761 



SWITZERLAND. 



SWITZERLAND. 



763 



though it ii supposed that the more central valleys and alpine recesses 

 may have retained a sort of rude independence. 



At the breaking up of the Western empire, the Burgundians, a 

 tribe from the shores of the Baltic, were the first to form a permanent 

 settlement in Western Switzerland, between the Jura, the Leman Lake, 

 and the river Aar ; and Gebena, or Geneva, became the occasional resi- 

 dence of their kings. Meantime the Alemanni, a wilder and more barba- 

 rous race than the Burgundians, occupied the banks of the Rhine as 

 far as Eastern Helvetia. These were defeated by Clovis at Tolbiacum, 

 near Cologne (A.D. 496), and the Franks became masters of the 

 country of the Alemanni, including a great part of Helvetia. The 

 mountainous district of Khaetia was seized upon by the Goths from 

 Italy, under King Theodoric. The old natives of Helvetia themselves 

 became by turns subjects or serfs of these various masters. Being no 

 longer a nation, their very name became obliterated, and they were 

 included in the general appellation of Romans, by which the northern 

 conquerors designated the inhabitants of the countries once subject to 

 Rome. About A.D. 534, the Franks, having overpowered the kingdom 

 of the Burgundians, became masters of all Helvetia, and soon after, at 

 the breaking up of the gothic kingdom of Italy, they occupied Rhsetia 

 also. The Burgundians however, on submitting to the Franks, made 

 conditions for themselves, by which they remained as a distinct nation, 

 retaining their laws, usages, and privileges. The king of the Franks 

 assumed the additional title of King of Burgundy. Several governors, 

 with the title of Duke or President, were appointed by the Merovin- 

 gian kings of the Franks to govern the various divisions of Helvetia. 

 That part of the country which belonged to the kingdom of Burgundy 

 was called Transjurane Burgundy* the country between the Aar and 

 the Rhine was called Alemannia, and Rhsetia formed another distinct 

 division. When the Frankiih empire became divided into several 

 kingdoms, Transjurane Burgundy formed part of the kingdom of 

 Orleans, while the rest of Helvetia was attached to the kingdom of 

 Australia or of Metz. 



The Burgundian part of Helvetia became converted to Christianity 

 toon after the establishment of the Burgundian kingdom, towards the 

 end of the 5th century. The Alemanni of Eastern Helvetia remained 

 much longer in the rude heathenism of their Teutonic ancestors. 

 Towards the beginning of the 7th century, the Irish monk Colurn- 

 banus, and his disciples, preached the Gospel to the Alemanni of 

 Helvetia, and as they made progess among them they broke the 

 images of their god Wodan, and built chapels in various parts of the 

 country. This was the origin of the afterwards celebrated churches 

 and abbeys of St-Gall, Disenta, Seckingen, Glarus or St-Hilarius, 

 St. Leodegav of Luzern, and the Miinster of Zurich. The monks 

 taught also the rude natives to cultivate the soil, to sow corn, to plant 

 the Tine, and other awful arts. 



Under the successors of Charlemagne, the feudal system was estab- 

 lished in Helvetia. The count* or governors however soon made them- 

 selves hereditary ; they became suzerains of their respective districts, of 

 which they were before only magistrates ; they took posmnion of the 

 crown lands, and received the fen of the crown tenants, who became 

 vassals of the local lord. The abbeys and monasteries likewise had 

 their own vassals, many of whom, bein; originally small proprietors 

 of allodial property, preferred placing themselves under the protection 

 of the church. 



When the Prankish empire became divided among the successors of 

 Louis le Debonnaire, in 840, German or Eastern Helvetia fell to the 

 share of Louis of Bavaria, and continued afterwards attached to the 

 duchy of Suabia. Burgundian Helvetia fell to the lot of Lotharius, 

 who had the title of emperor and king of Italy. 



The chief events in the history of Switzerland may be conveniently 

 given in the form of a chronological table : 



889. Rudolf, count of Transjurane Burgundy, was proclaimed by 

 the bishops and lay lords of his government, aseembled at St-Maurice, 

 in the Valais, King of Upper Burgundy. This new kingdom of Bur- 

 gundy lasted till 1016, when Rudolf III., having no male issue, made 

 over Ms kingdom to the emperor Henry II. 



1097. Berthold of Zahringen, a great Suabian lord, is made by the 

 emperor Henry IV., 'kastvogt,' or warden, of the town and district of 

 /Uriah, and afterwards his son Conrad of Zahringen is made landgraf 

 of Burgundy. 



1152. Frederick of Hohenatauffen appoints BerthoM IV. of Zahrin- 

 gen imperial warden of the bishoprics of Lausanne, Geneva, and Sion. 



1178. Berthold IV. of Zahringen builds Freyburg. 



1191. Berthold T. incloses the town of Bern. 



1218. Frederick II. gives imperial charters to the towns of Bern, 

 Soleure, Basel, and Schaffhausen. 



1264. Rudolf of Habsburg, by various inheritances, becomes one of 

 the most powerful lords hi Helvetia, 



1273. Rudolf is elected emperor. He favours the independence of 

 the towns. 



1291. Death of Rudolf. His son Albert, desiring to annex the free 

 towns and their territories to his patrimonial estates, attacks Bern and 

 Zurich, but is repulsed. 



1300. The three forest cantons, Schwyz, -Uri, and Unterwalden, 

 which bad been for ages free communities under the protection of the 

 empire, refuse to acknowledge Albert as their duke. 



1807. Werner Stauflacher of Schwyz, Walter Furst of Uri, and 



Arnold von Melchthal in Unterwalden, conspire to free their country 

 from the tyranny of Gessler. William Tell kills Gessler. 



1308. The insurrection of the Waldatatter, or Forest Cantons. 

 Albert's officers are driven away, and their castles razed. Albert, 

 whilst preparing to march against the Waldstiitter, is murdered by his 

 nephew, John of Habsburg. 



1315. Leopold, son of Albert, defeated at Morgarten by the people 

 of the Waldstiitter, who begin to be called by the general name of 

 the Schwyzera. Federal pact of Brunuen, among the threo 

 Waldstiitter. 



1332. Luzern joins the confederation of the Waldstiitter as the 

 fourth canton. 



1351. Zurich and Glarus join the confederation, and the Zurichers 

 defeat Duke Albert of Austria. 



1352. Zug and Bern join the confederation as the seventh and 

 eighth cantons. A federal Diet is appointed. 



1386. Leopold II. of Austria marches an army against Luzern, and 

 is defeated and killed at Sempach, on the 9th of July. 



13S8. The Austrians invade Glarus, and are defeated at Niifels. 



1389. Truce of twenty years between Austria and the Swiss. 



1415. The Swiss cantons invade the Aargau, which they divide 

 among themselves. Origin of the subject bailiwicks. 



1418-22. The people of the Waldstiitter invade the Val Levantina 

 and other valleys south of the Alps, which they constitute subject 

 bailiwicks. 



1422. The Valais becomes an independent state allied to the Swiss 

 cantons. 



1424. The Graubuud ('Gray league') formed at Trons gives its 

 name to the whole of Rhactia. 



1436. Death of the last count of Toggenburg. Civil war between 

 Zurich and the other cantons. 



1444. Siege of Zurich by the confederates. A large force of merce- 

 naries under the Dauphin attack Basel. Battle of St. -Jacob. The 

 Dauphin makes peace with the Swiss. 



1446. Peace between Zurich and the other cantons. 



1452. A fresh war between Austria and the cantons. Austria loses 

 Rappenchwyl, Freyburg, and Thurgau. Duke Sigiamund of Austria 

 mortgages to Zurich the town of Wiuterthur, his last remaining 

 possession in Helvetia, 



1457. Muhlhausen, an imperial town of Alsace, forms an alliance 

 with the Swiss. 



1475. War between the Swiss cantons and Charles the Bold. 



1476. (March). Defeat of the Burgundians at Granson. (June). 

 Battle of Moral ; total defeat of Charles. 



1478. Battle of Giornico, in which the Swiss defeat the troops of 

 Milan. 



1481. Convention of Stanz. Soleure and Freyburg admitted as 

 cantons. 



1495. The Swiss refuse to furnish the emperor Maximilian I. with 

 a contingent of troops for his war against France. 



1499. War between Maximilian and the Swiss. The Imperial troops 

 being several times defeated, Maximilian makes peace. This was the 

 hut war which the Swiss had to sustain for their independence. 



1501. Basel and Schaffhausen are received into the confederation. 



1513. Appenzell is also admitted, and completes the number of 

 thirteen cantons composing the Helvetic or Swiss confederation, which 

 existed till the French revolutionary invasion of 1798. The 'socii,' 

 or states associated to the confederation with vote in the diet, were 

 the abbot of St-Gall, and the free cities of St. -Gall, Muhlhausen, and 

 Biel, or Bienno. The allies without vote were Geneva, Noufchatel, 

 the Valais, and the Orisons. 



1523. Zurich adopts the doctrines of the Reformation. 



1528-30. The towns of St-Gall, Bienne, and Muhlhausen, and the 

 cantons of Basel and Schaffhausen proclaim the Reformation ; Glarus 

 and Appenzell remain divided between the two communions. 



1531. War between the Roman Catholic and the Reformed cantons 

 on the subject of the election of a new abbot of St.-(Jall. The troops 

 of the Reformed cantons are defeated at Cappel with great loss. Peace 



I of Baar. 



1532. Helvetic confession of faith proclaimed by a synod held at 

 ' Bern. 



1535-36. Bern, as an ally of Geneva, makes war against the duke of 

 Savoy, and takes the Pays-de-Vaud from the Duke of Savoy. 



1538. Calvin and Farel expelled from Geneva. 



1541. Calvin is recalled. The Reformation adopted at Geneva, 



1603. The Duke of Savoy acknowledges the independence of Geneva. 



1648. The emperor acknowledges, in the treaty of Westphalia, the 

 Swiss Confederation as an independent state in Europe. 



1 653. Second war of religion in Switzerland. Battle of Willmergen ; 

 the Protestants defeated. Peace made. 



1710. The district of Toggenburg revolts against the abbot of 

 St.-Gall, and is supported by the Reformed cantons. 



1712. Third and last war of religion in Switzerland. The Bernese 

 defeat the troops of Luzern and the Waldstiitter at Willmergen. The 

 Roman Catholic cantons sue for peace, which is concluded at Aarau, 

 in August, 1712. 



1793. The French invade the territory of the bishop of Basel, and 

 annex it to their new republic. 



