Associate of the Old Swiss Confederacy
League of God's House
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Coat of arms of the League of God's House
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| Status
| Associate
of the
Old Swiss Confederacy
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| Capital
| Chur
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| Government
| Republic
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| Historical era
| Middle Ages
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? League of God's House founded
| 1367
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? Standing council formed
| 1409
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late 15th century
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?
Ilanzer Article
removes Bishops
political power
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1524 to 1526
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23 September 1524
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21 April 1799
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The
League of God's House
(
German
:
Gotteshausbund
,
Italian
:
Lega Caddea
,
Romansh
:
Lia da la Chade
ⓘ
) was formed in what is now
Switzerland
on 29 January 1367, to resist the rising power of the
Bishopric of Chur
and the
House of Habsburg
. The League allied with the
Grey League
and the
League of the Ten Jurisdictions
in 1471 to form the
Three Leagues
. The League of God's House, together with the two other Leagues, was an
associate
of
Old Swiss Confederacy
throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. After the
Napoleonic wars
the League of God's House became a part of the Swiss canton of
Graubunden
.
Before the League
[
edit
]
The region that would become the League of God's House has always been heavily influenced by the
Diocese of Chur
. The
Bishop of Chur
is first mentioned in 451 when its Bishop St. Asimo attended the
Synod of Milan
,
[1]
but probably existed a century earlier. During the 5th and 6th centuries there is evidence of an extensive
Romanisation
and conversion to
Christianity
in the region around Chur.
[2]
In 536 the region was conquered by the
Merovingian
Kingdom, but due to distance and isolation it quickly fell back into
de facto
independence. During this time the region was known as
Churratien
or
Churwalchen
and occupied politically virtually the same territory that the Bishopric of Chur spiritually led.
In 773 the political and spiritual power in the region was consolidated into a single family. However this situation only lasted until 806 when
Charlemagne
split the political and spiritual power into two. This split and the resulting conflicts let to the collapse of
Churratien
and the creation of numerous small independent communities, with the power center of
Chur
in the middle.
For centuries after the split, the Bishops of Chur wished to expand their power both politically and spiritually.
[3]
Foundation of the League
[
edit
]
In the 14th century the core communities of the
Bishopric of Chur
lay along the north?south road on the
Septimer
-
Julier
route. The bishop ruled the region around Chur and had the right of high judgement in the
Funf Dorfer
, Chur, Oberhalbstein, Oberengadin, Bergell, Schams, Rheinwald, Unterengadin and Vinschgau.
After 1363 relationships between the bishop of Chur and his subjects worsened.
[4]
Austrian
dukes from the
House of Habsburg
had acquired the
County of Tyrol
which included
Munstertal
and Unterengadin and were trying to expand into the Bishopric of Chur. The foreign and frequently absent bishop
Peter Gelyto von Bohmen
, who had driven the bishopric deep into debt, was willing to sell the political leadership of the area in exchange for a yearly salary. As a first step, in 1366 he rented out the Furstenburg fortress at
Burgeis
in the
Vinschgau
. In response to this development representatives from the cathedral church of St. Luzius, the valley communities and the city of Chur met in 1365 in
Wildenberg Castle
in
Zernez
. On 29 January 1367 they met again in Chur, with revolution in mind.
The meeting represented the three sources of power in the area: first, the spiritual community, represented by personnel from the bishop's cathedral; second, representatives of the large valley communities (six representatives each from
Domleschg
,
Schams
, and
Bergell
; four from
Oberhalbstein
; three from
Oberengadin
; and two from
Unterengadin
); and third, representatives of the citizens of Chur. The group met without the bishop and voted to limit his power sharply and to demand authority over financial matters.
The decision of 1367 was not a formal federation or alliance, but represented a desire to stick together in a crisis. However the decision included a desire to hold future assemblies and to closely monitor the power of the bishop. These future meetings set the stage for closer alliances between the individual communities. In 1409 they established a standing council and appointed a
Vogt
or bailiff over the bishop. In the spring of 1468 Bishop Ortlieb von Brandis angered the League. They assembled an army, attacked several of the Bishop's estates, including
Riom
and
Greifenstein
, and occupied them. The Bishop was forced to ask the city of
Zurich
to intervene. Zurich negotiated with the League and convinced them to return the castles to the Bishop.
[5]
Between 1524 and 1526 the
Ilanzer Article
removed the last vestiges of the bishop's political power.
[4]
Expansion of the League
[
edit
]
Throughout the 15th century the League continued to expand. The
vier Dorfer
(the four villages, the rest of the five or funf Dorfer) joined the League, along with Avers and the uppermost part of the Albula valley. The Munster valley (Munstertal) and
Puschlavs
valley joined about 1498. During the mid-15th century the League of God's House began to pursue a common foreign policy with the other two Leagues (
Grey League
and
League of the Ten Jurisdictions
). In 1499 during the
Swabian War
the League together with the other two Leagues defeated a Habsburg army at the
Battle of Calven
and took the Vinschgau from the Bishopric of Chur. Over time the power of the Bishop of Chur weakened, but Chur became the center of the League of God's House. After about 1700, the mayor of Chur automatically became the leader of the League of God's House.
Three Leagues
[
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]
After about 1471 the three separate Leagues were allied together as the Three Leagues. The
Bundesbrief
of 23 September 1524 created a constitution for the Three Leagues that would remain until the
Napoleonic
dissolution of the League. However the League was not a unified state in the modern sense. The Three Leagues worked together as a federation of three states and virtually all affairs of the League were settled by referendum. The Three Leagues were also unique in
early modern Europe
for practicing a form of
communalism
, in which each League was founded, governed and defended through collective decisions.
The Three Leagues were normally allied with the
Old Swiss Confederacy
. Initially this was a response to the expansion of the
Habsburgs
. The
Musso war
against the
Duchy of Milan
in 1520 pushed the League closer to the Swiss Confederacy. The League remained in association with the Swiss until the
Napoleonic Wars
, when it was absorbed into the Swiss
Helvetic Republic
founded in 1798. After the Napoleonic
Act of Mediation
in 1803, the Three Leagues became the canton of
Graubunden
. The League of God's House remained a distinct part of the political organization of the canton from 1803 until 1854.
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]