The Three Leagues and the Canton of Graubünden 1524-2024

29 August 2024

From the 5th century onwards, the language spoken in today’s Graubünden was mainly Romansh. However, the influence of German-speaking immigrants (Alemanni) from the north and west (the Walser) gradually grew.

Politically, the area (then called Rhaetia) was divided into several dominions, monasteries, and counties. It was partly owned by the Counts of Tyrol and later by the Habsburgs.

At the end of the fourteenth century, many villages were, in fact, independent small republics or states. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and his representatives remained formally the highest rulers, but mainly on paper.

Zuoz, The Plantas were, for example, a powerful dynasty in Upper-Engadin (Oberengadin)

These communities were not democracies in the modern sense. The most essential offices usually remained within the same families, and (religious) abuse of power, vote-buying and corruption were part of everyday life. There was also a social (feudal) division between the nobles, the clergy and peasants/citizens/merchants.

Yet this political and constitutional form of government was unique in Europe. The Landsgemeinde played an essential role in the increasing independence. In the Landsgemeinde, the (male) citizens decided on laws, political offices, judges, war or peace, alliances, and other relevant matters.

Picture: Marco Zanoli/Wikipedia

However, the communities were embedded in the European power constellation, and each village had connections to the great powers of the time – Habsburg, France, Spain, Venice, the Pope and the Duke of Milan – via dynasties, treaties and mercenary interests.

The Bündner (and Confederate) mercenaries were in great demand after Morgarten (1315), Sempach (1386), Näfels (1388), Aargau (1415), Thurgau (1460), Murten/Grandson/Nancy (1476-77) and finally the Swabian War/Swiss/Engadine War (1499).

The location of Graubünden was also ideal: the region was close to the most important Italian theatres of war around 1500. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Three Leagues began to conquer Italian territories (the Valtellina, Bormio and Chiavenna). 

The coat of arms: at the top left is the Grey League, at the top right is the League of Ten Ten Jurisdictions with the colours Davos and at the bottom is the League of God’s House, the largest league, and therefore half the coat of arms.

The Three Leagues

The League of God’s House (Gotteshausbund)was founded in 1367, followed by the Grey or Upper League (Grauer of Oberer Bund) in 1395 and the League of Ten Jurisdictions (Zehngerichtenbund) in 1436.

These three leagues initially cooperated in foreign, judicial, and economic policy. They were decentralised organisations with many autonomous villages as decision-makers, which differed from the monarchies’ centralism and top-down organisation.

The Gotteshausbund and the Grauer Bund (1406), the Gotteshausbund and the Zehngerichtenbund (1450/55), and the Grauer Bund and the Zehngerichtenbund (1471) entered into bilateral alliances. They held joint consultations and increasingly presented themselves to the outside world as a state.

Trun, Museum Sursilvan Cuort Ligia Grischa. In this building convened the representatives of the Graue Bund

The three leagues became the Republic of the Free State of the Three Leagues on 23 September 1524. This Republic already had close contact with the Swiss Confederation and the status of an ally or Zugewandter Ort. The Freistaat existed until 1798, and the Tagsaztung (Diet), the meeting of the deputies of the three leagues, took place alternately in Ilanz, Chur, and Davos.

Borderstone of the Gotteshausbund. Collection: Rätisches Museum Chur

The text of the new alliance was almost a repetition of the former bilateral treaties. Still, there were also new texts relating to the administration of the new Italian conquered areas (Valtellina, Bormio and Chiavenna), relations with the Confederation, mercenary business, foreign policy, national wars and religion (the Ilanzer Articles of 1524 and 1526).

The Treaty of Alliance of 21 March 1471 (Graubünden State Archives) and the version of the Free State of the Three Leagues of 23 September 1524 (Graubünden State Archives and Nuremberg Germanic Museum) have been preserved in their original form.

In the centuries after 1524, the Reformation and foreign interference (e.g. during the Grisons Troubles of 1618-1639) had a major influence on the new Republic and its communes and their interests.

The villages and their most prominent families thought and acted according to their European interests and had connections to Protestants, Catholics, Habsburgs, France, Venice and other local rulers. The mercenary business flourished, and Jörg Jenatsch was one of the many warlords with changing partners, Republic or not.

Chur, the building of the canton’s government since 1803

Napoleon’s political reforms (1798-1813) were ultimately decisive in creating the canton of Graubünden. The canton was founded in 1803 as a member of the new Confederation (1803-1813), replacing the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803).

Since 1848, the canton has been the sovereign in Graubünden (except for article three of the constitution of the Confederation) and no longer the communes.

Source: E. Meyer-Marthaler,Studien über die Anfänge gemeiner Drei Bünde (Chur 1973); Website: Graubünden – Free State of the Three Leagues. A chronology 1524-2024 (https://500.gr.ch)