Simplon (department)
Department of Simplon | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810–1813 | |||||||||
Location of Simplon in France (1812) | |||||||||
| Status | Department of the French First Empire | ||||||||
| Chef-lieu | Sion 46°11′N 7°41′E / 46.183°N 7.683°E | ||||||||
| Common languages | French German | ||||||||
| Historical era | Napoleonic Wars | ||||||||
• Annexation of the Republic of Valais | 13 December 1810 | ||||||||
• Occupied by Austrian forces | 29 December 1813 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 1812 | 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1812 census | 65500 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Switzerland | ||||||||
Simplon (French: [sɛ̃.plɔ̃]) was a department of the First French Empire. It was named after the Simplon Pass (Italian: Passo del Sempione). It was formed in 1810, when the Republic of Valais was annexed by France. Its territory corresponded with that of the present-day Swiss canton of Valais.
The chef-lieu of the department was Sion. The department was subdivided into the following three arrondissements and cantons:
- Sion: Hérémence, Loèche, Sierre and Sion.
- Brigue: Brigue, Conches, Mœrel, Rarogne and Viège.
- Saint-Maurice: Entremont, Martigny, Monthey and Saint-Maurice.
After the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, the department was admitted to the Swiss Confederation and became the canton of Valais.