Appenzell () was a canton in the northeast of

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had er ...

in 1403 and entered a league with the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

in 1411, becoming a full member in 1513. It was divided into

Appenzell Innerrhoden Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Inner-Rhodes, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. The seat of the government and parliament is Appenzell. It is ...

and

Appenzell Ausserrhoden Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...

in 1597 (in a process called the Landteilung) as a result of the

Swiss Reformation The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

. The territory of Appenzell as a geographical entity is known as . While in political contexts, the two cantons (until 1999 half-cantons) are referred to as ('both Appenzells').

History

Foundation

The name ''Appenzell'' derives from 'cell (i.e., estate) of the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

'. This refers to the Abbey of St. Gall, which exerted a great influence on the area. By the middle of the 11th century the abbots of St Gall had established their power in the land later called Appenzell, which by that time was thoroughly Alemannic. By about 1360, conflicts over

grazing rights Grazing rights is the right of a user to allow their livestock to feed (graze) in a given area. United States Grazing rights have never been codified in United States law, because such common-law rights derive from the English concept of the ...

, taxes, and tithes were causing concern for both the abbot and the farmers of Appenzell. Both parties wanted to protect their rights and interests by joining the new

Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...

. In 1377 Appenzell was allowed to join the League with the support of the cities of

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

and St. Gallen (the city of St. Gallen was often at odds with the neighboring Abbey of St. Gall). With the support of the League, Appenzell refused to pay many of the gifts and tithes that the Abbot Kuno von Stoffeln demanded. In response to the loss of revenue from his estates, Kuno approached the Austrian

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

for help. In 1392 he made an agreement with the Habsburgs, which was renewed in 1402. In response, in 1401 Appenzell entered into an alliance with the city of St. Gallen to protect their rights and freedom.

Independence and joining the Swiss Confederation

Following increasing conflicts between the Appenzellers and the abbot's agents, including the bailiff of Appenzell demanding that a dead body be dug up because he wanted the man's clothes, the Appenzellers planned an uprising. On a certain day, throughout the abbot's lands, they attacked the bailiffs and drove them out of the land. Following unsuccessful negotiations, Appenzell and St. Gallen entered into a treaty. The treaty between St. Gallen and Appenzell marked a break between the abbot and his estates. Perhaps fearing the Habsburgs, in 1402 the League expelled Appenzell. During the same year, St. Gallen reached an agreement with the abbot and Appenzell could no longer count on St. Gallen's support. Appenzell declared itself ready to stand against the abbot, and in 1403 formed an alliance with the

Canton of Schwyz The canton of Schwyz ( ; ; ; ) is a Cantons of Switzerland, canton in central Switzerland between the Swiss Alps, Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one ...

, a member of the Old Swiss Confederation that had defeated the Austrians in the last century.

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Speicher and outside the village of Vögelinsegg met the Appenzell army. A small force of Appenzell and Confederation troops defeated the League army and signed a short lived peace treaty. Following another Appenzell victory on 17 June 1405, at Stoss Pass on the border of Appenzell town, the new canton continued to expand. During the expansion, Appenzell had even captured the abbot of St Gall and in response they were

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

by the Bishop of Constance. However, while the ''Bund'' expanded the Austrians used the peace to regain their strength. On 11 September 1406 an association of nobles formed a knightly order known as the ''Sankt Jörgenschild'' (Order of St. George's Shield) to oppose the rebellious commoners of the ''Bund''. Following a defeat at

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

, Appenzell was unable to hold the ''Bund'' together. The city of St. Gallen and the Canton of Schwyz each paid off the Austrians to avoid an attack, and the ''Bund'' was dissolved by King Rupert on 4 April 1408. As part of the peace treaty, the abbot gave up his ownership of Appenzell, but was still owed certain taxes. However, it was not until 1410 that the area was at peace. In 1411 Appenzell signed a defensive treaty with the entire Swiss Confederation (except

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

), which strengthened their position against the abbot. Appenzell joined the Confederation as an "Associate Member", and would not become a full member until 1513. Following another battle, in 1429, Appenzell was granted freedom from the obligations in the future. This treaty represented the end of Appenzell's last financial tie to the Abbey of St. Gall, and a movement to closer relationships with the Confederation.

