The Thurgauer Swabians become Swiss

8 November 2021

Thurgau was first mentioned as a region in the Duchy of Swabia in the 9th century. After the extinction of the Counts of Kyburg in 1264, the Habsburgs inherited the rights. Medieval Thurgau was not yet a clearly defined region and it included large parts of the present-day cantons of St. Gallen, Zurich and the German diocese of Constance.

Constance was the religious and economic centre, and the people of Constance and Thurgau considered each other as Swabians. The 15th century was decisive for the political development of Thurgau. Around 1500, the term Swabians was only used for the northern part of Lake Constance.

People south of Lake Constance became  “(Kuh) Schweizer” or “Eidgenossen.” These Alemanni in Thurgau were Swabians, but they became Swiss after 1460 and 1499.

(Source: Th. Maissen, Geschichte der Schweiz, Baden, 2015).