This is a timeline of Swiss history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Switzerland and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Switzerland.
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1291 | August | The three WaldstätteofUri, Schwyz and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter of 1291 establishing the Old Swiss Confederacy, a confederation for mutual defense and the adjudication of disputes. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1307 | 8 November | The leaders of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden swore the Rütlischwur, an oath of unity and common defense, on the Rütli above Lake Lucerne.[1] |
| 1315 | 15 November | Battle of Morgarten. Swiss infantry ambushed and destroyed much of a Habsburg heavy cavalry army near Lake Ägeri.[2] |
| 1315 | 9 December | Following the victory at Morgarten, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden sign a second Federal Charter strengthening the Confederacy. |
| 1332 | Lucerne signs a mutual protection treaty with the three Confederates.[3] | |
| 1367 | 29 January | Creation of the League of God's House in the Canton of Graubünden to resist the Bishopric of Chur and the Habsburgs.[4] |
| 1386 | 9 July | Battle of Sempach. Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Zürich decisively defeat a Habsburg army. The victory begins to change the Confederation from a loose pact into a unified entity and allows expansion into former Habsburg lands.[5] |
| 1395 | 14 February | Creation of the Grey League in Graubünden as the abbot of Disentis Abbey, the Baron of Rhäzüns and the Baron of Sax-Misox sign an eternal alliance.[6] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1436 | 30 April | Death of Friedrich VII of Toggenburg, without an heir. Competing land claims in eastern Switzerland and western Austria led to the Old Zurich War.[7] |
| 1436 | 8 June | Creation of the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in Graubünden after the extinction of the Counts of Toggenburg.[8] |
| 1440-1450 | Old Zurich War between Zurich and the Habsburgs against the remainder of the Confederation over the Toggenburg lands. At the end of the war, Zurich had to dissolve its alliance with the Habsburgs and rejoin the Confederation.[7] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1524 | 23 September | The Free State of the Three Leagues is formed from the League of God's House, the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1648 | October | The Treaty of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War and contains a special provision on Switzerland, endorsing the process begun in 1499. With this treaty, European powers recognise the Swiss Confederation as an independent state. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1798 | 28 January | The French Invasion of Switzerland begins, ending in late May. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1843 | June | The first Schweizerisches Gesangsfest, a singing festival, was held in Zürich. |
| 1847 | 3 November | Sonderbund War: In the midst of a political crisis, troops from Uri, a member of the Sonderbund, a separate alliance of Catholic cantons of Switzerland, seized the Gotthard Pass between the northern and southern halves of the country. |
| 1848 | 12 September | A new constitution was issued establishing Switzerland as a federal state with a bicameral Federal Assembly. |
| 1874 | 19 April | The constitution was revised to establish free public education and the optional referendum, and to make it easier for Swiss citizens to move between cantons.[9] |
| 1877 | 19 June | The Aare flooded, causing significant damage.[9] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 30 September | Bankers in Zürich walked out in their first ever strike amidst growing unrest over the rising cost of living. A local general strike then broke out in support of their demand a pay rise and was successful. |
| 1920 | 10 January | The League of Nations, an intergovernmental organization established for the purposes of collective security and international arbitration, came into existence, with Switzerland among its founding members.[10] |
| 1934 | Creates numbered bank accounts, giving account holder anonymity.[11] | |
| 1958 | 12 July | The Swiss government announced its intention to develop and build a nuclear arsenal. |
| 1963 | 6 May | Switzerland joined the Council of Europe, a body dedicated to the promotion of good governance and human rights in Europe. |
| 1971 | 7 February | A referendum granting women the right to vote in federal elections was approved with sixty-six percent of the vote. |
| 1978 | 24 September | A referendum approved the secession of the French-speaking cantonofJura from the mostly German-speaking canton of Bern.[12] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 10 September | Switzerland joined the United Nations, an intergovernmental organization devoted to the preservation of world peace and economic development. |
1934 – The Banking Secrecy Act of 1934
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