Brune's République rhodanique would have incorporated the present-day cantons of Vaud, Valais, Ticino, Fribourg and part of Bern (Oberland) with Lausanne as its capital.

[2] Napoleon quickly ordered the development of a route which would connect Paris with Milan, capital of the Italian Republic, but works were undertaken slowly.

By an imperial decree of 12 November 1810, Napoleon annexed to the French Empire the territory of the Republic of Valais, as a department under the name of Simplon.

In the decree, he justified the annexation: Considering that the Simplon Road, which unites the Empire to our Kingdom of Italy, is useful to more than sixty million men; that it cost our treasures in France and Italy more than eighteen million, an expense which would become useless if commerce could find there no convenience and perfect security; That the Valais did not fulfill any of the engagements it had contracted when we had the work begun to open this great communication;

Wanting moreover to put an end to the anarchy which afflicts this country, and to cut short the abusive pretensions of sovereignty of a part of the population on the other.