The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate and population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matters in Zürich and spread to several other cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Seven cantons remained Catholic, though, which led to inter-cantonal wars known as the Wars of Kappel. After the victory of the Catholic cantons in 1531, they proceeded to institute counter-reformatory policies in some regions. The schism and distrust between Catholic and Protestant cantons would define their interior politics and paralyse any common foreign policy until well into the 18th century. Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the worlds oldest surviving republics. ... The early history of Switzerland begins with the earliest settlements up to the beginning of Habsburg rule, which in 1291 gave rise to the independence movement in the central cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period before written history became available to assist our understanding of the past. ... Events May 10 - Scottish nobles recognize the authority of King Edward I of England. ... 1550 illustration for the Sempacherbrief of 1393, one of the major alliance contracts of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. ... Events May 10 - Scottish nobles recognize the authority of King Edward I of England. ... Events January 20 - Christian II becomes King of Denmark and Norway. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... During the Thirty Years War, Switzerland was a relative oasis of peace and prosperity (Grimmelshausen) in war-torn Europe, mostly because all major powers in Europe were depending on Swiss mercenaries, and would not let Switzerland fall in the hands of one of their rivals. ... // Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (Sonderbundskrieg). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Switzerland was surrounded by territory controlled by the Axis Powers from 1940 to 1945. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... After World War II, Swiss authorities considered the construction of a nuclear bomb. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Atlantic hurricane season • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak in Asia • Bali bombings investigation • California wildfires • UK Conservative Party leadership election • DeLay political financing scandal • Dengue outbreak in Singapore • FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 • Fuel prices • Gomery Comm. ... Jump to: navigation, search The word Reformation links here. ... Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (January 1, 1484 – October 11, 1531) was the leader of the Swiss Reformation, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. ... Location within Switzerland   Zürich? (in English often Zurich, IPA ) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century Decades: 1470s 1480s 1490s 1500s 1510s - 1520s - 1530s 1540s 1550s 1560s 1570s Years: 1520 1521 1522 1523 1524 1525 1526 1527 1528 1529 Events and Trends Fall of Tenochtitlán and conquest of Spanish. ... The twenty-six cantons of Switzerland are the states of the federal state of Switzerland. ... 1550 illustration for the Sempacherbrief of 1393, one of the major alliance contracts of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. ... The wars of Kappel (Kappelerkriege) were two armed conflicts fought near Kappel am Albis between the protestant and the catholic cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the reformation in Switzerland. ... Events January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake-- thousands die October 1 - Battle of Kappel - The forces of Zürich are defeated by the Catholic cantons. ... The Counter-Reformation or the Catholic Reformation was a strong reaffirmation of the doctrine and structure of the Catholic Church, climaxing at the Council of Trent, partly in reaction to the growth of Protestantism. ... A foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how a particular country will interact with the other countries of the world. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Switzerland in the 16th century. Map by Sebastian Münster (ca. 1550).

Despite their religious differences, and despite an exclusively Catholic defence alliance of the seven Catholic cantons (Goldener Bund), further major armed conflicts directly between the cantons did not occur. Soldiers from both sides fought in the French Wars of Religion. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3500x2683, 2477 KB) Die Eidtgenoschafft oder das Schwytzerland mit den anstossenden Ländern Sebastian Münster, um 1550, ca. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3500x2683, 2477 KB) Die Eidtgenoschafft oder das Schwytzerland mit den anstossenden Ländern Sebastian Münster, um 1550, ca. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between the Catholic League and the Huguenots from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. ...

In the Thirty Years' War, the thirteen cantons managed to maintain their neutrality, partly because all major powers in Europe were depending on Swiss mercenaries, and would not let Switzerland fall in the hands of one of their rivals. The Three Leagues (Drei Bünde) of the Grisons, at that time not yet a member of the confederacy, were involved in the war from 1620 on, which led to their loss of the Valtellina from 1623 to 1639. Jump to: navigation, search The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ... Grisons or Graubünden (German: Graubünden; Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. ... Events September 6 - English emigrants on the Mayflower depart from Plymouth, England for the future New England and arrive at the end of the year. ... A view of Valtellina The church of Tresivio Valtellina (German Veltlin) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. ... Events August 6 - Pope Urban VIII is elected to the Papacy. ... Events January 14 - Connecticuts first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, is adopted. ...

Development of Protestantism

As part of their struggle for independence, the Swiss cantons had already in the 15th century sought to limit the influence of the Church on their political sovereignty. Many monasteries had already come under secular supervision, and the administration of schools was in the hands of the cantons, although the teachers generally still were priests. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ...

Nevertheless, many of the problems of the Church also existed in the Swiss Confederacy. Many a cleric as well as the Church as a whole afforded a luxury lifestyle in stark contrast to the conditions the large majority of the population lived in; this luxury was financed by high church taxes and abundant sale of indulgences. Many priests were badly educated, and spiritual Church doctrines were often disregarded. Many priests de facto didn't live in celibacy but in concubinage. The new reformatory ideas thus fell on fertile ground. In Roman Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to God for sin. ... Celibacy may refer either to being unmarried or to sexual abstinence. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Huldrych Zwingli

Huldrych Zwingli was the main proponent of the Reformation in Switzerland. His own studies, in the humanist tradition, had led him to preach against injustices and hierarchies in the Church already in 1516 while he was still a priest in Einsiedeln. When he was called to Zürich, he expanded his criticism also onto political topics and in particular condemned the mercenary business. His ideas were received favourably, especially by entrepreneurs, businessmen, and the guilds. The first disputation of Zürich of 1523 was the breakthrough: the city council decided to implement his reformatory plans and to convert to Protestantism. Scanned from German Meyers Encyclopedia, 1906 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... Scanned from German Meyers Encyclopedia, 1906 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (January 1, 1484 – October 11, 1531) was the leader of the Swiss Reformation, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. ... Humanism is an active ethical and philosophical approach to life focusing on human solutions to human issues through rational arguments without recourse to a god, gods, sacred texts or religious creeds. ... Einsiedeln may refer to: Einsiedeln abbey Einsiedeln, Switzerland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Location within Switzerland   Zürich? (in English often Zurich, IPA ) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... Swiss mercenaries crossing the Alps (Luzerner Schilling) During the late Middle Ages, mercenary forces grew in importance in Europe, as veterans from the Hundred Years War preferred to continue living a soldiers life rather than abandoning the military. ... A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ... Events April - Battle of Villalar - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ...

