republic · Germany and Central Europe

Rhodanic Republic

1802 CE – 1810 CE · capital Sion

Napoleonic client republic in the Valais, kept separate from Switzerland to secure the Simplon pass.

Origins

Napoleon wanted control of the Simplon pass between France and Italy. In 1802 he separated the Valais from the Helvetic Republic and made it a nominally independent Republic of the Rhône (République rhodanienne), under the joint protection of France, the Italian Republic and the Helvetic Republic.

Rule and society

The republic was governed by a small administration in Sion under a constitution imposed by France, with a diet and a council of state. Its main obligation was to maintain the new Simplon road, completed by French engineers in 1805, and to allow free passage to French troops. The population was Catholic and largely rural.

Decline and legacy

In November 1810 Napoleon annexed the Valais to France as the department of Simplon. After his fall it became a canton of the Swiss Confederation in 1815.

Lineage

Helvetic Republic 1798 CE – 1803 CERhodanic Republic

Connections (2)

Rhodanic Republic was a protectorate of French Empire1802 CE – 1810 CE
Rhodanic Republic was conquered by French Empire1810 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rhodanic Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rhodanic-republic
MLA: “Rhodanic Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rhodanic-republic. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Rhodanic Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rhodanic-republic.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rhodanic Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rhodanic-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