Benedikt Fontana (c. 1450 – 22 May 1499) was a Romansh bailiff and minister who allegedly died a heroic death during the Battle of Calven in 1499, in present-day Grisons, Switzerland. As a captain in the

Three Leagues The Three Leagues, sometimes referred to as Raetia, was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions, and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden (Griso ...

during the

Swabian War The Swabian War of 1499 ( gsw, Schwoobechrieg (spelling depending on dialect), called or ("Swiss War") in Germany and ("War of the Engadin") in Austria) was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Hab ...

, Fontana achieved fame fighting in the Battle of Calven against the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. While troops were under the command of Dietrich Freuler from the

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...

, Freuler hesitated during an attack and Fontana is said to have assumed control and fought valiantly while shouting "We are Grisons, today or never!". Fontana was mortally wounded during the battle but the Swiss troops defeated the Empire's troops despite being outnumbered 2:1. According to local legend, Fontana's sword was later thrown into the headwaters of a creek in his hometown of

Salouf Salouf (until 1943 officially called Salux) is a village and former municipality in the Sursés in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Bivio, Cunter, Marmorera, Mule ...

and has never been found. Fontana remains a legendary figure in Romansh culture to this day, and in 1903 a statue was erected to Fontana in the cantonal capital of

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Lux ...

References

15th-century Swiss people 1450 births 1499 deaths Year of birth uncertain People from Graubünden {{more cats, date=September 2022