In the following two years, profound changes took place in Zürich. The Church was thoroughly secularised. Priests were relieved from celibacy, the opulent decorations in the churches were thrown out. The state assumed the administration of Church properties, financing the social works (which up to then were managed entirely by the Church), and also paid the priests. The last abbess of the Fraumünster, Katharina von Zimmern, turned over the convent including all of its rights and possessions to the city authorities on November 30, 1524. She even married the next year. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining, as the final day of November. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ...

John Calvin

Over the next few years, the cities of St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Basel, Bienne, Mulhouse, and finally Berne (in 1528) all followed the example set by Zürich. Their subject territories were converted to Protestantism by decree. In Basel, reformer Johannes Oecolampadius was active, in St. Gallen, the Reformation was adopted by mayor Joachim Vadian. In Glarus, Appenzell, and in the Grisons, which all three had a more republican structure, individual communes decided for or against the Reformation. In the French-speaking parts, reformers like William Farel had been preaching the new faith under Bernese protection since the 1520s, but only in 1536, when John Calvin arrived there, did the city of Geneva convert to Calvinism. The same year, Berne conquered the hitherto Savoyard Vaud and also instituted Protestantism there. From [1], in the public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... From [1], in the public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Location within Switzerland The view on the city from the nearby hills. ... Location within Switzerland Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland; it has an estimated population of 33,700 in 2003. ... Location within Switzerland Basel (English traditionally: Basle , German: Basel , French Bâle , Italian Basilea ) is Switzerlands third most populous city (188,000 inhabitants in the canton of Basel-City as of 2004; the 690,000 inhabitants in the conurbation stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel... Place du Ring in Biel/Bienne Biel/Bienne is a town in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. ... Mulhouse (Mülhausen in German, Milhüsa in Alsatian) is a town and commune in eastern France. ... For other uses, see Bern (disambiguation). ... Events June 19 - Battle of Landriano - A French army in Italy under Marshal St. ... Johannes Oecolampadius or Oekolampad (1482 - November 24, 1531) was a German religious reformer, whose real name was Hussgen or Heussgen (changed to Hausschein and then into the Greek equivalent). ... Engraving by David Herrliberger from Zurich, 1748, after an older original Joachim Vadian (November 29, 1484 – April 6, 1551), born as Joachim von Watt, was a Swiss Humanist and scholar and also mayor and reformer in St. ... Jump to: navigation, search Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. ... Appenzell (or Appenzellerland) is a region in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. ... Grisons or Graubünden (German: Graubünden; Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. ... Categories: Stub | 1489 births | 1565 deaths | French theologians | Reformed theologians ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) was a prominent Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation and is the namesake of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism. ... Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, but the Genevois and Genevoise are fond of calling it Lac de Genève) empties into the Rhône River. ... For the earlier history of Savoy, see County of Savoy. ... The Canton of Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland located in the southwestern part of the country. ...

Despite their conversion to Protestantism, the citizens of Geneva were not ready to adopt Calvin's new strict Church order, and banned him and Farel from the city in 1538. Three years later—there had been elections in the meantime, and there was a new city council—Calvin was called back. Step by step he implemented his strict programme. A counter-revolt in 1555 failed, and many established families left the city. Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ... Events Russia breaks 60 year old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland February 2 - Diet of Augsburg begins February 4 - John Rogers becomes first Protestant martyr in England February 9 - Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake May 23 - Paul IV becomes Pope. ...

In search of a common theology

Zwingli, who had studied in Basel while Erasmus had been there, had arrived at a more radical renewal than Luther and his ideas differed from the latter in several points. A reconciliation attempt at the Marburg Colloquy in 1529 failed. Although the two charismatic leaders found a consensus on fourteen points, they kept differing on the last one on the Eucharist: Luther maintained that through consubstantiation the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper became truly the flesh and blood of Christ, whereas Zwingli considered bread and wine only symbols. This schism and the defeat of Zürich in the second war of Kappel in 1531, where Zwingli was killed on the battlefield, were a serious setback, ultimately limiting Zwinglianism to parts of the Swiss confederacy and preventing its adoption in areas north of the river Rhine. Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (also Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam) (October 27, probably 1466 – July 12, 1536) was a Dutch humanist and theologian. ... Luther at age 46 (Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529) The Luther seal Martin Luther (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. ... The Marburg Colloquy was a meeting which attempted to mediate between the different opinions of the Lutherans and Zwinglians over the Lords Supper, and issues relating to transubstantiation. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... Eucharist - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Consubstantiation is a theory which (like the competing theory of transubstantiation, with which it is often contrasted) attempts to describe the nature of the Christian Eucharist in terms of philosophical metaphysics. ... The Lords Supper is a variation of the name and the service of The Last Supper or Eucharist. ... Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός (transliterated as Khristós), which means anointed. ... The word schism, from the Greek σχισμα, schisma (from σχιζω, schizo, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1,320 km Elevation of the source Vorderrhein: approx. ...

Heinrich Bullinger

After Zwingli's death, Heinrich Bullinger took over his post in Zürich. Reformers in Switzerland continued for the next decades to reform the Church and to improve its acceptance by the common people. Bullinger in particular also tried bridging the differences between Zwinglianism and Calvinism. He was instrumental in establishing the Consenus Tigurinus of 1549 with John Calvin and the Confessio Helvetica posterior of 1566, which finally included all protestant cantons and associates of the confederacy. The Confessio was also accepted in other European protestant regions in Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, and Scotland, and together with the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563, where Bullinger also played an important role, and the Canons of Dordrecht of 1619 it would become the theological foundation of Protestantism of the Calvinist strain.
Image File history File links Heinrich_Bullinger_Head. ... Image File history File links Heinrich_Bullinger_Head. ... Heinrich Bullinger Heinrich Bullinger (July 18, 1504 - September 17, 1575) was a Swiss religious reformer. ... Calvinism is a system of Christian theology advanced by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and further developed by his followers, associates and admirers. ... Events July - Ketts Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. ... Helvetic Confessions, the name of two documents expressing the common belief of the Reformed churches of Switzerland. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... Bohemia For the place in the USA, see Bohemia, New York. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The Heidelberg Catechism is a document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. ... Events February 1 - Sarsa Dengel succeeds his father Menas as Emperor of Ethiopia February 18 - The Duke of Guise is assassinated while besieging Orléans March - Peace of Amboise. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618 / 19. ... Events May 13 - Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason. ...

Religious civil war

The success of the Reformation in Zürich and its rapid territorial expansion definitely made this religious renewal a political issue and a major source of conflict between the thirteen cantons. The alpine cantons or Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Lucerne, and Zug remained staunchly catholic. Their opposition was not uniquely a question of faith; economic reasons also played a role. Besides on agriculture, their economy depended to a large degree on the mercenary services and the financial recompensations for the same. They could not afford to loose this source of income, which was a major target of reformatory criticism. In contrast, the cities' economies were more diversified, including strong crafts and guilds as well as a budding industrial sector. Fribourg and Solothurn also remained catholic. Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. ... The town Schwyz is the capital of the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. ... Unterwalden is a region in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location within Switzerland View of the city from Lake Lucerne Another view across Lake Lucerne The Lion Monument Lucerne (German: Luzern) is a city in Central Switzerland with a population of 60,274 (December 31, 2003), capital of the Canton of Lucerne. ... Zug, capital of the Swiss canton of that name, a picturesque little town at the northeastern corner of the lake of Zug, and at the foot of the Zugerberg (3255 ft. ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... Fribourg (French: Fribourg, German: Freiburg or Freiburg im Üechtland) is a city in the country of Switzerland and the capital of the Swiss Canton of Fribourg on the river named Saane (in German) or Sarine (in French). ... The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. ...

The five alpine cantons perceived the Reformation as a threat early on; already in 1524 they formed the "League of the Five Cantons" (Bund der fünf Orte) to combat the spreading of the new faith. Both sides tried to strengthen their positions by concluding defensive alliances with third parties: the Protestant cantons formed a city alliance, including the Protestant cities of Constance and Strasbourg (Christliches Burgrecht); the Catholic ones entered a pact with Ferdinand of Austria. This article needs cleanup. ... City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Alsace Département Bas-Rhin (67) Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) Area 78. ... Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (March 10, 1503 – July 27, 1564) was one of the Habsburg emperors that at various periods during his life ruled over Austria, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. ...

In the tense atmosphere, small incidents could easily escalate. Conflicts arose especially over the situation in the common territories, where the administration changed bi-annually between cantons and which thus switched between catholic and protestant rules. Several mediation attempts failed, such as the disputation of Baden in 1526. Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany. ... Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ...

After numerous minor incidents and provocations from both sides, a Protestant pastor was burned on the stake in Schwyz in 1529, and in retaliation Zürich declared war. By mediation of the other cantons, open war (known as the first war of Kappel) was barely avoided, but the peace agreement (Erster Landfriede) was not exactly favourable for the Catholic party, who had to dissolve its alliance with the Austrian Habsburgs. The tensions remained essentially unresolved. Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... The first war of Kappel (Erster Kappelerkrieg) was an armed conflict in 1529 between the protestant and the catholic cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the reformation in Switzerland. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ...

The forces of Zürich are defeated in the battle of Kappel.

Two years later, the second war of Kappel broke out. On October 11, 1531, the Catholic cantons decisively defeated the forces of Zürich in the battle of Kappel am Albis. Zwingli was killed on the battlefield. The Protestant cantons had to agree to a peace treaty, the so-called Zweiter Kappeler Landfriede, which forced the dissolution of the Protestant alliance (Christliches Burgrecht). It gave catholicism the priority in the common territories, but allowed communes that had already converted to remain Protestant. Only strategically important places such as the Freiamt or those along the route from Schwyz to the Rhine valley at Sargans (and thus to the alpine passes in the Grisons) were forcibly recatholicised. In their own territories, the cantons remained free to implement one or the other religion. The peace thus prescribed the Cuius regio, eius religio-principle that would also be adopted in the peace of Augsburg in the Holy Roman Empire in 1555. Politically, this gave the Catholic cantons a majority in the Tagsatzung, the federal diet of the confederacy. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (856x411, 155 KB)Battle of Kappel after the Chronicles of Johannes Stumpf, 1548. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (856x411, 155 KB)Battle of Kappel after the Chronicles of Johannes Stumpf, 1548. ... The second war of Kappel (Zweiter Kappelerkrieg) was an armed conflict in 1531 between the protestant and the catholic cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the reformation in Switzerland. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in Leap years). ... Events January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake-- thousands die October 1 - Battle of Kappel - The forces of Zürich are defeated by the Catholic cantons. ... Kappel am Albis (47°13′40″ N 8°31′34″ E) is a small municipality (population 891 as of 2003) in the Affoltern district of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. ... Sargans with its castle (August 2002 image) Sargans is a locality in Switzerland. ... Cuius regio, eius religio is a phrase in Latin that means, Whose the region is, his religion. ... The Peace of Augsburg was a treaty signed between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the forces of the Schmalkaldic League on September 25, 1555 at the city of Augsburg in Germany. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Events Russia breaks 60 year old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland February 2 - Diet of Augsburg begins February 4 - John Rogers becomes first Protestant martyr in England February 9 - Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake May 23 - Paul IV becomes Pope. ... In politics, a Diet is a formal deliberative assembly. ...

