Appenzell Wars The Appenzell Wars ( ) were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1401 until 1429 in the Appenzell region of Switzerland . The wars were a successful uprising of cooperative groups , such as the farmers of Appenzell or the craftsmen of the city of St . Gallen , against the traditional medieval power structure represented by the House of Habsburg and the Prince - Abbot of the Abbey of St . Gall . Background . Appenzell , the name in means " cell ( i . e . estate ) of the abbot , " had been under the personal control of the abbot of St . Gall . While the Prince - Abbot appointed agents or bailiffs , the communities in Appenzell were governed by a council appointed by the " Landsgemeinde " , in which every citizen could vote . The success of the Swiss Confederation , with similar " Landsgemeinden " , against the aristocratic Habsburgs encouraged the Appenzell citizens to consider throwing off the Abbot ' s agents . By about 1360 , conflicts over grazing rights , taxes , and tithes were causing concern for both parties . Both the abbot and the farmers of Appenzell wanted to protect their rights and interests by joining the new Swabian League . In 1377 Appenzell was allowed to join the League with the support of the cities of Konstanz and St . Gallen ( the city of St . Gallen was often at odds with the neighboring Abbey of St . Gall ) . With the support of League , Appenzell refused to pay many of the gifts and tithes that the Abbot Kuno von Stoffeln demanded . In response to the loss of revenue from his estates , Kuno approached the Austrian House of Habsburg for help . In 1392 he made an agreement with the Habsburgs , which was renewed in 1402 . In response , in 1401 Appenzell entered into an alliance with the city of St . Gallen to protect their rights and freedom . Outbreak of the war . Following increasing conflicts between the Appenzellers the abbot ' s agents , including the bailiff of Appenzell demanding that a dead body be dug up because he wanted the man ' s clothes , the Appenzellers planned an uprising . On a certain day , throughout the abbot ' s lands , they attacked the bailiffs and drove them out of the land . Following unsuccessful negotiations Appenzell and St . Gallen entered into a treaty . The treaty between St . Gallen and Appenzell marked a break between the abbot and his estates . Perhaps fearing the Habsburgs , in 1402 the League expelled Appenzell . During the same year , St . Gallen reached an agreement with the abbot and Appenzell could no longer count on St . Gallen ' s support . Appenzell declared itself ready to stand against the abbot , and in 1403 formed an alliance with the Canton of Schwyz , a member of the Old Swiss Confederation that had defeated the Austrians in the last century . Glarus provided less support , but authorized any citizen who wished to support Appenzell to do so . In response , the League raised an army and marched to St . Gallen before heading toward Appenzell . In May 1403 , the abbot ' s and the League ' s troops marched toward Trogen . On 15 May 1403 , they entered the pass to Speicher and outside the village of Vögelinsegg met the Appenzell army . A small force of about 80 Appenzellers started the attack from a hill over the valley , with about 300 soldiers from Schwyz and 200 from Glarus moving around the flanks of the army . When the League ' s cavalry charged up the hill , they met 2000 Appenzellers and were forced to retreat . During the retreat , about 600 horsemen and many of the 5000 infantry were killed by the Appenzell army . The League signed a peace treaty with Appenzell at Arbon , but the peace was short lived . Independence for Appenzell . Along with independence , in the peace treaty Appenzell gained some of the abbot ' s land in the Rhine valley and around Lake Constance , which angered the abbot . Additionally , over the next two years , the city of St . Gallen and Appenzell drew closer . By 1405 the abbot had found another ally and was ready to retake his land . Frederick IV , Duke of Austria provided the abbot with two Austrian armies to attack Appenzell . On 17 June 1405 , the main army marched into Stoss Pass on the border of Appenzell and there met the Appenzell army . Following a brutal battle , the Austrian army was forced to retreat . The story that the Austrians retreated when they saw a second Appenzeller army , which was actually the women of Appenzell who had come to help their husbands and brothers , only appears in later sources and is not considered accurate . Following the Appenzell victory at Stoss Pass , they formed an alliance with the city of St . Gallen , which was known as the " Bund ob dem See " ( alliance over the sea , which refers to the nearby Lake Constance ) . The creation of the " Bund " shook the foundation of Austrian power in the Lake Constance region . By 1406 they had taken more than 60 castles and destroyed 30 . During the expansion , Appenzell had even captured the abbot of St Gall and in response they were excommunicated by the Bishop of Constance . However , while the " Bund " expanded the Austrians used the peace to regain their strength . On September 11 , 1406 an association of nobles formed a knightly order known as the " Sankt Jörgenschild " ( Order of St . George ' s Shield ) to oppose the rebellious commoners of the " Bund " . The order besieged the " Bund " city of Bregenz in 1407 . On January 13 , 1408 " Bund " troops marched against the Order and Austrian troops outside the city . The attack was a disaster for the " Bund " , when their troops were defeated and driven back from the walls . Following the defeat Appenzell was unable to hold the " Bund " together . The city of St . Gallen and the Canton of Schwyz each paid off the Austrians to avoid an attack , and the " Bund " was dissolved by King Rupert on April 4 , 1408 . As part of the peace treaty , the abbot gave up his ownership of Appenzell , but was still owned certain taxes . However , it wasn ' t until 1410 that the area was at peace . In 1411 Appenzell signed a defensive treaty with the entire Swiss Confederation ( except Bern ) , which strengthened their position against the abbot . Appenzell joined the Confederation as an " Associate Member " , and wouldn ' t become a full member until 1513 . In the following years , Appenzell refused to pay the taxes that they owed the abbot . In 1421 the Confederation supported the abbot again Appenzell over the matter of these taxes , and an imperial ban was declared to try to force them to pay . When this was unsuccessful , in 1426 they were placed under an interdict and an army was sent into Appenzell to force them to pay . Friedrich VII of Toggenburg supported by the Order of St . George ' s Shield marched into Appenzell . On 2 December 1428 they encountered and defeated the Appenzell army behind a heavy fortification ( known as a Letzi ) on the field between Gossau and Herisau . Following the battle , in 1429 Appenzell was forced to repay the owed taxes but was granted freedom from the obligations in the future . This treaty represented the end of Appenzell ' s last financial tie to the Abbey of St . Gall , and a movement to closer relationships with the Confederation .