History of the Canton of Graubünden

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The area of ​​today's canton of Graubünden has been populated since the Ice Age and since then has been a melting pot of different peoples who inhabited the Alpine region or were interested in securing the pass routes.

Stone age

Old Stone Age

Because the Alpine valleys were covered by high ice masses during the Paleolithic, there are hardly any finds from this period; Find sites are only conceivable on the edge or above the glacier. In the Drachenloch above Vättis and the Apollo Cave near St. Antönien, cave bear bones, charcoal remains and devices that refer to human life around 50,000 BC were discovered. Indicate. Only after the glaciers had melted between the 14th and 12th millennium did the first vegetation develop. Finds of devices made from Chur- Mars oil date from the late Paleolithic Age . They date from the time between 11,000 and 9500 BC.

Mesolithic

After the glaciers retreated, a tundra- and steppe-like landscape had formed; the alpine valleys were slowly being settled. Only a few finds are known from the Mesolithic . In Tec Nev, below the Castello of Mesocco , numerous flint artefacts and pieces of jewelery were found during the construction of the motorway eight meters below today's ground level, under a Bronze Age layer. A C14 analysis revealed a date to around 5000 BC. Any settlements from that time are now located in the valley floor area, are covered with landslide material or have been destroyed by rivers. Some resting places for hunters are known, for example in Val San Giacomo or at Lai da Rims in Val Müstair . The mesolithic sites in northern Grisons come from the Werdenberg area in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley.

Neolithic

Nine settlements in Graubünden are known from the Neolithic Age ; all are in the deep through valleys of the Rhine Valley , Domleschg and Misox : In Chur the areas Zindel and Ackermann, Untervaz -Haselboden and Haselbodenkopf, Zizers- Friedau, Tamins- Crestis, the Petrushügel in Cazis and on the south side of the Alps Mesocco Tec Nev and Castaneda GR - Pian del Remit. The small settlements hardly existed for more than 50 to 100 years. There are also several individual finds that do not indicate settlement sites.

Bronze age

During the Early Bronze Age , the Graubünden Alpine region was intensively repopulated; The few settlements from the Neolithic age were replaced by fifty to sixty longer existing settlements in high alpine valleys such as the Val Lumnezia , in Oberhalbstein and in the Engadin , some of which only comprised a few buildings. One reason for these new settlements may be found in the fact that more copper ore was found on Graubünden soil. Its mining, smelting and processing led to increased traffic and trade across the Alpine passes. The inhabitants of these Bronze Age villages were farmers and lived from agriculture and cattle breeding.

During the early and middle Bronze Age , and in some cases also in the Late Bronze Age , an independent culture developed in the Graubünden valleys, which was formerly known as the Crestaulta culture, today as the Inner-Alpine Bronze Age culture. In the course of the Late Bronze Age, new cultures advanced into the Alpine region; the Inner Alpine Bronze Age culture was displaced.

Most of the settlements from the Bronze Age were hilltop settlements and were located on hilltops, ledges or hillside terraces that could be defended well. They were inhabited by 20 to 100 people, depending on their size. The settlement of Savognin- Padnal was in a hollow, the Cresta settlement of Cazis in a deep crevice, the huts on the Mutta von Falera and Ardez- Suotchasté stood between mighty boulders. The settlements lasted several hundred, sometimes more than a thousand years.

Few are known of grave finds from that time. The six stone box graves from Donat- Surses date from the early Bronze Age . At Lumbrein a field was found with eleven women's graves from the Middle Bronze Age with jewelry from the Crestaulta settlement . Further graves with body burials were found near Laax Salums.

Iron age

Around 15 BC BC Roman troops pushed north for the first time to secure the Alpine passes and to establish bases north of the Alps. After the Bronze Age, there was a cultural tripartite division in Graubünden, which is clearly recognizable throughout the Iron Age. The Münstertal and the Lower Engadine also belonged to the Rhaetian cultural area, with a focus on South Tyrol and Trentino. Typical settlements of this Laugen-Melaun culture are Ramosch -Mottata, Scuol -Munt Baselgia and Ardez -Suotcasté. This culture was replaced by the Fritzens-Sanzeno culture , from which a burnt offering site was found in Scuol-Russonch.

In addition to Rhaetian finds, there are predominantly evidence of Celtic and Celtoretic cultures that penetrated from the north in northern and central Grisons . Urn fields from that time were found in Chur-Karlihof and Vella . The northern Celtic influence in the younger Iron Age was evident in the pottery found in the remains of settlements in Chur- Welschdörfli , Fläsch or Grepault near Trun . During this time the Raetian elements almost completely disappear.

The southern valleys of the Grisons belonged to the Golasecca culture in the Iron Age , which is characterized by a wealth of grave goods. In the graves of Mesocco-Coop, Castaneda GR and Cama GR , a lot of jewelry as well as jugs, iron swords, jugs and mugs were found. The prosperity indicated by these tombs is likely to be due to the valley's role as a transit route between north and south. Early Roman writers name the Lepontier as the bearer of this culture. Settlement remains from that time are sparse.