When their Protestant city alliance was dissolved, Zürich and the southern German cities joined the Schmalkaldic League, but in the German religious wars of 1546/47, Zürich and the other Swiss Protestant cantons remained strictly neutral. With the victory of Charles V the previously close relations to the Swabian Protestant cities in the Holy Roman Empire were severed: many cities, like Constance, were recatholicised and many were placed under a strictly aristocrat rule. The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive league of Protestant princes in the Holy Roman Empire in the mid-16th century. ... // Events Spanish conquest of Yucatan Peace between England and France Foundation of Trinity College, Cambridge by Henry VIII of England Katharina von Bora flees to Magdeburg Science Architecture Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. ... Events January 16 - Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia. ... Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V (Spanish: Carlos I, Dutch: Karel V, German: Karl V.) (24 February 1500–21 September 1558) is considered (the first) King of Spain though in fact his son was the first to use that title. ... Swabia (German: Schwaben) is both a historic and linguistic region in Germany. ...

Counter-Reformation

While the official Church remained passive during the beginnings of the Reformation, the Swiss catholic cantons took measures early on to keep the new movement at bay. They assumed judicial and financial powers over the clerics, outlawed concubinage, printing, distributing and the possession of reformatory tracts as well as studying Hebrew and Greek to put an end to the independent study of biblical sources. They laid down firm rules of conduct for the priests, and reserved the right to nominate priests in the first place, who previously had been assigned by the bishoprics. Overall, these measures were successful: not only did they prevent the spreading of the Reformation into the Catholic cantons, but they also made the Church dependent on the state and generally strengthened the power of the civil authorities. The Counter-Reformation or the Catholic Reformation was a strong reaffirmation of the doctrine and structure of the Catholic Church, climaxing at the Council of Trent, partly in reaction to the growth of Protestantism. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jump to: navigation, search Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by 6 million people mainly in Israel, parts of the Palestinian territories, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ...

Carlo Borromeo

The catholic cantons also maintained their domination of the Catholic Church after the Council of Trent (1545 to 1563), although they had accepted its positions. They opposed Cardinal Borromeo's plans for the creation of a new bishopric in central Switzerland. However, they did participate in the education programme of Trent. In 1574, the first Jesuit school was founded in Lucerne. Others soon followed, and in 1579, a catholic university for Swiss priests, the Collegio helvetico, was founded in Milan. In 1586, a nunciature was opened in Lucerne. The Capuchins were also called to help; a first Capuchin cloister was founded in 1581 in Altdorf. Image File history File links Carlo Borromeo. ... Image File history File links Carlo Borromeo. ... The Council of Trent (Italian: Trento) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in discontinuous sessions between 1545 and 1563 in response to the Protestant Reformation. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... Events February 1 - Sarsa Dengel succeeds his father Menas as Emperor of Ethiopia February 18 - The Duke of Guise is assassinated while besieging Orléans March - Peace of Amboise. ... Carlo Borromeo (October 2, 1538 - November 4, 1584), saint and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, son of Ghiberto Borromeo, count of Arona, and Margarita de Medici, was born at the castle of Arona on Lago Maggiore. ... Events April 14 - Battle of Mookerheyde. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location within Switzerland View of the city from Lake Lucerne Another view across Lake Lucerne The Lion Monument Lucerne (German: Luzern) is a city in Central Switzerland with a population of 60,274 (December 31, 2003), capital of the Canton of Lucerne. ... Events January 6 - The Union of Atrecht united the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma, governor in the name of king Philip II of Spain. ... Location within Italy Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... 1586 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... A Papal Nuncio (also known as an Apostolic Nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of mission) of the Holy See to a state, having ambassadorial rank. ... The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) is an order of friars in the Roman Catholic Church, the chief and only permanent offshoot of the Franciscans. ... Events January 16 - English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism April 4 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. July 26 - The Northern Netherlands proclaim their independence from Spain in the Oath of Abjuration. ... Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. ...

Parallel to these efforts to reform the Catholic Church, the Catholic cantons also proceeded to recatholicise regions that had converted to Protestantism. Besides reconversions in the common territories, the Catholic cantons in 1560 first tried to undo the Reformation in Glarus, where the catholics were a minority. Despite the lobbying of the head of state (Landammann) of Glarus, Aegidius Tschudi, and a military alliance with the Pope and the Catholic Duchy of Savoy, the five Catholic cantons could not intervene by force due to a lack of financial funds and could only achieve a treaty concluded in 1564, which prescribed the separation of religions in Glarus: there were henceforth two legislative assemblies (Landsgemeinde) in the canton, a Catholic and a Protestant one, and Glarus would send one Catholic and one Protestant representative each to the Tagsatzung. Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berhick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... Jump to: navigation, search Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. ... Jump to: navigation, search Landammann or Landaman was the name given to the chief magistrate in certain Swiss cantons, also to the President of the Swiss Diet. ... Aegidius (or Giles) Tschudi (February 5, 1505 - February 28, 1572), was an eminent member of the Tschudi family, of Glarus, Switzerland. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ... For the earlier history of Savoy, see County of Savoy. ... Events March 8 — Naples bans kissing in public under the penalty of death June 22 — Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 — The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Conquistadors crossed the Pacific Spanish founded a colony... The Landsgemeinde is one of the oldest and simplest forms of direct democracy practised in some cantons of Switzerland. ...

