Freiämtersturm
Encyclopedia
The Freiämtersturm in December 1830 was a bloodless revolution in the Swiss
canton
of Aargau
. The dissatisfied rural population of the Freie Ämter region in Aargau marched on the cantonal capital of Aarau
to demand changes in the cantonal constitution
. The Freiämtersturm, together with other uprisings in 1830-31 led to the end of the Restoration period and the beginning of the liberal Regeneration period. The changes during the Regeneration led to the creation of the Federal State
in 1848.
in 1798 the ideas of freedom and equality spread. The medieval idea of different laws for city citizens and countryside peasants was overthrown. However, in 1803 the Helvetic Republic collapsed and was replaced by the Act of Mediation
which struck a compromise between the Ancien Regime
and a Republic. In the following years, even the limited freedoms under the Act were undermined and following Napoleon's defeat in 1813 the Act was overturned. In the Restoration, which started in 1814, the new constitution reduced the representation of rural areas in the cantonal councils.
By 1830 the region was also experiencing great economic difficulties. After years of growth, the Freiämter straw industry experienced a major crisis. Many workers feared for their economic future. Adding to this concern, a poor harvest in late summer led many to worry about the possibility of starvation. While the constitution of the Aargau was relatively liberal for the time, the increasing power of the city aristocrats and diminishing power for the rural population added to the unrest in the Freiämter. Then, the July Revolution
in France
showed that the people could successfully force the government to change.
, ruled the Canton with a strict hand. He made enemies of virtually every group in the Canton. Cynics said, in allusion to his style of government, that he was setting up a Duchy
of Aargau. He was so divisive that two diverse groups, rural farmers and educated middle class "Liberals", joined together to oppose the current government. The "Liberals" called for a revision of the Cantonal Constitution, in order to have more say in the government and more freedoms. The farmers, on the other hand, accused the government of extravagance, nepotism
and complained about high taxes. They knew very little about the constitution, rather they pushed for concrete things such as changes to military service or construction of roads.
On 12 September 1830 two young students, Johann Peter and Kaspar Leonz Bruggisser, rode to Lenzburg
to attend a meeting that would draft a petition to the government. The foreign-educated lawyers at the meeting called for the convening of a Great Council to consider revisions to the constitution. As the meeting wore on, the movement developed a more aggressive approach and increasingly delegates called for an armed revolution.
Johann Heinrich Fischer belonged to the wealthy rural upper class and was the innkeeper at the Zum Schwanen Gasthof in Merenschwand
. He was a friend of the Bruggisser brothers as well as a member of the Grand Council
. During a meeting of the Grand Council, on 26 November
1830, he launched into an impassioned speech on the explosive mood in the Freiamt. When the president interrupted his speech, Fischer left the room stomping and reportedly shouted "The people themselves will show you what they want!"
, several prestigious Freiämter, including Fischer and both
Bruggisser, met to discuss the situation. Fischer advocated raising a milita to break the political deadlock. However, the majority of those present refused this, as they wanted to pursue other legal ways to change. Back in Merenschwand, Fischer met with an angry rural population. They demanded immediate change. After an almost unanimous decision for the fighting, he sent messengers to the surrounding communities. The militia was to assemble on 6 December.
On the morning of 5 December, throughout the entire upper Freiamt, alarm bells rang, calling the militia out. Fischer hoped to force the assembly at Wohlen to go along with his plan. That evening he made the zum Sternen inn his temporary military headquarters, as he waited for the militia to assemble the next morning.
On the morning of 6 December, about 6,000 soldiers gathered on the broad field between Wohlen and Villmergen
. They were quickly divided into companies and battalions. At the head of the army were about 2,000 uniformed and well armed soldiers, who were recently returned from mercenary
service in France. Because of their red uniforms they were called Rotröckler or Red Coats. The rest of the army was made up of simple farmers without military training. Fischer, the Bruggisser brothers and other leaders held fiery speeches and urged the troops to discipline. Any unnecessary bloodshed should be prevented, they ordered.
Fischer sent a detachment to Seengen
, and then on to Seon
and Gränichen
, while he led the main body to Lenzburg. The troops' discipline and lack of violence was admired by both sides. Much too late the authorities reacted and ordered the army out to suppress the militia. However, moral was poor among the government troops and most units either did not move or deserted. For example, Lieutenant Sauerland,
on the evening of 5 December had 250 soldiers from the Fricktal
garrisoned at Küttigen
. On the next morning he discovered that he only had 50 soldiers left. Whole companies expressed their solidarity with the insurgents and simply let them pass without conflict.