Division of Appenzell

Starting in 1522, followers of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

began to preach the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in Appenzell. The early reformers had the most success in the outer ''Rhoden'', a term that in the singular is said to mean a "clearing", and occurs in 1070, long before the final separation. Following the initial small success, in 1523 Joachim von Watt (also known as Joachim Vadian) began to preach the reformed version of the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

to friends and fellow clergy. His preaching brought the Reformation into the forefront of public debate. In October 1523, the Council supported the Protestant principle of scriptural sermons and on 24 April 1524

Landsgemeinde The ''Landsgemeinde'' ("cantonal assembly"; , plural ''Landsgemeinden'') is a public, non-secret ballot voting system operating by majority rule. Still in use – in a few places – at the subnational political level in Switzerland, it was fo ...

confirmed the Cantonal Council's decision. However, the work of the

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

s in the Appenzell region (as well as in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and St. Gallen) in 1525 led to government crackdowns. The first police action against the Anabaptists took place in June 1525, followed by the Anabaptist Disputation in Teufen in October 1529. To end the confrontation between the old and new faiths, the Landesgemeinde decided in April 1525, that each parish should choose a faith, but that the principle of free movement would be supported, so that the religious minority could attend the church of their choice regardless of where they lived. The entire Ausserrhoden converted to the Reformation in 1529, with the exception of Herisau, whose Catholic priest, Joseph Forrer, convinced the town to remain with the old faith for the time being, whereas the Innerrhoden remained with the old faith, with the exception of Gais. While the majority of the residents of Appenzell town remained Catholic under Pastor Diepolt Huter, there was a strong Reformed minority. In 1531, the minority were nearly successful in getting the town to ally with the Protestant Ausserrhoden. But an armed mob of angry residents from the neighboring village of Gonten prevented the abolition of the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in Appenzell. The Catholic victory in the Second War of Kappel in 1531 ended plans for a reformation of the entire Canton of Appenzell. After the Second War of Kappel, the two religions reached a generally peaceful parity. They remained united by common business interests, the same political and legal understanding, a shared desire to form an alliance with France and a shared opposition to the city of St. Gallen. This shared opposition to St. Gallen was demonstrated in the so-called linen affairs (1535–42, 1579), where the weavers throughout Appenzell supported each other when they felt that they were unfairly treated by the linen industry of St. Gallen. Nonetheless, divisions over matters of religion and foreign policy, especially with regards to alliances between Catholic and Protestant cantons and the foreign powers of Spain and France, respectively, led to the peaceful partition of the canton in 1597. The terms of partition were arbitrated by representatives of both Catholic cantons (Luzern, Schwyz, Nidwalden) and Protestant cantons (Zürich, Glarus, Schaffhausen). After this time, the term ''Kanton Appenzell'' continued to refer to both half-cantons, although this usage has since become outdated. Usually ''die beiden Appenzell'' ("the two Appenzells") are spoken of in a political context, and ''Appenzellerland'' in a geographic context, if the aim is to refer to Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden collectively. From 1798 to 1803 both Appenzells, with the other domains of the abbot of St Gall, were formed into the canton of Säntis of the

Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (; ; ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

, but in 1803, on the creation of the new canton of St Gall, shrank back within its former boundaries.

Geography

''Appenzellerland'' is an alpine region, particularly in the south, where the Alpstein

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

range (culminating in the Säntis, with an elevation of ) is found, though towards the north the surface is composed rather of green hills, separating green hollows in which nestle neat villages and small towns. It is mainly watered by two streams that descend from the Säntis, the Urnasch joining the Sitter (on which is the capital, Appenzell), which later flows into the Thur. There are

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

from Appenzell to

St Gallen St. Gallen is a Swiss city and the capital of the canton of St. Gallen. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration (with around 167,000 inhabitants in 2019) and rep ...

either through Gais or through

Herisau Herisau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated ...

, as well as lines from St Gallen to Trogen and from Rorschach to Heiden. Since 1597 it has been divided, for religious reasons, into two half-cantons, which are quite independent of each other, and differ in many points. The north and west portion or ''Ausser Rhoden'' has a total area of , of which are classed as "productive"; forests cover and glaciers , and its population is mainly German-speaking and Protestant. Its political capital is Trogen, though the largest town is

, while Teufen, and Heiden in the north-east corner is the most frequented of the many goats' whey cure resorts for which the entire canton is famous (Urnäsch and Gais are also in Ausser Rhoden). This half-canton is divided into three administrative districts, comprising twenty communes, and is mainly industrial, the manufacture of cotton goods,

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...

