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Treaty Of Basel

Treaty of Basel

:see Peace of Basel for the 1795 peace treaty. The Treaty of Basel of 22 September 1499 was an armistice concluding the war between the Swabian League and the Old Swiss Confederacy, following the Battle of Dornach. The accession of Basel to the confederacy in 1501 is a direct consequence of the treaty. Category:History of Switzerland

Peace of Basel

:see Treaty of Basel for the 1499 treaty. The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties of France (represented by François de Barthélemy). France made peace with Prussia (represented by Karl August von Hardenberg) on 5 April, with Spain (represented by Domingo d'Yriarte) on 22 July, and with Hessen-Kassel (represented by Friedrich Sigismund Waitz von Eschen) on 28 August, concluding the stage of the French Revolutionary Wars against the First Coalition. The effect was the re-emergence of revolutionary France as a major European power. Prussia yielded its possessions left of the Rhine to France, while France returned all of the lands east of the Rhine captured during the war. Spain ceded two thirds of the island of Haiti to France. See also: French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1795 Category:Peace treaties Category:1795

22 September

September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). There are 100 days remaining.

Events


- 66 - Emperor Nero creates the legion I Italica.
- 1236 - The Lithuanians and Semigallians beat the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in Battle of Šiauliai.
- 1586 - The battle of Zutphen occurs.
- 1598 - Ben Jonson is indicted for manslaughter.
- 1692 - Last people hanged for witchcraft in the United States.
- 1776 - Nathan Hale is hanged for spying during American Revolution.
- 1784 - Russia establishes a colony at Kodiak, Alaska.
- 1789 - The position of United States Postmaster General established.
- 1792 - primidi Vendemière of year I of the French Republican Calendar
- 1862 - Slavery in the United States: A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation is released.
- 1866 - Decisive battle of Curupaity in the War of the Triple Alliance.
- 1869 - Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold debuts in Munich.
- 1893 - The first American-built automobile, built by the Duryea Brothers, is displayed.
- 1908 - The independence of Bulgaria is recognised.
- 1927 - Jack Dempsey loses the "Long Count" boxing match to Gene Tunney.
- 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Peña Blanca is taken; the end of the Battle of El Mazuco.
- 1945 - In South Vietnam, 1400 French soldiers released by the British from former Japanese internment camps enter Saigon and go on a deadly rampage, attacking Viet Minh and killing innocent civilians including children, aided by French civilians who joined the rampage.
- 1951 - The first live sporting event seen coast-to-coast in the United States, a college football game between Duke and the University of Pittsburgh, is televised on NBC.
- 1955 - In Britain, the television channel ITV goes live for the first time.
- 1960 - Mali gains independence from France.
- 1965 - The war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir ends after the UN calls for a cease-fire.
- 1970 - Tunku Abdul Rahman resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
- 1975 - Sara Jane Moore tries to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is foiled by Oliver Sipple.
- 1979 - The South Atlantic Flash is observed near Bouvet Island, thought to be a nuclear weapons test.
- 1980 - Iraq invades Iran.
- 1985 - The Farm Aid concert takes place in Champaign, Illinois, United States.
- 1985 - The Plaza Accord was signed in New York City.
- 1991 - The Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time, by the Huntington Library.
- 1993 - A Transair Georgian Airlines Tu-154 is shot down by a missile in Sukhumi, Georgia.
- 1994 - Friends premieres on NBC.
- 1997 - Bentalha massacre in Algeria; over 200 villagers killed.
- 1999 - The West Wing premieres on NBC
- 2003 - David Hempleman-Adams becomes the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an open-air, wicker-basket hot air balloon.
- 2004 - Katamari Damacy, the sleeper-hit by Namco is released in North America

Births


- 1515 - Anne of Cleves, queen of Henry VIII of England (d. 1557)
- 1547 - Philipp Nikodemus Frischlin, German philologist and poet (d. 1590)
- 1593 - Matthäus Merian, Swiss engraver (d. 1650)
- 1601 - Anne of Austria, queen of Louis XIII of France (d. 1666)
- 1606 - Li Zicheng, Chinese rebel (d. 1645)
- 1680 - Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet (d. 1747)
- 1694 - Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, English statesman and man of letters (d. 1773)
- 1715 - Jean-Étienne Guettard, French physician and scientist (d. 1786)
- 1717 - Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, Swedish astronomer (d. 1783)
- 1722 - John Home, Scottish writer (d. 1808)
- 1741 - Peter Simon Pallas, German zoologist (d. 1811)
- 1743 - Quintin Craufurd, British author
- 1788 - Theodore Edward Hook, English author (d. 1841)
- 1791 - Michael Faraday, English scientist (d. 1867)
- 1819 - Wilhelm Wattenbach, German historian (d. 1897)
- 1829 - Tu Duc, Emperor of Vietnam
- 1876 - André Tardieu, Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)
- 1878 - Yoshida Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1967)
- 1880 - Dame Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragist (d. 1958)
- 1885 - Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-born actor, writer, and director (d. 1957)
- 1885 - Ben Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1951)
- 1895 - Paul Muni, Polish-born actor (d. 1967)
- 1898 - Katherine Alexander, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1900 - William Spratling, American silversmith (d. 1967)
- 1901 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1997)
- 1902 - John Houseman, Romanian-born actor and producer (d. 1988)
- 1904 - Joseph Valachi, American gangster (d. 1971)
- 1905 - Eugen Sänger, Austrian aerospace engineer (d. 1964)
- 1912 - Martha Scott, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Arthur Lowe, British actor (d. 1982)
- 1918 - Henryk Szeryng, Polish-born violinist (d. 1988)
- 1920 - William H. Riker, American political scientist (d. 1993)
- 1922 - Chen Ning Yang, Chinese-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1923 - Dannie Abse, Welsh poet and writer
- 1924 - Charles Keeping, British illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1924 - Rosamunde Pilcher, English novelist
- 1927 - Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager
- 1928 - James Lawson, American minister and civil rights activist
- 1931 - Fay Weldon, British feminist
- 1931 - George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, British politician (d. 2003)
- 1932 - Ingemar Johansson, Swedish boxer
- 1934 - Lute Olson, American basketball coach
- 1938 - Gene Mingo, American football player
- 1942 - David Stern, American basketball commissioner
- 1943 - Toni Basil, American singer, dancer, and choreographer
- 1946 - King Sunny Ade, Nigerian singer
- 1947 - Robert Morace, American writer
- 1948 - Denis Burke, Australian politician
- 1948 - Jim Byrnes, American actor and musician
- 1951 - David Coverdale, English singer
- 1952 - Bob Goodlatte, U.S. Congressman from Virginia
- 1952 - Paul Le Mat, American actor
- 1954 - Shari Belafonte, American singer
- 1956 - Debby Boone, American singer
- 1956 - Masayuki Suzuki, Japanese singer (Rats & Star)
- 1957 - Nick Cave, Australian musician
- 1958 - Andrea Bocelli, Italian tenor
- 1958 - Neil Cavuto, American television commentator
- 1958 - Joan Jett, American musician
- 1959 - Tai Babilonia, American figure skater
- 1961 - Scott Baio, American actor
- 1961 - Bonnie Hunt, American actress
- 1962 - Diogo Mainardi, Brazilian writer
- 1965 - Andy Cairns, Irish musician
- 1965 - Tony Drago, Maltese snooker player
- 1966 - Stefan Rehn, Swedish footballer
- 1967 - Félix Savón, Cuban boxer
- 1968 - Mike Richter, American hockey player
- 1969 - Chris Powell, English footballer
- 1970 - Mike Matheny, baseball player
- 1970 - Rupert Penry-Jones, English actor
- 1971 - Chesney Hawkes, British singer
- 1971 - Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
- 1974 - Bob Sapp, American boxer and kickboxer
- 1975 - Mystikal, American rapper
- 1976 - Ronaldo, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 - Harry Kewell, Australian footballer
- 1981 - Rocco Baldelli, baseball player
- 1981 - Adam Lazzara, American musician (Taking Back Sunday)
- 1982 - Billie Piper, English singer and actress
- 1985 - American actor and novelist
- 1987 - Tom Felton, English actor