The situation became more dangerous in Lenzburg, where about 100 government soldiers formed to resist the militia, and brought their guns in position. The Freiämter milita ran toward the militia with wild battle cries, and the government soldiers broke and ran without firing a shot. By 6pm the militia entered Aarau and the commander of government troops surrendered without any resistance.
The militia surrounded government buildings, and the government quickly negotiated an end of the uprising. They agreed to a full revision of the constitution and all the other demands of the Freiämter militia.
Fischer returned to the Freiamt in triumph. Muri Abbey
installed a memorial plaque in his honor. In his home town of Merenschwand he was met with liberty trees and a triumphal arch.
.
The Freiämtersturm of 1830 and other assemblies of 1830-31 had a significant impact on the former Swiss Confederation. The political reforms that came after these assemblies ended the period known as the Restoration and led to the Regeneration period which led to the Constitution
of 1848 and the creation of the Swiss federal state
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
. The dissatisfied rural population of the Freie Ämter region in Aargau marched on the cantonal capital of Aarau
Aarau
Aarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...
to demand changes in the cantonal constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. The Freiämtersturm, together with other uprisings in 1830-31 led to the end of the Restoration period and the beginning of the liberal Regeneration period. The changes during the Regeneration led to the creation of the Federal State
Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12, 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution, which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg...
in 1848.
Background
The rural population of the Freiämter were poor and uneducated while politically and economically under the control of the cities. During the French controlled Helvetic RepublicHelvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
in 1798 the ideas of freedom and equality spread. The medieval idea of different laws for city citizens and countryside peasants was overthrown. However, in 1803 the Helvetic Republic collapsed and was replaced by the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
which struck a compromise between the Ancien Regime
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
and a Republic. In the following years, even the limited freedoms under the Act were undermined and following Napoleon's defeat in 1813 the Act was overturned. In the Restoration, which started in 1814, the new constitution reduced the representation of rural areas in the cantonal councils.
By 1830 the region was also experiencing great economic difficulties. After years of growth, the Freiämter straw industry experienced a major crisis. Many workers feared for their economic future. Adding to this concern, a poor harvest in late summer led many to worry about the possibility of starvation. While the constitution of the Aargau was relatively liberal for the time, the increasing power of the city aristocrats and diminishing power for the rural population added to the unrest in the Freiämter. Then, the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
showed that the people could successfully force the government to change.
Attempts at peaceful resolution
Johannes Herzog, the cantonal presidentExecutive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, ruled the Canton with a strict hand. He made enemies of virtually every group in the Canton. Cynics said, in allusion to his style of government, that he was setting up a Duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
of Aargau. He was so divisive that two diverse groups, rural farmers and educated middle class "Liberals", joined together to oppose the current government. The "Liberals" called for a revision of the Cantonal Constitution, in order to have more say in the government and more freedoms. The farmers, on the other hand, accused the government of extravagance, nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
and complained about high taxes. They knew very little about the constitution, rather they pushed for concrete things such as changes to military service or construction of roads.
On 12 September 1830 two young students, Johann Peter and Kaspar Leonz Bruggisser, rode to Lenzburg
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...
to attend a meeting that would draft a petition to the government. The foreign-educated lawyers at the meeting called for the convening of a Great Council to consider revisions to the constitution. As the meeting wore on, the movement developed a more aggressive approach and increasingly delegates called for an armed revolution.
Johann Heinrich Fischer belonged to the wealthy rural upper class and was the innkeeper at the Zum Schwanen Gasthof in Merenschwand
Merenschwand
Merenschwand is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest evidence of human settlement is a lake side village from the Late Bronze Age. The lake has since silted up and is now part of the Rütiweid meadow...
. He was a friend of the Bruggisser brothers as well as a member of the Grand Council
Grand Council of Aargau
The Grand Council of Aargau is the legislature of the canton of Aargau, in Switzerland. Aargau has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 140 seats, with members elected every four years....
. During a meeting of the Grand Council, on 26 November
1830, he launched into an impassioned speech on the explosive mood in the Freiamt. When the president interrupted his speech, Fischer left the room stomping and reportedly shouted "The people themselves will show you what they want!"
The uprising
On 4 December 1830, at the Sternen Gasthof in WohlenWohlen, Aargau
Wohlen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest known settlements in Wohlen date from the late Hallstatt era . This settlement left two clusters of burial mounds in Hohbühl and Häslerhau...
