History of Geneva Timeline

A new cause of friction between the Grand Council and the Duke of Savoy evolved in 1513, when Charles III decided to appoint his cousin John of Savoy as bishop and even secured Papal endorsement.

Image source: Charles III, Duke of Savoy

In 1519 the Grand Council of Geneva attempted to forge an alliance with Fribourg, but the Duke of Savoy responded with invasion of the republic, which led to the execution of Philibert Berthelier and suspension of the Grand Council's powers.

In 1521 Jean of Savoy died, and the Grand Council appealed to Pope Leo X to appoint the next bishop, who then appointed Pierre de la Baume.

Image source: Pierre de La Baume

In addition, the Duke of Savoy tried to reconcile his political ambitions with local Genevan patriotism, and in 1523 marched into Geneva in a ceremony designed to appease its population, and tried to gain the support of the Geneva merchants by promising them a share in trade with the Kingdom of Portugal and its territories in Brazil.

The first French Protestant refugees arrived in 1523, and their theology quickly gained influence in the city.

Image source: Protestantism in Switzerland

Another political crisis occurred in 1524, when the treasurer of Geneva, Bernard Boulet, a supporter of Savoy rule, was accused by the Grand Council of embezzlement.

In January 1525 the council appealed to the Pope to excommunicate Charles III as tensions between Geneva and the Duke of Savoy escalated.

Fearing another rebellion, Charles III in September 1525 made another proposal of power-sharing to the Grand Council of Geneva, which the council endorsed by 53–42. However, the pro-independence faction fled to Fribourg, and in December 1525 the Grand Council acknowledged Charles III as true sovereign of Geneva in a session known as the 'Assembly of Halberds'.

Members of the pro-independence faction began their own clandestine campaign to enlist support, and in February 1526 gained the support of bishop Pierre de la Baume.

Eventually the Grand Council succeeded in protecting the liberty of its citizens by establishing union with the Old Swiss Confederacy, concluding on February 20, 1526 a treaty of alliance with Bern and Fribourg.

The power of the Catholic Church weakened after the bishop fled in 1527, leaving the Grand Council free to push reforms.

Although Duke Charles III of Savoy repeatedly tried to bring Geneva back under Catholic rule—most famously during the 'day of the ladders' in 1529—Bern and Fribourg provided protection, and the city resisted these efforts.

Image source: Ladder

Conflicts between Catholic and Protestant factions remained fierce, and attempts at compromise, such as the 1533 statute allowing private choice of religion but banning open attacks on Catholic practices, failed to end tensions. Catholic influence waned after Bishop Pierre de La Baume's final flight from Geneva in July 1533, and by 1534 secular authorities had gained the right to try clergy.

By 1535, mass Catholic emigration and repeated Savoy invasions left Geneva's Protestant faction dominant in the city.

The Genevan Reformation was made official on May 21, 1536, when all citizens swore allegiance to the Lutheran faith, proclaiming Geneva a Protestant republic. John Calvin would become the Protestant leader of the city in the 16th century.

Image source: Reformation in Switzerland

During the 17th and 18th centuries Geneva became increasingly aristocratic and was plagued by strife between the Francophone oligarchy and radical populist opponents. Conflict led to rioting in 1734–1737, settled after diplomatic intervention of France and Geneva's Swiss allies Bern and Zurich.

A piece written by Jean le Rond d'Alembert appeared in 1757 in volume 7 of the Encyclopédie criticising the puritanism of Geneva's Calvinist pastors and advocating the adoption of the enlightened arts as in France. In the 1750s the opposition, led by watchmaker Jacques François Deluc, began to call themselves the représentants.

Image source: Jean Le Rond d'Alembert

Further unrest in 1767 led to another French-brokered agreement between elitists and populists in Geneva.

Finally, in the abortive Geneva Revolution of 1782, revolutionary ideologues and working-class activists demanding a broader franchise seized the state. Many radical émigrés went on to do great things, such as participating in the French Revolution (1789–1799).

In 1798 France, then under the Directory, annexed Geneva and its surrounding territory, ending the city's long independence. In 1802 the diocese was united with that of Chambéry.

The defeat of Napoleonic armies and liberation of Geneva in 1813 by the Austrian general Ferdinand von Bubna und Littitz restored its independence.

Image source: Ferdinand, Graf Bubna von Littitz

At the Congress of Vienna of 1814–15, the territory of Geneva was extended to cover 15 Savoyard and six French parishes, with more than 16,000 Catholics; at the same time it was admitted to the Swiss Confederation. The Congress expressly provided—and the same proviso was included in the Treaty of Turin (16 March 1816)—that Catholic religion was to be protected in these territories.

Image source: Congress of Vienna

Pius VII in 1819 united the city of Geneva and 20 parishes with the Diocese of Lausanne, while the rest of the ancient Diocese of Geneva outside Switzerland was reconstituted in 1822 as the French Diocese of Annecy.

Image source: Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg

On 30 June 1907, aided by strong Catholic support, Geneva adopted a separation of church and state.

In the wake of World War I, class struggle in Switzerland grew and culminated in a general strike throughout the country—beginning on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, and directed from the German-speaking part of the nation.

Image source: 1918 Swiss general strike

The international status of Geneva was highlighted after World War I when it became the seat of the League of Nations in 1919—notably through the work of Federal Council member Gustav Ador and Swiss diplomat William Rappard, who was one of the founders of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Europe's oldest graduate school of international and development studies.

Image source: League of Nations

The International School of Geneva, the oldest currently operating international school in the world, was founded in 1924 by senior members of the League of Nations and the International Labor Office.

On 9 November 1932, several small Fascist-inspired political parties, such as the National Union, attacked Socialist leaders, which action led to a later demonstration of the Left against the Fascists.