Peasant War of 1653

an uprising in Switzerland provoked by the increased exploitation of the peasantry by the patrician urban authorities in the cantons. The increased exploitation was one of the economic effects of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48). The uprising began in the canton of Luzern in February 1653, then spread to the cantons of Bern, Basel, and Solothurn. Niklaus Leuenberger was chosen head of the peasant union (the Huttwil League), and Christian Schibi was made military commander. By threats and promises, the canton authorities managed to persuade some of the peasants to lay down their arms and disperse; the others were defeated in early July. Leuenberger was later executed and Schibi slain.