join Berne and Friburg. The duke was forced 

 to yield. Berne and Geneva concluded the per- 

 petual league of 1531, and Berne gained possession 

 of the Pays de Vaud. At the same time, the re- 

 formed doctrines were propagated from Geneva by 

 Calvin. By the peace of Lausanne, in 1564, Savoy 

 first renounced her claims upon the Pays de Vaud, 

 iuid was thus driven from Helvetia, as Hapsburg 

 had been before. About this time (1555), Berne 

 and Friburg divided between themselves the terri- 

 tories of the counts of Gruyere, so that, in all Hel- 

 vetia, no great family of the ancient nobles retained 

 its patrimonial estates, except that of Neuburg. 

 The Swiss, however, were distracted by religious 

 and political controversies. Aristocracy and demo- 

 cracy struggled for the superiority, and the intrigues 

 of Spain filled the people of the Valteline (1617 

 21) with a spirit of fanaticism. In foreign, and 

 especially in the French service, the Swiss adopted 

 foreign manners: he sold his blood to foreign 

 masters; and the ancient Swiss purity and sim- 

 plicity retired to the remote valleys of the higher 

 Alps. At the same time, the connexion of the 

 confederacy with the German empire became less 

 and less close, while the cantons obtained the con- 

 firmation of their rights from the emperor Maxi- 

 milian II. But the influence of France soon 

 became predominant, and Rome swayed the minds 

 of its adherents by means of Jesuit colleges at 

 Lucerne and Friburg; and particularly through the 

 papal nuncio at Lucerne (since 1580). In the 

 thirty years' war, the confederates maintained a 

 prudent neutrality ; and, by the peace of West- 

 phalia (1648), the complete separation of Switzer- 

 land from the German empire was at length 

 solemnly acknowledged. In 1663, France renewed 

 her alliance with the Swiss, and asserted that they 

 had no right to foim alliances with other powers. 

 The conquest of the Franche Comte, in 1674, and 

 the siege of Rheinfeld, in 1678, by the French, 

 together with the erection of the fortress of Hiin- 

 ingen (q. v.), in 1679, excited the apprehensions of 

 the Swiss. They, however, happily maintained 

 their neutrality, even in the war of the Spanish 

 succession (1701 14). During the persecution of 

 the Protestants in France (from 1685), to whom 

 they readily gave an asylum and pecuniary aid, 

 they paid as little regard to the remonstrances 

 of Louis, who viewed the reformers as rebels, as 

 he did to the intercession of the Protestant Swiss 

 cantons in favour of their brethren in the faith. 

 The Swiss had little influence in foreign politics 

 during the eighteenth century ; and, until towards 

 its close, they suffered little from foreign inter- 

 ference. This tranquillity, which, however, was 

 often interrupted by internal dissensions, was alike 

 favourable to the progress of commerce, agriculture, 

 and manufactures, and to the arts and sciences. In 

 almost every department of human knowledge, the 

 Swiss of the eighteenth century, both at home and 

 abroad, acquired distinguished reputation, as the 

 names of Haller, Bonnet, Bernoulli, J. J. Rousseau, 

 Lavater, Bodmcr, Breitinger, Gessner, Sulzer, 

 llirzel, Fuseli, Hottinger, John von Miiller, Pesta- 

 lozzi, and many others, bear witness. The people 

 of the democratic cantons enjoyed an almost un- 

 limited freedom, and took a large share in the affairs 

 of government. Those places which were under i 

 the general protection of the \\hcilc confederacy, 



were not burdened by excessive taxes ; they enjoyed 

 a high degree of civil freedom, and numerous muni- 

 cipal rights. The larger cantons, as Berne and 

 Zurich, in which the government was administered 

 by the capitals, or by a body of the citizens, who 

 enjoyed many peculiar privileges, were also in a 

 flourishing condition. There were no oppressive 

 taxes; but almost every where the government was 

 conscientiously conducted; the administration of 

 justice was cheap and simple, and benevolent insti- 

 tutions were numerous. Notwithstanding all these 

 favourable circumstances, internal dissensions still 

 continued, and new troubles arose in 1790, which 

 shook the political fabric; blood was often spilt, 

 and punishment rendered necessary. Although the 

 Swiss had at first firmly .maintained their neutrality 

 in the wars of the French revolution, French power 

 and intrigue gradually deprived them of their former 

 constitution ; and, after incorporating several por- 

 tions of Switzerland with the French and Cisalpine 

 republics, the French converted the Swiss confede- 

 racy into the Helvetic repubb'c, one and indivisible, 

 under an executive directory of five persons. The 

 legislative power was divided between a senate and 

 a great council, to which each of the fourteen 

 cantons elected twelve members. It was in vain 

 that some of the democratic cantons attempted to 

 prevent this revolution. They were speedily over- 

 powered. But the oppressions of the French; the 

 arbitrary manner in which they disposed of the 

 highest offices ; the great number of weak and cor- 

 rupt men who were raised to power, soon made 

 the new officers contemptible. Aloys Reding, a 

 man of enterprising spirit, whose family was cele- 

 brated in the annals of his country, formed the plan 

 of overthrowing the central government. Under- 

 walden, Schweitz, Ziirich, Glarus, Appenzel, and 

 the Grisons wished to restore the federal constitu- 

 tion ; and Reding imagined that Bonaparte himself, 

 who had just withdrawn the French troops from 

 Switzerland, would favour his plan. The smaller 

 cantons, in their diet at Schweitz (August 6, 1802), 

 declared that they would not accept the constitu- 

 tion which had been forced upon them, and that, 

 they preferred a federal government. The conse- 

 quence was a civil war. Zurich was besieged to no 

 purpose by the troops of the Helvetic republic, 

 against whom its gates were shut. Rodolph von 

 Erlach and general Auf der Maur, at the head of 

 the insurgents, occupied Berne and Friburg. The 

 Helvetic government retired to Lausanne. Aloys 

 Reding now summoned a general assembly, which 

 was held at Schweitz, September 27. Three days 

 after, the first consul of France offered to the 

 cantons his mediation ; but the small cantons, 

 guided by Aloys Reding and Hirzel of Zurich, per- 

 severed in their opposition. Twelve thousand 

 French troops entered Switzerland, under Ney, 

 and the diet separated. Reding and Hirzel were 

 imprisoned. In December, both parties sent depu- 

 ties of the eighteen cantons to Paris, to whom 

 Bonaparte transmitted, by Barthelemy, Fouche, 

 and Roderer, the act of mediation of February 19, 

 1803, restoring the cantonal system, but granting 

 freedom to the former subjects of the cantons. 

 The cantons were now nineteen in numler 

 Aargau, Appenzel, Basle, Berne, Friburg, Glarus, 

 Grisons, Lucerne, St Gall, Schaffhausen, Schweitz, 

 Solcure, Tessin, Thurgau, Underwalden, Uri, Pays 

 de Vaud, Zug, and Zurich. The republic of Valnis 

 was changed, by a decree of Napoleon, in 1810, into 

 a French department; and as early as 1806, he granted 