The Bishop of Basel, Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee, who had moved his seat to Porrentruy in the Jura mountains following the Reformation in Basel, succeeded to regain the valley of the river Birs near Basel in 1581. In Appenzell, where both confessions coexisted more or less peacefully, the counter-reformatory activities beginning with the arrival of the Capuchin monks resulted in a split of the canton in 1597 into the Catholic Appenzell Innerrhoden and the Protestant Ausserrhoden, which both had one vote in the Tagsatzung. The Bishop of Basel (German: Bischof von Basel) is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic diocese of Basel, Switzerland (Latin: Dioecesis Basileensis). ... Porrentruy (German: Pruntrut) is a little Swiss municipality and capital of the district of the same name located in the Canton of Jura. ... The Jura folds are located North of the main Alpine orogenic front, and are being continually deformed, accommodating the northwards compression due to Alpine folding. ... Appenzell (or Appenzellerland) is a region in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. ... The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) is an order of friars in the Roman Catholic Church, the chief and only permanent offshoot of the Franciscans. ... Events 17 January - A court case in Guildford recorded evidence that a certain plot of land was used for playing “kreckett” (i. ... Appenzell Innerrhoden (German; French: Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures; in English sometimes Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is a canton of Switzerland. ... Appenzell Ausserrhoden (German; French: Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures; in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes) is a canton of Switzerland. ...

Developments in the west

The dukes of Savoy had tried already for centuries to gain sovereignty over the city of Geneva, surrounded by Savoyard territory, for the Vaud in the north of Lake Geneva belonged to the duchy. The Reformation prompted the conflicts to escalate once more. Geneva exiled its bishop, who was backed by Savoy, in 1533 to Annecy. Berne and the Valais took advantage of the duke's involvement in northern Italy and his opposition to France. When Francesco Sforza died in Milan in 1534, the duke's troops were bound by the French engagement there, and Berne promptly conquered the Vaud and, together with the Valais, also territories south of Lake Geneva in 1536. The House of Savoy was a dynasty of nobles who traditionally had their domain in Savoy (a small region between Piedmont, Italy, and France). ... Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, but the Genevois and Genevoise are fond of calling it Lac de Genève) empties into the Rhône River. ... The Canton of Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland located in the southwestern part of the country. ... Lake Geneva (rarely Leman Lake, French: Lac Léman or Lac de Genève) is the second largest freshwater lake in central Europe (after Lake Balaton), divided between 2/5 France (Haute-Savoie) and 3/5 Switzerland (cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais). ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Events January 25 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn, his second Queen consort. ... Annecy is a town in the Haute-Savoie region of eastern France, on the shores of Lake Annecy, 22 miles south of Geneva. ... The Valais (also known in German as Wallis) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the south-western part of the country, in the Pennine Alps around the valley of the Rhone River from its springs to Lake Geneva. ... Portrait of Francesco Sforza, ca 1460, by Bonifazio Bembo: Sforza insisted on being shown in his worn dirty old campaigning hat. ... Location within Italy Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize Münster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... Lake Geneva (rarely Leman Lake, French: Lac Léman or Lac de Genève) is the second largest freshwater lake in central Europe (after Lake Balaton), divided between 2/5 France (Haute-Savoie) and 3/5 Switzerland (cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais). ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

The alliance of 1560 of the Catholic cantons with Savoy encouraged duke Emmanuel Philibert to raise claims on the territories his father Charles III had lost in 1536. After the treaty of Lausanne of 1564, Berne had to return the Chablais south of Lake Geneva and the Pays de Gex (between Geneva and Nyon) to Savoy in 1567, and the Valais returned the territories west of Saint Gingolph two years later in the treaty of Thonon. Geneva was thus a Protestant enclave within the Catholic territories of Savoy again and as a result intensified its relations with the Swiss confederacy and Berne and Zürich in particular. Its plea for full acceptance into the confederation—the city was an associate state only—was rejected by the Catholic majority of cantons. Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (July 8, 1528, Chambéry - August 30, 1580, Turin) was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580. ... Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1486 - August 1553), often called Charles the Good, was Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death. ... Location within Switzerland Lausanne (46°31′10″ N 6°37′56″ E) is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France). ... Events March 8 — Naples bans kissing in public under the penalty of death June 22 — Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 — The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Conquistadors crossed the Pacific Spanish founded a colony... Lake Geneva (rarely Leman Lake, French: Lac Léman or Lac de Genève) is the second largest freshwater lake in central Europe (after Lake Balaton), divided between 2/5 France (Haute-Savoie) and 3/5 Switzerland (cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais). ... Nyon is a quiet town in Switzerland, some 25 kilometers north of Geneva on the shores of Lake Geneva. ... Events The Duke of Alva arrives in the Netherlands with Spanish forces to suppress unrest there. ... C is As enclave and Bs exclave. ...

Goldener Bund of 1586

Mercenaries of the Swiss cantons participated in the French wars of religion on all sides. Those from Protestant cantons fought on the sides of the Huguenots, supporting Henry of Navarre, while the Catholic troops fought for king Henry III of France. In 1586, the seven Catholic cantons (the five alpine cantons, plus Fribourg and Solothurn) formed an exclusively Catholic alliance called the "Golden League" (Goldener Bund, named after the golden initials on the document) and sided with the Guises, who were also supported by Spain. In 1589, Henry III was assassinated and Henry of Navarre succeeded him as Henry IV of France, and thus the Protestant mercenaries now fought for the king. Goldener Bund of 1586 source: http://www. ... Goldener Bund of 1586 source: http://www. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between the Catholic League and the Huguenots from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. ... By Frans Pourbus the younger. ... Henry III (French: Henri III; Polish: Henryk III Walezy; September 19, 1551 – August 2, 1589) was King of Poland (1573-1574) and subsequently King of France (1574-1589). ... 1586 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... Duc de Guise was a title in the French nobility. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV) (December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), called the Great (French: le Grand), was the first of the Bourbon kings of France, reigning from 1589 until 1610. ...

