Consulte de Lyon

As first consul, Bonaparte decided to call an extraordinary consulta or meeting of the Italian deputies of the Cisalpine Republic in Lyon. This republic had been created after the first Italian campaign and was made up of Lombardy, Mantua, Bergamo, Brescia, Verona, Cremona, Rovigo, the duchy of Modena, Massa and Carrara and three legations from Bologna, Ferrara and Romagna. The proposal for the meeting was highly successful - 452 deputies were named to attend it, though it was effectively a parody of a constituent assembly, with its members vetted by Bonaparte, an order of business imposed upon it and pressure exerted upon it to approve Bonaparte's wishes.[1]

Over the following days the consul received deputations from the neighbouring towns and departments, while the 'consulte' continued with its business. On 26 January it met in the presence of the French ministers, generals, major functionaries and Joséphine in the chapel of the Jesuit college of the Trinity (now lycée Ampère). The First Consul presided and opened the meeting with a speech in Italian, under pressure from Talleyrand, who wished to end the quarrel between Aldini and Melzi, both of whom had been offered presidency of the meeting but had both in turn rejected it. In this speech Bonaparte converted the Cisalpine Republic into the Italian Republic, bringing applause from the assembly.

• The convocation
• Napoleon's correspondence
• Detailed history
• Monsiau's painting of the event