Federal Treaty

When the anti-French troops marched into Switzerland in 1813, the Act of Mediation imposed by Napoleon in 1803 lost meaning and was repealed by 10 of the 19 cantons, who simultaneously founded the Confederate Convention in Zürich with the goal of establishing a new "Federal Union" (Bundesverein) with the Old Swiss Confederacy in mind.

With the so-called "Long Diet" from 6 April 1814 until 31 August 1815 envoys of the European great powers imposed the existence of the new cantons and threatened with a "forced intermediation" if the Confederates would not come to terms with themselves.

Under the influence of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Stratford Canning, Claude Marie Gustave de Damas and August Ernst von Steigentesch, a new draft constitution was formed.

When the reactionary cantons were again being driven into forming a separate alliance (Sonderbund) and thus civil war was looming once more, the great powers considered partitioning Switzerland, which eventually resulted in an agreement by the Diet and led to a new treaty.

The federal authority, greatly weakened in comparison to the Act of Mediation, was in the hands of the Diet, that alternately convened in the prominent cities of Zürich, Bern and Lucerne.