, several prestigious Freiämter, including Fischer and both
Bruggisser, met to discuss the situation. Fischer advocated raising a milita to break the political deadlock. However, the majority of those present refused this, as they wanted to pursue other legal ways to change. Back in Merenschwand, Fischer met with an angry rural population. They demanded immediate change. After an almost unanimous decision for the fighting, he sent messengers to the surrounding communities. The militia was to assemble on 6 December.
On the morning of 5 December, throughout the entire upper Freiamt, alarm bells rang, calling the militia out. Fischer hoped to force the assembly at Wohlen to go along with his plan. That evening he made the zum Sternen inn his temporary military headquarters, as he waited for the militia to assemble the next morning.
On the morning of 6 December, about 6,000 soldiers gathered on the broad field between Wohlen and Villmergen
Villmergen
Villmergen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.Two famous battles took place at Villmergen.In 2010 Hilfikon merged into Villmergen.-History:...
. They were quickly divided into companies and battalions. At the head of the army were about 2,000 uniformed and well armed soldiers, who were recently returned from mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
service in France. Because of their red uniforms they were called Rotröckler or Red Coats. The rest of the army was made up of simple farmers without military training. Fischer, the Bruggisser brothers and other leaders held fiery speeches and urged the troops to discipline. Any unnecessary bloodshed should be prevented, they ordered.
Fischer sent a detachment to Seengen
Seengen
Seengen is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Seengen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 51.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 32.3% is forested...
, and then on to Seon
Seon, Switzerland
Seon is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Seon has an area, , of . Of this area, or 51.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 29.5% is forested...
and Gränichen
Gränichen
Gränichen is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:The river Wyna flows north at first and heads northwest thereafter. The valley has an average width of about ....
, while he led the main body to Lenzburg. The troops' discipline and lack of violence was admired by both sides. Much too late the authorities reacted and ordered the army out to suppress the militia. However, moral was poor among the government troops and most units either did not move or deserted. For example, Lieutenant Sauerland,
on the evening of 5 December had 250 soldiers from the Fricktal
Fricktal
The Fricktal region is the northwest finger extending from the Swiss canton of Aargau. It is situated in Northwestern Switzerland east of Basel, between the High Rhine forming the border with Germany in the north and the Jura Mountains in the south. The Fricktal contains the districts of...
garrisoned at Küttigen
Küttigen
Küttigen is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Küttigen is first mentioned in 1036 as Chutingen though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original. In 1045 it was mentioned as Chutingun....
. On the next morning he discovered that he only had 50 soldiers left. Whole companies expressed their solidarity with the insurgents and simply let them pass without conflict.
The situation became more dangerous in Lenzburg, where about 100 government soldiers formed to resist the militia, and brought their guns in position. The Freiämter milita ran toward the militia with wild battle cries, and the government soldiers broke and ran without firing a shot. By 6pm the militia entered Aarau and the commander of government troops surrendered without any resistance.
The militia surrounded government buildings, and the government quickly negotiated an end of the uprising. They agreed to a full revision of the constitution and all the other demands of the Freiämter militia.
Fischer returned to the Freiamt in triumph. Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
installed a memorial plaque in his honor. In his home town of Merenschwand he was met with liberty trees and a triumphal arch.
Aftermath of the Freiämtersturm
While the government was not overthrown, the people had shown their strength. Heinrich Fischer, now called "General" Fischer, presided over the council that prepared a new constitution, which came into force in 1831. However, the needs of the Freiämter were quickly ignored. The joy of victory soon gave way to bitter disappointment. "General" Fischer's future life was dull. He fell out both with the Merenschwand people and with his family. In 1835 he moved to Lenzburg. In 1861 he was preparing to visit his daughter, but never arrived. What happened to him is still unknown. The two Bruggisser brothers made careers as chief justices, members of the Grand Council, and representatives of the Canton at the Confederation TagsatzungTagsatzung
The Swiss Tagsatzung was the legislative and executive council of the Swiss confederacy from the beginnings until the formation of the Swiss federal state in 1848. It was a meeting of delegates of the individual cantons...
.
The Freiämtersturm of 1830 and other assemblies of 1830-31 had a significant impact on the former Swiss Confederation. The political reforms that came after these assemblies ended the period known as the Restoration and led to the Regeneration period which led to the Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of 1848 and the creation of the Swiss federal state
Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12, 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution, which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg...
.