Early Modern Switzerland

Early Modern Switzerland

The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy (Eidgenossenschaft, also known as the "Swiss Republic" or Republica Helvetiorum), lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.

The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly aristrocratic and oligarchic ruling class as well as frequent economic or religious revolts. The loosely organized Confederation remained generally disorganized and crippled by religious divisions. During this period the Confederation gained independence from the Holy Roman Empire with support from France, and had very close relations with France. The early modern period also saw the growth of French-Swiss literature with several famous authors, including the native-born Rousseau, Voltaire and Edward Gibbon, as well as many other writers living in Switzerland.

Read more about Early Modern Switzerland:  Thirteen Cantons, The Thirty Years War, Treaty of Westphalia, Relationships With France, Growth of The Aristocracy, Conflict and Revolution, Age of Enlightenment, Culture During The Early Modern Period

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