Republic of Geneva
The city-state of Geneva, from the bishop's franchises of 1387 through its Reformation and independence from Savoy to its annexation by France in 1798 and entry into the Swiss Confederation in 1815.
Category: States/Places
- 1387Bishop Adhémar Fabri grants Geneva its franchises
In 1387 Adhémar Fabri, Bishop of Geneva, grants the town its great charter of franchises. It becomes the basis of Geneva's communal self-government, which later underpins the city's claim to be a republic.
- 1519Savoy crushes Geneva's pro-Swiss party and executes Philibert Berthelier
In 1519 Geneva's council seeks an alliance with Fribourg. Charles III of Savoy invades, Philibert Berthelier, leader of the pro-Swiss Eidguenots, is executed and the council's powers are suspended.
- February 20, 1526Geneva allies with Bern and Fribourg against Savoy
On 20 February 1526 Geneva signs a treaty of alliance with the Swiss cities of Bern and Fribourg, breaking from Savoyard rule. The Council of Two Hundred is also created that year.
- 1532Guillaume Farel begins preaching the Reformation in Geneva
In 1532 the French reformer Guillaume Farel starts preaching in Geneva under the protection of Protestant Bern. His sermons turn the dispute with the bishop and Savoy into a religious one.
- July 1533Bishop Pierre de la Baume flees Geneva for good
After re-entering Geneva on 3 July 1533 with troops from Catholic Fribourg, Bishop Pierre de la Baume flees the city in July 1533 and never returns, leaving Geneva without its prince-bishop.
- August 10, 1535Geneva's Grand Council bans the Catholic Mass
On 10 August 1535 Geneva's Grand Council resolves to prohibit the celebration of Mass, after Farel and others stir crowds to destroy images in churches. The same resolution forbids further icon-breaking.
- 1536Guillaume Farel persuades John Calvin to stay in Geneva
In summer 1536 Calvin, passing through Geneva on his way to Strasbourg, is persuaded by Guillaume Farel to stay and help organise the city's new Reformed church.
- January 22, 1536Bern invades Savoy's Vaud and lifts the threat to Geneva
On 22 January 1536 Hans Franz Nägeli leads about 6,000 Bernese into Savoy's barony of Vaud, in part to protect Geneva. Bern takes Vaud and Lausanne but lets Geneva keep its independence.
- May 21, 1536Geneva swears to live by the Protestant faith and becomes a republic
On 21 May 1536 Geneva's General Council takes a public oath to the Protestant faith and confiscates Church property. The city, now free of its bishop and Savoy, is proclaimed a Protestant republic.
- 1538Calvin and Farel are banished from Geneva
At Easter 1538 Geneva's council banishes Guillaume Farel and John Calvin after a dispute over church discipline. Farel settles in Neuchâtel, and Calvin lives in exile until he is recalled in 1541.
- 1551Robert Estienne numbers the verses of the New Testament
In his 1551 Greek–Latin New Testament, printed in Geneva, Robert Estienne first prints verse numbers, and does so for the Hebrew Bible in 1553. They complete the chapter-and-verse system still used to cite Scripture.
- 1555Calvin's opponents fail in an attempted coup in Geneva
In 1555 the Libertines led by Ami Perrin, who resisted Calvin's church discipline, attempt a coup in Geneva and call for the massacre of the French. It fails, and Perrin is sentenced in absentia.
- 1559Calvin founds the Academy of Geneva
In 1559 John Calvin founds the Academy of Geneva to train pastors for Reformed churches. It later becomes the University of Geneva and draws students from across Protestant Europe.
- 1560English exiles publish the Geneva Bible
In 1560 English Protestant exiles in Geneva, led by William Whittingham, publish the first complete English Bible translated from the original languages, with Calvinist notes. The Pilgrims later carry it on the Mayflower.
- 1584Geneva seals an "eternal" alliance with Bern and Zurich
In 1584 Geneva strengthens its ties to the Protestant Swiss cities of Bern and Zurich through an "eternal treaty", giving the city allies against renewed pressure from the dukes of Savoy.
- December 12, 1602Geneva repels Savoy's surprise attack in the Escalade
In the night of 11–12 December 1602 (Old Style), troops of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy try to take Geneva by scaling its walls. The defenders repel them, and Savoy's last attempt to take the city by force fails.
- July 1603Treaty of Saint-Julien: Savoy accepts Geneva's independence
In July 1603 Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy accepts a lasting peace with Geneva at Saint-Julien, recognising its independence. Sources give 12 or 21 July, possibly a calendar difference.
- 1798Revolutionary France annexes the Republic of Geneva
In 1798, under economic and political pressure, Geneva's government asks for annexation, and the French Directory annexes the city and its territory. This ends the independent Republic of Geneva.
- 1814 – 1815Geneva joins the Swiss Confederation as a canton
After the French leave at the end of 1813 and Geneva's independence is restored, the Congress of Vienna admits it to the Swiss Confederation as a canton in 1814–1815.