Gachnang trade

The Gachnang trade was a religious dispute in the 17th century in Gachnang in the canton of Thurgau in what was then the Swiss Confederation .

The judge of Gachnang, Hector von Beroldingen, wanted to reintroduce the Catholic faith into the Reformed community. During this attempt a dispute arose over the grave crosses in the cemetery of the Gachnang village church . When a wedding was celebrated in May 1610, another incident occurred in the course of which the stately wine cellar and the Catholic chapel were looted and destroyed. Around 800 Reformed people took part in this incident.

Result

The five co-ruling Catholic places wanted to crack down on the looters and Zurich. As a result, the tensions between the federal estates had risen so sharply that one was already thinking of a war. The canton of Bern was able to mediate at the last minute. As a punishment, those involved had to go to jail or pay fines. Ultimately, Zurich paid for most of the buses. The cemetery and the parish plots were ultimately divided between the individual denominations.

literature

• Heinrich Stösser: The Gachnang trade 1610. A contribution to the religious policy of the Confederation . Friborg 1965.

• Rudolph Hanhart. Tales from Swiss history based on the chronicles. 1838. P. 92 ff. The Gachnanger trade. 1610. (Described by a contemporary.)

Web links

• Peter Giger: Gachnanger trade. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .