Roman Republic

Roman Republic, French République Romaine, Italian Repubblica Romana, republic established in February 1798 by French troops occupying Rome and its environs. The pope was forced into exile, and the new republic was set up under an executive of seven consuls. In November 1798 Ferdinand IV of Naples sent an army that recaptured Rome, but the French returned victoriously the next month. The reestablished republic lasted only until 1799, when the Austrian-Russian campaign swept the French out of Italy. Although Napoleon retook Italy in 1800, he desired the pope’s goodwill toward the eventual signing of the Concordat of 1801 and thus allowed the pope to retain his states. In 1809, however, Napoleon annexed Rome and the Papal States to the French empire and in 1811 made his newborn son king of Rome.