Early history
Le vieil Annecy ("Old Annecy"; not to be confused with Annecy-le-Vieux, formerly a neighboring town but now merged into Annecy), was a settlement from the time of the Romans.[5] Annecy was the court of the counts of Geneva[5] or Genevois from the 10th century.[6] It passed to the counts of Savoy in 1401.[6] In 1444, it became the regional capital of the provinces of Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain.
Counter-Reformation
With the advance of Calvinism, Annecy became a centre for the Counter-Reformation, the old Bishopric of Geneva being transferred to it in 1535.[6] Francis of Sales was born in Sales, France in 1567 and served as bishop of Annecy from 1602 to 1622;[6] his relics are preserved in the cathedral.[5] During the French Revolution, the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the department of Mont Blanc, whose capital was Chambéry.[7] The Catholic diocese was suppressed in 1801.
Recent times
After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, Annecy was returned to the King of Sardinia and the Catholic diocese restored in 1822.[citation needed] When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860 with the Treaty of Turin, it became the capital of the new department of Haute-Savoie. Annecy was the site of the second round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks in 1949. In 2012, a multiple murder occurred in the Annecy area.[8]
The new municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger with the former communes of Annecy-le-Vieux, Cran-Gevrier, Meythet, Pringy and Seynod.[9]