League of God's House - Foundation of The League

Foundation of The League

In the 14th century the core communities of the Bishopric of Chur lay along the north-south road on the Septimer-Julier route. The bishop ruled the region around Chur and had the right of high judgement in the Fünf Dörfer, Chur, Oberhalbstein, Oberengadin, Bergell, Schams, Rheinwald, Unterengadin and Vinschgau.

After 1363 relationships between the bishop of Chur and his subjects worsened. Austrian dukes from the House of Habsburg had acquired the County of Tyrol which included Münstertal and Unterengadin and were trying to expand into the Bishopric of Chur. The foreign and frequently absent bishop Peter Gelyto von Böhmen, who had driven the bishopric deep into debt, was willing to sell the political leadership of the area in exchange for a yearly salary. As a first step, in 1366 he rented out the Fürstenburg fortress at Burgeis in the Vinschgau. In response to this development representatives from the cathedral church of St. Luzius, the valley communities and the city of Chur met in 1365 in Zernez. On January 29, 1367 they met again in Chur, with revolution in mind.

The meeting represented the three sources of power in the area: first, the spiritual community, represented by personnel from the bishop's cathedral; second, representatives of the large valley communities (six representatives each from Domleschg, Schams, and Bergell; four from Oberhalbstein; three from Oberengadin; and two from Unterengadin); and third, representatives of the citizens of Chur. The group met without the bishop and voted to limit his power sharply and to demand authority over financial matters.

The decision of 1367 was not a formal federation or alliance, but represented a desire to stick together in a crisis. However the decision included a desire to hold future assemblies and to closely monitor the power of the bishop. These future meetings set the stage for closer alliances between the individual communities. In 1409 they established a standing council and appointed a Vogt or bailiff over the bishop. Between 1524 and 1526 the Ilanzer Article removed the last vestiges of the bishop's political power.