Mont-Tonnerre Explained

Conventional Long Name:Department of Mont-Tonnerre
Common Name:Mont-Tonnerre
Year Start:1797
Year End:1814
Capital:Mainz
Flag:Flag of France
Image Map Caption:Map of the former département du Mont-Tonnerre
Subdivision:Department
Nation:the First French Republic
P1:Electorate of Mainz
Flag P1:Banner of the Electorate of Mainz.svg
P2:Prince-Bishopric of Speyer
Flag P2:Wappen Bistum Speyer.png
Border P2:no
P3:Prince-Bishopric of Worms
Flag P3:Wappen Bistum Worms.png
Border P3:no
P4:Nassau-Weilburg
Flag P4:Blason Nassau-Weilbourg.svg
Border P4:no
P5:Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
Flag P5:Flag of Hesse-Darmstadt Reiment during the Seven Years War (1756-1763).svg
P6:Electoral Palatinate
Flag P6:Flag of The Electoral Palatinate (1604).svg
S1:Kingdom of Bavaria
Flag S1:Flag of Bavaria (striped).svg
S2:Grand Duchy of Hesse
Flag S2:Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg
Today:Germany

Mont-Tonnerre (in French mɔ̃.tɔ.nɛʁ/) was a department of the First French Republic and later the First French Empire in present-day Germany. It was named after the highest point in the Palatinate, the Donnersberg ("Thunder Mountain", possibly referring to Donar, god of thunder). It was the southernmost of four departments formed in 1797 when the west bank of the Rhine was annexed by France. Prior to the French occupation, its territory was divided between the Archbishopric of Mainz, the Bishopric of Speyer, the Bishopric of Worms, Nassau-Weilburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, the Electorate of the Palatinate and the imperial cities of Worms and Speyer. Its territory is now part of the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Its capital was Mainz (French: Mayence).

The department was subdivided into the following arrondissements and cantons (situation in 1812):[1]

Its population in 1812 was 342,316.[1]

After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the department was divided between the Kingdom of Bavaria (Palatinate) and the Grand Duchy of Hesse (around Mainz).

Notes and References

  1. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k204214z/f435.image Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII