Le Fähnlein: Antiche bandiere di guerra dei cantoni svizzeri

Abstract

When we have the chance to see a flag display in Switzerland we can notice side to side modern style flags and flags modelled on other patterns, such as the so called “geflammt” (flaming flags) or in some cases the fähnlein, ancient flags used in war some centuries ago to distinguish the Swiss military contingents. To know why these latter came into use we have to go briefly through the history of the making of the Confederation. Officially the Swiss Confederation was born on the 1st August 1291. This is all of a myth, just rising the signing of a Pact of mutual help among three Cantons (the so-called Originary Ones) to the start point of indipendence. Actually this has been a long and not straight process, and many other Pacts of mutual help were signed since then. The territory of nowadays Switzerland was quite half and half in the lands of the Duchy (later Kingdom) of Burgundy and the Roman Sacred German Empire. The very core of the birth of the Confederation being under the power of the Emperor, we must point out that all the process has gone slowly and by steps. Many episodes of rebellion to the feudal lords, Imperial grants of privileges to towns, respect and disrespect by each Canton of the Pacts signed, wars against common foes fought together, wars between Cantons, new territory acquisitions into the Confederacy or conquests to enlarge the boundaries of some Cantons, are all aspects that occur in the way to the aknowledge of a real indipendence. This came only in 1648 with the Treaty stipulated in the so-called Peace of Westfalen. In all this lapse of time, the Confederates fought frequently to affirm their landlordship. Since early XIV century every Canton sent a contingent under its proper banner, thus creating a colourful but very fierce bunch of men and flags who faced enemies with as many a bunch of colourful flags. To avoid confusion and tactical errors on the field, armies began to feel the need to become more identifiable, thus adopting a specific mark of sign different from other armies; the Habsburgs’ armies wore a red cross, the Burgundians and later the Imperials wore a St.Andrew red cross. For the first time in the battle of Laupen in 1339, it is reported that the contingent sent by Berne (at that time not part of the Confederacy, but only allied to) wore on its clothing two white linen strips sewn to form a cross, just to be recognized as part of the Confederate Army. From that time this sign, that we can call “of membership”, widespread to all the Cantons eventually shifting on their flags, or as we can better say on their colours, not exactly matching all the fähnlein with the corresponding flag. The use of this crosslet and the colours of each Canton were finally stated by the Federal Assembly (Diet) in 1480, officially creating a kind of flag for military use different from that for other purposes. It went out of use in the late ‘500, facing the adoption of a unique distinctive common flag to identify the Confederation. Even if the fähnlein are a whitness of the “birth” of the Swiss cross, they have since long been stored in the closet of the historical souvenirs, from where nowadays they are often pulled out to make their show and embellish a flag display, side by side with modern ones or others in traditional pattern.