Napoleon was a cheap Anglo Saxon Corporate servant. Yes the Romans made
mistakes but this man is 1000 times worse.
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S1000+
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--- On Tue, 8/5/08, Scott Munson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
From: Scott Munson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [cia-drugs] The Habsburgs in Switzerland
To:
Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 11:20 AM
The Habsburgs in SwitzerlandGlobal_Police_ State-subscribe@
yahoogroups. comhttp://www.swissinf o.ch/eng/ front/World_ rulers_from_
Switzerland. html?siteSect=
105&sid=9364154&cKey=1217341465000&ty=st&ref=nl<http://www.swissinf o.ch/eng/
front/World_ rulers_from_ Switzerland. html?siteSect=
105&sid=9364154&cKey=1217341465000&ty=st&ref=nl>
World rulers from SwitzerlandJuly 25, 2008 Habsburg castle near Brugg in
canton Aargau The Habsburgs were a dynasty that shaped European history as no
other has done – but they had their modest roots in Switzerland.2008 has been
designated Habsburg memorial year. It is the 900th anniversary of the first
documented mention of the family name, and the 700th anniversary of the
assassination – in Switzerland – of the second Habsburg king.For most Europeans
the Habsburgs are the family which for centuries held the throne of the
so-called Holy Roman Empire, which later became the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
ended only after the First World War. For 200 years they sat on the Spanish
throne and ruled large swathes of the Americas as well. (see Key Facts)But they
have traditionally had a bad press in Switzerland; in the Middle Ages they held
large amounts of land in what is now Swiss territory and came into conflict
with the independent communities who
were struggling to assert their own freedoms.Over the years more and more
communities came together and Switzerland gradually grew as a loose
confederation, including city states like Zurich and Bern, who had different
interests of their own to defend and assert.This was the context in which the
Swiss repeatedly clashed with the Habsburgs, gradually winning control over
what had once been the Habsburg heartland.The legend of William Tell, who
refused to accept the dictates of the Habsburgs' wicked governor Gessler, is a
part of Swiss identity. Every year celebrations mark the key 14th century
victories over Habsburg armies at Morgarten, Sempach and Näfels in the Swiss
heartland."The House of Habsburg helped shape Switzerland, " said Economics
Minister Doris Leuthard at an official ceremony to mark the memorial year. "We
grew by resisting the Habsburgs."Another viewBut this is only one side of the
coin. The organisers of the Habsburg Year hope to set
the family's achievements in perspective.The celebrations are concentrated in
the northern canton of Aargau, where the Habsburgs had their first castle and
where they still owned a last strip of territory up until 1797.The small town
of Brugg, near the original Habsburg castle, is housing one of several
exhibitions."We want to show a piece of Aargau history which people aren't so
familiar with, because the Habsburgs tend to be portrayed as the baddies in
Swiss history," Peter Frey, one of the curators of the exhibition, told
swissinfo."People here in Aargau learn the same history as everyone else in
Switzerland, so they are really interested to see another side."The forefathers
of the Habsburgs probably came from Alsace, but at the beginning of the 11th
century one of them, Count Radbot, settled close to what is now Brugg and ruled
his lands from there. According to the story Radbot had lost his hawk – Habicht
in German – while hunting. He found it
on a hill which seemed perfect for a castle, which he built and named after
the bird.But it was only about 80 years later that the name of the castle was
applied to the family: it first occurs in a document of 1108 when count Otto
von Havichsberg joined a campaign against the Hungarians.They were originally
minor nobles just like many other families, but by a combination of skill and
luck they acquired more and more land and power. In 1273 Rudolf von Habsburg
became the first of the family to be elected German king, the supreme ruler of
the empire.By the time he died in 1291 he had managed to secure much of the
territory of today's Austria for his family, moving the centre of their power
eastwards for ever."He was a skilful diplomat, an experienced fighter, a
charismatic personality and a pragmatist, in other words all the qualities
needed to be a successful politician," said Frey.Habsburg castle in the Middle
Ages, from a 19th century reconstruction.