Trade in prehistoric and Roman times

Roman columns on the Julier Pass

From the Bronze Age, there was evidence of intensive trade across the Alpine passes. Bronze objects, pewter, amber and ceramic vessels were traded.

From the Iron Age, jewelery from the southern Alpine region and the first coins were found. Salt was imported from southern Germany.

The movement of goods during Roman times was mainly carried out over the Julier Pass . Terra Sigillata tableware, olive oil, wine, tropical fruits, oysters, fabrics and spices were imported into Graubünden ; cattle, grain, honey and wax, pitch, rock crystal, soapstone tableware , cheese and woolen coats were exported. Barter was increasingly being replaced by payment with coins.

Roman time

Switzerland in Roman times

Around 16/15 Roman troops under Emperor Augustus advanced north. In a pincer movement, Tiberius and Drusus conquered the entire Alpine region from Valais to Bavaria within four months from Gaul and Trentino . A third unit moved from Como over the Bergell and the Septimerpass through the Oberhalbstein and along the Alpine Rhine . Finds of Roman slinging lead from the Septimerpass and at Crap Ses testify to the crossing. The pass was one of the most important European north-south connections in Roman times. The purpose of the campaign was likely to have been to secure the Alpine passes and to build bases north of the Alps. The province of Raetia (originally Raetia et Vindelicia ) was founded in the 1st century under Tiberius or Claudius ; The capital was Augusta Vindelicum - Augsburg . Under Constantine around 300 it was divided into the provinces Raetia prima (capital Chur) and Raetia secunda (capital Augsburg). In the course of Christianization , the oldest diocese north of the Alps was established in Chur. Until the early Middle Ages, the southern part of Raetia Prima was called Churrätien after the capital Chur . In addition to the Roman Curia, there were numerous smaller settlements in the Graubünden area, especially on the traffic axes. Fortified places were in Tiefencastel , Vicosoprano , Castiel and Schiedberg in the Surselva . Roman sanctuaries were the one on the Julier Pass, the Zillis cult cave and the burnt offering place of St. Luzisteig near Fläsch .

Cultural changes

The Roman campaign led to great cultural changes in the conquered areas. Large stone houses with lime mortar technology, covered with bricks or shingles, with hypocaust heating and wall paintings, replaced the previous wooden structures. Thermal baths , theaters and temples were built.

Over the course of a few centuries, Latin, or the Vulgar Latin spoken by soldiers, supplanted the native Celtic and Rhaetian languages. The Rhaeto-Romanic or Graubünden Romanic dialects emerged from the "Rätolatein" .

Early middle ages

During the 5th century, the Roman troops gradually withdrew from Raetia. While Raetia Secunda was no longer under Roman rule, Raetia Prima as a bulwark against the Teutons and the southern valleys were still wholly or predominantly part of the kingdom of Odoacer (476–493), which was replaced by the kingdom of the Ostrogoths . After Theodoric's death in 526, Raetia - as the area of ​​the former province Raetia Prima was now called - fell to the Franconian Empire together with Alemannia around 536/537 . The southern valleys, however, remained with the Ostrogoth Empire and came to the Longobard Empire in 568 .

The rulership of Raetia was soon held by the Viktoriden , who occupied the important (formerly Roman) main offices praeses and dux as well as the Chur episcopal dignity. Around 806/807, the introduction of the Carolingian county constitution brought about a radical change. The rule of the Victorids was smashed, the rights of rule were split up. The Franconian divisions of the empire always saw Raetia as part of the East Franconian Empire, while the southern Graubünden valleys that did not belong to Raetia were part of the Lotharingian Middle Kingdom or Kingdom of Italy.

The fact that hardly any settlement remains from the early Middle Ages were found or researched is due to the fact that the settlements at that time are located under today's villages and are also difficult to grasp as wooden buildings. Only churches, monasteries and stately buildings like the Zizers royal court were built as stone buildings. The numerous early medieval churches and graves show a considerable density of settlements.

High Middle Ages

Beginning of the first German-speaking Graubünden document from November 30, 1284

In the 10th and 11th centuries Raetia was part of the Duchy of Swabia . During this time, the Rhaetian count's rights were divided between the three counties of Lower Rats, Upper Rats (border around Feldkirch) and Vinschgau (1141 to Tyrol). Chiavenna, Bergell and Upper Engadine now also belonged to Raetia and Swabia. Lower Engadine and Münstertal belonged to the Duchy of Baiern .

During the High Middle Ages, sovereign rights were concentrated in individual territories. The most important territorial lord was the Bishop of Chur (town and surrounding area Chur, Bergell, Puschlav, Upper Engadin, Lower Engadin, Val Müstair). Local nobles took the place of foreign noble families in the 12th century. In addition to the smaller territories of various counts and lords, the rulership of the Disentis Monastery in the Vorderrhein Valley should be mentioned. Chiavenna and Misox came to the Visconti family from the Duchy of Milan .