Deaths


- 1253 - Dogen, Japanese Zen Buddhist (b. 1200)
- 1345 - Henry Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Leicester (b. 1281)
- 1399 - Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician (b. 1366)
- 1520 - Selim I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1465)
- 1554 - Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Spanish explorer
- 1566 - Johannes Agricola, German protestant reformer (b. 1494)
- 1607 - Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (b. 1535)
- 1658 - Georg Philipp Harsdorffer, German poet (b. 1607)
- 1662 - John Biddle, English theologian (b. 1615)
- 1703 - Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician and scientist (b. 1622)
- 1774 - Pope Clement XIV (b. 1705)
- 1777 - John Bartram, American botanist (b. 1699)
- 1828 - Shaka Zulu, Zulu leader
- 1852 - William Tierney Clark, English civil engineer (b. 1783)
- 1872 - Vladimir Dal, Russian lexicographer (b. 1801)
- 1873 - Friedrich Frey-Herosé, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1801)
- 1881 - Solomon L. Spink, U.S. Congressman from Illinois (b. 1831)
- 1956 - Frederick Soddy, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
- 1957 - Toyoda Soemu, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)
- 1961 - Marion Davies, American actress (b. 1897)
- 1987 - Dan Rowan, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
- 1989 - Irving Berlin, American songwriter (b. 1888)
- 1993 - Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born conductor (b. 1903)
- 1996 - Dorothy Lamour, American actress (b. 1914)
- 1999 - George C. Scott, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2001 - Isaac Stern, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1920)
- 2002 - Jan de Hartog, Dutch-born writer (b. 1914)
- 2002 - Mike Webster, American football player (b. 1952)
- 2003 - Gordon Jump, American television actor (b. 1932)
- 2003 - Hugo Young, British journalist (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances


- In ancient Greece, the ninth and final day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the initiates made offerings to the dead.
- In ancient Latvia, the first day of Mikeli, the Catching of Jumis.
- RC Saints - It has been or still is the feast day of the following saints:
  - Saints Digna & Emerita
  - Saint Emmeramus
  - Saint Florentius
  - Saint Jonas
  - Saint Lauto
  - Saint Lioba
  - Saint Lolanus
  - Saint Maurice
  - Saint Phocas
  - Saint Salaberga
  - Saint Sanctinus
  - Saint Thomas of Villanueva Also see September 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Bulgaria - Independence Day 1908
- Mali - Independence Day (from France, 1960)
- In Europe and in cities throughout the world, Car Free Day.
- In Conifer and Evergreen, Colorado Face Day a new fall celebration starting in 2005, honoring the word "face".

Astronomical phenomena


- Autumnal equinox in the Northern hemisphere, Vernal equinox in the Southern hemisphere 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012 (by UT).

Feasts in Fiction


- Hobbit Day, the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, is observed by fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/22 BBC: On This Day] ---- September 21 · September 23 · August 22 · October 22 · more historical anniversaries ko:9월 22일 ms:22 September ja:9月22日 simple:September 22 th:22 กันยายน

1499

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 the Venetians.
- September 22 - Treaty of Basel. Maximilian is forced to grant the Swiss de facto independence.
- November 23 - Pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck is hanged for reportedly attempting to escape from the Tower of London. In 1497 he invaded England claiming to be the lost son of King Edward IV of England.
- November 28 - Edward, Earl of Warwick is executed for reportedly attempting to escape from the Tower of London. He was the last male member of the House of York.
- The French under Louis XII seize Milan, driving out Duke Ludovico Sforza.

Births


- February 10 - Thomas Platter, Swiss humanist (died 1582)
- March 31 - Pope Pius IV (died 1565)
- September 3 - Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II of France (died 1566)
- October 14 - Claude of France, queen of Louis XII of France (died 1524)
- Hans Asper, Swiss painter (died 1571)
- Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer (died 1543)
- Michael Coxcie, Flemish painter (died 1592)
- Cesare Hercolani, Italian military leader (died 1534)
- Jan Laski, Polish protestant reformer (died 1560)
- Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala (died 1573)
- Giulio Romano, Italian painter (died 1546)
- Bernardino de Sahagún, Franciscan missionary (died 1590)
- Niccolo Fontana Tartaglia, Italian mathematician (died 1557)

Deaths


- October 1 - Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher (born 1433)
- November 23 - Perkin Warbeck, Flemish imposter
- November 28 - Edward, Earl of Warwick, last male member of the English House of York (born 1475)
- Alessio Baldovinetti, Florentine painter (born 1427)
- John Cabot, Italian explorer (born c. 1450)
- Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (born 1455)
- Rennyo, leader of the Ikko sect of Buddhism (born 1415) Category:1499 als:1499 ko:1499년 simple:1499

