Saubannerzug
Encyclopedia
The so-called Saubannerzug (German for "hog-banner campaign", also Kolbenbannerzug "club-banner campaign", Zug des torechten Lebens "campaign of the foolhardy company") was a military campaign of irregular Swiss
forces during the Fasnacht (Alemannic carnival) period of the year 1477, in the aftermath of the Battle of Nancy
. It consisted of disgruntled men-at-arms from Central Switzerland
who moved towards Geneva
to enforce the payment of a sum of 24,000 Gulden
owed to the Swiss Confederacy as ransom to escape looting (Brandschatz).
of Uri
, Schwyz
and Lucerne
, who had participated in the Battle of Nancy
, and who were unhappy with the distribution of the spoils. This company formed by 21 February, and was joined by men of other Swiss cantons, increasing to an estimated total strength of about 1,700 to 1,800 men. They caused embarrassment for the Swiss urban elites in Berne
, Zürich
and Lucerne
, who were engaged in diplomatic negotiations with Savoy
and France
, and who wanted to avoid the impression of not being in control of their own troops.
As the company marched from Central Switzerland towards Burgundy
, they threatened Swiss towns on their way. They arrived outside of Berne
on 24 February, and the city council raised the 3,000-strong militia to protect the city. After promising not to interfere with Berne, they are let inside the city and given food and shelter, moving on towards Fribourg
on 27 February. Outside of Fribourg, they were joined by bands of Zug
and Unterwalden
, now forming a force of about 2,000 strong. At this point, they were met with negotiators from Geneva, Greyerz, Basel
and Strassbourg, as well as representatives of the Swiss diet, and on on 4 March 1477, an agreement was settled upon which forced Geneva to pay a third of its debts immediately, and providing hostages as security for the rest. In addition, Geneva had to pay two Gulden and a drink of wine for each member of the company.
used in this campaign showed a boar (sau being a term for wild pig) and a mace or club (kolben). The alternative term for the campaign, torechtes Leben is from Early Modern High German torecht for "foolhardy, daredevil" (Modern German töricht "simple, fatuous") and leben (lit. "life"), at the time term for a guild
or corporation.
Diebold Schilling the Elder
describing the banner mentions only these two designs, the boar (eber) and the mace (kolben), and the illustrations of his Berner Chronik depict them on a triangular blue banner.
But there is a banner preserved in the Museum in Zug
castle which according to local tradition is identified as the original Saubanner. In contrast to Schilling's description, this banner is rectangular, and shows a much more complicated design: it features a sow (not a boar) with three piglets being fed with acorns by a fool, who takes the acorns from a large bag over his shoulder, while holding a club in his right hand. In the top corner are the coats of arms of Zug, that of Küssnacht am Rigi and that of the Wissnacht family of butchers.
is used in the sense of hooliganism
and rioting
.
Würgler (2004) argues that the chroniclers, representing the interests of the urban patriciate, consciously and severely misrepresented the episode. Würgler argues that the Saubanner enterprise was in reality a serious political and military enterprise of the Forest cantons in defense of their interests threatened by the coalition and Burgrecht
treaties fo the urban cantons. These tensions culminated in the Saubanner expedition, but they remained latent until their peaceful resolution in the Stanser Verkommnis
of 1481.
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
forces during the Fasnacht (Alemannic carnival) period of the year 1477, in the aftermath of the Battle of Nancy
Battle of Nancy
The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine...
. It consisted of disgruntled men-at-arms from Central Switzerland
Central Switzerland
Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug....
who moved towards Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
to enforce the payment of a sum of 24,000 Gulden
Rhenish guilder
Rhenish guilder is the name of the golden, base currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries.- Formation :...
owed to the Swiss Confederacy as ransom to escape looting (Brandschatz).
Events of 21 February to 4 March
The company consisted of a core of about 700 mercenariesSwiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment...
of Uri
Úri
Úriis a village and commune in the comitatus of Pest in Hungary....
, Schwyz
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
and Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, who had participated in the Battle of Nancy
Battle of Nancy
The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine...
