The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the important trade routes through the mountains.
The Hohenstaufen emperors had granted these valleys reichsfrei status in the early 13th century. As reichsfrei regions, the cantons (or regions) of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were under the direct authority of the emperor without any intermediate liege lords and thus were largely autonomous.
With the rise of the Habsburg dynasty, the kings and dukes of Habsburg sought to extend their influence over this region and to bring it under their rule; as a consequence, a conflict ensued between the Habsburgs and these mountain communities who tried to defend their privileged status as reichsfrei regions. The three founding cantons of the Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, as the confederacy was called, were joined in the early 14th century by the city states of Lucerne, Zürich, and Bern, and they managed to defeat Habsburg armies on several occasions. They also profited from the fact that the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, for most of the 14th century, came from the House of Luxembourg and regarded them as potential useful allies against the rival Habsburgs.
By 1460, the confederates controlled most of the territory south and west of the Rhine to the Alps and the Jura mountains. At the end of the 15th century, two wars resulted in an expansion to thirteen cantons (Dreizehn Orte): in the Burgundian Wars of the 1470s, the confederates asserted their hegemony on the western border, and their victory in the Swabian War in 1499 against the forces of the Habsburg emperor Maximilian I ensured a de facto independence from the empire. During their involvement in the Italian Wars, the Swiss brought the Ticino under their control.
Two similar federations sprang up in neighboring areas in the Alps in the 14th century: in the Grisons, the federation of the Three Leagues (Drei Bünde) was founded, and in the Valais, the Seven Tithings (Sieben Zenden) were formed as a result of the conflicts with the Dukes of Savoy. Neither federation was part of the medieval Eidgenossenschaft but both maintained very close connections with it.
1550 illustration for the Sempacherbrief of 1393, one of the major alliance contracts of the Old Swiss Confederacy
and 26 Related for: Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy information
TheOldSwissConfederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities ofthe valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part ofthe Holy Roman...
independence movement in the central cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden and thegrowthoftheOldSwissConfederacy during the Late Middle Ages. A hand-axe...
The Battle of Sempach was fought on 9 July 1386, between Leopold III, Duke of Austria and theOldSwissConfederacy. The battle was a decisive Swiss victory...
The early modern history oftheOldSwissConfederacy (Eidgenossenschaft, also known as the "Swiss Republic" or Republica Helvetiorum) and its constituent...
rather than Latin. The treaty was long regarded as the foundational document oftheOldSwissConfederacy, until the Federal Charter of 1291 surpassed it...
drowned. TheSwiss victory consolidated the League ofthe Three Forest Cantons, which formed the core oftheOldSwissConfederacy. Toward the end ofthe 13th...
Nevertheless, many of the problems ofthe Church also existed in theSwissConfederacy. Many a cleric, as well as the Church as a whole, enjoyed a luxurious...
The periods of Restoration and Regeneration in Swiss history lasted from 1814 to 1847. "Restoration" is the period of 1814 to 1830, the restoration of...
paganisms. TheOldSwissConfederacy which began to emerge in the 13th century remained entirely Catholic until the 16th century, when it became one ofthe centres...
themselves from the House of Habsburg, this is a starting point for growthoftheOldSwissConfederacy. This year is also the traditional date ofthe Rütlischwur...
Timeline of Swiss history Early history ofSwitzerlandSwitzerland in the Roman era GrowthoftheOldSwissConfederacy French invasion ofSwitzerland Switzerland...
nation-state, and theSwiss are not a single ethnic group, but rather are a confederacy (Eidgenossenschaft) or Willensnation ("nation of will", "nation by...
Hug became the first openly transgender officer in theSwiss Army. History oftheSwiss Air Force Battles oftheOldSwissConfederacy List of wars involving...
Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. 1315 – GrowthoftheOldSwissConfederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold...
joined the Pact and began thegrowthoftheOldSwissConfederacy. As the Confederation expanded, Schwyz took a leading role in the new organization. The aggressive...
role in shaping the history and culture ofSwitzerland. The region ofthe Gotthard Pass became the nucleus oftheSwissConfederacy in the early 14th century...
Swabian War GrowthoftheOldSwissConfederacy Grauer Bund in Romansh, German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary ofSwitzerland. Landfrieden...
dissolution oftheOldSwissConfederacy, marking the end ofthe ancien régime in Switzerland. Throughout its existence, the republic incorporated most ofthe territory...
Duchy of Swabia within the Holy Roman Empire, while the western part was part of Burgundy. TheOldSwissConfederacy in the Late Middle Ages (the Eight...
part oftheSwissconfederacy until the end ofthe Napoleonic era. With Napoleon acting as a mediator and declaring that the natural political state of the...
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