SWITZERLAND
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SWITZERLAND
grew constantly, and in 888 Count Rudolph of the
Guelphic family founded the Kingdom of Burgundy,
of which western Switzerland formed a part. The
German regions of Switzerland fell to the Duchy of
Swabia in 917. In the ninth and tenth centuries several
dynasties rose topower and importance, as: theHouses
of Ziihringen (extinct 1218), of Lenzburg, of Kj-burg,
and of Savoy. The inheritance of the Lenzburg
family fell to the counts of Habsburg. In the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries there were some twenty great
feudal ruling families in the present Switzerland. The
counts of Ziihringen sought to secure their supremacy
against the attacks of the rural nobility by founding
cities, as Fribourg in 1178 and Berne in 1191. The
dioceses and abbeys also gradually acquired secular
power and rich possessions. When Duke Burkhard
of Swabia died childless in 973 the duchy reverted to
the German Empire. In 1033, after the death of
King lUidoljih III of Burgundy, his kingdom also fell
to Germany, as Rudolph left it to the empire by will.
Consequently the whole of present Switzerland, with
the exception of Ticino, which was a part of Lom-
bardy, belonged to the German Empire.
The inhabitants of the Alpine valleys of central Switzerland sought to protect their ancient rights against the growing power of the counts of Habs- burg. In 1231 the people of Uri received from the German emperor, Henry, a charter which released them from the control of the counts of Habsburg; this is the first document by which the freedom of the early League of Switzerland was established. Schwyz received a similar charter in 1240 from Em- peror Frederick II. In this way the territories of Uri and Schwyz were immediately dependent on the empire. Like the ])eople of these two territories, the inhabitants of Unterwalden had also founded a provincial confederation. During the era of the struggle over the empire Rudolph of Habsburg strengthened his power in Switzerland; when in 1273 he became Emperor of Germany, his conquests transferred the centre of the power of the Habsburgs to Austria. Nevertheless, the emperor vigorously maintained his supremacy over his possessions in Switzerland. Directly after Rudolph's death (1291) the inhabitants of the districts combined in the original Swiss League sought to make use of the opportunity to secure their rights and privileges. On 1 August, 1291, the representatives of the provin- cial associations formed by Uri, Schwyz, and Unter- walden met and renewed the League that had been formed earlier. The purpose of the League was by united action to protect its members as far as possible against all attacks. The establishment of the League has been poetically embellished by the well-known story of the struggle of William Tell and his companions against t he governor, (!cs.'*ler, who oppressed the people.
Adolph of Na.ssau, who was elected King of Ger- many after the death of Rudolph of Habsburg, con- firmed the charters of L'ri and Schwyz, as did King Henry VII of Luxemburg on 3 June, 1309; at the same time Henry extended the rights and privileges contained in thom to Unterwalden. After the death of Henry VII (1313) an old di.spute as to the rights over the march between Schwyz and the Abbey of Einsiedeln broke out again and the confederated Swi.ss attacked the abbey, for which they were ex- communicated by the Bishop of Constance and put under the ban of the empire at the same time. Louis of Bavaria withdrew the ban in 1315 and obliged the Archbishop of Mainz to recall the excommunication of the inhabitants of the forest districts (Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and Lucerne). In the struggle for the imjierial throne between I>ouis of Bavaria and Frederick of Austria the Swiss League, made up of these districts, held to Louis. Frederick's brother, Duke Leopold of Austria, attempted to overthrow the League and to pimish its members for the attack
on Einsiedeln, but his army was defeated by the
Swiss at Morgarten on 15 November, 1315. On 9
December, 1315, Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden
renewed the League and confirmed the same by addi-
tional regulations. In the truce concluded with
the Duke of Austria the independence of the League
was in some degree recognized. The further devel-
opment of political conditions and the struggle with
the Habsburgs connected with it led to the union with
the forest districts of the city of Lucerne in 1332,
the city of Zurich in 1351, and the district of Glarua
and the city of Zug in 1352, all these new mem-
bers joining the League. In 1353 the city of Berne
also joined the League, so that now the old Confedera-
tion of eight cities and districts came into existence.
The war with the League was renewed by Duke Leo-
pold III of Austria, but in the battle near Sempach
in 1386 his army was defeated and he himself was
killed. This victory greatly strengthened the inde-
pendence of the eight members of the Swiss League.
The Austrians were again defeated in 1388 at Nafels,
during the war with Glarus, which had declared its
independence. In this way the freedom and inde-
pendence of the eight communities were secured and a
new compact made on 10 July, 1393.
The success of the Confederates encouraged the inhabitants of neighbouring territories in their struggles for political freedom. The city of St- Gall, which had been a free city of the empire from 1281, sought to make itself as independent as possible of the mastery of the prince-bishop. The inhabitanta of Appenzell, who were subjects of the Abbot of St- Gall, also did the same; they gained their freedom and overthrew the lordship of the abbot by success in battle. In 1411 seven of the confederated com- munities (Berne not taking part) formed an agree- ment with Appenzell, by which it was taken under the protection of the League; in 1412 a similar agree- ment was made for ten years with the city of St- Gall, and in 1455 these treaties were changed into the "Everlasting Compact". The inhabitants of Ilpper Valais, who were subjects of the Bishop of Sion (Sitten), also gained for themselves a certain amount of political freedom, which they successfully defended in battle; they then formed a compact with the districts of Uri, Unterwalden, and Lucerne (1403 and 1416). The districts of LTri and Obwalden won territories south of the Alps in the Val Leventina (1403); some years later (1411) the League occupied jointly the Val d'Ossola and in 1419 bought the Countship of Bellinzona. However, in 1422, the League was defeated by the Duke of Milan and in 1426 it gave up its rights to the Val Leventina and the Val d'Ossola. During the Council of Constance Duke Frederick of Austria was declared under the ban of the empire by Emperor .Sigismund. The Swiss League, by the order of the emperor, seized the Swiss lands of the duke; Berne took the cities of Aargau; Lucerne and Zurich took other cities and territories; the League conquered jointly other cities belonging to the Habsburgs. Thus the members of the League obtained subject lands, sometimes subject to the authority of an individual member of the League, .sometimes nded jointly by several members; this changed the former basis of the League, Count Frederick of Toggenburg, who had great possessions, had made various treaties with different members of the League. When he died without heirs in 1436, a dispute aro.se as to his domains, and Zurich became involved in a war with Schwyz. Zurich formed an alliance with the Emjieror Freder- ick III against the other members of the League, and in the war which followed (1443) Zurich W!is defeated, while a general of the emperor defeated the League at Ba.slc. In 14.50 Zurich made peace by abandoning its alliance with the emperor. Various districts that had been subject to the counts of Toggenburg fell