Swabian League

The Swabian League, an association of German cities, principally in the territory which had formed the old duchy of Swabia. The name, though usually given to the great federation of 1488, is applicable also to several earlier leagues (e.g. those of 1331, 1376). The Swabian cities had attained great prosperity under the protection of the Hohenstaufen emperors, but the extinction of that house in 1268 was followed by disintegration. Cities and nobles alike, now owing allegiance to none but the emperor, who was seldom able to defend them, were exposed to the aggression of ambitious princes. In 1331, twenty-two Swabian cities, including Ulm, Augsburg, Reutlingen and Heilbronn, formed a league at the instance of the emperor Louis the Bavarian, who in return for their support promised not to mortgage any of them to a vassal. The count of Württemberg was induced to join in 1340. Under Charles IV, the lesser Swabian nobles began to combine against the cities, and formed the Schlegelerbund (from Schiegel, a maul). Civil war ensuing in 1367, the emperor, jealous of the growing power of the cities, endeavoured to set up a league under his own control, for the maintenance of public peace (Landfriedensbund, 1370). The defeat of the city league by Eberhard II of Württemberg in 1372, the murder of the captain of the league, and the breach of his obligations by Charles IV, led to the formation of a new league of fourteen Swabian cities led by Ulm in 1376. This league triumphed over the count of Württemberg at Reutlingen in 1377, and the emperor having removed his ban, it set up an arbitration court, and was rapidly extended over the Rhineland, Bavaria and Franconia. However, Württemberg struck back and defeated the league in 1388. In 1488 a new Swabian league was formed, at Esslingen, not only of 22 imperial cities but also of the Swabian knights' League of St. George's Shield, bishops, and princes (Tirol, Württemberg, the Palatinate, Mainz, Trier, Baden, Hesse, Bavaria, Ansbach, and Bayreuth). The league was governed by a federal council of three colleges of princes, cities, and knights calling upon an army of 13,000 men. It aided in the rescue of the future emperor Maximilian I, Frederick III's son, held prisoner in the Netherlands, and later was his main support in southern Germany. In 1519, the League conquered Württemberg and sold it to Charles V after its count Ulrich attempted to seize the city of Reutlingen. It helped to suppress the Peasants' Revolt(1524–25). The Reformation caused the league to be disbanded in 1534.

References


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Old Swiss Confederacy

The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. The Eidgenossenschaft of the Swiss, as the confederacy was called, began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the important trade routes through the mountains. In the late Middle Ages, this region belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, and because of its strategic importance the Hohenstaufen emperors had granted it reichsfrei status in the early 13th century. As reichsfrei regions, the cantons (or regions) of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were under the direct authority of the emperor without any intermediate liege lords and thus were largely autonomous. With the rise of the Habsburg dynasty, the kings and dukes of Habsburg sought to extend their influence over this region and to bring it under their rule; as a consequence, a conflict ensued between the Habsburgs and these mountain communities who tried to defend their privileged status as reichsfrei regions. The three founding cantons were joined in the early 14th century by the city states of Lucerne, Zürich, and Berne, and they managed to defeat Habsburg armies on several occasions. They also profited from the fact that the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, for most of the 14th century, came from the House of Luxembourg and regarded them as potential useful allies against the rival Habsburgs. By 1460, the confederates controlled most of the territory south and west of the Rhine to the Alps and the Jura mountains. At the end of the 15th century, two wars resulted in an expansion to thirteen cantons (Dreizehn Orte): in the Burgundy Wars of the 1470s, the confederates asserted their hegemony on the western border, and their victory in the Swabian War in 1499 against the forces of the Habsburg emperor Maximilian I ensured a de facto independence from the empire. Two similar federations sprung up in neighboring areas in the Alps in the 14th century: in the Grisons, the federation of the Three Leagues (Drei Bünde) was founded, and in the Valais, the Seven Tenths (Sieben Zenden) were formed as a result of the conflicts with the Dukes of Savoy. Neither federation was part of the medieval Eidgenossenschaft but both maintained very close connections with it.

Territorial development

Eidgenossenschaft. The image shows the second bridge built in 1826 and above it the third bridge from 1958.]] Under the Hohenstaufen dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, the three regions of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden (the Waldstätten or "forest communities") had gained the Reichsfreiheit, the first two because the emperors wanted to place the strategically important pass of the St. Gotthard under their direct control, the latter because most of its territory belonged to reichsfrei monasteries. The cities of Berne and Zürich had also become reichsfrei when the dynasty of their patrons, the Zähringer, had died out. When Rudolph I of Habsburg was elected "King of the Germans" in 1273, he also became the direct liege lord of these reichsfrei regions. He instituted a strict rule and raised the taxes to finance wars and further territorial acquisitions. When he died in 1291, his son Albert I got involved in a power struggle with Adolf of Nassau for the German throne, and the Habsburg rule over the alpine territories weakened temporarily. Anti-Habsburg insurgences sprung up in Swabia and Austria, but were quenched quickly by Albert in 1292. Zürich had participated in this uprising. Albert besieged the city, which had to accept him as its patron. This time of turmoil prompted the Waldstätten to cooperate more closely, trying to preserve or regain their Reichsfreiheit. Uri and Schwyz got their status reconfirmed by Adolf of Nassau in 1297, but to no avail, for Albert finally won the power struggle and became emperor in 1298 after Adolf was killed in the battle of Göllheim.

The nucleus

battle of Göllheim] The Federal Charter of 1291 is regarded the oldest surviving written document of an alliance between Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. Its authenticity is disputed, and it is generally considered to have been written a few decades later. It is likely that a similar arrangement between the three "forest communities" existed well before, maybe even since the time of the interregnum. After the death of emperor Albert I in 1308, the German emperors came from the House of Luxembourg (with the exception of Louis IV from Bavaria) until 1438, and they reconfirmed the Freibriefe of the three communities and generally honored their status as reichsfrei regions. Even Unterwalden was finally properly granted this status by Albert's successor Henry VII in 1309. This did not prevent the dukes of Habsburg, who originally had had their homelands in the Aargau, from trying to reassert their sovereignty over the territories south of the Rhine. In the struggle for the crown of the Holy Roman Empire in 1314 between duke Frederick I of Austria and the Bavarian king Louis IV, the Waldstätten sided with the Wittelsbacher for fear of the Habsburgs trying to annex their counties again, like Rudolph I had done. When a long-simmering conflict between Schwyz and the abbey of Einsiedeln escalated once more, the Habsburgs responded by sending a strong army of knights against these peasants to subdue their insurrection, but the Austrian army of Frederick's brother Leopold I was utterly defeated in the Battle of Morgarten in 1315. The three cantons renewed their alliance, and Louis IV reconfirmed their Reichsfreiheit.

Expansion to the Acht Orte

Subsequently, the three communities (their territories did not yet correspond to the areas of the modern-day cantons) followed a slow policy of expansion. Uri entered a pact with the previously Habsburg valley of Urseren in 1317. In 1332, the city of Lucerne, trying to achieve Reichsfreiheit from the Habsburgs, joined the alliance. In 1351, these four forest communities (Vier Waldstätten, a name that lives on in the German name of Lake Lucerne) were joined by the city of Zürich, where a strong citizenship had gained power following the installation of the Zunftordnung (guild laws) and the banning of the noble authorities in 1336. The city also sought support against the Habsburg city of Rapperswil, which had tried to overthrow mayor Rudolf Brun in Zürich in 1350. With the help of its new allies, Zürich was able to withstand the siege of duke Albert II of Austria, and the confederates even conquered the city of Zug and the valley of Glarus in 1352. They had to return both Glarus and Zug to the Habsburgs in the peace treaty of Regensburg in 1356; emperor Charles IV in return recognized the Zunftordnung of Zürich and confirmed its reichsfrei status in spite of his having forbidden any confederations within the empire in his Golden Bull issued in January of that same year. Golden Bull. The confederate forces are on the right.]] The Eidgenossenschaft had signed "perpetual" alliances with both Glarus and Zug in 1352, and thus, even if these pacts apparently were disregarded only a few years later, this date is often considered the entry of these two cantons into the confederation despite their remaining under Habsburg rule for a few more years. In the west, the Vier Waldstätten had already formed an alliance with the city of Berne in 1323, and even sent a detachment to help the Bernese forces in their territorial expansion against the dukes of Savoy and the Habsburgs in the Battle of Laupen in 1339. In 1353, Berne entered an "eternal" alliance with the confederation, completing the "alliance of the eight places" (Bund der Acht Orte). This alliance of the Acht Orte was a not a homogeneous state but rather a conglomerate of eight independent cities and lands, held together not by one single pact but by a net of six different "eternal" pacts, none of which included all eight parties as signatories. Only the three Waldstätten Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were part of all these treaties. All eight parties would still pursue their own particular interests, most notably in the cases of the strong cities of Zürich and Berne. Zürich was also part of an alliance of cities around Lake Constance which also included Constance, Lindau and Schaffhausen and for some time included cities as far away as Rottweil or Ulm, and Berne followed its own hegemonial politics, participating successively in various alliances with other cities including Fribourg, Murten, Biel or Solothurn. This Bernese "Burgundian Confederation" was a more volatile construct of varying alliances, and in the Battle of Laupen, Fribourg even sided against Berne. Berne's position after that battle was strong enough that such alliances often ended with the other party becoming a Bernese dependency, as it happened with e.g. Burgdorf or Payerne.

Consolidation

In 1364, Schwyz re-conquered the city and land of Zug and renewed the alliance the following year. In the 1380s, Lucerne expanded its territory aggressively, conquering Wolhusen, claiming sovereignity over the valley of the Entlebuch and the formerly Habsburg city of Sempach. As a consequence, Leopold III of Austria assembled an army and met the Eidgenossen near Sempach in 1386, where his troops were defeated decisively in the Battle of Sempach and he himself was killed. In the wake of these events Glarus declared itself free and constituted its first Landsgemeinde (regional diet) in 1387. In the Battle of Näfels in 1388, an Austrian army of Albert III, the successor of Leopold, was defeated, and in the peace treaty concluded the next year, Glarus maintained its independence from the Habsburgs. The loose federation of states was reinforced by additional agreements amongst the partners. In the Pfaffenbrief of 1370, the signatory six states (without Berne and Glarus) for the first time expressed themselves as a territorial unity, referring to themselves as unser Eydgnosschaft. They assumed in this document authority over clericals, subjecting them to their worldly legislation. Furthermore, the Pfaffenbrief forbade feuds and the parties pledged to guarantee the peace on the road from Zürich to the St. Gotthard pass. Another important treaty was the Sempacherbrief in 1393. Not only was this the first document signed by all eight of the Acht Orte (plus the associated Solothurn), but it also defined that none of them was to unilaterally start a war without the consent of all the others. Beginning in 1401, the confederates supported the insurrection of Appenzell against the abbey of St. Gallen and Frederick IV of Austria, duke in Tyrol and Vorderösterreich. Appenzell became a protectorate of the Acht Orte in 1411, who concluded a 50-year peace with Frederick IV in 1412. Emperor Sigismund banned Frederick IV in 1415, who had sided with Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, and encouraged others to take over the duke's possessions, amongst which was the Aargau. After being granted far-reaching privileges by the emperor (all eight cantons became reichsfrei) and a decree that placed the ban over the peace treaty of 1412, the Eidgenossen conquered the Aargau. A large part became Bernese, while the County of Baden was subsequently administered by the confederation as a common property until 1798. Only the Fricktal remained Habsburgian. Fricktal In the Valais, the conflict between the Bishop of Sion and the Duchy of Savoy, which had led to a separation in 1301 (the bishop controlling the upper Valais and the Savoyards the lower part), broke out again. Twice the Savoyards temporarily occupied the whole Valais, but both times they were ultimately defeated. Both peace treaties from 1361 and 1391 restored the status quo of 1301. As a result of these struggles, the villages in the upper Valais organized themselves in the Sieben Zenden ("seven tenths") around 1355, emerging after these wars as largely independent small states, much like the cantons of the Eidgenossenschaft. In the Grisons, called Churwalchen then, the bishop of Chur and numerous local noble families competed for the control of the region with its many alpine passes. Throughout the 14th century, three leagues of free communities appeared. The Gotteshausbund ("League of the House of God"), covering the area around Chur and the Engadin, was founded when the bishop in 1367 planned to hand over the administration of his diocese to the Austrian Habsburgs. It bought its freedom by paying the bishop's debt and in the following decades increased its control over the secular administration of the princebishopric, until the bishop's regent was deposed in 1452. In the upper valley of the Rhine, the Grauer Bund ("Gray League") was founded in 1395 under the direction of the abbot of Disentis and including not only the peasant communities but also the local nobles to end the permanent feuds of the latter. By 1424 the Gray League was dominated by the free communities and gave itself a more democratic charter.

