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54-558: The rural population of the Freiämter were poor and uneducated while politically and economically under the control of the cities. During the French controlled Helvetic Republic in 1798 the ideas of freedom and equality spread. The medieval idea of different laws for city citizens and countryside peasants was overthrown. However, in 1803 the Helvetic Republic collapsed and was replaced by

108-680: A 6.7% vacancy rate. As of 2007 , the construction rate of new housing units was 26 new units per 1000 residents. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 38.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (21.7%), the SP (14.5%) and the Green Party (8.1%). The historical population is given in the following table: It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of

162-497: A loose military alliance (and ruling over subject territories such as Vaud ), was invaded by the French Revolutionary Army and turned into an ally known as the "Helvetic Republic". The interference with localism and traditional liberties was deeply resented, although some modernizing reforms took place. Resistance was strongest in the more traditional Catholic cantons, with armed uprisings breaking out in spring 1798 in

216-415: A meeting that would draft a petition to the government. The foreign-educated lawyers at the meeting called for the convening of a Great Council to consider revisions to the constitution. As the meeting wore on, the movement developed a more aggressive approach and increasingly delegates called for an armed revolution. Johann Heinrich Fischer belonged to the wealthy rural upper class and was the innkeeper at

270-505: A solution. Although the Federalist representatives formed a minority at the conciliation conference, known as the "Helvetic Consulta", Bonaparte characterised Switzerland as federal "by nature" and considered it unwise to force the country into any other constitutional framework. On 19 February 1803, the Act of Mediation abolished the Helvetic Republic and restored the cantons. With the abolition of

324-472: A specific canton. The Helvetic Republic reduced the formerly sovereign cantons to mere administrative division, though keeping the denomination of cantons, while also raising to such status unrepresented territories previously ruled as subjects of the Confederation. In order to weaken the old power -structures, it defined new boundaries for some cantons. The Act of 1798 and subsequent developments resulted in

378-441: Is pastures, while 4.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.7% is unproductive vegetation. The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent an Eagle displayed Sable beaked, langued and membered Gules. Seengen has a population (as of December 2020 ) of 4,122. As of June 2009 , 8.4% of the population are foreign nationals. Over

432-490: Is seen as a time of national weakness and loss of independence. For cantons such as Vaud, Thurgau and Ticino , the three who in 1898 celebrated the centenary of their independence, the Republic was a time of political freedom and liberation from the rule of other cantons. However, the period was also marked by foreign domination and instability, and for the cantons of Bern, Schwyz and Nidwalden it signified military defeat. In 1995,

486-429: Is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.18 km (0.069 sq mi) or 1.9% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 9.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 35.6% is used for growing crops and 11.4%

540-637: Is still unknown. The two Bruggisser brothers made careers as chief justices, members of the Grand Council, and representatives of the Canton at the Confederation Tagsatzung . The Freiämtersturm of 1830 and other assemblies of 1830-31 had a significant impact on the former Swiss Confederation . The political reforms that came after these assemblies ended the period known as the Restoration and led to

594-608: The Bourla-papey uprising and the Stecklikrieg civil war of 1802. By then, the Republic was 12 million francs in debt, having started with a treasury of 6 million francs. This, together with local resistance, caused the Helvetic Republic to collapse , and its government took refuge in Lausanne . At that time, Napoleon Bonaparte , then First Consul of France, summoned representatives of both sides to Paris in order to negotiate

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648-620: The Diets . The constitution of the Helvetic Republic came mainly from the design of Peter Ochs , a magistrate from Basel . It established a central two-chamber legislature which included the Grand Council (with 8 members per canton) and the Senate (4 members per canton). The executive , known as the Directory , comprised 5 members. The Constitution also established actual Swiss citizenship , as opposed to just citizenship of one's canton of birth. Under

