# Structure of the Swiss Confederacy in the 18th century

A map of a former edition of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. It opens only in the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS, not in the web atlas; see the links below.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/structure-of-the-swiss-confederacy-in-the-18th-century/
- Map id: 516
- Categories: History and Future › Territorial development
- Published: 2019-04-30
- Last revised: 2023-02-07
- Content language: English
- Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/eidgenossenschaft-im-18--jahrhundert.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/structure-de-la-confederation-suisse-au-xviii-siecle.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/struttura-della-confederazione-svizzera-nel-xviii-secolo.md)

## Description

During the 18th century, the Old Swiss Confederacy bore no resemblance to a state in modern terms. In fact, it was made up of a network of small sovereign states which had formed a loose confederation of states. However, not all Swiss regions were equally integrated in this federation. The Thirteen Old Cantons, which were either urban or rural locations, formed the core. Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, Fribourg, Solothurn, Schaffhausen and Basel were urban cantons or city-states, whereas the “rural” cantons included Uri, Schwyz, Glarus, Zug, Obwalden and Nidwalden, as well as both Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden. In addition to this, there were subject territories that were under the administration of the entitled cantons and this is where a considerable portion of the population lived. These territories were either directly controlled by one of the 13 Old Cantons, or they were condominiums governed by several cantons. Apart from the Appenzell cantons, all the entitled cantons had these subject territories, and the most important of these largely belonged to the city-states. This meant that Bern and Zurich alone had command of approximately two fifths of the Swiss population. In addition to these thirteen cantons and their subject territories, there were also associates (towns, principalities, and the republics of Grisons and Valais) which had an informal relationship with the core cantons. The Diet, where the entitled cantons could each delegate two representatives and the associated cantons could each delegate one representative, was the only common institution acting for the confederation as a whole. Its most important tasks comprised the administration of the condominiums, foreign policy and defence. However, it had very limited powers and decision-making by means of voting, which required unanimity, was rather infrequent on the part of the representatives instructed by the cantons. As demonstrated at a later stage, the Diet proved to be incapable of putting up any serious military resistance even when the French invaded.

During the 18th century, the tendency towards authoritarian rule provoked a number of uprisings in the subject territories concerned. However, these uprisings were all crushed with the utmost severity until 1798

## Sources

- Wikipedia contributors: [Geschichte der Schweiz](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschichte_der_Schweiz). In: Wikipedia

## Data sources

- Andreas Wüegler (2012): [Schirmherrschaften](https://beta.hls-dhs-dss.ch/Articles/009830/). In: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
- Andreas Würgler (2014): [Zugewandte Orte](https://beta.hls-dhs-dss.ch/Articles/009815/). In: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
- Atlas of Switzerland: [Administrative Einheiten 1:500.000 (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- Heraldry of the world: [Heraldry of the world](https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Heraldry_of_the_World:About)
- Historischer Atlas der Schweiz & Kohli Kartografie (2009): [Untertanengebiete der eidgenössischen und zugewandten Orte 1536-1797](https://beta.hls-dhs-dss.ch/Articles/009816/?language=de)
- Marco Zanoli (2007): [Die XIII Alten Orte der Eidgenossenschaft im 18. Jahrhundert](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_13_Alte_Orte.png)
- Marco Zanoli (2007): [Zugewandte Orte](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_Zugewandte_Orte.png)
- Marco Zanoli (2008): [Gemeinde Herrschaften der Eidgenossenschaft im 18. Jahrhundert](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_Gemeine-Herrschaften.png)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Gemeindegrenzen GG25](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/landscape/boundaries3D)
- Zanoli, Marco (2008): [Die territoriale Entwicklung der Eidgenossenschaft 1291-1797](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Territoriale-Entwicklung-CH.png)

## Data owners

- [Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS)](http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/)
- [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- Marco Zanoli
- [Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo)](http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/)

## Citation

The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as:

> Atlas of Switzerland (2023): Structure of the Swiss Confederacy in the 18th century. ETH Zürich. Map data © HLS, AoS, Marco Zanoli, swisstopo. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/structure-of-the-swiss-confederacy-in-the-18th-century/

## Links

- Map page, with the description and sources and a button that opens the map in the desktop atlas: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/structure-of-the-swiss-confederacy-in-the-18th-century/
- Open the map in the desktop atlas (version 4), where it is installed: adsglobe://map/516
- Download of the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/ads4-download/

For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).