Editing Vaud (section)

==History==
{{See also|Barony of Vaud}}
[[File:Roman_column_-_Nyon,_Vaud,_Switzerland.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Roman column in Nyon]]
[[File:Karte Bernische-Vogteien-Kanton-Waadt en.png|thumb|Bailiwicks of Bern in Vaud in the 18th century]]
Humans lived alongside the Vaud lakes in prehistoric times. Later, the [[Celtic people|Celtic]] tribe of the [[Helvetii]] inhabited the area. [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]]'s troops defeated the Helvetii in 58 BC and as a consequence the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] settled in the area. The many towns established by the Romans include [[Vevey]] ({{langx|la| Viviscus}}) and Lausanne (''Lausonium'' or ''Lausonna'').

While the exact date of the founding of Aventicum is not exact, it was likely established during or shortly after Augustus' reign. There are still many Roman remains around the town today. Between the 2nd and the 4th centuries [[Alemanni]]c tribes repeatedly invaded the area, and in the 5th century the [[Burgundians]] occupied the territory. The [[Merovingian]] Franks later replaced the Burgundians. Their control did not last long either, and in 888 the area of the canton of Vaud became part of the [[Carolingian Empire]] (the successor state to the Merovingians). In 1032 the [[House of Zähringen|Zähringen]]s of Germany defeated the Burgundians. The Zähringens themselves were succeeded in 1218 by the counts of [[County of Savoy|Savoy]]. It was only under the counts of Savoy that the area gained political unity as the [[Barony of Vaud]]. A part stretching from [[Attalens]] to the river [[Saane/Sarine|Sarine]], in the north, was absorbed by the canton of Fribourg.
[[File:Lausanne Saint-Maire.jpg|thumb|upright| Built by the Bishop of [[Bishopric of Lausanne|Lausanne]] during the 15th century, [[Château Saint-Maire]] has been the seat of the cantonal government since 1803.]]

As the power of the [[House of Savoy]] declined at the beginning of the 15th century, troops from [[Bern]] occupied the land. By 1536 Bern had completely annexed the area. Vaud's [[Protestant Reformation]] started with co-workers of [[John Calvin]] like [[Pierre Viret]] (a famous debate took place at the cathedral of Lausanne), but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it.

The Bernese occupiers were not popular amongst the population. In 1723 Major [[Abraham Davel]] led a revolt against Bern, in protest at what he saw as the denial of political rights of the French-speaking Vaudois by the German-speaking Bernese; he was subsequently beheaded.<ref name = HistoiredelaSuisse>''Histoire de la Suisse'', Éditions Fragnière, Fribourg, Switzerland.</ref> Later, inspired by the [[French Revolution]] of 1789–1799, the Vaudois drove out the Bernese governor in 1798 and declared the [[Lemanic Republic]]. Vaud nationalists like [[Frédéric-César de La Harpe]], born in Rolle, had called for French intervention in liberating the area, and French Revolutionary troops moved in, taking over the whole of Switzerland itself in the process and setting up the [[Helvetic Republic]]. Under [[Napoleon I]] (Emperor 1804–1815), Vaud became (1798–1803) the [[canton of Léman]]. Unrest about the abolition of [[Feudalism|feudal]] rights and taxes led to increased discontent, which culminated in the revolt of the [[Bourla-papey]] in spring 1802, closely followed by the [[Stecklikrieg]] (August to October 1802) that brought the end of the entire Helvetic Republic in 1803. In 1803 Vaud joined the re-installed [[Swiss Confederation (Napoleonic)|Swiss Confederation]]. In spite of Bernese attempts to reclaim Vaud, it has remained a sovereign canton ever since.

In the 19th century, the canton of Vaud was an outspoken opponent of the [[Sonderbund war|''Sonderbund'']] Catholic separatist movement, which led to intervention by 99,000 Swiss Federal troops under General [[Guillaume Henri Dufour|Henri Dufour]] against 79,000 separatists, in the Sonderbund War (November 1847). Separation was prevented at the cost of very few lives.

The current cantonal constitution dates from 14 April 2003, replacing the constitution of 1885.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vd.ch/themes/etat-droit-finances/lois-constitution/constitution/ |title=Les 10 ans de la constitution: Canton de Vaud : site officiel |publisher=Vd.ch |access-date=3 May 2014 |archive-date=3 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503165931/http://www.vd.ch/themes/etat-droit-finances/lois-constitution/constitution/ |url-status=live }}</ref>