s, and embroidery being very flourishing. It sends one member (elected by the ''Landsgemeinde'') to the federal ''Ständerat'' and three to the federal ''Nationalrat'' (elected by a direct popular vote). The south or more mountainous portion of Appenzell forms the half-canton of Appenzell, ''Inner Rhoden''. It has a total area of (of which are classed as "productive", forests covering and glaciers ). Its population is almost entirely German-speaking, and predominantly Catholic. Its political capital is Appenzell, which is also the largest village, while Weissbad (near it) and Gonten are the best-known goats' whey cure resorts. Embroidery and muslins are made in this half-canton, though wholly at home by the work-people. But it is very largely pastoral. Inner Rhoden is extremely conservative, and has the reputation of always rejecting any federal ''Referendum''. For similar reasons it has preserved many old customs and costumes, those of the women being very elaborate and picturesque, while the herdsmen have retained their festival attire of red waistcoats, embroidered braces and canary-coloured shorts. Appenzell's annual New Year's Day festivities are still governed by the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

and are thus currently held on 14 January. It sends one member (named by the ''

'') to the federal ''Ständerat'', and one also to the federal ''Nationalrat'', while it forms but a single administrative district, though divided into six communes.

''Landsgemeinden''

Both Appenzell cantons had traditions of holding ''

n'', or democratic assemblies held in the open air, in which every male and female citizen (not being disqualified) over twenty years of age must (under a financial penalty) appear personally: each half-canton has such an assembly of its own, that of Inner Rhoden always meeting at Appenzell, and that of Ausser Rhoden in the odd years at Hundwil (near Herisau) and in the even years at Trogen. However, in Ausser Rhoden this institution wa
abolished by a ballot on 29 September 1997
by 54% of voters (61% of the electorate voted). A measure to reintroduce the institution in 2010 failed, with 70.29% of participating electors voting against it. Landsgemeinden continue to be used in Inner Rhoden, with the closest attempt at abolishing it failing in 1991. This institution is of immemorial antiquity, and the meetings in either case are always held on the last Sunday in April. The ''Landsgemeinde'' is the supreme legislative authority, and elects both the executive (in Inner Rhoden composed of nine members and called ''Ständekommission'', and in Ausser Rhoden of seven members and called ''Regierungsrat'') and the president or ''Landammann''; in each half-canton there is also a sort of standing committee (composed of the members of the executive and representatives from the communes—in Inner Rhoden one member per 250 or fraction over 125 of the population, and in Ausser Rhoden one member per 1000 of the inhabitants) which prepares business for the ''Landsgemeinde'' and decides minor matters; in Inner Rhoden it is named the ''Grossrat'' and in Ausser Rhoden the ''Kantonsrat''. As various old-fashioned ceremonies are observed at the meetings and the members each appear with his girded sword, the sight of a meeting of the ''Landsgemeinde'' is most striking and interesting. The existing constitution of Inner Rhoden dates mainly from 1872, and that of Ausser Rhoden from 1876. The oldest codes of the laws and customs of the land (''Landbücher'') date from about 1540At the time of its discovery in 1867, it was dated to 1409; however, it was probably created during the second quarter of the 16th century. Se
Sammlung Schweizerischer Rechtsquellen. XIII. Abteilung: Die Rechtsquellen der Kantone Appenzell. Erster Band: Appenzeller Landbücher. Bearbeitet von Nathalie Büsser mit Registern von Margrit Meyer Kälin. Basel 2009.
/ref> and 1585, the original manuscript of the latter (called the "Silver Book" from its silver clasps) being still used in Inner Rhoden when, at the beginning of the annual ''Landsgemeinde'', the newly elected ''Landammann'' first takes the oath of office, and the assembled members then take that of obedience to him, in either case with uplifted right hands. In fact there are two ''Landamann'': a so-called ''Regierender Landaman'' (acting Landamann) and a ''Stillstehender Landamann'' (vice Landamann). The terms are for two years and will switch between them after the two year, but they have to be confirmed every year by the voters. In particular the ''Regierender Landaman'' has to be confirmed by the voters by actually voting. This actually leaves the voters with the possibility to drop any member of the government during the ''Landsgemeinde'' and select someone else.

References

External links

Tourismus site by Appenzell Inner RhodesTourismus site by Appenzell Outer Rhodes
{{Coord, 47.3461, N, 9.3419, E, source:wikidata, display=title Regions of Switzerland Former cantons of Switzerland Abbey of Saint Gall 15th-century establishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy 1403 establishments in Europe 1411 establishments in Europe 16th-century disestablishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy