Von Raron (French ''Rarogne'') was an influential noble family in the

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

(the

bishopric of Sion The Diocese of Sion (, , ) is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The history of the Bishops of Sion, of the Abbey of ...

) in the late medieval period. Related to the lords of Ringgenberg, the family held possessions in the area of

Raron Raron () is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Raron is first mentioned around 1101–1200 as ''Rarogni''. In 1146 it was mentioned as ''Rarun''. A settlement on the Heidnischbiel, a buria ...

(''Rarogne'') in the 12th century, and beginning in the 13th century named themselves after their castle there. Henry, lord of Mannenberg and vice-lord (''vicedominus'') in

Leuk Leuk () is a municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013, the former municipality of Erschmatt merged into the municipality of Leuk.Raron affair The Raron affair (German: ''Raronhandel'') was a 15th-century rebellion in the Valais (the prince-bishopric of Sion) against the power of a local noble family, the Raron family. The rebellion brought several cantons of the Swiss Confederation i ...

of 1413–1420, the population of

Upper Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion. Valais is situated in the southwestern pa ...

revolted against the lords of Raron, specifically against bishop William V (also known as William II) and his father Peter of Raron, and the claims of his uncle Witschard of Raron.

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

had granted Witschard sovereignty over the Valais in 1414 as a reward for his military service in Lombardy. The rebels besieged Witschard and his entourage at Seta Castle near

Savièse Savièse is a municipality in the district of Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Savièse is first mentioned in 1200 as ''Saviesi''. In 1224 it was mentioned as ''Savisia''. The municipality was formerly known by its German ...

and forced his resignation as episcopal

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

and gained the right to elect their own representatives in the government. Witschard was forced to leave Valais and appealed to Bern for help, but was unable to gain any support. He then approached Amadeus of Savoy, who allied with Witschard and sent troops into Valais. Supported by Savoy, the Rarons re-occupied their castles, but the rebellion continued in the valley. By 1417 Valais troops had destroyed Beauregard,

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and Montorge castles, and all centers of the Raron power. Since the family held

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 ...

ese citizenship, they again appealed to the city for help in regaining their lands. This resulted in a division of the

Swiss Confederation 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. Switzerlan ...

. In September 1417 Witschard and his family had to flee the country permanently.von Wattenwyl, pg. 527 After Valais troops attacked and besieged Raron castles, Bern invaded over the

Sanetsch Pass Sanetsch Pass (French: ''Col du Sanetsch'' or ''Col de Sénin'') (el. 2242 m) is a high List of mountain passes in Switzerland, mountain pass in Switzerland across the western Bernese Alps, connecting Gsteig in the canton of Bern and Sion, Switze ...

and plundered Sion in 1418. At the Second Battle of Ulrichen in September 1419 the Bernese were forced to retreat. In the peace treaty of 1420, Valais accepted the payment of reparations to the family, but continued to resist their power at every opportunity and continued to self-govern. With his authority damaged, his castles burned and a sullen population, the Baron abandoned Valais and died in Rome in 1431. Petermann von Raron (c. 1405–1479) was the last baron of Raron, and lord in

Toggenburg Toggenburg is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the River Thur (Switzerland), Thur and that of the Necker (river), Necker, one of its afluents. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (''Wahlkreis ...

, participating in the

Old Zürich War The Old Zurich War (; 1440–1446) was a conflict between the canton of Zurich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg. In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg died, leaving nei ...

on the side of the Confederacy. He inherited the rights to the Toggenburg in 1437 via his mother Margaretha of Rhäzuns. Petermann moved to the Toggenburg while his brother Hildebrand remained in the Valais, leading to a de facto division of the Raron lands, even though both brothers nominally were co-regents of the entirety patrimony. Petermann sold

Uznach Uznach is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Uznach is first mentioned in 741 as ''Uzinaa'' in a grant from a noble lady at Benken Abbey to the Abbey of Saint ...

to Schwyz and Glarus in 1437/8. He fought on the side of the Confederacy in their invasion of the territory of Zürich in 1440/1. He later participated in the siege of Winterthur (1460) and in the Waldshut feud against

Sigismund, Archduke of Austria Sigismund (26 October 1427 – 4 March 1496), a member of the House of Habsburg, was List of rulers of Austria, Duke of Austria from 1439 (elevated to Archduke in 1477) until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg Leopoldian line, he ruled over F ...

(1468). Both Hildebrand and Petermann died without issue, and the family was extinct upon Petermann's death in 1479.

References

*Edwin Hauser: ''Geschichte der Freiherren v. Raron.'' Zürich 1916. * {{Authority control History of Valais Swiss noble families