Internal crisis

The relationships between the individual cantons of the confederation were not without tensions, though. A first clash between Berne and the Vier Waldstätten over the Raron conflict (Berne supported the barons of Raron, while the forest cantons sided with the Sieben Zenden) in the upper Valais was barely avoided. The local noble barons of Raron established themselves as the leading family in the upper Valais in the late 14th century and competed with the bishop of Sion for the control of the valley. When emperor Sigismund designated them counts in 1413 and ordered the bishop to hand over his territories to the von Raron, a revolt broke out in 1414. The following year, both rulers had lost: the von Raron had not succeeded in ousting the bishop, who in turn had to concede far-reaching rights to the sieben Zenden in the treaty of Seta in 1415. The Old Zürich War, which began as a dispute over the succession to the count of Toggenburg, was a more serious test of the unity of the Acht Orte. Zürich did not accept the claims of Schwyz and Glarus, which were supported by the rest of the cantons, and in 1438 declared an embargo. The other members of the confederation expelled Zürich from the confederation in 1440 and declared war. In retaliation Zürich made a pact with the Habsburgs in 1442. The other cantons invaded the canton of Zürich and besieged the city, but were unable to capture it. By 1446, both sides were exhausted, and a preliminary peace was concluded. In 1450, the parties made a definitive peace and Zürich was admitted into the confederation again, but had to dissolve its alliance with the Habsburgs. The confederation had grown into a political alliance so close that it no longer tolerated separatist tendencies of its members. The end of the dynasty of the counts of Toggenburg in 1436 also had effects on the Grisons. In their former territories in the Prättigau and Davos, the (initially eleven, after a merger only ten) villages founded the Zehngerichtebund ("League of the Ten Jurisdictions"). By 1471, the three leagues, together with the city of Chur, had formed a close federation, based on military assistance and free trade pacts between the partners and including a common federal diet: the Drei Bünde was born, even though the alliance would be officially concluded in a written contract only in 1524.

Further expansion

In the second half of the 15th century, the confederation expanded its territory further. In the north, the formerly Habsburg cities of Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein had become reichsfrei in 1415, with the ban of Frederick IV. The two strategically important cities—they offered the only two fortified bridges over the river Rhine between Constance and Basel—not only struggled with the robber barons from the neighbouring Hegau region but also were under pressure from the Habsburg dukes, who sought to re-integrate the cities into their domain. On June 1, 1454, Schaffhausen became an associate (Zugewandter Ort) of the confederacy by entering an alliance with six of the eight cantons (Uri and Unterwalden did not participate). With the help of the confederates, a Habsburg army of about 2,000 men was warded off east of Thayngen. Stein am Rhein concluded a similar alliance on December 6, 1459. The city of St. Gallen had also become free in 1415, but was in a conflict with its abbot, who tried to bring it under his influence. But as the Habsburg dukes were unable to support him in any way, he was forced to seek help from the confederates, and the abbey became a protectorate of the confederacy on August 17, 1451. The city was accepted as an associate state on June 13, 1454. Fribourg, another Habsburg city, came under the rule of the Duke of Savoy during the 1440s and had to accept the duke as its lord in 1452. Nevertheless, it also entered an alliance with Berne in 1454, becoming an associate state, too. Two other cities also sought help from the Eidgenossen against the Habsburgs: Rottweil became as associate on June 18, 1463, and Mulhouse on June 17, 1466 through an alliance with Berne (and Solothurn). In Rapperswil, a Habsburg enclave on Lake Zurich within confederate territory, a pro-confederate coup d'état in 1458 led to the city becoming a protectorate of the confederacy in 1464. Duke Sigismund of Austria got involved in a power struggle with Pope Pius II over the nomination of a bishop in Tyrol in 1460. When the duke was banned by the pope, a situation similar to that of 1415 arose. The confederates took advantage of the problems of the Habsburgs and conquered the Habsburg Thurgau and the region of Sargans in the autumn of 1460, which became both commonly administered property. In a peace treaty from June 1, 1461, the duke had no choice but to accept the new situation.

The Burgundy Wars

1461] The Burgundy Wars were an involvement of confederate forces in the conflict between the Valois Dynasty and the Habsburgs. The aggressive expansionism of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, brought him in conflict with both the French king Louis XI and emperor Frederick III of the House of Habsburg. His embargo politics against the cities of Basel, Strasbourg and Mulhouse prompted these to turn to Berne for help. The conflicts culminated in 1474, after duke Sigismund of Austria had concluded a peace agreement with the confederates in Constance (later called the Ewige Richtung). The confederates, united with the Alsacian cities and Sigismund in an "anti-burgundian league", conquered part of the Burgundian Jura (Franche-Comté), and the next year, Bernese forces conquered and ravaged the Vaud, which belonged to the Duchy of Savoy, which in turn was allied with Charles the Bold. The Sieben Zenden, with the help of Bernese and other confederate forces, drove the Savoyards out of the lower Valais after a victory in the Battle on the Planta in November 1475. In 1476, Charles retaliated and marched to Grandson with his army, but suffered three devastating defeats in a row, first in the Battle of Grandson, then in the Battle of Murten, until he was killed in the Battle of Nancy in 1477, where the confederates fought alongside an army of René II, Duke of Lorraine. There is a proverbial saying in Switzerland summarizing these events as "Bi Grandson s'Guet, bi Murte de Muet, bi Nancy s'Bluet" (hät de Karl de Küeni verloore) ("[Charles the Bold lost] his goods at Grandson, his boldness at Murten and his blood at Nancy"). As a result of the Burgundy Wars, the dynasty of the dukes of Burgundy had died out. Berne returned the Vaud to the duchy of Savoy against a ransom of 50'000 guilders already in 1476, and sold its claims on the Franche-Comté to Louis XI for 150'000 guilders in 1479. The confederates only kept small territories east of the Jura mountains, especially Grandson and Murten, as common dependencies of Berne and Fribourg. The whole Valais, however, would henceforth be independent, and Berne would reconquer the Vaud in 1536. While the territorial effects of the Burgundy Wars on the confederation were minor, they marked the beginning of the rise of Swiss mercenaries on the battlefields of Europe.

Swiss mercenaries

1536)]] In the Burgundy Wars, the Swiss soldiers had gained a reputation of near invincibility, and their mercenary services became increasingly sought after by the great European political powers of the time. Shortly after the Burgundy Wars, individual cantons concluded mercenary contracts with many parties, including the Pope — the papal Swiss Guard was founded in 1505 and became operational the next year. More contracts were made with France (a Swiss Guard of mercenaries would be destroyed in the storm of the Tuileries in Paris in 1792), the Duchy of Savoy, Austria, and still others. Swiss mercenaries would play an initially important, but later minor role on European battlefields until well into the 18th century. Swiss forces soon got involved in the Italian Wars between the Valois and the Habsburgs over the control of northern Italy. From 1512 on, the confederates fought on the side of Pope Julius II and his Holy League against the French in territories south of the Alps. After initial successes and having conquered large parts of the territory of Milan, they were utterly defeated by a French army in the Battle of Marignano in 1515, which put an end to military territorial interventions of the confederation, mercenary services under the flags of foreign armies excepted. The result of this short intermezzo were the gain of the Ticino as a common administrative region of the confederacy and the occupation of the valley of the Adda river (Veltlin, Bormio, and Chiavenna) by the Drei Bünde, which would remain a dependency of the Grisons until 1797 with a brief interruption during the Thirty Years War.

