A Republic Born of Defiance

The story of the Seven Tithings begins in the High Middle Ages in what is now the canton of Valais in southern Switzerland. This region, a critical crossroads controlling Alpine passes, was historically under the thumb of a powerful prince-bishop based in the town of Sion. Like peasants across Europe, the people of the Upper Valais were subjects, expected to pay taxes and tithes to their feudal and ecclesiastical overlords.

However, the people of the Valais were different. Isolated by their mountain geography and hardened by the challenges of alpine life, they developed a strong sense of community and a stubborn streak of independence. They began organizing themselves into cooperative districts for managing common lands, resolving disputes, and providing for their mutual defense. These districts became known as Zenden, or “Tithings.” Originally administrative units of the bishopric, the Tithings slowly evolved into the building blocks of a new political reality.

The Long Road to Sovereignty

The transition from subjugated peasants to sovereign republicans was not a single event but a long, often bloody, process spanning centuries. The communities of the Upper Valais learned early that freedom had to be won and defended. An early milestone was the Battle of Ulrichen in 1211, where Valaisan forces defeated an army sent by the Duke of Zähringen, asserting their right to local autonomy.

The Bishop’s Diminishing Power

The primary struggle was against their immediate overlord, the Prince-Bishop of Sion. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, the Tithings systematically chipped away at the bishop’s secular power. They forced concessions, asserted their rights in written charters, and began electing their own officials. A major turning point came during the “Raron Affair” in the early 15th century, a complex civil war where the Tithings rose up against the powerful Raron noble family, who had the bishop’s backing. The peasants’ victory effectively broke the power of the local aristocracy and further solidified the authority of the Tithings’ own assemblies.

By the 16th century, the Prince-Bishop was largely a figurehead. While he remained the spiritual head of the diocese, his political power was gone. The Republic of the Seven Tithings now had its own head of state, the Landeshauptmann, who was elected by representatives from the Tithings, not appointed by the bishop.

Victory at La Planta

While the Tithings secured internal control, they still faced external threats, most notably from the powerful House of Savoy to the west. The rivalry culminated in 1475 during the Burgundian Wars. As allies of the Swiss Confederacy, the forces of the Seven Tithings met a Savoyard army near Sion. In the decisive Battle of La Planta, the Valaisan peasant-soldiers, employing their knowledge of the terrain and their formidable pike formations, crushed the invading army. This victory not only secured their independence but allowed them to conquer and control the French-speaking Lower Valais, which they ruled as a subject territory—a complex irony for a state founded on the principle of self-determination.

The Mechanics of a Peasant Democracy

So, how did this unique republic function? The state was a loose federation of the seven Tithings, which were:

• Goms
• Brig
• Visp
• Raron
• Leuk
• Siders (Sierre)
• Sion

The ultimate authority was the Landrat, or Diet, a legislative assembly where each tithing sent its representatives. It was here that laws were passed, treaties were ratified, and decisions about war and peace were made. Power flowed from the bottom up—from the local village assemblies to the Tithing councils, and finally to the federal Diet. It was a system that valued local autonomy and communal consensus, a precursor to the modern federal structure of Switzerland.

This democratic spirit was backed by military prowess. Every able-bodied man was part of the militia, ready to defend his valley at a moment’s notice. Their reputation as tough, disciplined fighters made them sought-after mercenaries across Europe, bringing both wealth and military experience back to their mountain homeland.

The Inevitable End

For centuries, the Republic of the Seven Tithings thrived, a remarkable anomaly in a Europe dominated by monarchies and empires. Its downfall came not from a feudal lord or rival prince, but from the tidal wave of revolution that swept across the continent.

In 1798, the armies of Revolutionary France invaded Switzerland, determined to replace the patchwork of old aristocratic and democratic states with a centralized, French-style “Helvetic Republic.” The fierce but outnumbered militia of the Valais was defeated, and the ancient Republic of the Seven Tithings was dissolved. Its centuries-old autonomy came to an abrupt end.

After the turmoil of the Napoleonic era, the Valais was reconstituted. In 1815, the entire Valais, including both the old Republic and its former subject territories, joined the restored Swiss Confederation as a new canton on equal footing with the others.

Legacy of the Seven Tithings

Though the Republic of the Seven Tithings no longer exists, its spirit endures. It stands as a powerful example of pre-modern republicanism, proving that ideals of freedom and self-governance were not confined to classical city-states or enlightened philosophers. They could be forged in the harsh reality of mountain life by communities of ordinary people determined to be masters of their own destiny.

The legacy of the Tithings lives on in the strong tradition of local governance in the Canton of Valais and in the broader Swiss identity, which so values decentralization, communal rights, and armed neutrality. It is a reminder that sometimes, the most profound stories of freedom are found not in the grand halls of power, but in the secluded valleys of a stubborn mountain folk.