Sonderbund War
분리동맹 전쟁
The civil war of November 1847 in Switzerland between the Confederation and the seven conservative Catholic cantons that had formed the Sonderbund against centralisation in 1845. General Dufour's federal army won within weeks, and the constitution of 1848 turned Switzerland from a loose confederation of cantons into a federal state.
In depth
The Sonderbund comprised Lucerne, Fribourg, Valais, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Zug; Ticino and Solothurn, Catholic but under liberal governments, stayed out. The Federal Diet declared the alliance unconstitutional in October 1847 and ordered it dissolved by force, and the federal army of 100,000 advanced from 3 November. The Sonderbund council dissolved itself on 26 November, and federal troops entered Central Switzerland and Valais between 25 and 29 November. About 100 people were killed. It is counted as a prelude to the revolutions of 1848.