History of Switzerland

The history of Switzerland spans prehistoric settlement, medieval alliances among Alpine communities, and the formation of a modern federal state.

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Old Swiss Confederacy: A loose alliance of central Swiss communities and cantons that developed from the late thirteenth century and lasted until 1798. Its shifting alliances formed the political core of Switzerland before the modern state.
Helvetic Republic: A centralized republic imposed on Switzerland by French forces in 1798 and lasting until 1803. It briefly replaced the cantons' loose alliance with a unitary state.
Huldrych Zwingli: A Swiss reformer who led the Reformation in Zurich and died at the Battle of Kappel in 1531. His reforms made Zurich a center of Protestant change and helped trigger confessional conflict.
Swiss federalism: A system dividing political authority between Switzerland's federal government and its cantons. It is the institutional legacy of the 1848 settlement and later constitutional reforms.
Battle of Marignano: A 1515 battle in which French forces defeated the Swiss Confederates near Milan. The defeat curtailed Swiss expansion into northern Italy and contributed to a lasting shift away from conquest.
Federal Charter of 1291: A medieval pact among the communities of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, traditionally dated to August 1291. It became a foundational document in later accounts of the Confederacy's beginnings.
Act of Mediation: A 1803 settlement issued by Napoleon that restored cantonal autonomy while keeping Switzerland under French influence. It ended the Helvetic Republic and re-established a confederated structure.
John Calvin: A French-born Protestant theologian whose ministry in Geneva helped shape Reformed Christianity in the sixteenth century. His influence made Geneva a major center of the Swiss Reformation.
Swiss cantons: The member states of the Swiss Confederation, each with its own constitution and government. Cantonal autonomy preserves political diversity within the federal state.
First War of Kappel: A 1529 armed standoff between Protestant and Catholic Swiss cantons that ended without a major battle. Its negotiated end illustrates an early attempt to manage confessional division.