Treaty of Tolentino

The Treaty of Tolentino was signed after nine months of negotiations between France and the Papal States on February 19, 1797. It was part of the events following the invasion of Italy in the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars. Thwarted attempts to free Austrians at the Battle of Mantua, and Arcola Bridge in the Battle of Rivoli, Napoleon had no more enemies in northern Italy and was able to devote himself to the Papal States, led to the signing of the cessation of hostilities by 9,000 French soldiers took to the Romagna region in February 1797.The signatories were the French Directory's ambassador to the Holy see, François Cacault, and General Bonaparte, and four representatives of Pius VI's Curia. Fifteen million lire were added to the indemnity of 21 millions exacted at the precedent armistice signed at Bologna. In addition, the papal city of Avignon and its territory, the Comtat Venaissin, which had been occupied by French forces at an early stage of the Revolution, were formally ceded to France. The confiscation of artistic treasures from the Vatican was formalized; over a hundred paintings and other works of art were to go to the Louvre in Paris. The French commissioners reserved the right to enter any building, public, religious or private, to make their assessment of what was to be included. This part of the treaty was extended to apply to all of Italy in 1798. In Paris there is the statue of Giunio Bruto in bronze. The main Bruto's works are now located in vatican gardens in Rome.

Clauses

The war indemnity passed 21 to 36 million lire, the Pope also had to surrender the city of Avignon, with its territory, and the Comtat Venaissin, formerly occupied by French forces. With the treaty, the Pope had to give works of art, including over one hundred paintings and statues were brought to Paris. The French reserve the right to enter all buildings (public, private or religious) to steal the works, this part of the treaty was extended with the treaties of 1798 in the Italian territory. Other conditions imposed on compensation for the family of the journalist Hugh de Basseville, killed by the crowd for having disgraced the Roman Pope, and consent to the stationing of French troops in Ancona until the end of the war. [2]

Some questioned tere arghe legitimacy of such plunder. Among the fiercest supporters there was Quatremère de Quincy who in 1796 wrote a pamphlet, Letters in Miranda, in which he claimed the strong relationship between the work of art to the place in which it was intended. Quatremues that eradicating the context in which the work was created is irreparably impair its legibility.

See also

• List of treaties

References

• Filippone, Giustino Le relazioni tra lo stato pontificio e la francia rivoluzionaria: Storia diplomatica del Trattato di Tolentino Part I (1961) Part II (1967) The standard modern treatment.