The first peace of Kappel

Since the Reformation, the Swiss Confederation has been divided into two religious camps. On one side were the Catholics, on the other side the Protestants. The different beliefs repeatedly test the covenant. In most cases, the Confederates managed to resolve conflicts at the round table. This was also the case during the First Kappel War.

After Zurich, the cities of Bern, Basel and Schaffhausen had become Protestant in 1528. Led by Zurich and Huldrych Zwingli, the Protestants wanted to expand their power within the Confederation. This must be done through the common people. Zwingli strove for a free choice of faith in these areas. The Old Catholic places, on the other hand, insisted on a majority decision of the ruling places, which in effect meant that the majority of the communal rulers would have remained Catholic.

Tensions rose and both sides prepared for war. The execution of Jakob Kaiser eventually led to open conflict. The parish of Oberkirch near Kaltbrunn appointed Kaiser as its new pastor in 1529. The community was located in the common domain of Uznach, which was governed by Glarus and Schwyz. They agreed that a Catholic priest would have been the right choice. However, Jakob Kaiser was in favor of the Reformation. They had the priest arrested and burned as a heretic. He was accused of promoting the Reformation in the Catholic Linth area.

Zurich then declared war on the five Catholic cities of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Zug and moved the previously assembled troops to Kappel am Albis, on the border with Zug. The people of Zurich were supported by Bern. The five courtyards gathered their soldiers on the other side. However, their army was only about half the size of the enemy.

Shortly before the escalation, Glarner mayor Hans Aebli managed to mediate between the conflicting parties on June 10, 1529. Longer discussions arose in the two war camps. There were always peaceful meetings between the soldiers. Symbolic of this is the Kappel Milk Soup: representatives from both camps ate a soup of milk and bread together.

Finally, on June 26, 1529, an agreement was reached and peace was made. The agreement prevented bloodshed. The agreement was more in favor of the Protestants, because the Reformation could now spread further into the communal areas. The parishes were given the right to decide by majority vote which denomination they wanted to follow.

However, peace did not eliminate differences within the Confederacy. Just two years later, the two camps clashed again. In the second Kappel War of 1531, the Catholic cities won and undid some points of the peace treaty of 1529. Huldrych Zwingli died in this conflict, marking a further setback for the Reformation.

The conflict between the denominations in the Confederacy was not resolved until 1848 with the establishment of the federal state. Unlike in Europe, this was largely without bloodshed. Time and time again, the places managed to find a solution and create a somewhat acceptable balance.