In 1291, when Rudolf I of Habsburg died, the elites of the Waldstätte (“forest cantons”) Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden renewed an older treaty confirming that they would maintain public peace and efficient jurisdiction without interference from outside, to secure their privileged position. Such pacts were common at that time, but this one was to be considered much later as the foundation of the Swiss Confederation. But only since 1891 has August 1, 1291, been celebrated as the birth of the nation.