The Dreizehn Orte

Both Fribourg and Solothurn, which had participated in the Burgundy Wars, wanted to join the confederation following the war, which would have tipped the balance in favour of the city cantons. The rural cantons were thus strongly opposed and threatened civil war, and the Tagsatzung at Stans in 1481 was close to failure. Through the mediation of Niklaus von der Flüe, a compromise was found, and in the Stanser Verkommnis, the two city cantons were admitted into the confederation. After isolated bilateral pacts between the leagues in the Grisons and some cantons of the confederation had already existed since the early 15th century, the federation of the Drei Bünde as a whole became an associate state of the confederation in 1498 by concluding alliance agreements with the seven easternmost cantons. When the confederates refused to accept the resolutions of the Reichstag of 1495 in Worms, the Swabian War (Schwabenkrieg, also called the Schweizerkrieg in Germany) broke out in 1499, opposing the confederation against the Swabian League and emperor Maximilian I. After some battles around Schaffhausen, in the Austrian Vorarlberg and in the Grisons, where the confederates were victorious more often than not, the Battle of Dornach, where the emperor's commander was killed, put an end to the war. In September 1499, a peace agreement was concluded at Basel that effectively established a de facto independence of the Eidgenossenschaft from the empire, although it continued legally to be part of the Holy Roman Empire until after the Thirty Years War. As a direct consequence of the Swabian War the previously associated city states of Basel and Schaffhausen joined the confederation in 1501. In 1513, the Appenzell followed suit as the thirteenth member. The cities of St. Gallen, Biel, Mulhouse and Rottweil as well as the Drei Bünde in the Grisons were all associates of the confederation (Zugewandte Orte); the Valais would become an associate state in 1529.

Myths and legends

1529 The events told in the saga of William Tell, which are purported to have occurred around 1307, are not substantiated by historical evidence. This story, like the related story of the Rütlischwur (the oath on the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Lucerne), seems to have its origins in the late 15th century Weisse Buch von Sarnen, a collection of folk tales from 1470, and is generally considered a fictitious glorification of the independence struggles of the Waldstätten. The legend of Arnold von Winkelried likewise is first recorded in the middle of the 16th century; earlier accounts of the Battle of Sempach do not mention him. Winkelried is said to have opened a breach in the lines of the Austrian footsoldiers by throwing himself into their lances, taking them down with his body such that the confederates could attack through the opening.

Social developments

The developments beginning in about the 13th century had profound effects on the society. Gradually the population of serfs changed into one of free peasants and citizens. In the cities—which were small by modern standards; Basel had about 10,000 inhabitants, Zürich, Berne, Lausanne, and Fribourg about 5,000 each—the development was a natural one, for the liege lords very soon gave the cities a certain autonomy, in particular over their internal administration. At the beginning of the 14th century, the artisans in the cities began forming guilds and increasingly took over political control, especially in the cities along the Rhine, e.g. in the Alsace, in Basel, Schaffhausen, Zürich, or Chur. (But not, for instance, in Bern or Lucerne—or, in Germany, Frankfurt—where a stronger aristocracy seems to have inhibited such a development.) The guild cities had a relatively democratic structure, with a city council elected by the citizens. In the rural areas, people generally had less freedom, but some lords furthered the colonization of remote areas by granting some privileges to the colonists. One well-known colonization movement was that of the Walser from the Valais to the Grisons, colonizing some valleys there in the 14th century. In the mountainous areas, a community management of common fields, alps, and forests (the latter being important as a protection against avalanches) soon developed, and the communes in a valley cooperated closely and began buying out the noble landowners or simply to dispossess them of their lands. Regional diets, the Landsgemeinden, were formed to deal with the administration of the commons; it also served as the high court and to elect representatives, the Landamman. Landamman, 1460.]] Although both poor and rich citizens or peasants had the same rights (though not the same status), not all people were equal. Immigrants into a village or city had no political rights and were called the Hintersassen. In rural areas, they had to pay for their use of the common lands. They were granted equal rights only when they acquired the citizenship, which not only was a question of wealth (for they had to buy their citizenship), but they also had to have lived there for some time; especially in the rural areas. The cities followed an expansionist territorial politics to gain control over the surrounding rural areas, on which they were dependent, using military powers or more often more subtle means such as buying out, or accepting as citizens the subjects (and thereby freeing them: "Stadtluft macht frei"—"city air liberates") of a liege lord. It was the cities, now, that instituted reeves to manage the administration, but this only sometimes and slowly led to a restriction of the communal autonomy of the villages. The peasants owned their land, the villages kept administering their commons; and the villagers participated in the jury of the city reeve's court. They had, however, to provide military service for the city, which on the other hand included the right to own and carry weapons. Basel became the center of higher education and science in the second half of the 15th century. The city had hosted the Council of Basel from 1431 to 1447, and in 1460, a university was founded, which eventually would attract many notable thinkers, such as Erasmus or Paracelsus.

Economy

The population of the cantons numbered about 600,000 in the 1400s and grew to about 800,000 by the 1500s. The grain production sufficed only in some of the lower regions; most areas were dependent on imports of oats, barley, or wheat. In the Alps, where the yield of grains had always been particularly low due to the climatic conditions, a transition from farming to the production of cheese and butter from cow milk occurred. As the roads got better and safer, a lively trade with the cities developed. The cities were the marketplaces and important trading centers, being located on the major roads through the Alps. Textile manufacture, where St. Gallen was the leading center, developed. Cheese (esp. Emmentaler and Gruyère) also was a major export item. The exports of the Swiss cities went far, until the Levant or to Poland. In the late 15th century, the mercenary services became also an important economic factor. The Reisläuferei, as the mercenary service was called, attracted many young adventurous Swiss who saw in it a way to escape the relative poverty of their homes. Not only the mercenaries themselves were paid, but also their home cantons, and the Reisläuferei, while being heavily criticized already at that time as a heavy drain on the human resources of the confederation, became popular in particular among the young peasants from the rural cantons.

