The Middle Ages, Arts and State Building News

Amerbacher Music Library

Basel was a centre of humanism in the late 15th and 16th centuries. The printing and paper industry flourished thanks to the university’s foundation in 1460. The printer Johannes von Amerbach (1440-1513) settled in Basel in 1484. Erasmus of Rotterdam (1467-1536) was a friend of the family. His youngest son Bonifacius Amerbach (1495-1562) gained access … Read more » “Amerbacher Music Library”

Habsburg and the Confederation 1386-1499

(Eidgenossenschaft) tried to expand their influence. Lucerne, Zurich, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Glarus undertook raids and war campaigns against the Habsburgs. Leopold III then marched on Lucerne. On 9 July, he met troops from Lucerne and the Waldstätten above Sempach. Little is known about the course of the battle. Only Leopold’s death and defeat are … Read more » “Habsburg and the Confederation 1386-1499”

Donatyre and Romanesque Art in Switzerland

From the 11th to the 14th centuries, the area of present-day Switzerland was not a political unity. Several dynasties (a.o. Habsburg, Kyburg, Zähringen, Savoye, Swaben), small local rulers, the German emperor and powerful abbots and bishops (Geneva, Sion, Lausanne, Chur, Basel, and Constance) ruled over smaller or larger areas. These areas lay on the borders … Read more » “Donatyre and Romanesque Art in Switzerland”