Neuchâtel
History
Rudolph III of Burgundy mentioned Neuchâtel in his will in 1032. The dynasty of Count Ulrich von Fenis took over the town and its territories in 1034. The dynasty prospered and by 1373 all the lands now part of the canton belonged to the count. In 1405, the cities of Bern and Neuchâtel entered a union. The lands of Neuchâtel passed to the lords of Freiburg about a century later, and then in 1504 to the French house of Orléans-Longueville (Valois-Dunois).
The French preacher Guillaume Farel brought the teachings of the Protestant Reformation to the area in 1530. When the house of Orléans-Longueville became extinct with Marie d'Orleans-Longueville's death in 1707, the Principality of Neuchâtel (German: Fürstentum Neuenburg) went to King Frederick I in Prussia of the Berlin-based Hohenzollern, who then ruled Neuchâtel in personal union. Napoléon Bonaparte deposed King Frederick William III of Prussia as prince of Neuchâtel and appointed instead his chief of staff Louis Alexandre Berthier.
In 1814 the principality was restored to Frederick William III. A year later he agreed to allow the principality to join the Swiss Confederation, then not yet an integrated federation, but a confederacy, as a full member. Thus Neuchâtel became the first and only monarchy to join the otherwise entirely republican Swiss cantons. This situation changed in 1848 when a peaceful revolution took place and established a republic, in the same year that the modern Swiss Confederation was transformed into a federation. King Frederick William IV of Prussia did not give in immediately and several attempts at counter-revolution took place. In 1857, Frederick William renounced his claims on the area.
Further History:
1011 – novum castellum
The history of Neuchâtel begins under the Second Kingdom of Burgundy
which stretched from the banks of the Mediterranean Sea up to Basel. The
first mention of a “novum castellum” – a new castle – dates from
1011, in the reign of Rudolf III (993-1032). The name obviously refers to
the recent character of the foundation and to the construction of a
castle, erected on a hilltop overlooking the plain and the lake, probably
at the site of the Prisons Tower. The historical document attesting to the
donation made by Rudolf III of Burgundy to his spouse:
"e dono ei novum castellum,
regalissiman sedem, cum servis et ancillis et omnibus appendiciis suis"
Neuchâtel’s name evolved from Nuefchastel (1251), to Neufchastel (1338)
and Neufchâtel (end of 17 th century). The present-day form has bee used
since the 18 th century. The French-speaking town, which lies near the
French-German language border, has ever since also had a German name –
Neuenburg.
1033-1395 - The House of Neuchâtel
One year after Rudolf III died, the kingdom of Burgundy merged into the
Holy Roman Empire. At Neuchâtel, the Fenis, a noble family, established
themselves at the abandoned castle and soon assumed its name as their own,
founding thus the House of Neuchâtel. The most prominent and adventurous
figure from that family is Count Louis (1305-1373) who took part in the
European wars of the 14 th century and had built the excellent cenotaph of
the Collegiate Church.
1395-1707:
The House of Zähringen, Margraves of Hochberg and the House of
Orléans-Longueville
At the end of the 14 th century, the Duchy of Neuchâtel passed by
marriage to the House of Zähringen, a noble family from Freiburg (Breisgau),
who ruled it for half a century, then to the Margraves of Hochberg
(1458-1504) and, at last, to the House of Orléans-Longueville, a bastard
branch of the French Royal House (1504-1707). The best-known figure of
this period is Philip of Hochberg (1454-1503) who started his career at
the court of Burgundy under Charles the Bold, then served the French King.
Under Louis XI and Charles VIII, he successively took on several important
functions, like Marshal of Burgundy, governor and Great Seneschal of
Provence, and at last, General Lieutenant of the King in Languedoc. Thank
to his merits and high position he could arrange for his daughter to marry
a prince of royal blood in 1504 – Louis of Orléans.
Except for an interval of 17 years (1512-1529) during which the Swiss
cantons occupied the Duchy, under the pretext of protecting it from the
French (they were at war with France), the Orléans-Longueville ruled
Neuchâtel until 1707. Under their reign, Neuchâtel joined the
Reformation in 1530, with William Farel establishing the Reformed Church,
and the Duchy became a sovereign principality in 1648.
1707-1848: Neuchâtel becomes Prussian under the House of
Hohenzollern
After Mary of Nemours died in 1707 without direct heirs, the estates of
Neuchâtel could elect a new ruler. Above all, they feared that French
and, thus, Catholic influence in the Calvinist principality might develop.
Therefore, they decided to offer the crown to a Protestant prince –
Frederick I, King of Prussia. Still, Neuchâtel did not become a part of
the Kingdom of Prussia or the Holy Roman Empire, but was linked to the
Hohenzollern dynasty by a personal union.
The rule of the Prussian kings lasted 140 years, from 1707 to 1848, with a
French interval between 1806 and 1814 (Napoleonic Wars). Following the
collapse of the Empire, the great powers united at the Congress of Vienna
to reorganize Europe restored the principality of Neuchâtel to the
Prussian king, while allowing it, at the same time, to join the Helvetic
Confederation in 1815.
Neuchâtel - Berlin - Neuchâtel
As LatLon-Europe also dedicates a website to Berlin, former capital of
Prussia, presenting the city as a tourist destination, we would just like
to point out some interesting historical connections between the two
cities, situated at a distance of almost 1,000 kilometers. Actually,
several places at Neuchâtel remind of the Prussian period, like the
Maison du Prussien (House of the Prussian), the cave of the Prussian King
(Frederick William III visited it in 1814, Frederick William IV in 1842)
on the river Doubs, and numerous restaurant and place-names refer to
Frederick the Great. Neuchâtel University was founded in 1838 with
support from Berlin, and a lot of paintings and other objects from the
time of Prussian rule can be found in the historical museum of Neuchâtel.
In Berlin, you need to look twice, but, for a start, both cities were
Protestant and took in many Huguenot refugees. There was a colony of
settlers from Neuchâtel and also a barracks (Koloniestraße, near
Gesundbrunnen), as the principality was obligated to send soldiers as well
as families to repeople some parts of Prussia devastated by war and
pestilence. Two streets in Berlin bear the name of the Swiss town (e.g.
Neuenburger Straße, near the Jewish Museum) and some historic
personalities are closely associated with it, like the physiologist and
rector of the Berlin university (now, Humboldt University) Emil Dubois-Reymond.
March 1 st, 1848 – Neuchâtel, a Republican Swiss Canton
The historic date all Neuchâtel citizens know best is March 1 st, as it
is a holiday for the whole canton. Neuchâtel had been in contact with
Helvetian democracies for centuries, coming to appreciate the autonomy of
the Swiss cantons. The first attempt to introduce a republican form of
government, in 1831, was not successful. But when the republicans, led by
Fritz Courvoisier, marched from Le Locle in the mountains down to Neuchâtel
on the lakeside in 1848 to drive out the Prussians, the revolution finally
succeeded and the modern age began in Neuchâtel. Alexis-Marie Piaget
presided the provisional government and the first council of state. He
also drafted the constitution and the legislation of the new republic. A
counterrevolutionary attempt failed in 1856 and as a consequence the
Prussian Crown officially renounced on all rights to the canton.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuchâtel
http://www.latlon-europe.com/neuchatel/neuchatel_en.htm