Since 1586, the duke of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel I, had placed Geneva under an embargo. With the new situation of 1589, the city now got support not only from Berne but also from the French king, and it went to war. The war between Geneva and Savoy continued even after the Peace of Vervins and the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which ended the wars in France proper. In the night from December 11 to December 12, 1602, the duke's troops unsuccessfully tried to storm the city, which definitely maintained its independence from Savoy in the peace of Saint Julien, concluded in the following summer. The rebuttal of this attack, the Escalade, is still commemorated in Geneva today. Charles Emmanuel I (b. ... The Peace of Vervins was signed between Henry IV of France and Philip II of Spain on May 2 1598. ... The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant French Protestants (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in a Catholic nation. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... Jump to: navigation, search December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the year. ... For the SUV vehicle, see Cadillac Escalade. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Also in 1586, a Catholic coup d'état in Mulhouse, an associate of the confederacy, prompted the military intervention of the Protestant cantons, which quickly restored the old (protestant) order. Strasbourg, another Protestant city, wanted to join the confederacy in 1588, but like Geneva some twenty years earlier, it was rejected by the catholic cantons. In the Valais, the Reformation had had some success especially in the lower part of the Rhone valley. However, in 1603 the Catholic cantons intervened, and with their support recatholicisation succeeded and the Protestant families had to emigrate. Jump to: navigation, search A coup détat (pronounced /ku de ta/), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Mulhouse (Mülhausen in German, Milhüsa in Alsatian) is a town and commune in eastern France. ... City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Alsace Département Bas-Rhin (67) Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) Area 78. ... 1588 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... The Valais (also known in German as Wallis) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the south-western part of the country, in the Pennine Alps around the valley of the Rhone River from its springs to Lake Geneva. ... Rhône can refer to: Rhône River Rhône (département) in France Rhône (Wine Region) in France This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... King James I of England/VII of Scotland, the first monarch to rule the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at the same time Events March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England April...

Thirty Years' War

Siege of the Hohentwiel fort in 1641.

During the Thirty Years' War, Switzerland was a relative "oasis of peace and prosperity" (Grimmelshausen) in war-torn Europe. The cantons had concluded numerous mercenary contracts and defence alliances with partners on all sides. Some of these contracts neutralized each other, which allowed the confederation to remain neutral. Despite the cantons' religious differences, the Tagsatzung developed a strong consensus against any direct military involvement. The confederacy did not allow any foreign army to cross its territory: the alpine passes remained closed for Spain, just as an alliance offer of the Swedish King Gustav Adolph was rejected. The sole exception was the permission for the French army of Henri de Rohan to march through the Protestant cantons to the Grisons. A common defence was mounted only in 1647 when the Swedish armies reached Lake Constance again. Image File history File links Siege of the Hohentwiel fort in 1641; lithography after an engraving by Matthäus Merian. ... Image File history File links Siege of the Hohentwiel fort in 1641; lithography after an engraving by Matthäus Merian. ... Events The Long Parliament passes a series of legislation designed to contain Charles Is absolutist tendencies. ... Jump to: navigation, search The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ... ... Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf den store or Gustavus II Adolpus) (December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by Protestants as the Lion of the North, was King of Sweden from 1611 until his... Henri, duc de Rohan (1579 - April 13, 1638), French soldier, writer and leader of the Huguenots, was born at the château of Blain, in Brittany. ... // Events March 14 - Thirty Years War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm. ... Map of the Bodensee; Schweiz is Switzerland, Deutschland is Germany, and Osterreich is Austria. ...

The Grisons had no such luck. The Three Leagues were a loose federation of 48 individual communes that were largely independent; their common assembly held no real powers. While this had helped avoid major religious wars during and following the Reformation, feuds between leading clans (e.g. between the von Planta and the von Salis) were common. When such a feud spilled over into the Valtellina in 1619, a subject territory of the Three Leagues, the population there responded in kind, killing the Protestant rulers in 1620 and calling Habsburg Spain for help. For the next twenty years, the Grisons was ravaged by war. For the Habsburgs, the Grisons was a strategically important connection between Milan and Austria. The Valtellina became Spanish, and other parts in the north-east of the Grisons were occupied and recatholicised by Austria. A view of Valtellina The church of Tresivio Valtellina (German Veltlin) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. ... Events May 13 - Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason. ... Events September 6 - English emigrants on the Mayflower depart from Plymouth, England for the future New England and arrive at the end of the year. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Location within Italy Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ...

France intervened a first time in 1624, but succeeded to drive the Spanish out of the Grisons only in 1636. However, Henri de Rohan's French army had to withdraw following the political intrigues of Jürg Jenatsch, who managed to play the French off against the Spaniards. Until 1639, the Three Leagues had re-acquired their whole territory, buying back the parts occupied by Austria. They even were restituted their subject territories in the south (Valtellina, Bormio, and Chiavenna), yet these had to remain Catholic under the protection of Milan. Events January 24 - Alfonso Mendez, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa. ... Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ... Georg Jenatsch, commonly called Jürg or Jörg Jenatsch (1596 - January 24, 1639), was a Swiss political leader during the Thirty Years War. ... Events January 14 - Connecticuts first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, is adopted. ...

