swiss peasant war swiss peasant war popular revolt time money caused tax revolt spread valley valley population countryside demanded fiscal relief ruling authorities city councils capitals demands dismissed cities peasants organized threatened blockade cities initial failed peasants united treaty forming movement radical going initially purely fiscal demands considered political entity equal independent city authorities assumed military political sovereignty territories peasants laid siege cities negotiated peace agreement peasant leader called peace peasant armies retreated federal council sent army definitely end rebellion forcibly peace resistance valley broken end june victory city authorities took drastic measures peace declared void city council insurrection captured tortured finally received heavy sentences beheaded september military victory city authorities complete war shown depended rural subjects soon war ruling instituted series reforms lowered taxes fulfilling peasants original fiscal demands long term peasant war prevented switzerland excessive implementation occurred france reign background 17th century federation thirteen largely independent federation comprised rural city states expanded territories countryside political military means cost previously ruling lords cities took administrative structures city city councils ruled countryside held judicial rights appointed district rural urban standing federation sovereign territory pursuing foreign policy money diet central council federation held real power served instrument coordination reformation early 16th century led division central swiss including remained catholic city protestant disagreements equally strong factions catholic protestant sides territories conquered early 15th century governed territories assigned period years posts changed annually annexed western belonged eastern comprised county north free districts south free districts forcibly reformation switzerland catholic especially considered districts sphere influence typically came annexed confederacy causes conflict root peasant war caused rapidly changing economic circumstances end thirty years war swiss confederacy spared action swiss peasants generally wartime economy able export products higher prices peace southern german economy recovered quickly swiss exports prices products dropped swiss peasants raised boom wartime suddenly faced financial problems time war caused significant expenses cities building better defenses new significant source income ran dry financial means exhausted war france spain longer paid agreed sums return providing mercenary regiments city authorities tried compensate cover expenses hand increasing taxes new ones hand valuable copper coins called face value previously silver money population began silver coins cheap copper money remained circulation continually lost purchasing power central swiss began mint valuable coins set compulsory fixed exchange rate copper silver money instead measure break facto end war population faced postwar depression high inflation combined high taxes financial crisis led series tax revolts confederacy instance uprising continued series conflict unprecedented level 15th century political power city concentrated hands urban families increasingly saw public offices hereditary positions developed aristocratic attitudes slowly urban formed concentration power city small urban caused crisis rural population increasingly subject issued consent restricted rights old social cultural freedom outbreak rebellion beginning december copper adjust face value value combat inflation authorities set term days exchange copper coins old rate stable gold silver money people advantage exchange offer particular rural population half fortunes vanished soon followed suit similarly copper money situation dire valley widespread usage financial situation peasant insider deals ruling unrest population peasants valley led sent delegation demand city council refused hear enraged peasants organized general assembly population valley spite assemblies illegal authorities laws time denied freedom assembly assembly took place mass february decided suspend tax payments authorities fulfilled demands reducing taxes altogether taxes salt cattle horse trades authorities willing grant population demands manage subdue insurrection large majority rural districts sided peasants valley alliance concluded february beginning march people neighbouring valley joined cause addressing similar demands authorities called members confederacy conflict time diet governments began prepare military resolution troops sent immediately armed resistance population troops withdraw march catholic central swiss proposed resolution fulfilled peasants demands especially fiscal ones similar compromise proposed protestant delegation direction mayor april districts accepted resolutions representatives swore new people valley accept authorities terms offering tax insurrection called punishment leaders meeting april delegates convinced neighbours assembly decided honor new representatives sworn negotiations city authorities peasants continued authorities debated deal insurrection peasants worked gain support cause rural population regions lobbied formal alliance peasant delegation sent turned promptly city authorities local territory recognized danger april representatives people countryside met concluded alliance help achieve goals week later met renewed alliance elected leader peasants met alliance signing written contract style old old swiss confederacy treaty clearly established league separate political entity considered equal independent cities tax revolt independence movement based traditional swiss founding legends especially legend legally peasants justified assemblies union rights old particular important coalition treaties peasants assumed sovereignty territory controlled refused acknowledge jurisdiction city authorities military control area openly declared intention expand encompassed rural population confederacy majority rural population supported rebellion minority threats violence violence communications cities interrupted official envoys shaken ships rivers captured peasants sent letter french ambassador assuring french king good intentions conflicts dominated relations ruling city authorities secondary peasants league peasant alliance divide uniting catholic people protestant peasants treaty explicitly recognized cities remained negotiations military support respective spheres requested military help catholic central swiss turned help distrust authorities catholic protestant deep allow troops confession operate territories military confrontation sides began prepare openly armed conflict cities faced problem armies militias recruited rural population subject territories precisely rural population turned began raising troops regions unaffected uprising authorities supported dispatch uprising termed time revolution peasants delivered raised troops city replied protest note peasants marched leadership arriving second army led laid siege city authorities unprepared armed conflict immediately engaged negotiations days peace agreements concluded peace named field outside peasant army camp lay signed mayor city council promised fulfill peasants fiscal demands return dissolution view development city besieging peasants agreed truce army lifted siege retreated people refused follow leaders objected following earlier resolution earlier demands assembled army recruits territories command task break armed resistance times men horses cannons marched days later army controlled important crossing river hills nearby villages peasant army men assembled led peasant delegation tried negotiate showing peace treaty concluded unaware treaty signed days refused acknowledge validity contract demanded surrender peasants peasants attacked troops june poorly equipped lacking artillery defeated decisively battle peasants forced agree peace peasant troops returned home amnesty declared leaders movement troops command advanced meet forces double pressure peasants resistance collapsed troops numbered men cannons operation expedition troops plundered villages way razed defenses small town lost town privileges declared village june army met troop men army way peasants retreated defeated troops little town went flames course battle fled went hiding betrayed neighbour district sheriff june valley revolt begun resisted little longer peasant troops command tried vain june gain bridge held joint army city central swiss commanded following weeks troops slowly advanced valley controlled completely june captured days later incarcerated aftermath city authorities proceeded punish severely leaders accept terms peace amnesty claiming treaty invalid territory cracked hard rural population peasants fined large sums cover expenses military operations peace declared void city council rural population disarmed movement incarcerated tortured finally sentenced death hard labour exiled executed july beheaded september head nailed copies league punishment hardest death sentences handed numerous prominent peasants executed courts martial army compared seven death sentences respectively authorities won total military victory inflicting measures general population affair clearly demonstrated cities depended support rural subjects putting insurrection achieved difficulties help troops peasants succeeded extend encompass countryside outcome conflict different city authorities aware essentially lucky escape actions following years reflect took steps rural population politically fulfilled peasants original fiscal demands economic pressure tax reforms passed point instance overall taxation population decreased second half 17th century concludes peasant war thwarted advancement trends switzerland prevented development like occurred france following authorities swiss act carefully forced respect rural subjects instance instructed district employ far authoritarian attitude minimize conflict potential city council opened legal procedures district complaints rural population accusing corruption incompetence district sheriff captured dismissed tried exiled early ambassador england published extensive treatise entitled account switzerland described authorities rule particularly mild mentioning explicitly low taxation comparison european states giving reason comparatively soft government fear rebellions historiography decades following peasant war city authorities tried suppress memory nearly successful revolt resistance symbols like flags weapons peasants particular typical clubs nails hitting end called outlawed confiscated destroyed documents away city archives public places leaders executed forbidden carried death penalty singing peasants war songs particularly active trying censor memories event tried suppress images peasant leaders historic texts written switzerland generally follow official mention peasant war briefly negative terms works differing viewpoints prohibited censorship entirely successful private rural population kept memories alive accounts events printed germany 19th century official view increasingly questioned aristocratic weakened severely napoleonic wars confederacy french satellite state episode short lived democratic ideals population end napoleonic era proved temporary switzerland federal state democratic constitution passed restoration democratic publishers interpreted history peasant war current struggle democracy seeing peasant war early precursor efforts overcome authoritarian regime known examples illustrations scenes peasant war ways official view remained ambivalent best scene devoted peasant war theatre production swiss celebrations instance cut demands organizers statues honor peasants leaders erected occasion anniversary peasant war monument honoring unveiled july statue honor erected year honoring peasant victims war inaugurated september statues plaques installed places war instance relief showing chapel peasant leader incarcerated ideological peasant war occurred 20th century swiss historian interpreted events 1940s 1950s early revolution progressive fitting concept class struggle view considered later historians modern historians generally agree peasant war important event swiss history comparison popular revolts late medieval europe revolts common time motivated excessive taxation peasant war stands end point switzerland reasons revolt spread quickly cover previous uprisings confederacy invariably local affairs peasants organized time mobilized armies rulers hadn happened peasant leaders clearly learned previous unsuccessful smaller revolts involved peasants goals time went pure restoration rights old tax relief radically denied authorities hitherto rule city celebrated anniversary adherence events including dedicated exposition ran months publication history simultaneous year anniversary peasant war reflected city newspaper articles widely celebrated speeches ambitious successful open air theatre production
Swiss peasant war of 1653