, and who were unhappy with the distribution of the spoils. This company formed by 21 February, and was joined by men of other Swiss cantons, increasing to an estimated total strength of about 1,700 to 1,800 men. They caused embarrassment for the Swiss urban elites in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, who were engaged in diplomatic negotiations with Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
and France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
, and who wanted to avoid the impression of not being in control of their own troops.
As the company marched from Central Switzerland towards Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
, they threatened Swiss towns on their way. They arrived outside of Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
on 24 February, and the city council raised the 3,000-strong militia to protect the city. After promising not to interfere with Berne, they are let inside the city and given food and shelter, moving on towards Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
on 27 February. Outside of Fribourg, they were joined by bands of Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
and Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
, now forming a force of about 2,000 strong. At this point, they were met with negotiators from Geneva, Greyerz, Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Strassbourg, as well as representatives of the Swiss diet, and on on 4 March 1477, an agreement was settled upon which forced Geneva to pay a third of its debts immediately, and providing hostages as security for the rest. In addition, Geneva had to pay two Gulden and a drink of wine for each member of the company.
The Saubanner
The bannerBanner
A banner is a flag or other piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or other message. Banner-making is an ancient craft.The word derives from late Latin bandum, a cloth out of which a flag is made...
used in this campaign showed a boar (sau being a term for wild pig) and a mace or club (kolben). The alternative term for the campaign, torechtes Leben is from Early Modern High German torecht for "foolhardy, daredevil" (Modern German töricht "simple, fatuous") and leben (lit. "life"), at the time term for a guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
or corporation.
Diebold Schilling the Elder
Diebold Schilling the Elder
Diebold Schilling the Elder was the author of several of the Swiss illustrated chronicles, the "Berner Schilling of 1483, the "Spiezer Schilling" , and the "Zürcher Schilling" of 1484....
describing the banner mentions only these two designs, the boar (eber) and the mace (kolben), and the illustrations of his Berner Chronik depict them on a triangular blue banner.
But there is a banner preserved in the Museum in Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
castle which according to local tradition is identified as the original Saubanner. In contrast to Schilling's description, this banner is rectangular, and shows a much more complicated design: it features a sow (not a boar) with three piglets being fed with acorns by a fool, who takes the acorns from a large bag over his shoulder, while holding a club in his right hand. In the top corner are the coats of arms of Zug, that of Küssnacht am Rigi and that of the Wissnacht family of butchers.
Significance
Traditional Swiss historiography based on 15th- and 16th-century chroniclers such as Diebold Schilling depicted the Saubannerzug as rowdy march of youthful ruffians hatched out of drunken Fasnacht revelry, and indeed the term Saubannerzug in modern (journalistic) Swiss Standard GermanSwiss Standard German
Swiss Standard German, referred to by the Swiss as Schriftdeutsch, or Hochdeutsch, is one of four official languages in Switzerland, besides French, Italian and Romansh...
is used in the sense of hooliganism
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
and rioting
Urban riots
Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Riots may be the outcome of a sporting event, although many riots have occurred due to poor working or living conditions, government oppression, conflicts between races or religions....
.
Würgler (2004) argues that the chroniclers, representing the interests of the urban patriciate, consciously and severely misrepresented the episode. Würgler argues that the Saubanner enterprise was in reality a serious political and military enterprise of the Forest cantons in defense of their interests threatened by the coalition and Burgrecht
Burgrecht
A Burgrecht was a medieval agreement, most commonly in southern Germany and northern German-speaking Switzerland. It came to refer to an agreement between a town and surrounding settlements or to include the specific rights held by a city or town.The word Burgrecht is first used by the St...
treaties fo the urban cantons. These tensions culminated in the Saubanner expedition, but they remained latent until their peaceful resolution in the Stanser Verkommnis
Stanser Verkommnis
In the Stanser Verkommnis of 1481 the Tagsatzung solved the latent conflict between the rural and urban cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy, averting the breaking of the Confederacy, and triggering its further expansion from 8 to 13 members until 1513.The tensions between the cantons had arisen...
of 1481.
External links
- Saubannerzug by Christoph Döbeli (1992)