The mayor of Basel, Johann Rudolf Wettstein, lobbied for a formal recognition of the Swiss confederacy as an independent state in the peace of Westphalia. Although de facto independent since the end of the Swabian War in 1499, the confederacy was still officially a part of the Holy Roman Empire. With the support of the Duke of Orléans, who was also prince of Neuchâtel and the head of the French delegation, he succeeded to get the formal exemption from the empire for all cantons and associates of the confederacy. 1550 illustration for the Sempacherbrief of 1393, one of the major alliance contracts of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. ... The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster by Gerard Terborch (1648) Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster by Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1648 Known also as the treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, The Peace of Westphalia is the series... The Battle of Hard was the first major battle of the Swabian War. ... Events January 8 - Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany due to law set by his predecessor, Louis VIII July 22 - Battle of Dornach - The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. July 28 - First Battle of Lepanto - The Turkish navy wins a decisive victory over... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Duke of Orléans is one of the most important titles in the French peerage, dating back at least to the 14th century. ... Location within Switzerland Neuchâtel is a city in Switzerland which is the capital of the Canton of Neuchâtel. ...

Social developments

A sheet of Hans Holbein's Totentanz, 1538.

Historians count 13 (Geneva) or 14 (St Gallen) plague surges in Switzerland between 1500 and 1640, accounting for 31 plague years, and since 1580, smallpox outbreaks with an especially high mortality rate (80–90%) amongst children under the age of five occurred every four to five years. Nevertheless, the population in Switzerland grew in the 16th century from about 800,000 to roughly 1.1 million, i.e. by more than 35%. Image File history File links Hohlbein_Totentanz_1538. ... Hans Holbein the Younger (c. ... From The Dance of Death by Hans Holbein La Danse Macabre, also called Dance of death, La Danza Macabra, or Totentanz, is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter ones station in life, the dance of death united all. ... Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, but the Genevois and Genevoise are fond of calling it Lac de Genève) empties into the Rhône River. ... The view on the city from the nearby hills. ... Bubonic plague is an infectious disease that is believed to have caused several epidemics or pandemics throughout history. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion, a ratio or a fraction as a whole number, by using 100 as the denominator. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

Absolutism on the rise

This population growth caused significant changes in a pre-industrial society that could no longer significantly expand its territory. The dependence of the confederation on imports increased, and prices soared. In the countryside, settlements of estates increasingly lead to small and smallest properties insufficient to sustain a family, and a new class of daytallers (Tauner) grew disproportionally. In the cities, too, the number of poor rose. At the same time, rural subject territories became more and more (financially) dependent on the cities. The political power was concentrated in a few rich families, that over time came to consider their offices as hereditary and tried to limit them to their own exclusive circle. This solicited the response of both peasants and free citizens, who resented such curtailing of their democratic rights, and around 1523/25, also fuelled by the reformatory spirit, revolts broke out in many cantons, both rural and urban. The main objective of the insurgents was the restitution of common rights of old, not the institution of a new order. Although commonly called the Peasants' War, the movement also included the free citizens, who saw their rights restricted in the cities, too. Contrary to the development in the Holy Roman Empire, where the hostilities escalated and the rebellion was put down by force, there were only isolated armed conflicts in the confederation. The authorities, already involved in reformatory or counter-reformatory activities, managed to subdue these uprisings only by granting concessions. Yet the absolutist tendencies kept slowly transforming the democrat cantons into oligarchies. By 1650, the absolutist order was firmly established and would prevail for another 150 years as the Ancien Régime. Events April - Battle of Villalar - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... Events January 21 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manzs mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. ... expanding insurgences The Peasants War (in German, der Deutsche Bauernkrieg) was a popular revolt in Europe, specifically in the Holy Roman Empire between 1524-1526 and consisted, like the preceding Bundschuh movement and the Hussite Wars, of a mass of economic as well as religious revolts by peasants, townsfolk and... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the Germanic empire. ... The term absolutism can mean: A belief in absolute truth moral absolutism, the belief that there is some absolute standard of right and wrong political absolutism, a political system where one person holds absolute power, also called apolytarchy from Gr. ... Oligarchy is a Political regime where most political power effectively rests with a small segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). ... During the Thirty Years War, Switzerland was a relative oasis of peace and prosperity (Grimmelshausen) in war-torn Europe, mostly because all major powers in Europe were depending on Swiss mercenaries, and would not let Switzerland fall in the hands of one of their rivals. ...

Persecution of heretics

The generally widespread intolerance of the time, as witnessed by the Inquisition, amplified by the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, left no place for dissenters. Anabaptists, who took the idea of deriving new societal rules from the direct study of biblical sources even further than the Protestant reformers, not only got into conflict with the established Churches over the question of baptism, but also with the civil authorities because not having found any biblical justification, they refused to pay taxes or to accept any authority. Both Catholic and Protestant cantons persecuted them with all their might. Following the forced drowning of Felix Manz in the river Limmat in Zürich in 1527, many anabaptists emigrated to Moravia. Antitrinitarians fared no better; Miguel Servet was burned at the stake in Geneva on October 27, 1553. Pedro Berruguete. ... Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) are Christians of the so-called radical wing of the Protestant Reformation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of tahara. ... Felix Manz (ca. ... The Limmat is a river in Switzerland which rises in the city of Zürich at the north end of Lake Zürich and flows in northwestern direction until it flows after 35 km into the river Aare north of the small town of Brugg and shortly after the mouth... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Moravia in relation to the current kraje of the Czech Republic Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava, German: Mähren, Polish: Morawy, Hungarian: Morvaország) is an historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. ... Nontrinitarianism or antitrinitarianism is the doctrinal description applied to rejection of the Trinitarian doctrine that God subsists as three distinct persons in the Holy Trinity. ... Michael Servetus. ... Burning of two sodomites at the stake outside Zürich, 1482 (Spiezer Schilling) Execution by burning is capital punishment by fire. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... // Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey...