The tower and courtyard on the right of the image have now disappeared The
Habsburgs and the SwissThe small communities in central Switzerland who wanted
to govern themselves were faced with a paradoxical situation. It was only the
emperor who could grant them the freedom to do so, but the Habsburgs as major
landholders in the region had an interest in curbing their freedoms.When Rudolf
died, the three rural communities of Schwyz, Unterwalden and Uri took an oath
of mutual support in case his successor tried to take away their freedoms. This
oath is traditionally regarded as Switzerland' s founding act.Luckily for the
Swiss, at this time the empire did not yet fall automatically into Habsburg
hands. Rudolf's son Albrecht became German king in 1298, but was murdered by
his nephew over an inheritance in 1308. By the time the Habsburgs started
succeeding each other, the Swiss had more or less thrown them out.But Frey
pours cold water on the heroic
accounts of Swiss victories written by chroniclers from the winning side."In
reading Swiss history you always have to reverse the figures. A people's army
whose men can be called up is always stronger than an army of knights. When we
hear that 400 Swiss beat 1,500 Habsburg troops, in actual fact it was probably
1,500 Swiss who beat 400 Habsburgs. You'll always win if there are more of
you."Furthermore, the Swiss and the Habsburg perspectives were somewhat
different. The Habsburgs were extremely successful in enlarging their lands to
the east. Their holdings in the west thus became less important.When in 1415
the Swiss Confederates seized most of what is now canton Aargau, including
Habsburg castle, it meant a certain loss of prestige but not much more."It was
just a tiny scrap of land that they had lost, of little significance, " says
Frey.For the people of Aargau, they merely swapped Habsburg governors for Swiss
ones.Surviving Swiss connectionAfter
1415 the Habsburgs still owned only the Fricktal area along the Rhine. One
much later ruler is still respected there: Maria Theresa (Theresia in German),
empress from 1740 to 1780."Until recently at least lots of girls in the
Fricktal were called Maria Theresia," says Frey."The reforms she introduced
were very beneficial for the area. For example, she introduced obligatory fire
insurance, and when the Fricktal became part of canton Aargau in 1803 part of
the agreement was that fire insurance must be made obligatory in the whole
canton. That's why even today Aargau has the lowest insurance premiums. The
fund has been invested for 200 years!"And the connection went on: The hearts of
the last crowned members of the dynasty, Emperor Karl I and his wife Zita, are
buried in the Habsburg vault in Muri monastery, founded by Karl's distant
ancestor nearly 1,000 years ago.--THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIREThe so-called Holy Roman
Empire was a union of territories in Central
Europe lasting from the Middle Ages until it was dissolved by Napoleon in 1806.
It was centred on present-day Germany and Austria but at times it extended
eastwards into part of what is now Poland, and westwards into the Netherlands,
and also included parts of modern France and Italy.
The territories making up the empire included kingdoms, principalities and free
cities. These had greater or lesser autonomy at different times.
Originally the emperor was an elected position, but in practice was held
continuously by the Habsburgs from the 16th century onwards.
After the dissolution of the empire, the Habsburgs continued to rule Austria
and then Austria-Hungary until that empire collapsed in 1918.
Otto von Habsburg (born 1912) is the current head of the House of
Habsburg.HABSBURG CHRONOLOGYc 963 Birth of Guntram the Rich, supposed to be the
founder of the dynasty
c 1020 Habsburg Castle built
c 1027 Founding of Muri monastery in canton Aargau
1108 Family name Habsburg first appears
1264 Inherit territories in eastern Switzerland
1273 Rudolf I becomes German king; seizes Austrian lands
1291 Rudolf dies
1308 Rudolf's son Albrecht I murdered near Brugg
1309 Königsfelden founded near site of murder; used as Habsburg burial place
14th century – Swiss gradually drive out Habsburgs
1415 Swiss seize Habsburg heartland
1483-1806 Position of Holy Roman Emperor held by Habsburgs
1504-1700 Spain (and Spanish lands in Americas) ruled by Habsburgs
1806-1918 Austrian empire, subsequently Austro-Hungarian empire, ruled by
Habsburgs.GALLERIES Habsburg YearThe Habsburg Year in SwitzerlandRelated
stories25.04.2008
Bern pays homage to a bitter enemy10.03.2003
Exhibition traces Bern's path from war to peace10.06.2002
Habsburg legacy lives on in Aargau26.07.2004
Who was William Tell?LINKSHabsburg genealogy and historyHabsburg year
(German)Habsburg castle (German)Swiss history (Middle Ages)http://www.swissinf
o.ch/eng/ front/World_ rulers_from_ Switzerland. html?siteSect=
105&sid=9364154&cKey=1217341465000&ty=st&ref=nl
