Road to the Confederation – Fribourg – Citizenship Test
On June 22, 1476, a Burgundian army of around 20,000 men besieged Murten — just 10 kilometers from Fribourg. The Swiss relief force smashed through their defenses in a battle lasting barely an hour. A…
On June 22, 1476, a Burgundian army of around 20,000 men besieged Murten — just 10 kilometers from Fribourg. The Swiss relief force smashed through their defenses in a battle lasting barely an hour. Around 12,000 Burgundians died. That stunning victory opened the door for Fribourg to join the Swiss Confederacy five years later as its 9th canton.
The Burgundian Wars (1474-1477)
Who was Charles the Bold?
- Duke of Burgundy — one of Europe's most powerful rulers
- Wanted to build a kingdom stretching from the Netherlands to Italy
- Swiss territories stood in his way
- Famous for aggression, military ambition — and losing badly to the Swiss
The three decisive battles:
- Grandson (March 1476): Swiss crushed Burgundian army, captured enormous war booty
- Murten/Morat (June 1476): Most decisive — ~12,000 Burgundians killed near Fribourg
- Battle lasted less than 1 hour
- Burgundians trapped between lake and forest
- Fribourg troops fought in this battle directly
- Only 10 km from Fribourg city
- Nancy (January 1477): Charles the Bold killed; Burgundy collapsed
Fribourg's role:
- Allied with the Swiss Confederacy against Burgundy
- Provided troops and a strategic position
- The Battle of Morat happened on Fribourg's doorstep
- Proved military value and loyalty to the Confederacy
- Victory is still commemorated annually in Fribourg
Joining as the 9th Canton (1481)
The Covenant of Stans (1481):
- After the Burgundian Wars, tensions within the Confederacy threatened to explode
- Old vs. new cantons argued over sharing war booty and political power
- Nicholas of Flüe (hermit monk, now Swiss patron saint) mediated from his hermitage in the Ranft gorge
- He never left his hermitage — his message was brought to the assembly
- His mediation resolved the deadlock, enabling expansion
Fribourg joins — December 1481:
- Fribourg officially admitted as the 9th canton
- Solothurn joined at the same time (both admitted together)
- Both had proven loyalty in the Burgundian Wars
- Confederacy expanded westward into French-speaking territory for the first time
- Fribourg brought the French language into the Confederacy
What joining meant:
- Military protection from the Confederacy
- Expanded trade networks and political security
- Obligations: provide troops, shared loyalty, common foreign policy
- Maintained significant cantonal autonomy (Swiss tradition)
- Fribourg became a bridge between German and French Switzerland
Nicholas of Flüe — the hermit who saved the Confederacy! He had withdrawn from society to live alone in the Ranft gorge, yet in 1481 his message was carried to the assembly at Stans and broke a political deadlock. He never left his hermitage to deliver it in person. His influence from total isolation changed Swiss history. Today he is the patron saint of Switzerland.
Timeline to memorize: 1474–77 = Burgundian Wars → June 1476 = Battle of Morat (10 km from Fribourg, ~12,000 Burgundians killed, less than 1 hour) → January 1477 = Charles the Bold dies at Nancy → December 1481 = Fribourg joins as 9th canton (with Solothurn, Covenant of Stans, Nicholas of Flüe mediated). The battle on Fribourg's doorstep earned its place in the Confederacy.