The Neuchâtel Crisis (1856–1857) was the result of a diplomatic question between the

Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

regarding the rights of the Royal House of Prussia to the

Principality of Neuchâtel A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

. The Principality of Neuchâtel was granted to the King of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

in 1707, then was ruled by

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

after

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, w ...

was deposed as Prince of Neuchâtel. In 1814, the Principality was again granted to Frederick William, and the following year he agreed to allow the Principality to join the Swiss Confederation (which was an alliance of semi-independent states rather than a single country) while remaining under his rule. The Principality successfully revolted against Prussian rule in 1848. In 1849, the Prussian government began to press for recognition of their right to Neuchâtel. Several states proposed that Neuchâtel be separated from but remain allied with the Swiss Confederation. The British government sought to establish a diplomatic agreement, with the support of the French. The King of Prussia continued to press for his rights on the matter. On September 2–3, 1856, there was a revolt by the Neuchâtel royalists, loyal to the prince, which brought the situation to a crisis point. The revolt failed and the royalists were made hostage. Due to a dispute over releasing the royalist prisoners, Prussia broke off relations with Switzerland on December 13, 1856, and announced an army mobilization. In turn, the Swiss government prepared for war, electing

Guillaume Henri Dufour Guillaume Henri Dufour (15 September 178714 July 1875) was a Swiss military officer, structural engineer and topographer. He served under Napoleon I and held the Swiss office of General four times in his career, firstly in 1847 when he led the ...

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

, among other actions. War was averted after

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

helped secure the prisoners' release. Negotiations began between France, the United Kingdom, Prussia and Russia for the future of Neuchâtel, with the United Kingdom strongly supporting the independence of the Principality. This conference took place in 1857. On May 26, 1857, Prussia finally yielded its claim to Neuchâtel at the insistence of the other powers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuchatel Crisis Canton of Neuchâtel 1856 in Switzerland 1857 in Switzerland 1856 in politics 1857 in politics Germany–Switzerland relations