Canton of Uri

27 April 2021

The canton of Uri has undergone historical, economic, and political development similar to that of Schwyz in Celtic and Roman times.

Altdorf is the main town of the canton and is famous, among other things, for William Tell. Significant events include Emperor Friedrich II’s (1196-1250) decision on the status of a free imperial city (Reichsunmittelbarkeit), already in 1231 (!) and its relationship and conflicts with the abbeys Fraumünster in Zurich, Engelberg Abbey, and Wettingen Abbey, all three under Habsburg protection.

By the end of the 13th century, the municipalities in Uri had already achieved independence. The alliances with Unterwalden and Schwyz were not just against the Habsburgs, and they certainly did not envision an independent state.

These Orte had a common interest in grazing land management, conflict management and peacekeeping. Uri was economically and politically attractive because of the Gotthard Pass and its lakeside location. It resulted in conflicts with the Habsburg (and its abbeys) and other cantons of the (later) Eidgenossenschaft.

The opening of the Gotthard Pass (1220-1230) meant more than economic growth. Between 1403 and 1515, conquering the Italian territories on the other side of the pass was part of the expansion and rule of the regions (Untertanengebiete).

Uri also participated in other tutelages (Aargau (1415), Thurgau (1460) and the administration of the county of Neuchâtel (1512-1529).

In the 14th century, the Landsgemeinde emerged, which was abolished in 1798. Uri remained Catholic during the Reformation years. The Catholic faith led to alliances with other Catholic cantons and European monarchs, tensions and some (civil) wars but not to a break-up of the Confederation.

The canton vehemently opposed the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) and was a member of the Sonderbund (1845), but ultimately lost the Sonderbund War (1847).

The flag

Uri’s coat of arms is a black bull’s head with a protruding tongue and a red ring through the nose on a golden-yellow background (the Uristier). The meaning is the taming of the bull (symbol of animal husbandry) and the agricultural use of the land. This heraldry dates back to the 13th century.

(Source: R. Sablonier, Gründungszeit ohne Eidgenossen. Politik und Gesellschaft in der Innerschweiz um 1300, Baden, 2013).