Editing History of Switzerland (section)

=== Late Medieval period ===
{{main|Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy}}
[[File:Battle of Laupen.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Laupen]] (1339) between Swiss forces and an army of the [[Dukes of Savoy]] ([[Diebold Schilling the Elder]], 1480s)]]

On 1 August 1291, the cantons of [[Uri (canton)|Uri]], [[Schwyz (canton)|Schwyz]], and [[Unterwalden]] united to defend the peace upon the death of Emperor [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolf I]] of Habsburg, forming the nucleus of the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]].

By 1353, the three original cantons had been joined by the cantons of [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]] and [[Canton of Zug|Zug]] and the city-states of [[Lucerne]], [[Zürich]], and [[Bern]], forming the "Old Federation" of eight states that persisted during much of the 15th century. The [[Holy Roman Empire]] built roads and bridges to connect the industrial region of north Italy with the [[Rhine]] (linked with the other industrial area of Middle Age Europe, the [[Burgundian Netherlands]]), making the peasants and bankers on the road rich, allowing them to buy specialized Italian armor and to stop paying the road collecting taxes to the Empire who built the road. At the [[Battle of Sempach]] in 1386, the Swiss defeated the Habsburgs, gaining increased autonomy within the Holy Roman Empire.

Zürich was expelled from the Confederation from 1440 to 1450 due to a conflict over the territory of [[Toggenburg (Switzerland)|Toggenburg]] (the [[Old Zürich War]]). The Confederation's power and wealth increased significantly, with victories over [[Charles the Bold]] of [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundy]] during the [[Burgundy Wars|Burgundian Wars]] (1474–1477), greatly due to the success of the [[Swiss mercenaries]], a powerful infantry force constituted by professional soldiers originally from the [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantons]] of the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]].<ref name="Gilbert 2013">{{cite book |editor-last=Gilbert |editor-first=Adrian |year=2013 |origyear=2000 |chapter=Medieval Warfare – Toward a Professional Army |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xENdAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 |title=Encyclopedia of Warfare: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day |location=London / New York City |publisher=[[Routledge]] |edition=1st |pages=70–71, 74–76 |doi=10.4324/9781315063034 |isbn=978-1-315-06303-4 |access-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116133306/https://books.google.com/books?id=xENdAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 |url-status=live}}</ref> They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among the military forces of the [[Kings of France]], throughout the [[Early Modern Europe|Early Modern period]] of European history, from the [[Late Middle Ages]] to the [[Renaissance]].<ref name="Gilbert 2013" /> Their service as [[mercenaries]] was at its peak during the Renaissance when their proven battlefield capabilities made them sought-after mercenary troops.<ref name="Gilbert 2013" /> The traditional listing order of the [[cantons of Switzerland]] reflects this state, listing the eight "Old Cantons" first, with the city-states preceding the founding cantons, followed by cantons that joined the Confederation after 1481, in historical order.

The Swiss defeated the [[Swabian League]] in 1499 and gained greater collective autonomy within the Holy Roman Empire, including exemption from the Imperial reforms of 1495 and immunity from most Imperial courts. In 1506, Pope [[Julius II]] engaged the [[Swiss Guard]], which continues to serve the papacy to the present day. The expansion of the Confederation and the reputation of invincibility acquired during the earlier wars suffered its first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the [[Battle of Marignano]].