what was the helvetic campaign?

Answer 1

Tough one Nick
The "Helvetic"/Helvetii campaigns occurred in the first century B.C. when Rome attempted to defeat the then Celtic tribes of Germany and Switzerland. The Helvitii,as a result, migrated to Switzerland.
Then History repeats itself:, the Helvetique' Campaign then becomes French :In 1798 Switzerland was over run by Napoleon in his war with the Austrian Empire. Because Switzerland was only a lose confederation of sovereign, futile "Cantons". In an effort to unify it, Napoleon named this Confederation "Helvetic" stemming from it's historical origins.
The Helvetic Confederation lasted 5 years and the French were continuously sending more troops to put down constant rebellions. In 1803 Napoleon gave up and drafted the Act of Mediation returning it to a loose confederation of States/Cantons.
An interesting footnote here: Although the Swiss are noted for their neutrality, this has only been an historically recent turnabout. Switzerland/Helvetic was , for centuries renowned, fierce warriors and mercenaries(hey, they still guard the Pope). These 5 years of bitter warring with the most powerfull nation on the Continent reduced the Swiss population by 1/3, prompting them to proclaim their neutrality and avoid such losses, in the future. They actually learned something from History.
Got any more like that one ? Thanks

Answer 2

The Helvetic campaign occured between the years 1798 and 1803 in which French forces overran the Swiss confederation and formed the Helvetic Repubic.It was part of the plan to unite or consolidate 19 cities in Switzerland under cantons. But all it seemed to forge was disunity and through Napoleon's mediation brought the centralization of the Helvetic Republic to an end.