Simplon (department)

Simplon was the name of a department of the First French Empire. It is named after the Simplon Pass. It was formed in 1810, when the Rhodanic Republic was occupied by the French. Its territory corresponded with that of the present Swiss canton of Valais. The capital of Simplon was Sion. The department was subdivided into the following arrondissements and cantons (situation in 1812):^[1]

Sion, cantons: Hérémence, Leuk (French: Loèche), Sierre and Sion.
Brig, cantons: Brig, Goms (French: Conches), Mörel, Raron and Visp (French: Viège).
Saint-Maurice, cantons: Entremont, Martigny, Monthey and Saint-Maurice.

Its population in 1812 was 65,500, and its area was approximately 500,000 hectares.^[1]

After the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, the department became the Swiss canton of Valais.

References

1 2 Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII, p. 469-470, accessed in Gallica 31 July 2013 (French)

Territories annexed to the First French Empire (1804–1814)

44 départements (now parts of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland) created from annexed territories

Alpes-Maritimes Apennins Arno Bouches-de-l'Èbre / Bouches-de-l'Èbre-Montserrat Bouches-de-l'Elbe Bouches-de-l'Escaut Bouches-de-l'Yssel Bouches-de-la-Meuse Bouches-du-Rhin Bouches-du-Weser Deux-Nèthes Doire Dyle Ems-Occidental Ems-Oriental Ems-Supérieur Escaut Forêts Frise Gênes Jemmape Léman Lippe Lys Marengo Méditerranée Meuse-Inférieure Mont-Blanc Montserrat Mont-Terrible Mont-Tonnerre Montenotte Ombrone Ourthe Pô Rhin-et-Moselle Roer Rome Sambre-et-Meuse Sarre Sègre / Sègre-Ter Sésia Simplon Stura Tanaro† Taro Ter Tibre Trasimène Yssel-Supérieur Zuyderzée †The Tanaro department was established in 1802 and disbanded in 1805. Its territory was divided between the three départments of Marengo, Stura, and Montenotte (the latter was created after the annexation of the Ligurian Republic).

Coordinates: 46°14′00″N 7°22′00″E / 46.2333°N 7.36667°E / 46.2333; 7.36667

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