  • Noble lords in Graubünden around 1367

  • Division of the three frets into high courts

In the 13th century, Walsers immigrated from the west via the Valais , who settled in the highest valleys and valley steps. The Germanization of the Chur region, on the other hand, happened roughly at the same time from the north, but took place more slowly. That is why the German dialects of Graubünden still belong to two different dialect groups.

Late Middle Ages

The late Middle Ages were characterized by the rapid takeover of the aristocratic territories by new ruling classes, as well as the independent action of the judicial communities and their unification in the early state federations of the Church of the House of God (1367, estates of episcopal rule), the Upper or Gray Bund (1395, rule of the Disentis monastery as the starting point ) and Ten Court Association (1436). These leagues developed from 1450 to an independent state structure ( Free State of the Three Leagues) and in 1524 gave each other a common constitution (Bundsbrief). The judicial communities were sovereign members; their current successors are partly the districts, partly the communities. Through various treaties (since 1497), the leagues became equal partners of the Swiss Confederation (formally as an assigned location ). The relationship with Reich / Kaiser / Habsburg was regulated by various agreements in 1500, 1502 and 1518 (1518 contract with Emperor Maximilian I - this contract was valid until 1798).

Modern times

During the Reformation , each judicial community decided on its own denomination due to its sovereignty. A little over half of the parishes (including the city of Chur) subsequently converted to the new faith. In the context of the Reformation translation of the Bible, there was written Rhaeto-Romanic literature for the first time .

During the Thirty Years' War , Graubünden got caught up in the turmoil of Graubünden in the maelstrom of European politics; taking sides with Austria or France threatened to tear the country apart. The pastor and military leader Jörg Jenatsch is considered to be the “savior of Graubünden” at that time . In 1648 the leagues gained independence from the Holy Roman Empire, and Rhäzüns also became part of the Free State.

Since 1512 the confederations had controlled the subordinate areas of Chiavenna , Valtellina and Bormio to the south , which became part of the Cisalpine Republic in 1797 (1802 Italian Republic, 1805 Kingdom of Italy, 1815 Habsburg Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetian, 1859 with Lombardy to Italy). Napoleon demanded that the Veltliner et al. with the Graubünden, which they did not want to admit.

  • The creation of the Three Leagues until 1512

  • The Free State of the Three Leagues until 1797

In 1799/1800 the area of ​​the Drei Bünde came to the Helvetic Republic as the canton of Raetia , and in 1803 as the canton of Graubünden to Switzerland. Tarasp had never belonged to the Three Leagues , which only now came to Graubünden from Austria.

19th century

The constitution of the canton of Graubünden from 1814 did not come into force until 1820 and was completely revised in 1853. With it, the Graubünden federal state was transformed into the modern canton and sovereignty was transferred from the judicial communities to the people, whereby the communal autonomy, which is still pronounced today, refers to the earlier federal conditions.

The second half of the 19th century saw the replacement of traditional ruling classes by new educated elites and the beginning change to a service society. In 1880 and 1892 the canton received new constitutions.

20th century

Loan for CHF 1,000 from the Canton of Graubünden on December 18, 1901

In the first half of the 20th century there was great resistance in Graubünden to the introduction of the automobile. On August 17, 1900, the cantonal government banned the use of automobiles on all roads in the canton of Graubünden. The ban was not lifted until 25 years later in a referendum on June 21, 1925. Large parts of the country have been shaped by mass tourism since 1950.

The latest constitution dates from 2003. The attempt to simplify the structure of the canton, which is sometimes perceived as overdifferentiated with municipalities, districts and districts, and to introduce proportional representation (proportional representation) instead of majority voting (majority) for the Grand Council failed.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : History of the canton of Graubünden  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rätisches Museum ( Memento of the original from September 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.raetischesmuseum.gr.ch
  2. ↑ Ticino newspaper
  3. ^ Patrick Nagy, Cesare Santi: Castaneda. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  4. ^ Aline Studies PDF
  5. ^ Ernst Probst: The Inner Alpine Bronze Age Culture in Switzerland: 1000 Years of Prehistory, Grin Verlag, 2011
  6. ↑ Jürg Simonett: Donat. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  7. ↑ Jürg Rageth, Paul Eugen Grimm: Scuol. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  8. ^ Patrick Nagy, Cesare Santi: Castaneda. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  9. ↑ Bavarian Academy of Sciences (PDF; 276 kB)
  10. ↑ Jürg Rageth, Stefanie Martin-Kilcher, Reinhold Kaiser, Werner Meyer, Martin Bundi, Florian Hitz, Peter Bollier, Max Hilfiker, Silvio Färber, Ulrich Pfister, Adolf Collenberg, Marc Antoni Nay, Philipp von Cranach, Georg Jäger, Jürg Simonett: Grisons. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  11. ↑ Pölitz, HL: The European Constitutions from 1798 to the Most Recent, Leipzig 1833, p. 172
  12. ↑ http://www.verfassungen.de/ch/graubuenden/index.htm
  13. ^ Special case Graubünden: The battle for the automobile in Neue Zürcher Zeitung of July 4, 2016