Italian Republic (Napoleonic) - The Republic

The Republic

The Italian Republic was the successor of the Cisalpine Republic, which changed its constitution to allow the French First Consul Napoleon to become its president. The new constitution changed the name of the state to the "Italian Republic"; it consisted of the same areas that had comprised the Cisalpine Republic, primarily Lombardy and Romagna.

The republic had a territory of more than 42,500 square kilometers (16,400 sq mi), and a population of 3,240,000 in 12 départements. Milan was the capital city, the main center having 124,000 inhabitants in 1764. The country was prosperous despite the plundering experienced in preceding centuries. Its economy was based on cereal agriculture and cattling, plus flourishing small industries, notably the production of silk.

The flag of the Italian Republic maintained the three Italian-Milanese national colours, but with a new, less revolutionary, pattern. The coat of arms was specified in a decree on May 13, 1802. A treaty of friendship and commerce with the Republic of San Marino was signed on June 10, 1802, the Concordat with the Holy See on September 16, 1803.

The government created a national guard, a National Gendarmerie, and a finance police; the metric system was introduced and a national currency was planned, although never minted during the republican era.

In 1805, following Bonaparte's assumption of the title of Emperor of the French, the Italian Republic was transformed into the Kingdom of Italy (Regno d'Italia), with Napoleon as king and his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais as viceroy.