Freie Ämter
Encyclopedia
The Freiamt or Freie Ämter (Free Office or Free Administrative Unit, though it is not usually translated into English) is a region in Switzerland
and is located in the southeast of Canton of Aargau. It comprises the area between the Lindenberg and Heitersberg and from the terminal moraine
at Othmarsingen
to Reuss river in Dietwil
. Today the area of the Bremgarten and Muri Districts are called the Freiamt. Previously, the area around Affoltern District in the canton of Zurich
was called the (Zurich) Freiamt.
Bremgarten, Muri, Sins
, Villmergen
and Wohlen are among the main towns of the Freiamt. The metropolitan area around the Mutschellen
pass is another important population center.
According to statistical criteria, there is only one city, Wohlen. During the Middle Ages
, Bremgarten had city rights, but it is not currently classed as a city. The Freiamt lies in a central position in the Swiss plateau
. The large cities of Zurich
, Zug
and Lucerne
are all within a half-hour's drive from the Freiamt.
populated areas, including the Black Forest
of southern Germany
(from the 3rd century) and the Swiss plateau (from the 6th Century). The term comes from the Alemannic legal breakdown between free and unfree, which in the Early Middle Ages
included the rights of autonomy.
The Aargau Freie Ämter were territories that were under Habsburg rule but were independent with respect to low justice
and common law
, and so under the medieval definition, they were "free".
. Starting in the mid 9th century this area became known as the Zürichgau. After the extinction of the Counts of Lenzburg
in 1170, their land in the Aargau went to the Habsburgs. During the 10th century, they acquired vast tracts of land in the region. The Habsburgs granted the low justice rights over many of the villages to Hermetschwil
and Muri Abbey
s.
After the Swiss Confederation
became independent from the Habsburgs, the new Confederation began to expand. After the expansion to the Acht Orte (Eight Cantons), they began looking for further territory. As the city of Lucerne grew in power, they became interested in the southern portion of what would become the Freie Ämter. In 1394 they acquired the Amt of Merenschwand
which gave Lucerne an exclave west of the river Reuss. In the Battle of Sempach
, the Habsburg villages of Aristau
and Meienberg
were destroyed. Following the defeat of 1386, and despite the 1394 peace between the Habsburgs and the Confederation, the Habsburg city of Bremgarten entered into an alliance with Bern in 1407.
called the Council of Constance
to settle the Western Schism
between the there Pope
s (Benedict XIII
, Gregory XII
, and John XXIII
) all of whom claimed legitimacy. Frederick IV of Habsburg
sided with John XXIII. When John XXIII was declared an antipope
, he fled the city with Frederick's help. The Emperor then declared the Habsburg lands forfeit and ordered the neighboring countries to conquer those lands for the Emperor. The city-state of Bern had already pledged their support of the Emperor against the Habsburgs in 1414, and so they were ready to invade. The rest of the Confederation quickly followed.
The territory was quickly conquered in 1415 by the Confederation. Under Habsburg rule Aargau was divided into multiple sections , which were maintained under the Confederation. Bern, Lucerne and Zurich were each given a portion of the conquered region to administer. The rest of the Freie_Ämter were collectively administered as subject territories by the rest of the Confederation. Muri Amt was assigned to Zurich, Lucerne, Schwyz
, Unterwalden
, Zug
and Glarus
, while the Ämter of Meienberg, Richensee and Villmergen
were first given to Lucerne alone. The final boundary was set in 1425 by an arbitration tribunal and Lucerne had to give the three Ämter to be collectively ruled. The four Ämter were then consolidated under a single Confederation bailiff
into what was known in the 15th Century as the Waggental Bailiwick . In the 16th century, it came to be known as the Vogtei der Freien Ämter. While the Freien Ämter often had independent lower courts, they were forced to accept the Confederation's sovereignty. Finally, in 1532 the canton of Uri became part of the collective administration of the Freien Ämter.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and is located in the southeast of Canton of Aargau. It comprises the area between the Lindenberg and Heitersberg and from the terminal moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
at Othmarsingen
Othmarsingen
Othmarsingen is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Mesolithic siliceous rock objects and tools and Hallstatt era graves indicate that the Othmarsingen area was prehistorically occupied. Othmarsingen is first mentioned around 1184-90 as...
to Reuss river in Dietwil
Dietwil
Dietwil is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Dietwil is first mentioned in 1236 as Tuetwile...
. Today the area of the Bremgarten and Muri Districts are called the Freiamt. Previously, the area around Affoltern District in the canton of Zurich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
was called the (Zurich) Freiamt.
Bremgarten, Muri, Sins
Sins, Switzerland
Sins is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sins has an area, , of . Of this area, or 72.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 17.4% is forested...
, Villmergen
Villmergen
Villmergen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.Two famous battles took place at Villmergen.In 2010 Hilfikon merged into Villmergen.-History:...
and Wohlen are among the main towns of the Freiamt. The metropolitan area around the Mutschellen
Mutschellen
Mutschellen is the name of a pass in the canton of Aargau in the district of Bremgarten near the border of canton Zurich. Three municipalities, Berikon, Widen, and Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, meet directly atop the pass.-Location and Development:...
pass is another important population center.
According to statistical criteria, there is only one city, Wohlen. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Bremgarten had city rights, but it is not currently classed as a city. The Freiamt lies in a central position in the Swiss plateau
Swiss plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
. The large cities of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
and Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
are all within a half-hour's drive from the Freiamt.
Origin of the name
A Freiamt in the Middle Ages is not specified area, but a union of persons of free peasants who had a local court or limited self-government. The term is found in the AlamanniAlamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
populated areas, including the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
of southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(from the 3rd century) and the Swiss plateau (from the 6th Century). The term comes from the Alemannic legal breakdown between free and unfree, which in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
included the rights of autonomy.
The Aargau Freie Ämter were territories that were under Habsburg rule but were independent with respect to low justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....
and common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
, and so under the medieval definition, they were "free".
Before 1415
In Frankish-Carolingian era the territories to the left of the Reuss belonged to Aargau, while those to the right were part of ThurgauThurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
. Starting in the mid 9th century this area became known as the Zürichgau. After the extinction of the Counts of Lenzburg
Schloss Lenzburg
Lenzburg Castle is a castle located above the old part of the town of Lenzburg in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It ranks among the oldest and most important of Switzerland. The castle stands on the almost circular castle hill , which rises approximately 100 m over the surrounding plain...
in 1170, their land in the Aargau went to the Habsburgs. During the 10th century, they acquired vast tracts of land in the region. The Habsburgs granted the low justice rights over many of the villages to Hermetschwil
Hermetschwil-Staffeln
Hermetschwil-Staffeln is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Hermetschwil-Staffeln is first mentioned in 1064 as Hermenswil. In 1390 it was mentioned as Hermeczwil. Under Austrian sovereignty it belonged to Muri. Hermetschwil shared the...
and Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
s.
After the Swiss Confederation
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
became independent from the Habsburgs, the new Confederation began to expand. After the expansion to the Acht Orte (Eight Cantons), they began looking for further territory. As the city of Lucerne grew in power, they became interested in the southern portion of what would become the Freie Ämter. In 1394 they acquired the Amt of Merenschwand
Merenschwand
Merenschwand is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest evidence of human settlement is a lake side village from the Late Bronze Age. The lake has since silted up and is now part of the Rütiweid meadow...
which gave Lucerne an exclave west of the river Reuss. In the Battle of Sempach
Battle of Sempach
An armistice was agreed upon on 12 October, followed by a peace agreement valid for one year, beginning on 14 January 1387.The battle was a severe blow to Austrian interests in the region, and allowed for the further growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy....
, the Habsburg villages of Aristau
Aristau
Aristau is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The first traces of human settlement around Aristau are scattered La Tène culture artifacts. The modern municipality of Aristau is made up of three separate sections or villages...
and Meienberg
Sins, Switzerland
Sins is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sins has an area, , of . Of this area, or 72.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 17.4% is forested...
were destroyed. Following the defeat of 1386, and despite the 1394 peace between the Habsburgs and the Confederation, the Habsburg city of Bremgarten entered into an alliance with Bern in 1407.
Conquest of the Aargau
On 16 November 1414, Emperor SigismundSigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
called the Council of Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
to settle the Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
between the there Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
s (Benedict XIII
Antipope Benedict XIII
Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor , known as in Spanish, was an Aragonese nobleman, who is officially considered by the Catholic Church to be an antipope....
, Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII , born Angelo Correr or Corraro, Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII on 30 November 1406....
, and John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
) all of whom claimed legitimacy. Frederick IV of Habsburg
Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
Frederick IV, Duke of Further Austria , also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, was the Habsburg duke of Further Austria from 1402, and Count of Tyrol from 1406, until his death...
sided with John XXIII. When John XXIII was declared an antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
, he fled the city with Frederick's help. The Emperor then declared the Habsburg lands forfeit and ordered the neighboring countries to conquer those lands for the Emperor. The city-state of Bern had already pledged their support of the Emperor against the Habsburgs in 1414, and so they were ready to invade. The rest of the Confederation quickly followed.
The territory was quickly conquered in 1415 by the Confederation. Under Habsburg rule Aargau was divided into multiple sections , which were maintained under the Confederation. Bern, Lucerne and Zurich were each given a portion of the conquered region to administer. The rest of the Freie_Ämter were collectively administered as subject territories by the rest of the Confederation. Muri Amt was assigned to Zurich, Lucerne, Schwyz
Canton of Schwyz
Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
, Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
, Zug
Canton of Zug
The Canton of Zug is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. It is located in central Switzerland and its capital is Zug. With 239 km² the canton is one of the smallest of the cantons in terms of area. It is not subdivided into districts.- History :The earlier history of the canton is...
and Glarus
Canton of Glarus
The Canton of Glarus is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.The majority of the population identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions.-History:According to legend, the...
, while the Ämter of Meienberg, Richensee and Villmergen
Villmergen
Villmergen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.Two famous battles took place at Villmergen.In 2010 Hilfikon merged into Villmergen.-History:...
were first given to Lucerne alone. The final boundary was set in 1425 by an arbitration tribunal and Lucerne had to give the three Ämter to be collectively ruled. The four Ämter were then consolidated under a single Confederation bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
into what was known in the 15th Century as the Waggental Bailiwick . In the 16th century, it came to be known as the Vogtei der Freien Ämter. While the Freien Ämter often had independent lower courts, they were forced to accept the Confederation's sovereignty. Finally, in 1532 the canton of Uri became part of the collective administration of the Freien Ämter.
External links
- Erlebnis Freiamt - Portalseite für das Freiamt mit Verzeichnis der Freiämterwege