The Slovenian lands ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy, are first
occupied by the French Revolutionary Army, led by General
Napoleon Bonaparte, after the Battle of Travis in March 1797.
At first the Slovenians are worried. But the French troops
under the command of General Jean-Baptiste Bernardotte try
to calm the worried population by issuing special public
notices that are also published in the Slovenian language.
After the battle of Austerlitz in 1805 and the Peace of
Pressburg, French troops once again occupy parts of Slovenian
territory. After extensive battles, Napoleon's Grande Armee
completely defeat the Austrian troops at the Battle of Wagram
on July 6, 1809.
After the Austrian defeat, the Illyrian Provinces are created by
the Treaty of Schonbrunn on 14 October 1809, when the
Austrian Empire cedes the territories of western ("Upper")
Carinthia with Lienz in the East Tyrol, Carniola, Gorizia and
Gradisca, the Imperial Free City of Trieste, the March of Istria,
and the Croatian lands southwest of the river Sava to the
French Empire as an extension against the Austrian Empire in
what mostly comprise modern-day Slovenia and parts of
Austria and Croatia.
THE BIRTH
OF THE
ILLYRIAN
PROVINCES
1809 - 1813
By MAJA DEKLEVA and
MANCA GRŽINIČ.
During French rule the official languages of the
autonomous provinces are French, Slovenian, Italian,
German and Croatian. Although the French do not
entirely abolish the feudal system, the people of the
Illyrian Provinces become familiar with the achievements
of the French Revolution and with contemporary
bourgeois society. They are introduced to equality before
the law, compulsory military service and a uniform tax
system. Certain tax privileges are abolished, and a
modern administration is introduced. The powers the
state and the church are separated, and the judiciary is
nationalized. In the eyes of French rule, for the first time,
all citizens are equal under the law.
French rule in the Illyrian Provinces is short-lived, but it has contributed to greater national self-
confidence and awareness of freedoms. The influence of the Illyrian Provinces and the rejection of
Austrian rule prompts a French cultural diffusion and national appreciation in certain areas of the
countries that make up the Provinces.
In August 1813, Austria declares war on France. Austrian troops led by General Franz Tomassich once
again invade the Illyrian Provinces, and with the help of the British and other occupied forces, after the
Battle of Waterloo, the Illyrian Provinces one by one surrender to Austrian and British forces.