city state · Germany and Central Europe
Republic of Geneva
Origins
Geneva was ruled by the Prince-Bishopric of Geneva, with the Duchy of Savoy exerting growing influence. The townspeople allied with the Canton of Fribourg and the Canton of Bern in 1526, and in 1535, with Bernese support, they drove out the bishop and adopted the Reformation, making the city an independent republic.
Rule and society
John Calvin, who settled there in 1536 and again from 1541, shaped its church ordinances; the Consistory enforced strict morals, and the Academy, founded in 1559, trained Reformed pastors for France, Scotland and the Netherlands. Councils dominated by leading families governed, and the city prospered from printing, banking and watchmaking, much of it brought by Huguenot refugees. In 1602 Genevans repelled Savoy's night attack, the Escalade.
Decline and legacy
France annexed Geneva in 1798, making it the capital of the department of Léman. Freed in 1813, it joined the Swiss Confederation as a canton in 1815.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Republic of Geneva was a vassal of Old Swiss Confederacy1584 CE – 1798 CE
- Republic of Geneva was conquered by French First Republic1798 CE
More states of Germany and Central Europe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Geneva. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-geneva
- MLA
- “Republic of Geneva.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-geneva. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Geneva.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-geneva.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Geneva’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-geneva (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