A brief history of the Switzerland
Switzerland was inhabited from the paleolithic age. Neolithic
stone cutting tools were found in the Cotencher Cave in the Canton of Neuchâtel.
La Tène culture (see Celtic
Tribes) emerged around 800 BCE. The site of La Tène (north-east
of Neuchâtel) had given its name to the late iron age celtic tribal
culture and its spread in the western part of the Eurasian continent.
A celtic tribe called Helvetians existed in the central
plateau of Switzerland. They struck gold coins imitating gold staters of
Philip II and Alexander III. After the roman conquest of the area in the
first century BCE, local celtic coinage stopped and roman coins circulated
in the region for next four centuries. Helvetians were assimilated into
the Roman civilization in the first two centuries of last millennium.
In 260 CE, the Alemannians (a germanic tribe) crossed
the fortified northern roman boundary (limes) and settled in the area.
German became the language of lands occupied by the Alemannians. Burgundians
settled in the west and adopted the Latin as their language. Later, the
vulgar Latin evolved into Franco-Provencal dialect spoken today in that
region. Rhaetian Romans established themselves over much of eastern Switzerland
( South Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Friuli.) Later, they withdrew into high Grisons
valleys to live autonomously and preserving Rheto-Roman (Romansh) language.
Lombard (Langobard) tribes settled in southern Switzerland thus the southern
valleys speak Gallo-Italian Lombard dialects.
During the 6th century, the Franks conquered the
Burgundians and the Alemannians. Merovingian gold tremisses were produced
at Basel, Geneva, Sitten and Zurich. Later the area became a part of the
Carolingian empire and silver deniers were produced at Chur, and Zurich.
In the 9th & 10th centuries the German emperors issued coins at Chur
and Zurich. During the middle Ages, the Swiss territory was included in
the great body of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 11th to 13th century
bracteate pfennings were made. Decline in the power of the Holy Roman Empire
facilitated the Swiss territory to become autonomous. Cities of Freiburg
and Lucenrn produced gold ducats in the 15th century. Austrian House
of Habsburg emerged as a power house of Europe in the 13th century and
threatened the autonomy of the Swiss territory.
On the 1st of August 1291 CE, the representatives of Schwyz,
Uri and Unterwalden (the so called Ur-Kantone ) met on a small mountain
named "Rütli" to conclude a permanent alliance with an oath
- "We will be a one and only nation of brothers to last, if God will, forever".
This lead to the Eidgenossenschaft ( the confederation ).
This confederation did not propose to disobey the overlords but rejected
any administrative and judicial system imposed from the outside. Its original
text is carefully preserved at Schwyz (Federaln Charters Museum).
Lucerne in 1332, Zurichin in 1351, Glarus and Zug in 1352, Berne
in 1353 joined the confederation. By the end of the 14th century, the Swiss
Confederation was on its way to becoming an independent state within the
Holy Roman Empire. First gold gulden were made at Basel (1411 CE) under
the Holy Roman Empire. Freibourg, Solothurn, Basle, Schaffhausen and Appenzell
cantons joined the Confederation in 1481 CE. Base silver Plapparts were
produced in the cities of Bern, Freiburg, Lucerne and Zurich. Berne produced
the first swiss thaler in 1490 CE. The Swiss gained independence from the
Holy Roman Empire after defeating Maximilian I at Dornach in 1499 CE. Basel
and Schaffhausen joined the Swiss Federation in 1501 and Appenzell
joined in 1513 CE.
In 1513 CE, the Swiss Confederation was at its peak
and over aggressive. They went to war against a superior combined force
of French and Venetians at Marignano in 1515 and lost. At that point of
time, the Swiss decided to withdraw from the international scene and declaring
their neutrality. They still remain a neutral nation to this day in the
international politics.
This neutrality protects them to this day from their
unethical secretive banking laws and providing the safe heaven for the
ill-gotten and tax evaded money of some political leaders and some business
men & women of all other countries. Swiss people attained a high living
standards through dealing with such ill-gotten and blood money of most
nations.
In 1525, the Reformation was launched in Zurich
by Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), a secular priest at the cathedral.
The Reformation split the Swiss Confederation into two camps, a league
of Catholic cantons and the Protestant cities. However, Switzerland declared
itself as an independent nation in 1648 CE. Religious disputes arose
in Switzerland in the form of the Villmergen Wars of 1656 and 1712 CE.
Catholic cantons were allied with France but the conservative Catholic
factions reluctantly agreed to religious freedom.
In 1798, French revolutionary troops marched into Switzerland
and set up a Helvetian Republic. All canton mints were closed and established
unified coinage system.
10 Rappen = 1 Batzen
10 Batzen = 1 Franc
Minting right of all the cantons were restored in 1803.
They resumed minting local coins but had to conform to the uniform system
established under the Helvetian Republic. Sankt Gallen, Graubünden,
Thurgau, Ticino, Aargau and Vaud join the Swiss Federation in 1803. The
Congress of Vienna (1815) restored the neutral sovereign state of Switzerland.
Valais, Neuchâtel and Genéve join the Swiss Federation in
1815.
In 1830, the Catholic cantons of central Switzerland united
their forces in a military defense pact known as the Sonderbund. After
a brief campaign, the federal troops occupied Lucerne in 1847. In
1848, a federal constitution (Bundesverfassung) is set up and the Swiss
Federation changed from a Union of States to a Confederation. The Swiss
Federal state of 1848 marked the end of 18 years of the internal conflict.
The cantons stopped minting coins and they were replaced by uniform national
coinage.
100 Rappen = 1 Franc
A new federal constitution was promulgated in 1874 CE
and design of the coins changed. Head of Helvetia replaced the Figure on
the obverse side of the coins.
The people and cantons of Switzerland had accepted a popular
initiative on Swiss membership of the United Nations. Switzerland
was declared a full member of the United Nations on the 10th september
2002.
RK. December 28, 2002.