The
Act of Mediation was issued by
Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the
Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous
Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of
Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802, the Republic collapsed (in the
Stecklikrieg civil war). The Act of Mediation was Napoleon's attempt at a compromise between the
Ancien Regime and a Republic. This intermediary stage of Swiss history lasted until the
Restoration of 1815.