The ("War of Sticks") was a civil war in Switzerland in 1802 that resulted in the collapse of the
Helvetic Republic, the renewed French occupation of Switzerland and ultimately the
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, French Consulate, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 to abolish the Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Old Swiss Confederacy, Switzerland by F ...
dictated by
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
on 19 February 1803. The conflict itself was between insurgents, mostly drawn from the rural population, and the official forces of the Helvetic Republic. The term , or "wooden club," from which the conflict draws its name, refers to the improvised weaponry of the insurgents.
Background

Following the
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary do ...
of 1801, French troops suddenly left Switzerland in late July 1802, resulting in rapid destabilization of the country.
This instability reached a head in August, with an open rebellion of Swiss
federalists against the
unitary
Unitary may refer to:
Mathematics
* Unitary divisor
* Unitary element
* Unitary group
* Unitary matrix
* Unitary morphism
* Unitary operator
* Unitary transformation
* Unitary representation
* Unitarity (physics)
* ''E''-unitary inverse semigr ...
Helvetic Republic.
[ The revolt originated in ]Central Switzerland
Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug.
Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 s ...
and was centered around the cities of Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, the canton of Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Ba ...
, as well as rural parts of the Swiss plateau in the cantons Aargau
Aargau ( ; ), more formally the Canton of Aargau (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau.
Aargau is one of the most nort ...
and Solothurn.[ It would eventually spread to most of the Republic's nineteen cantons.]
Course of the war
The war began with an engagement at Rengg Pass on 28 August, where government troops were defeated by federalists from Nidwalden, followed by unsuccessful artillery attacks on Zürich from 10 to 13 September by government forces.[ The rebels soon captured ]Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, which was also briefly shelled.[ The Helvetic government, headed by '' Landamman'' Johann Rudolf Dolder, capitulated militarily on September 18, but was able to negotiate a retreat from Bern to ]Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
before collapsing entirely.[
With the exception of Léman and ]Fribourg
or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...
, executive power was restored to the cantonal governments and a Federal Diet in Schwyz
Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''.
The of ...
led by Alois von Reding.[ On 30 September, ]First Consul
The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the French Empire on 18 May 1804.
During this period, Napoleon Bonap ...
Napoleon Bonaparte issued the proclamation of Saint-Cloud, calling for a return to constitutional order and inviting both parties to a conciliatory conference in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, known as the "Helvetic Consulta".[ Niklaus Franz von Bachmann, commander-in-chief of the federal army, inflicted a final defeat on the Helvetic army at Faoug on 3 October.][ Bonaparte then launched a military intervention under General ]Michel Ney
Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
The son of ...
to pacify the country, disarm the federalists and restore the Helvetic Republic. Under French pressure, the Federal Diet at Schwyz announced its dissolution on 26 October, bringing an end to the .[
With the more liberal order of the Helvetic Republic, anti-Jewish sentiment rose, as accusations emerged that ]Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
were unfairly profiting from the unpopular new order. This came to a head on the 21st of September 1802, in the so-called “Zwetschgenkrieg” or plum war. An armed horde of 800 farmers, craftsmen and some patricians assaulted the Surbtal Jews, looting and destroying their homes and belongings. The attack was not entirely unexpected, tensions having built up over several days, and the Christian inhabitants of Endingen and Lengnau were largely unaffected. The Jews did not receive compensation for the damages, and the perpetrators did not face any consequences.
Aftermath
Napoleon was concerned that the instability of Switzerland could infect Europe at large, and was authorized to negotiate a settlement between the feuding sides. His Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, French Consulate, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 to abolish the Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Old Swiss Confederacy, Switzerland by F ...
made concessions to the demands of the insurgents, abandoning the centralist structure of the Helvetic Republic in favor of a more federalist approach. He likewise stated the natural state of Switzerland was federal and that attempts to force any other system upon them were unwise.
The British response
France's intervention in the conflict violated the Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens (, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it set t ...
, and was cited as a ''casus belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...
'' by Britain in its declaration of war against France on 18 May 1803. French involvement within the internal affairs of the Swiss was a key example of Britain's worry that Napoleon intended to destroy their influence in continental affairs. Though the British often attempted to stay removed from the internal struggles of the Continent, the actions of Napoleon's France upset the European balance of power and damaged British trade in the region. While the Act of Mediation enforced by French intervention did not particularly upset the Swiss order, in fact restoring much of pre-existing traditions and forms of Swiss government from before the French Republican invasion, it was a technical violation of the Treaty of Amiens, which prohibited such foreign meddling by France.
See also
* French invasion of Switzerland
*Switzerland in the Napoleonic era
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
References
External links
Abschnitt in der ''Geschichte des Kantons Bern seit 1798''
{{Authority control
Switzerland in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Conflicts in 1802
1802 in Switzerland
August 1802
September 1802
October 1802
Helvetic Republic
Civil wars in Switzerland