The Swiss Peasant War of 1653 was a major rural uprising against the ruling city elites during the Ancien Régime. Economic hardship following the Thirty Years' War, combined with inflation caused by currency devaluation and increased taxes, sparked unrest. The revolt began in the Entlebuch valley (Lucerne) and spread to the Emmental (Bern), Solothurn, Basel, and Aargau. Peasants demanded tax relief from the urban councils governing these areas, but when their requests were dismissed, they organized the Huttwil League, claiming independence from city authorities.
The peasants, led by Niklaus Leuenberger, laid siege to Bern and Lucerne, forcing initial peace agreements such as the Murifeld Peace. However, when the cities refused to dissolve the Huttwil League, the federal council (Tagsatzung) mobilized an army under Zürich's command to crush the rebellion. The peasant forces were decisively defeated at the Battle of Wohlenschwil in June 1653, and the Huttwil League was disbanded.
Harsh reprisals followed: leaders such as Leuenberger and Christian Schybi were executed, and many rebels were fined, imprisoned, or exiled. However, the city authorities recognized their dependence on the rural population and implemented moderate reforms, reducing taxes and reining in the excesses of local officials. The revolt, though crushed, limited the rise of absolutism in Switzerland, ensuring a more cautious governance compared to states like France under Louis XIV. This event highlighted the fragile balance between rural and urban power within the Swiss Confederacy.