➔ Before Switzerland: Medieval Lords and Mountain Communities
| 5 minute read
This is the retelling of Chapter 1 of A Concise History of Switzerland by Clive H. Church and Randolph C. Head (Cambridge University Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0-521-14382-0).
Switzerland as we know it did not exist until pretty late. Modern historians agree that “the Swiss” as a concept only appeared in the 1400s. The actual state showed up in the 1800s and took its final shape in 1848. Before all that, there was just a fragmented region of mountains, valleys and small towns. No unity. No shared identity. Just geography and local politics.