الاتحاد السويسري القديم

Old Swiss Confederacy Corpus helveticum (ألمانية) Corps helvétique (فرنسية) Corpo helvetico (إيطالية) Confoederatio helvetica (لاتينية)
1300ح. 1300 – 1798
Swiss cross (field sign 1470–1500ح. 1470–1500)
The Old Swiss Confederacy in the 18th century with modern Swiss national border (in red)
العاصمة	None
اللغات الرسمية	German
اللغات المشتركة	Middle French / French, Alemannic German, Lombard, Rhaeto-Romansh
الدين	Catholic Reformed
الحكومة	Confederation
التشريع	Tagsatzung
التاريخ
• Death of Rudolf I	15 July 1291
• Rütlischwur, Burgenbruch	1291
• Charles IV's Golden Bull	1356
• Battle of Marignano	13–14 September 1515
• Wars of Kappel	1529 and 1531
• Formal independence from the HRE	15 May/24 October 1648
• Swiss peasant war	January–June 1653
• Collapse	5 March 1798
العملة	About 75 different local currencies, including Basel thaler, Berne thaler, Fribourg gulden, Geneva thaler, Geneva genevoise, Luzern gulden, Neuchâtel gulden, St. Gallen thaler, Schwyz gulden, Solothurn thaler, Valais thaler, Zürich thaler
سبقها تلاها House of Habsburg House of Zähringen House of Kyburg House of Werdenberg Imperial Abbey of Saint Gall Duchy of Milan Barony of Vaud Duchy of Burgundy Holy Roman Empire Helvetic Republic

The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (Modern German: Alte Eidgenossenschaft; historically Eidgenossenschaft, after the Reformation also Corps des Suisses, Confoederatio helvetica "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (cantons, German Orte or Stände) initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerland.

It formed during the 14th century, from a nucleus in what is now Central Switzerland, expanding to include the cities of Zürich and Berne by the middle of the century. This formed a rare union of rural and urban communes, all of which enjoyed imperial immediacy in the Holy Roman Empire.

This confederation of eight cantons (Acht Orte) was politically and militarily successful for more than a century, culminating in the Burgundy Wars of the 1470s which established it as a power in the complicated political landscape dominated by France and the Habsburgs. Its success resulted in the addition of more confederates, increasing the number of cantons to thirteen (Dreizehn Orte) by 1513. The confederacy pledged neutrality in 1647 (under the threat of the Thirty Years' War), although many Swiss served privately as mercenaries in the Italian Wars and during the Early Modern period.

After the Swabian War of 1499 the confederacy was a de facto independent state throughout the early modern period, although still nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1648 when the Treaty of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War. The Swiss Reformation divided the confederates into Reformed and Catholic parties, resulting in internal conflict from the 16th to the 18th centuries; as a result, the federal diet (Tagsatzung) was often paralysed by hostility between the factions. The Swiss Confederacy fell to invasion by the French Revolutionary Army in 1798, after which it became the short-lived Helvetic Republic.

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 Name

المقالة الرئيسية: Eidgenossenschaft and Name of Switzerland

The "Swiss Bull" (Der Schweitzer Stier), horns decorated with a wreath showing the coats of arms of the Thirteen Cantons of the Confederacy (1584)

The adjective "old" was introduced after the Napoleonic era with Ancien Régime, retronyms distinguishing the pre-Napoleonic from the restored confederation. During its existence the confederacy was known as Eidgenossenschaft or Eydtgnoschafft ("oath fellowship"), in reference to treaties among cantons; this term was first used in the 1370 Pfaffenbrief. Territories of the confederacy came to be known collectively as Schweiz or Schweizerland (Schwytzerland in contemporary spelling), with the English Switzerland beginning during the mid-16th century. From that time the Confederacy was seen as a single state, also known as the Swiss Republic (Republic der Schweitzer, République des Suisses and Republica Helvetiorum by Josias Simmler in 1576) after the fashion of calling individual urban cantons republics (such as the Republics of Zürich, Berne and Basel).

 History

Territorial development of Old Swiss Confederacy, 1291–1797

 Foundation

المقالة الرئيسية: Foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy

للمزيد من المعلومات: Medieval history of Switzerland

 List of territories

 Cantons

المقالة الرئيسية: Thirteen Cantons

للمزيد من المعلومات: Cantons of Switzerland

The 13 cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy

Structure of the Confederacy during the 18th century

The confederation expanded in several stages: first to the Eight Cantons (Acht Orte), then in 1481 to ten, in 1501 to twelve, and finally to thirteen cantons (Dreizehn Orte).

• Founding cantons (Urkantone):
  • Uri, founding canton named in the Federal Charter of 1291
  • Schwyz, founding canton named in the Federal Charter of 1291
  • Unterwalden, founding canton named in the Federal Charter of 1291
• 14th century: expansion to the Achtörtige Eidgenossenschaft following the battles of Morgarten and Laupen:
  • Lucerne, city canton, since 1332
  • Zürich, city canton, since 1351
  • Glarus, rural canton, since 1352
  • Zug, city canton, since 1352
  • Berne, city canton, since 1353; associate since 1323
• 15th century: expansion to the Zehnörtige Eidgenossenschaft following the Burgundian Wars:
  • Fribourg, city canton, since 1481; associate since 1454
  • Solothurn, city canton, since 1481; associate since 1353
• 16th century: expansion to the Dreizehnörtige Eidgenossenschaft following the Swabian War:
  • Basel, city canton, since 1501
  • Schaffhausen, city canton, since 1501; associate since 1454
  • Appenzell, rural canton, since 1513; associate since 1411

 Associates

Associate states of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the 18th century

Associates (Zugewandte Orte) were close allies of the Old Swiss Confederacy, connected to the union by alliance treaties with all or some of the individual members of the confederacy.

 Closest associates

Three of the associates were known as Engere Zugewandte:

• Biel – 1344–82 treaties with Fribourg, Berne and Solothurn. Nominally, Biel was subject to the Bishopric of Basel.
• Imperial Abbey of St. Gallen – 1451 treaty with Schwyz, Lucerne, Zürich and Glarus, renewed in 1479 and 1490. The abbey was simultaneously a protectorate.
• Imperial City of St. Gallen – 1454 treaty with Schwyz, Lucerne, Zürich, Glarus, Zug and Berne.

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 Eternal associates

Two federations were known as Ewige Mitverbündete:

• Sieben Zenden, an independent federation in the Valais – Became a Zugewandter Ort in 1416 through an alliance with Uri, Unterwalden and Lucerne, followed by a treaty with Berne in 1446.
• Three Leagues were independent federations on the territory of the Grisons and became an associates of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1497/98 through the events of the Swabian War. The Three Leagues together concluded an alliance pact with Berne in 1602.
  • Grey League, who had been allied with Glarus, Uri and Obwalden through pacts from 1400, 1407 and 1419, entered an alliance with seven of the old eight cantons (the Acht Orte without Berne) in 1497
  • League of God's House (Gotteshausbund) followed suit a year later.
  • League of the Ten Jurisdictions, the third of the leagues, entered an alliance with Zürich and Glarus in 1590.

 Protestant associates

There were two Evangelische Zugewandte:

• Imperial City of Mulhouse – Concluded a first treaty with some cantons in 1466 and became an associate in 1515 through a treaty with all 13 members of the Confederacy, remaining so until events of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1797.
• Imperial City of Geneva – 1536 treaty with Berne and a 1584 treaty with Zürich and Berne.

 Other

• County of Neuchâtel – 1406 and 1526 treaties with Berne and Solothurn, 1495 treaty with Fribourg and 1501 treaty with Lucerne.
• Imperial Valley of Urseren – 1317 treaty with Uri; annexed by Uri in 1410.
• Weggis – 1332–1380 by treaties with Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne; annexed by Lucerne in 1480.
• Murten – from 1353 by treaty with Berne; became a confederal condominium in 1475.
• Payerne – from 1353 by treaty with Berne; annexed by Berne in 1536.
• County of Sargans – from 1437 by treaty with Glarus and Schwyz; became a confederal condominium in 1483.
• Barony of Sax-Forstegg – from 1458 by treaty with Zürich; annexed by Zürich in 1615
• Stein am Rhein – from 1459 by treaty with Zürich and Schaffhausen; annexed by Zürich in 1484.
• County of Gruyère – had been allied with Fribourg and Berne since the early 14th century, becoming a full associate of the Confederation in 1548. When the counts fell bankrupt in 1555, the country was partitioned in twain:
  • Lower Gruyère – from 1475 by treaty with Fribourg
  • Upper Gruyère – from 1403 by treaty with Berne; annexed by Berne in 1555:
    • Imperial Valley of Saanen
    • Imperial Valley of Château-d'Œx
• County of Werdenberg – from 1493 by treaty with Lucerne; annexed by Glarus in 1517.
• Imperial City of Rottweil – from 1519–1632 through a treaty with all 13 members; a first treaty on military cooperation had already been concluded in 1463. In 1632, the treaty was renewed with Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug, Solothurn and Fribourg.
• Bishopric of Basel – 1579–1735 by treaty with Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug, Solothurn and Fribourg.

 Condominiums

Condominiums (ألمانية: Gemeine Herrschaften) were common subject territories under the administration of several cantons. They were governed by reeves (Vögte) delegated for two years, each time from another of the responsible cantons. Berne initially did not participate in the administration of some of the eastern condominiums, as it had no part in their conquest and its interests were focused more on the western border. In 1712, Berne replaced the Catholic cantons in the administration of the Freie Ämter ("Free Districts"), the Thurgau, the Rhine valley, and Sargans, and furthermore the Catholic cantons were excluded from the administration of the County of Baden.