Political organization

Initially, the Eidgenossenschaft was not united by one single pact, but rather by a whole set of overlapping pacts and separate bilateral treaties between various members, with only minimum liabilities. The parties generally agreed to preserve the peace in their territories, help each other in military endeavours, and defined some arbitration in case of disputes. The Sempacherbrief from 1393 was the first treaty uniting all eight cantons, and subsequently, a kind of federal diet, the Tagsatzung developed in the 15th century. The second unifying treaty later became the Stanser Verkommnis in 1481. The Tagsatzung typically met several times a year. Each canton delegated two representatives; typically this also included the associate states. Initially, the canton where the delegates met chaired the gathering, but in the 16th century, Zürich permanently assumed the chair (Vorort), and Baden became the sessional seat. The Tagsatzung dealt with all inter-cantonal affairs and also served as the final arbitral court to settle disputes between member states, or to decide on sanctions against dissenting members, as happened in the Old Zürich War. It also organized and oversaw the administration of the commons such as the County of Baden and the neighbouring Freiamt, the Thurgau, in the Rhine valley between Lake Constance and Chur, or those in the Ticino. The reeves for these commons were delegated for two years, each time by a different canton. Despite its informal character (there was no formal legal base describing its competencies), the Tagsatzung was an important instrument of the eight, later thirteen cantons to decide inter-cantonal matters. It also proved instrumental in the development of a sense of unity among these sometimes highly individual cantons. Slowly, they defined themselves as the Eidgenossenschaft and considered themselves less as thirteen separate states with only loose bonds between.

See also


- Bishopric of Sion
- House of Habsburg
- History of the Valais
- History of the Grisons
- Swabian War
- Swiss illustrated chronicles

External links


- [http://www.lexhist.ch/ Swiss Historical Encyclopedia] (in German, French, Italian and Rumanch).
- [http://www.zug.ch/staatsarchiv/download/tugium_nr_18_s103_115.pdf Zug and the Eidgenossenschaft] (PDF file, 359 KB; in German).
- [http://www.lexhist.ch/externe/protect/textes/d/D8881.html The Burgundy Wars] (in German).
- [http://www.lexhist.ch/externe/protect/textes/d/D10076-1-1276.html The Tagsatzung] (in German).
- [http://www.lexhist.ch/externe/protect/textes/d/D15998.html The Hintersassen] (in German).
- [http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/old-swiss-confederacy-1291.html The Old Swiss Confederation] by Markus Jud (in English and German).
- [http://www.swissworld.org/eng/index.html?siteSect=804&sid=4096521&rubricId=16040 Switzerland in the Middle Ages] by "Presence Switzerland", an official body of the Swiss Confederation. (In English, available also [http://www.swissworld.org/eng/index.html?siteSect=800 in many other languages].)

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


- 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
- Schneider, B. (ed.): Alltag in der Schweiz seit 1300, Chronos 1991. ISBN 3-905-27870-7
- Stettler, B: Die Eidgenossenschaft im 15. Jahrhundert, Widmer-Dean 2004. ISBN 3-952-29270-2 Category:History of Switzerland als:Eidgenossenschaft

Basel

Basel (English traditionally: Basle , German: Basel , French: Bâle , Italian: Basilea ) is Switzerland's 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 Switzerland's second-largest urban area as of 2003). Located in north-west Switzerland on the river Rhine, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany and France. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three states in the modern Latin name: "Regio TriRhena". It has the oldest university of the Swiss Confederation (1460).

Transportation

Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, through which goods pass along the navigable stretches of the Rhine. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the only airport in the world operated jointly by three countries, France and Switzerland and Germany. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on French soil. The airport itself is split into two architecturally independent halves, one half serving the French side and the other half serving the Swiss side; there is a customs point at the middle of the airport so that people can "emigrate" to the other side of the airport. Basel has long held an important place as a rail hub. Three railway stations—those of the German, French and Swiss networks—lie within the city (although the Swiss (Basel SBB) and French (Basel SNCF) stations are actually in the same complex, separated by Customs and Immigration facilities). A goods railway complex exists as well. Basel has an extensive public transportation network serving the city and connecting to surrounding suburbs. The green-colored local trams and buses are operated by the BVB ([http://www.bvb-basel.ch/ Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe]). The yellow-colored buses and trams are operated by the BLT ([http://www.blt.ch/ Baselland Transport]), and connect areas in the nearby half-canton of Basel-Land to central Basel. The trams are powered by overhead lines, and the bus fleet is mix of electric and conventional fuel-powered vehicles. The BVB also shares commuter bus lines in cooperation with transit authorities in the neighboring Alsace region in France and Baden region in Germany. overhead lines

Industry and trade

overhead lines An annual Federal Swiss trade fair (Mustermesse) takes place in Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine. Other important trade shows include "Basel" (watches and jewelry), Art, Orbit and Cultura. The Swiss chemical industry operates largely from Basel, with Novartis, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Clariant, and Hoffmann-La Roche headquartered there. Pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals have become the modern focus of the city's industrial production. Some of the chemical industry's most notable creations include DDT, Araldite and LSD. UBS AG maintains central offices in Basel, giving finance a pivotal role in the local economy. The importance of banking began when the Bank for International Settlements located within the city in 1930. Basel's innovative financial industry includes institutions like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Responsible for the Basel Accords, this organization fundamentally changed Risk Management within its industry. Risk Management Basel has Switzerland's tallest building, Basler Messeturm.

History and science

Basel traces its history back to at least the days of the Roman empire settlement of Augusta Raurica though even older Celtic settlements (including a "vitrified fort") have been discovered recently predating the roman castle. The city's position on the Rhine long emphasised its importance: Basel for many centuries possessed the only bridge over the river "between Lake Constance and the sea". From 999, Basel was ruled by prince-bishops (see Bishop of Basel) In 1019 the construction of the cathedral of Basel began under german Emperor Henrich II. In 1225-1226 the Bridge over the Rhine was constructed by Bishop Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel (Kleinbasel) founded as a beachhead to protect the bridge. In 1356 an earthquake caused extensive damage in the city destroying a vast number of castles in the vicinity, allowing the city to offer courts in the city to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles in exchange for their protection of the city. The De Bâle family moves in and helps rebuild the city and surrounding country, but set up house in Basel-Land. Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th-century Council of Basel (1431-1449), including the 1439 election of antipope Felix V. In 1459 Pope Pius II endowed the University of Basel where notables like Erasmus of Rotterdam, Paracelsus and Hans Holbein the younger teached. At the same time printing was introduced in Basel by apprentices of Gutenberg. The Schwabe publishing house was founded 1488 by Johannes Petri and is the oldest publishing house still in business. Johann Froben also operated his printing house in Basel and was notable for publishing works by Erasmus. In 1495, Basel was incorporated in the Upper Rhenish Imperial Circle, the bishop sitting on the Bench of the Ecclesiastical Princes. In 1500 the construction of the cathedral of Basel (german: Münster) was finished. In 1501 Basel de-facto separated from the Holy Roman Empire and joined the Swiss Confederation as 11th state, and began of the construction of the city council building. The bishop continued to reside in Basel until the reformation of Oecolampadius in 1529. The bishop's crook was however retained as the city's coat of arms. In 1543 De Humanis Corporis Fabrica, the first anatomy book was published and printed in Basel by Andreas Vesalius (1514 - 1564). In 1662 the Amerbaschsches Kabinett formed the basis of the world's first public art collection and exposition, forming the core of the museum of art of Basel.

