The upper Reuss valley from the Lake of Lucerne to the Schöllenen gorge.
Ludwig the German gave the Fraumünster his estates and churches here in 853; the imperial advocacy over the abbey's people passed from the Lenzburgers (about 976-1173) to the Zähringen. The valley men already act together at times: in 955 'we the inhabitants of Uri' secured tithe rights, and in 1196 a quarrel with the men of Glarus over the alps at the Klausen pass was settled. Other lords hold land in the valley: the lords of Rapperswil (wide property, given to Wettingen after 1227), the Attinghausen free family, ministerial families who later serve as the Fraumünster's stewards (Meier).
About 1200 the Schöllenen gorge is opened, and the valley becomes the road to the Gotthard. Urseren above the gorge belongs to the abbey of Disentis and is left out.
Who holds it
- Name
- The valley men of Uri (free and unfree), under the Fraumünster of Zürich as chief landowner and Berthold V of Zähringen as imperial advocate of Zürich
- Title
- No single holder
- Since
- advocacy: the Zähringen until 1218 (HLS)
- Confidence
- medium
Overlord
The Fraumünster abbey of Zürich (lands and churches since 853) and the king through his advocate.
What it holds
- The Fraumünster's courts and churches (Bürglen and Silenen attested 857)
- Alps and common pastures
- The new Gotthard road through the Schöllenen (about 1200)
How things stand that morning
Quiet under the Zähringen advocacy; the valley's allegiance in the throne war follows its advocate (Staufen).
Law and courts
The advocate's high justice; the abbey's manor courts; the valley's own common action (955, 1196). The seal of the valley appears in 1243 and the 'homines universi vallis Uranie' in 1273.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
In 1200
- about 1200 (not pinned)The Schöllenen gorge is made passable and the Gotthard traffic begins.Depends on: The valley's work and peace. Stopped by: War in the valley.
Later, on the likely course
- 1218 and 1231 (later course)The advocacy passes to Habsburg in 1218; Henry (VII) buys it back for the Empire (charter known through Tschudi; date usually given as 1231).Depends on: The end of the Zähringen. Stopped by: An heir.
Where the sources disagree
- HLS calls the advocacy situation 'uncertain' until the late 13th century; de.wikipedia states the Zähringen held it until 1218.
Evidence: Collective action is attested in 955 and 1196, not in 1199-1200 itself.
On the map: The modern canton less Urseren; the boundary with Glarus at the Klausen was itself disputed in 1196.
Primary sources for Zähringen
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.