 German bailiwicks

The "German bailiwicks" (ألمانية: Deutsche Gemeine Vogteien, Gemeine Herrschaften) were generally governed by the Acht Orte apart from Berne until 1712, when Bern joined the sovereign powers:

• Freie Ämter – conquered 1415 and partitioned in 1712:
  • Upper Freiamt was governed by the Acht Orte;
  • Lower Freiamt was governed by Zürich, Bern and Glarus alone.
• County of Baden – conquered 1415; from 1712 governed by Zürich, Bern and Glarus.
• County of Sargans – from 1460/83
• Landgraviate of Thurgau – from 1460
• Vogtei of Rheintal – from 1490, Acht Orte minus Bern, plus the Imperial Abbey of St Gall. Appenzell added in 1500; Berne added in 1712.

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 Italian bailiwicks

المقالة الرئيسية: Ennetbirgische Vogteien

Several bailiwicks (Vogteien) were generally referred to as "transmontane bailiwicks" (ألمانية: Ennetbergische Vogteien, إيطالية: Baliaggi Ultramontani). In 1440, Uri conquered the Leventina Valley from the Visconti, dukes of Milan. Some of this territory had previously been annexed between 1403 and 1422. Further territories were acquired in 1500; see History of Ticino for further details.

Three bailiwicks, all now in the Ticino, were condominiums of the Forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden:

• Vogtei of Blenio – 1477–80 and from 1495
• Vogtei of Rivera – 1403–22 and from 1495
• Vogtei of Bellinzona – from 1500

Four other Ticinese bailiwicks were condominiums of the Zwölf Orte (the original 13 cantons, minus Appenzell) from 1512:

• Landvogtei of Valmaggia
• Landvogtei of Lugano
• Landvogtei of Locarno
• Landvogtei of Mendrisio

Another three bailiwicks were condominiums of the Zwölf Orte from 1512, but were lost from the Confederacy three years later and are all now comuni of Lombardy:

• Travaglia
• Cuvio
• Eschental (now Ossola)

 Two-party condominiums

 Bern and Fribourg

• County of Grasburg / Schwarzenburg – from 1423
• Murten – from 1475
• Grandson – from 1475
• Orbe and Echallens – from 1475

 Glarus and Schwyz

• Uznach – from 1437
• , Windegg / Gaster – from 1438
• Hohensax / Gams – from 1497

 Condominiums with third-parties

• Lordship of Tessenberg – from 1388, condominium between Berne and Bishopric of Basel

 Protectorates

• Bellelay Abbey – protectorate of Bern, Biel and Solothurn from 1414; nominally under the jurisdiction of the Bishopric of Basel
• Einsiedeln Abbey – protectorate of Schwyz from 1357
• Engelberg Abbey – protectorate of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden from 1425
• Erguel – protectorate of Biel/Bienne under military jurisdiction from 1335; also subject to the Bishopric of Basel
• Imperial Abbey of St. Gallen – protectorate of Schwyz, Lucerne, Zürich and Glarus from 1451; the abbey was simultaneously a Zugewandter Ort.
• Republic of Gersau, an independent village – allied with Schwyz since 1332; Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden were also protecting powers.
• Moutier-Grandval Abbey – protectorate of Berne from 1486; the abbey was also subject to the Bishopric of Basel and, until 1797, the Holy Roman Empire
• La Neuveville – protectorate of Berne from 1388; also subject to the Bishopric of Basel.
• Pfäfers Abbey – protectorate of the Acht Orte minus Berne from 1460; annexed to the County of Sargans in 1483
• Rapperswil – protectorate of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Glarus from 1464; of Zürich, Berne and Glarus from 1712
• County of Toggenburg – protectorate of Schwyz and Glarus from 1436; of Zürich and Berne from 1718. The county was simultaneously subject to St Gallen Abbey.

 Separate subjects

Some territories were separate subjects of cantons or associates, Einzelörtische Untertanen von Länderorten und Zugewandten:

 Uri

• Valley of Leventina (1403, 1439, finally 1480)
• Valley of Urseren (1440)

 Schwyz

• Küssnacht (1402)
• Einsiedeln Abbey (1397 / 1424)
• March (1405 / 36)
• Höfe (1440)

 Glarus

• County of Werdenberg (1485 / 1517); annexed to Lucerne in 1485; to Glarus in 1517

 Valais

• St-Maurice (1475 / 77)
• Monthey (1536)
• Nendaz-Hérémence (1475 / 77)
• Port Valais/Vionnaz
• Lötschental (15th century); the five upper Zenden

 Three Leagues

• Bormio (1512)
• Chiavenna (1512)
• Valtellina (1512)
• Drei Pleven (1512–26)
• Maienfeld (Bündner Herrschaft) (1509–1790); simultaneously a member of the League of the Ten Jurisdictions.

 للاستزادة

• Aubert, J.-F.: Petite histoire constitutionnelle de la Suisse, 2nd ed.; Francke Editions, Bern, 1974. (in فرنسية)
• Peyer, H. C.: Verfassungsgeschichte der alten Schweiz, Schulthess Polygraphischer Verlag, Zürich, 1978. ISBN 3-7255-1880-7. (in ألمانية)

 وصلات خارجية

• Media related to Alte Eidgenossenschaft (Old Swiss Confederacy) at Wikimedia Commons