Swiss Confederacy founded at Rutli

August 1, 1291

Representatives of the Alpine cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden swore a perpetual defensive league on a meadow above Lake Lucerne. The league, later adorned with the legend of William Tell, grew over centuries into the Swiss Confederation. The Bundesbrief, or federal charter, with its promise of mutual defense against outside lords, became the founding document of one of Europe's oldest continuous democracies.