During the High Middle Ages, Switzerland was shaped by competing dynasties, the development of key trade routes, and early movements toward independence. The region was divided between different powers: the Zähringer, Habsburg, and Kyburg families, with overlapping influence from the Holy Roman Empire and neighboring Burgundy.
The Zähringers established cities like Freiburg (1120), Fribourg (1157), and Bern (1191). However, with the death of Berchtold V in 1218, the Zähringer dynasty ended, and many of their cities became reichsfrei (imperial free cities). Control of rural areas passed to the Kyburgs and Habsburgs. When the Kyburg dynasty collapsed, the Habsburgs expanded their power across the Swiss Plateau, becoming dominant in the region.
The alpine passes, particularly the St. Gotthard Pass, gained strategic importance as key trade routes. In 1198, the construction of the Devil’s Bridge across the Schöllenen Gorge increased traffic over the pass, which became crucial for north-south connections. To secure these routes, the Forest Communities—Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden—were granted Reichsfreiheit (imperial immediacy) between 1173 and 1240, giving them autonomy under the Holy Roman Empire.
Despite their independence, tensions arose between the Forest Communities and the Habsburgs, who sought to exert control. The Habsburgs built Neu Habsburg Castle in 1244 to dominate the Lake Lucerne area, leading to conflicts with the Forest Communities. In 1273, Rudolf I of Habsburg became King of the Romans and consolidated control over the region. His increased taxation and restrictions on trade routes threatened the autonomy of the Forest Communities.
Dominions around 1200. © Marco Zanoli
After Rudolf’s death in 1291, the Forest Communities feared further loss of independence and formed the Everlasting League on August 1, 1291, marking an early step toward the Swiss Confederacy. Meanwhile, conflicts between the Bishops of Sion and the Counts of Savoy over control of Valais culminated in the Battle of Leuk in 1296, securing the upper Valais for the bishop. These events set the foundation for the political and territorial dynamics that would shape Switzerland in the coming centuries.