CISPADANE REPUBLIC

French Rpublique Cispadane, Italian Repubblica Cispadana, state formed in December 1796 by General Napoleon Bonaparte out of the merger of the duchies of Reggio and Modena and the legate states of Bologna and Ferrara. By the Treaty of Tolentino (Feb. 19, 1797), the pope also ceded Romagna to the republic. Deputies from the constituent provinces were chosen to deliberate a constitution, but in June 1797 Bonaparte decided to merge the Cispadane provinces with provinces along the Po River to form a new Cisalpine Republic (q.v.).