The History of Savoy from 1860 to 1914 covers the period when the former Duchy of Savoy joined the French nation. This followed the signing of the Treaty of Turin in March and the plebiscite of April; Savoy officially became part of France on June 14, 1860. This transition to French authority occurred without difficulties. Although some tensions arose in the aftermath of the annexation, the Savoyards did not appear to question the decision made by their princes—even on the eve of World War I. Beyond administrative integration, the people of Savoy had to face—both economically and culturally—the changes brought about by the industrial transformations of the late 19th century.
Under the Second Empire
On June 14, 1860, the Duchy of Savoie officially joined the French Empire. On June 15, it was divided into two departments: Savoie and Haute-Savoie. From August 27 to September 5, the imperial couple made a journey through the Savoyard lands, visiting: Chambéry (August 27), Aix-les-Bains (August 29), Annecy with a gondola ride on the lake (August 30), a carriage tour of La Roche-sur-Foron (August 31), then Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Thonon, heading to Évian-les-Bains by boat, then Sallanches (September 2), and the approach to the mountains from Chamonix with a muleback ascent of Montenvers and the crossing of the Mer de Glace. "Wherever the sovereigns appeared in a brilliant procession, they received a triumphant welcome."
June–December 1860 Integration was achieved through the swift implementation of royal services (administration, justice, police). To govern the two new French departments, and assumed their roles as prefects of Savoie and Haute-Savoie after swearing allegiance to Emperor Napoleon III on June 14, 1860. The latter was quickly replaced by a Parisian Savoyard, . Of the six sub-prefects, four were Savoyards. In religious matters, changes proceeded more slowly. The four dioceses of Chambéry, Tarentaise, Maurienne, and Annecy were retained despite not aligning with the French ecclesiastical divisions or the legislation of the Concordat of 1801. There was talk of suppressing two of them and leaving those bishoprics vacant.
In 1860, Chambéry had a “university institute” (founded ten years earlier) affiliated with Turin, which offered courses in law, medicine, theology, pharmacy, geometry, physics, and mechanics. However, a decree of October 24, 1860, removed these. Only Annecy had a state-run college. To reduce clerical influence in Chambéry, an imperial high school was inaugurated. To provide education there, it was necessary to recruit teachers and instructors from eastern France. The Académie de Chambéry, encompassing the two Savoyard departments, was created by imperial decree on June 13, 1860. Charles Zervot was appointed rector.
A and industry was inaugurated in Chambéry at the same time as in Nice, in 1861, following the imperial decree of December 5, 1860. According to Article 2, it comprised “twelve members.” In 1862, members of the Saint-Nicolas Brotherhood founded the Mutual Aid Society to cover medical and pharmaceutical expenses for sick or injured workers. From August 10 to 20, 1863, Chambéry hosted the 30th Scientific Congress of France, focusing on archaeology and art objects, organized by Marquis Charles-Albert Costa de Beauregard at the city’s Palace of Justice.
On the judicial level, the decree of June 12, 1860, made the penal and procedural laws existing in France applicable in Savoy. The law of June 23, 1860, stipulates in its Article 3 that “the departments of Savoy and Haute-Savoie form the jurisdiction of an imperial court whose seat is in Chambéry.” Historically, the maintenance of the appellate court in Chambéry—which had succeeded the in 1848—was the necessary condition for the successful outcome of the 1860 plebiscite. The opponents of annexation based their argument on the abolition of the court of appeal. To guarantee the results of the plebiscite, Napoleon III, represented by the Minister of Justice in France, committed to maintaining the existence of the court: There would then exist only two courts of appeal in France; the Court of Cassation and that of Chambéry. The latter was entrusted to Prosecutor General Charles Alfred Millevoye. Moreover, for the management of private affairs, the Sardinian codes were maintained. However, despite a smooth process, certain disputes would arise.
The 383 Savoyard military officers, well integrated into the Sardinian army, were required to choose between France and Italy. Most of them opted for Italy, motivated by career ambition and loyalty to King Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy. The decision was heart-wrenching for many of them; the majority of these officers, torn between two homelands and facing an uncertain career, would find in Imperial France only painful disillusionment and limited promotion, marred by prejudice. Yet, Articles 5 and 6 of the Treaty of Turin, signed on March 24, 1860, had promised to preserve the acquired Sardinian rights if citizen-soldiers chose French nationality and joined the French army. The Savoy Brigade, which wished to remain within the Imperial Army as a brigade of Savoyard volunteers, became the . The regiment was dissolved on January 15, 1862, and the Savoyard officers were incorporated into and dispersed among various units of the French army. Hubert Heyriès notes in his article that "Fifty-eight officers (12%) [who chose to remain in the Piedmontese army] became generals, while only three officers (, , and Auguste de Ville) ended their careers with the rank of general in France, a sign that integration into France was more difficult.”
The abandoned barracks were occupied by 53 former carabiniers of Savoyard origin, who were integrated into the “Company of Savoy”, composed of 92 non-commissioned officers, brigadiers, and gendarmes.
From 1860 to 1870, mayors and municipal deputies were appointed by the Emperor in the chief towns of departments, arrondissements, and cantons, as well as in communes with a population equal to or greater than 3,000 inhabitants, rather than being elected by their peers. In the other communes, they were appointed by the prefect.Provisions contained in the municipal law of May 5, 1855. General Council of Savoy: Departmental Archives Directorate: Numerical directory of series M by J. Chapas and D. Collomb - IR 1203. Elections.
The first elections by universal male suffrage for deputies took place on December 9 and 10. and (descendant of Benoît de Boigne) represented Savoy, while and Anatole Bartholoni represented Haute-Savoie.
1861–1871: discontent without rejection of the plebiscite
The reflection of the Chambéry lawyer expresses the sentiment of part of the population during the period. After the initial moments following the annexation, Savoyards felt that their destiny was slipping away from them. Without challenging integration into France, some measures of the imperial administration were not completely understood.
The first disconnect occurred between the new French civil servants and the local population. Savoyards thought they would obtain control over their territory, whereas the French administrative model favored the rotation of civil servants, a principle meant to prevent the development of local clientelism. The misunderstanding stemmed from the image that the French had of the Savoyards. Caricatures in weekly publications—L’Illustration, Le Monde illustré, Le Charivari—such as the Cham caricature nearby, depicted Savoy as a backward place needing to be civilized and opened up. “These gentlemen were convinced that Italian was spoken there and that even the most basic items, such as candles, were lacking.” Some civil servants even arrived in Savoy with a French–Italian dictionary, unaware that Savoy had produced French-language authors like François de Sales, Marc-Claude de Buttet, and Vaugelas.The anti-annexationist author, Jean de Pingon, states in his book : “A French official arriving in Savoy the day after the annexation was surprised to hear the Savoyards speaking French. He then asked a peasant: 'But tell me, what language did you speak before you were French?' And the peasant replied: 'Before we were French, Sir, we didn’t speak.'" Moreover, the term “Savoyard,” beyond designating the region's inhabitants, had become synonymous with “rustic.”The term savoyard during this period took on a pejorative, popular, and rustic connotation. Thus, dictionaries like Le Littré or Le Lachâtre reflect this usage. The Dictionnaire universel, Panthéon historique, littéraire et encyclopédie illustrée (1855) states: "This term particularly refers to chimney-sweeps, whitewashers, and flue cleaners who come in bands every year from Savoy. Figuratively and familiarly, it means coarse, dirty, and uneducated: What a Savoyard!" The Savoyard citizens exploited this situation by delaying administrative processes, hoping to exhaust their new interlocutors.
From a political standpoint, there was quick dissatisfaction with the province’s low representation at the national level. Most of the elite—composed of aristocratic nobility or notables, mainly legal professionals rather than industrialists—withdrew from political life. Napoleon III’s Roman policy irritated Savoyards, particularly conservatives, prompting Deputy to resign—yet this did not call into question the new loyalty to the Empire. Meanwhile, republicans and left-wing figures were represented in Savoy, despite a breakthrough during the 1869 elections and the emergence of anticlericalism (cf. infra). During the May 8, 1870 plebiscite, Savoy voted “yes” at 80%.
Disappointments also occurred—and especially so—in the economic sphere (see section A Traditional Society below), particularly with the bankruptcy of the Bank of Savoy and many local banks. The Bank of Savoy was a banking institution created on April 26, 1851, in Annecy, and remained relatively small. Following the agreements of the annexation, there was an orientation toward maintaining the Banque de Savoie, with the privilege of issuing banknotes and coins. However, the question of the Bank of France’s monopoly on issuing banknotes quickly arose, as well as the possibility of merging the two banks. Nevertheless, the Banque de Savoie delayed negotiations and demanded a very high price for the purchase of its rights. At the same time, the Pereire brothers sought to form a partnership with the Savoyard bank in order to compete nationwide with the Banque de France. The government prohibited this association and placed the Banque de Savoie under sequestration, which led to its bankruptcy, as well as that of seven other local banking institutions (mainly in Haute-Savoie).
The union with France caused a decrease in the number of schools, particularly in the various mountain hamlets (1,854 schools in 1849, only 1,641 in 1872). However, this restructuring did not result in a drop in school enrollment—on the contrary. The number of schoolchildren rose from 75,728 to 96,628. Although the literacy rate is not known for this period, “in 1848, out of 100 Savoyards over the age of 15, 40 were illiterate; that is, around 30% in the mountains, and up to 50% in the lowlands.” At the same time in Paris, it is estimated that 85% of men and 75% of women knew how to read.
A traditional society The annexation of Savoy to France led to an altered economy. Predominantly rural, the Savoyard economy struggled to withstand the opening of its market to French, Belgian, or even British goods. Cheap products flooded the two departments, leading to an economic crisis across various sectors. At the time of the vote, the Savoyards had hoped for a rapid improvement of the local economy through better markets and industrialization, expecting this would bring an improved standard of living.
Agriculture