Paris Treaty (1802)

In the Paris Treaty of May 20, 1802, territorial changes between France and Württemberg were regulated.

prehistory

During the coalition wars in 1793, revolutionary France occupied the holdings on the left bank of the Rhine in Württemberg, the county of Mömpelgard and the Alsatian media lordships of Reichenweier and Horburg . In a secret treaty of 1796 , while the war between France and the Holy Roman Empire was still going on, Württemberg agreed to the cession of these areas at the price that France would advocate the expansion of Württemberg to the right of the Rhine in the forthcoming peace negotiations with the empire should.

The Peace of Campo Formio in 1797 actually determined the establishment of the Rastatt Congress , at which such changes of area were to be negotiated. However, the Rastatt Congress was canceled because of another war, and only with the Peace of Lunéville in 1801 was a new basis for negotiations given. In both peace treaties, Emperor Franz II had to agree to the cession of all areas of the empire on the left bank of the Rhine to France.

Conclusion of the contract

The Treaty of Lunéville established the establishment of an imperial deputation to determine how the imperial princes affected by the French annexations were to be compensated. These compensations were to be made mainly through the mediatization of the imperial cities and the secularization of the spiritual territories. In the background, however, France or Napoleon, for whose favor all negotiating parties sought, determined the negotiations and resolutions of the Reich Deputation.

Duke Friedrich II of Württemberg therefore sent his negotiator, Minister of State von Normann , to Paris in 1802 to negotiate the compensation of Württemberg. This succeeded in significantly expanding the assurances made in 1796. Previously only the office of Oberkirch , the Prince Provost of Ellwangen and the Zwiefalten Abbey were mentioned , now Württemberg has secured numerous imperial cities and other spiritual territories. Oberkirch came to Baden , however .

These assurances were formally confirmed under imperial law at the beginning of 1803 in the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss , whereby Württemberg (like the other beneficiaries) had occupied some areas in anticipation of the conclusion of the treaty as early as 1802. Furthermore, the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss determined the elevation of Württemberg to the electorate .

The gains of Württemberg were specifically the imperial cities of Heilbronn , Esslingen am Neckar , Reutlingen , Gmünd , Hall , Rottweil , Aalen , Giengen an der Brenz and Weil der Stadt as well as numerous spiritual territories, namely the prince provost of Ellwangen, the Zwiefalten Abbey, the Schöntal monastery , the convent Comburg that Rottenmünster Abbey at Rottweil, the convent Heiligkreuztal , the pin Supreme field and the convent Margrethausen ; also the village of Dürrenmettstetten .

consequences

The newly acquired territories were initially organized by Elector Friedrich in a structure called Neuwuerttemberg with its seat in Ellwangen, which was kept separate from the rest of Württemberg under constitutional law . In 1805, Württemberg concluded another alliance with France and received further areas and the rank of the Kingdom of Württemberg in the Peace of Pressburg and when the Rhine Confederation was founded . It was only on this occasion that Old and New Württemberg were combined into one state.