There was no individual freedom of religion in Switzerland—or indeed all of Europe—at that time anyway. The maxim of cuius regio, eius religio ("whose region, his religion") meant that subjects had to adopt the faith of their rulers. Dissenters who didn't want to convert typically had to (but also were allowed to) emigrate elsewhere, into a region where their faith was the state religion. The Bullinger family, for instance, had to move from Bremgarten in the Freiamt, which was recatholicised after the second war of Kappel, to the Protestant city of Zürich. Freedom of religion is a modern legal concept of being free as a matter of right, while freedom of worship is based upon the free expression of that right. ... Cuius regio, eius religio is a phrase in Latin that means, Whose the region is, his religion. ... Several communes have the name Bremgarten: in Germany Bremgarten (Breisgau)) and Bremgarten (Markgräflerland), both in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg in Switzerland Bremgarten bei Bern, in the Canton of Bern Bremgarten AG, in the Canton of Aargau Bremgarten, a district in the Canton of Aargau This is a disambiguation page...

The 16th century also saw the height of witch hunts in Europe, and Switzerland was no exception. Beginning about 1530, culminating around 1600, and then slowly diminishing, numerous witch trials were held in both Protestant and Catholic cantons. These often ended with death sentences (usually burning) for the accused, who typically were elderly women, crippled persons, or other social outcasts. A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... The term witch trial generally refers a legal action taken during a period in European history from around 1450 to the mid-18th century, during which it was common for accusations of malicious, harmful, and Satanic witchcraft to be taken seriously, often resulting in loss of reputation, imprisonment, torture, and...

Science and arts: the Renaissance in Switzerland

Humanism and Renaissance led to new advances in science and the arts. Paracelsus taught at the University of Basel. Hans Holbein the Younger worked until 1526 in Basel; his high renaissance style had a profound influence on Swiss painters. Conrad Gessner in Zürich did studies in systematic botany, and the geographic maps and city views produced e.g. by Matthäus Merian show the beginning of a scientific cartography. In 1601, an early version of the theodolite was invented in Zürich and promptly used to triangulate the city. Basel and Geneva became important printing centres, with an output equal to that of e.g. Strasbourg or Lyon. Their printing reformatory tracts greatly furthered the dissemination of these ideas. First newspapers appeared towards the end of the 16th century, but disappeared soon again due to the censorship of the absolutist authorities. In architecture, there was a strong Italian and especially florentine influence, visible in many a rich magistrate's town house. Famed baroque architect Francesco Borromini was born 1599 in the Ticino. Humanism is an active ethical and philosophical approach to life focusing on human solutions to human issues through rational arguments without recourse to a god, gods, sacred texts or religious creeds. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Paracelsus Paracelsus (November 11 or December 17, 1493 - September 24, 1541) was a famous alchemist, physician, astrologer, and general occultist. ... The University of Basel (German: Universität Basel) is located at Basel, Switzerland. ... Hans Holbein the Younger (c. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Matthäus Merian Matthäus Merian der Ältere (the Elder, or Sr. ... Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) is the study and practice of making maps or globes. ... Bold textItalic textLink titlelink title // Headline text Media:Example. ... Diagram of an Optical Theodolite. ... Censorship is the use of governmental power to control speech and other forms of human expression. ... // Scope and intentions According to the very earliest surviving work on the subject, Vitruvius De Architectura, good buildings should have Beauty (Venustas), Firmness (Firmitas) and Utility (Utilitas); architecture can be said to be a balance and coordination among these three elements, with none overpowering the others. ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint In arts, the Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the style that dominated it. ... Francesco Borromini (Bissone near Lugano, Switzerland, September 25, 1599 – August 3, 1667 in Rome) was a Baroque architect, and active in Rome alongside the more prolific papal architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. ... Events Swedish King Sigismund III Vasa is replaced by his brother Charles IX of Sweden. ... Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. ...

Many Huguenots and other Protestant refugees from all over Europe fled to Basel, Geneva, and Neuchâtel. Geneva under Calvin and his successor Theodore Beza demanded their naturalisation and strict adherence to the Calvinist doctrine, whereas Basel, where the university had re-opened in 1532, became a center of intellectual freedom. Many of these immigrants were skilled craftsmen or businessmen and contributed greatly to the development of banking and the watch industry. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, or historically as the French Calvinists. ... Theodore Beza (Theodore de Beze or de Besze) (June 24, 1519 - October 13, 1605) was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the early Reformation. ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... A watch A watch is a small portable clock that displays the current time and sometimes the current day, date, month and year. ...

See also

• Wars of Kappel
• Wars of Villmergen
• Huguenot
• History of the Grisons

The wars of Kappel (Kappelerkriege) were two armed conflicts fought near Kappel am Albis between the protestant and the catholic cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the reformation in Switzerland. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, or historically as the French Calvinists. ...

References

• Im Hof, U.: Geschichte der Schweiz, Kohlhammer, 1974/2001. ISBN 3-170-14051-1.
• Schwabe & Co.: Geschichte der Schweiz und der Schweizer, Schwabe & Co 1986/2004. ISBN 3-796-52067-7.

Further reading

• Gilbert, W.: Renaissance and Reformation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas: Carrie, 1998.
• Luck, James M.: A History of Switzerland / The First 100,000 Years: Before the Beginnings to the Days of the Present, Society for the Promotion of Science & Scholarship, Palo Alto 1986. ISBN 0-930-66406-X.

The University of Kansas (often referred to as just Kansas or KU) is an institution of higher learning located in Lawrence, Kansas. ...

External links

• Reformation in Switzerland by Markus Jud. In English, also available in French and German.
• Reformation in Switzerland by "Presence Switzerland", an official body of the Swiss Confederation. (In English, available also in many other languages.)
• Bauernkrieg (1525) from the Swiss Historical Encyclopedia (in German).
• The Escalade in Geneva in 1602.
• The Confessio Helvetica posterior (English transcription).
• Zweiter Kappeler Landfriede, in German.