Quarters

Basel is not subdivided into official counties, districts or boroughs, but into unofficial quarters. There are 19 quarters; the municipalities of Riehen and Bettingen are not included.

Architecture

The Romanesque Münster, with its two (uneven) towers forms an architectural monument which survived medieval earthquake. The tomb of Erasmus lies inside the Münster. Basel is also host to an array of buildings by internationally renowned architects, such as the Beyeler Foundation by Renzo Piano, or the Vitra complex in nearby Weil am Rhein, comprised of three buildings by Zaha Hadid (fire station), Frank Gehry (design museum), Tadao Ando (conference centre), Mario Botta (Jean Tinguely Museum and Bank of International settlements)and several buildings by Herzog & de Meuron (originally from Basel, but otherwise known as the architects of the Tate Modern in London).

Education

Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel, dating from 1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli, Leonhard Euler and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here. More recently, its work in tropical medicine has gained prominence. Basel is renowned for various scientific societies, as the Entomological Society of Basel (Entomologische Gesellschaft Basel, EGB), which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2005 .

Politics

Geo-politically, the city of Basel functions as the capital of the Swiss half-canton of Basel-Stadt, though several of its suburbs form part of the half-canton of Basel-Landschaft or of the canton of Aargau.

People from Basel


- Karl Barth, theologian
- Black Tiger, rapper
- Lucius Munatius Plancus, city founder
- Jacob Burckhardt, professor in history, theology, philosophy
- Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1710-1790), mathematician
- Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) mathematician
- Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician
- Arthur Cohn, film producer (won 6 Oscars)
- Jakob Emanuel Handmann (1718-1781), painter
- Dani Levy, film maker
- Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
- Beat Raaflaub, conductor
- -minu, columnist
- Roger Federer, tennis player

Sport

Basel has a reputation in Switzerland as a successful sporting city. The soccer club FC Basel continues to be successful and in recognition of this the city will be one of the venues for the 2008 European Championships, as well as Geneva, Zürich and Bern. The championships will be jointly hosted by Switzerland and Austria. The largest indoor tennis event in Europe occurs in Basel every October. The best ATP-Professionals play every year at the "Davidoff Swiss Indoors". In 2002, the World Judo Championships took place in Basel. Basel features a large soccer stadium, a modern ice hockey hall and an admitted sports hall.

Culture

Basel has a reputation as one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. In 1997, it contended to become the "European Capital of Culture". In May 2004, the fifth EJCF choir festival will open: this Basel tradition started in 1992. Host of this festival is the local Basel Boys Choir. The city is also known for "The Basel Elite", the posh and old money social circle that the city can more than cater to. Although Switzerland can technically have no nobility since such a status would depend on the country being a monarchy, which it isn't, the Basel Elite would be the closest thing, and are represented as such by their familiarities with present-day nobilities from bordering countries. One such example is the DeBâle family of Allschwil, who have lived in the area for centuries, but have not acknowledged the nobility that has been bestowed upon them from actual monarchies. The carnival of the city of Basel (Basler Fasnacht) is a major cultural event in the year. The carnival is one of the biggest in Switzerland and attracts large crowds every year, despite the fact that it starts at four in the morning (Morgestraich) and lasts for exactly 72 hours, taking in various parades. For more information see also [http://www.fasnacht.ch/?pm_1=21&mid=21] Basler Zeitung is the local newspaper.

Museums


- Historical Museum Basel [http://www.hmb.ch]
- Kunstmuseum Basel Museum für Gegenwartskunst [http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/]
- Tinguely museum [http://www.tinguely.ch/en/index.html]
- Antikenmuseum Basel [http://www.antikenmuseumbasel.ch]
- Architekturmuseum Basel [http://www.architekturmuseum.ch]
- Puppenhausmuseum [http://www.puppenhausmuseum.ch]
- Pharmazie-Historisches Museum Basel [http://www.pharmaziemuseum.ch]
- Naturhistorisches Museum Basel [http://www.nmb.bs.ch]

Chronological table

External links


- [http://www.basel.ch/en/basel.html Basel Official Site]
- [http://www.baseltourismus.ch/opencms/opencms/bstour/english/index.html Basel Tourimus]
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- [http://www.museenbasel.ch/index_e.cfm Museen Basel Online] Overview of museums in Basel
- [http://www.egbasel.ch Entomological Society of Basel (in German)] Category:Cities in Switzerland Category:Cantonal capitals of Switzerland Category:Cities on the Rhine als:Basel ja:バーゼル

1501

Events


- Alexander becomes King of Poland.
- The Safavid kingdom was established in northern Iran.
- Martin Luther enters the University of Erfurt.

Births


- January 16 - Anthony Denny, confidant of Henry VIII of England (died 1559)
- January 17 - Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (died 1566)
- May 6 - Pope Marcellus II (died 1555)
- July 18 - Isabella of Burgundy, queen of Christian II of Denmark (died 1526)
- September 24 - Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler (died 1567)
- November 25 - Yi Hwang, Korean Confucian scholar (died 1570)
- Girolamo da Carpi, Italian painter (died 1556)
- Dawit II of Ethiopia (died 1540)
- Nikolaus Federmann, German adventurer in Venezuela and Colombia (died 1542)
- Nicholas Heath, archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor (approximate date; died 1578)
- Pedro de Mendoza, Spanish conquistador (died 1537)
- John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Tudor nobleman and politician (died 1553)
- Garcia de Orta, Portuguese physician
- Hilaire Penet, French composer
- Murakami Yoshikiyo, Japanese nobleman (died 1573)

Marriages


- November 14 - Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon.

Deaths


- September 20 - Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, stepson of Edward IV of England (born 1457)
- Gaspar Corte-Real, Portuguese explorer (born 1450)
- John Doget, English diplomat
- Constantine Lascaris, Greek scholar and grammarian
-