Trasimène () was a department of the First French Empire from 1809 to 1814 in present-day Italy. It was named after Lake Trasimeno. It was formed on 15 July 1809, when the Papal States were annexed by France. Its capital was Spoleto and it roughly corresponds to the modern Italian region of Umbria.
The department was disbanded after the defeat of Napoleon in 1814. At the Congress of Vienna, the Papal States were restored to Pius VII. Its territory is now divided between the Italian provinces of Perugia, Terni, Macerata and Viterbo.
History
Establishment
Following the annexation of the Papal States, the Consulta straordinaria per gli Stati Romani, active in Rome between June 1809 and December 1810, was tasked with reorganizing the territories according to the French model. On 2 August 1809 a decree established the Dipartimento del Trasimeno with its capital at Spoleto, despite local opposition from Perugia, which had long held regional pre-eminence.
The definition of mairies (communes) within this framework remained contested. Prefect Antoine-Marie Roederer reported confusion in the absence of clear instructions. While a guideline from the Minister of the Interior discouraged the creation of communes with fewer than 1,200 inhabitants, in practice local initiatives led to a proliferation of proposed communes. Rœderer also noted the difficulties of detaching ancient rural districts from their traditional urban centers, such as Perugia and Spoleto.
- Spoleto, cantons: Arquata, Cascia, Norcia, Spoleto (2 cantons), Terni (2 cantons) and Visso.
- Foligno, cantons: Assisi, Bettona, Bevagna, Foligno, Gualdo, Montefalco, Nocera, Spello and Trevi.
- Perugia, cantons: Castiglione del Lago, Città della Pieve, Città di Castello, Fratta, Monte Santa Maria, Panicale, Passignano and Perugia (3 cantons).
- Todi, cantons: Acquapendente, Amelia, Baschi, Ficulle, Marsciano, Massa, Orvieto and Todi (2 cantons).
Demographics
The population of the department in 1812 was approximately 300,000, and its area was approximately 3,357 square Italian miles (11,120 square kilometers).
Funding for the maintenance and repair of these roads was allocated for a 13-year period beginning in 1813, with an annual budget of 102,656 francs, raised through additional taxation and supplementary revenues. It served as the organ of the prefecture of the department and included decrees, circulars and administrative notices alongside public speeches and commentary.