Johannes Künzle

Johannes "Bot" Künzle

Johannes "Bot" Künzle (born December 1, 1749 in Gossau ; † November 4, 1820 ibid) was a Swiss politician, leader of the popular movement in the Old Landscape of the Prince Abbey of St. Gallen (1793–1798) and Landammann of the Republic of the St Gallen (1798).

Life

On the way to great things

Johannes Künzle was born on December 1, 1749, the son of a red tanner. Künzle spent his childhood in the “Gapf” on the road from Gossau to Andwil . His father later ran a grocer in the village, where Künzle learned the butcher's trade. In reading and writing, the boy developed skills well above the average at the time. Due to his intellectual qualities, he was able to take up the responsible and well-paid position of foot mail carrier at the royal post office in Gossau in 1767 . Künzle traveled back and forth between Gossau, the Appenzell regions , Toggenburg and parts of Thurgau and soon became known as “Bot Künzle”. The position quickly made him known and enabled him to come into contact with the leading social class in his postal district.

The reputation Künzle already enjoyed at that time is shown by the fact that he married Anna Maria Contamin (1756–1822) in 1779. Her father was a wealthy cloth merchant from the Savoy family. This marriage into one of the first and richest merchant families in the town created the prerequisite for Künzle to expand his activities to include road construction. When Prince Abbot Beda Angehrn, as part of his extensive efforts to improve transport connections, tackled the expansion of the road from Gossau to the border outside Rhodes, the contract went to Johannes Künzle in 1785. From then on he received a share of the way money.

The acquaintance with the Prince Bailiff Karl Müller-Friedberg, one of the most prominent political figures of his time, was certainly groundbreaking for Künzel's future . Künzle was often to visit the administrator of the office in Oberberg (1783–1798). Here Künzle is said to have trained himself with the books of the Obervogten. The personal relationships with Herisau families, namely the French-minded factory owner family Wetter, may have contributed to the fact that Künzle opened up more and more to the principles of the French Revolution since 1789 . In the meantime, Künzle had been appointed aide major in the prince's militia and, in 1788, municipal governor of Gossau.

The popular movement

1792 occurred in Gossau because of local complaints (increase in the marriage prison - and Hofstattgeldes) to the first unrest. On Epiphany in 1793, notes were posted on some houses in the village under the motto “Pay nothing, you are not scholdig” (Pay nothing, you owe nothing) . Johannes Künzle subsequently headed an opposition movement that was directed against the rule of the prince. At first, the discontented were only interested in non-revolutionary reforms and economic relief. But political demands soon followed. Künzle knew very well how to lead the people and convince his listeners and get them carried away. Despite a lack of school education, he proved to be a skilful, determined tactician with a keen sense in negotiations with the authorities. After further unrest, the so-called committees (community representatives) met in Gossau on Künzle's initiative in 1794. A 17-member Revolutionary Committee was appointed with Künzle at the head ( "It works! It must prevail and if not, [...] good, honor and blood and life are put at risk." ). At the same time the affair came to the four umbrella locations of the prince abbey : Zurich , Lucerne , Schwyz and Glarus , which sympathized with Künzle. In 1795 he called all ammen of the old landscape together to set up a state archive in Waldkirch . With this step one had set foot on revolutionary ground.

At the insistence of the committees, the prince abbot allowed all the offices of the Old Country to meet. Contrary to the prince's instructions, this was not held in the church, but in the open field under the chairmanship of Künzel. A total of 15 objections were drafted. Under pressure the prince consented to a formal investigation of the matter. In the end, a catalog of 61 demands was received. The conflict escalated when the collegiate chapter declined all requests. Prince Abbot Beda Angehrn reacted in this delicate phase with unexpected flexibility and so he personally started negotiations with six committees. The amicable contract emerged from two days of negotiations . The serfdom was abolished along with its affiliated charges. A number of important rights were also assigned to the communities. Most important was the factual handover of military power into the hands of the people. In addition, a district administrator with 51 members should be formed.

In a rural community , the treaty should be solemnly approved by the people. The impressive meeting took place in 1795 on the Mühlewiese in Gossau and became Johannes Künzle's big day. Around 24,000 participants (subjects and curious people from St. Gallen , Appenzell, the Rhine Valley and the Canton of Zurich ) were present. Standing on a pedestal, Künzle opened the meeting in an emphatic opening speech, praised the concession of the prince abbot and promoted acceptance of the agreement. When the prince abbot present ended the meeting with a solemn Te Deum , the reconciliation seemed to have actually succeeded.

Johannes Künzle (the "arch idol of all farmers") was at the height of his popularity in 1795. He had skillfully exploited the weakness of the government and led the popular movement he led to victory without the use of force.

The Free Republic of the St. Gallen Landscape

In 1796, Prince Abbot Pankraz Vorster ascended the chair of St. Gallus and steered a sharper political course. The interpretation of the treaty provisions contained a lot of conflict. So it came about that the subjects split up into “Linde” (loyalty) and “Harte” (Künzle party) - some unrest followed, which only with difficulty subsided. In 1797 the establishment of a district administrator, as provided for in the amicable agreement, was implemented. As expected, Johannes Künzle became chairman of the district administrator. In 1798 there was a meeting between Künzle and Prince Abbot Vorster in Wil . The sovereign was forced to completely cede the state government. The Free Republic of the St. Gallen Region was proclaimed and a democratic constitution was adopted, and Künzle was appointed Landammann. The state did not exist for long, however, because a short time later Künzle was forced to adopt the Helvetic Constitution and the old landscape became part of the Säntis canton . Künzle was appointed president of the administrative chamber of the canton of Säntis, but a period of disillusionment followed. The role of citizen-president was too much for Künzle and in 1799 he was relieved of all offices. After further unrest, he fled to Lucerne. After that, Künzle was able to formally rehabilitate himself and was elected President of the Administrative Chamber for the second time. The coup d'état of January 7, 1800 finally brought his promotion to the Helvetic Senator. Only a little later, as a result of the second coup, he abdicated again in the Senate .

On November 4, 1820, Johannes Künzle died in solitude at the age of 71.

literature

• Franz Xaver Bischof: "I never wanted to be unfaithful to the sovereign, but just as little to the fatherland", the Gossau people's leader Johannes Künzle (1749-1820), published in the Oberberger Blätter 1994/1995, pages 47-59, Verlag Cavelti AG , Gossau.