Swiss Confederation in the 15th Century

Timeline

1. 1461–1465Schwyz · SwitzerlandIn 1461 the confederacy consisted of eight cantons—Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Lucerne, Zurich, Glarus, Bern, and Solothurn—each retaining high autonomy and acting jointly only on defense and foreign treaties.
2. 1461–1468Zurich · SwitzerlandFarmers and townspeople in the cantons decided public affairs through local assemblies; Swiss infantry were renowned for discipline and halberd tactics, and in the 1460s they provided mercenary services to the courts of France, Burgundy, and others, becoming an important source of revenue for the confederacy.
3. 1468–1470Jura Mountains border · FranceBurgundian Duke Charles the Bold expanded territories north of the Alps, and after his surprise seizure of Sarrebourg in 1468 border pressure on the confederacy rose sharply; by 1470 the cantons began strengthening joint defense in preparation for the Burgundian War of 1474.