Cispadane Republic

{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}} The '''Cispadane Republic''' ({{Lang-it|'''Repubblica Cispadana'''}}) was a short-lived [[French client republic|republic]] located in Northern [[Italy]], founded in 1796 with the protection of the French army, led by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]]. In the following year, it was merged into the [[Cisalpine Republic]]. On 16 October 1796, a congress was held in [[Modena]], after the previous ruler, [[Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena|Duke Hercules III]], had fled to [[Venice]] to escape the French advance. The congress was formed by representatives from the provinces of Modena, [[Bologna]], [[Ferrara]] and [[Reggio Emilia]]. The congress was unofficially organized by Napoleon, whose French army had swept through northern Italy earlier in the year, and needed to settle the situation in Italy and gather new troops for an offensive against [[Austria]]. The congress proclaimed that the four provinces had formed the ''Repubblica Cispadana'', and invited other Italian populations to join them. A civic guard, composed of mounted hunters and artillery, was formed. In the 7 January 1797 session, in Reggio Emilia, the congress decided to form a government; the flag was a horizontal tricolour, with red (top), white and green stripes; in the middle, an emblem composed of a quiver, accolade to a war trophy, with four arrows that symbolized the four provinces forming the Republic, all within a crown of bay. According to its Constitution, the Republic was governed by a [[French Directory|Directory]], had a bicameral parliament composed of a Council of Sixty and a Council of Thirty, and was divided in [[French departments|departments]] and [[Commune (France)|municipalities]]. On 9 July, the Cispadane Republic combined with the [[Transpadane Republic]] to form the [[Cisalpine Republic]]. ==See also== * [[Historical states of Italy]] * [[French client republic]] {{Client states of the Great French War}} {{Coord missing}}