Schänis is first mentioned in 972 as "Schennines". Until 1798 it was the capital of the Herrschaft of Gaster and until 1831 it was the capital of the District. In the War of the Second Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars, it was the site of several battles between the Habsburg forces and the French Revolutionary Army: in particular, the first and second battles of Zurich and the Battle of Winterthur were fought there, or nearby. It was considered part of territory necessary to hold if the Coalition forces were to secure the Swiss Cantons. On the morning of 25 September, prior to the second Battle of Zurich, Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze and his chief of staff were killed there while conducted a reconnaissance ride near the village of Schänis, on the Linth river by a party French scouts from the 25th Demi-brigade. Initially, Hotze was taken from the battlefield to the church in Schänis, where he was buried. In 1851, his body was moved to Bregenz and established in a monument there.