702-625: The Act of Mediation which struck a compromise between the Ancien Regime and a Republic. In the following years, even the limited freedoms under the Act were undermined and following Napoleon 's defeat in 1813 the Act was overturned. In the Restoration , which started in 1814, the new constitution reduced the representation of rural areas in the cantonal councils. By 1830 the region was also experiencing great economic difficulties. After years of growth,

756-555: The Federal Assembly chose not to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the Helvetic Republic but to allow individual cantons to celebrate if they wished. The Federal Councilors took part in official events in Aargau in January 1998. The Helvetic period represents a key step toward the modern federal state . For the first time, the population was defined as Swiss, not as inhabitants of

810-457: The Freiämter straw industry experienced a major crisis. Many workers feared for their economic future. Adding to this concern, a poor harvest in late summer led many to worry about the possibility of starvation. While the constitution of the Aargau was relatively liberal for the time, the increasing power of the city aristocrats and diminishing power for the rural population added to the unrest in

864-595: The Freiämter . Then, the July Revolution in France showed that the people could successfully force the government to change. Johannes Herzog, the cantonal president , ruled the Canton with a strict hand. He made enemies of virtually every group in the Canton. Cynics said, in allusion to his style of government, that he was setting up a Duchy of Aargau. He was so divisive that two diverse groups, rural farmers and educated middle class "Liberals", joined together to oppose

918-715: The French Revolutionary Wars . It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy , marking the end of the ancien régime in Switzerland . Throughout its existence, the republic incorporated most of the territory of modern Switzerland, excluding the cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel and the old Prince-Bishopric of Basel . The Swiss Confederacy, which until then had consisted of self-governing cantons united by

972-584: The Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village only to residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of the old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with

1026-481: The Old Swiss Confederation collapsed. On 12 April 1798, 121 cantonal deputies proclaimed the Helvetic Republic, "One and Indivisible". On 14 April 1798, a cantonal assembly was called in the canton of Zürich , but most of the politicians from the previous assembly were re-elected. The new régime abolished cantonal sovereignty and feudal rights. The occupying forces established a centralised state based on

1080-596: The Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site . There are four sites that are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance . These sites include two castles, Brestenberg Castle and Hallwyl Castle as well as the castle mill and on the shores of Lake Hallwil, the late- Bronze Age village at Risi . As of  2007 , Seengen had an unemployment rate of 1.2%. As of 2005 , there were 105 people employed in

1134-615: The Sternen Gasthof in Wohlen , several prestigious Freiämter , including Fischer and both Bruggisser, met to discuss the situation. Fischer advocated raising a militia to break the political deadlock. However, the majority of those present refused this, as they wanted to pursue other legal ways to change. Back in Merenschwand, Fischer met with an angry rural population. They demanded immediate change. After an almost unanimous decision for

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1188-723: The Zum Schwanen Gasthof in Merenschwand . He was a friend of the Bruggisser brothers as well as a member of the Grand Council . During a meeting of the Grand Council, on 26 November 1830, he launched into an impassioned speech on the explosive mood in the Freiamt . When the president interrupted his speech, Fischer left the room stomping and reportedly shouted "The people themselves will show you what they want!" On 4 December 1830, at

1242-542: The canton of Aargau in Switzerland . Seengen lies in the Seetal valley to the north of Lake Hallwil . The municipality has an area, as of 2009 , of 9.69 square kilometers (3.74 sq mi). Of this area, 4.97 km (1.92 sq mi) or 51.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.13 km (1.21 sq mi) or 32.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.33 km (0.51 sq mi) or 13.7%

1296-474: The canton of Säntis . Due to the instability of the situation, the Helvetic Republic had over 6 constitutions in a period of four years. The Helvetic Republic did highlight the desirability of a central authority to handle matters for the country as a whole (as opposed to the individual cantons which handled matters at the local level). In the post-Napoleonic era, the differences between the cantons (varying currencies and systems of weights and measurements) and

1350-558: The central part of Switzerland . The French and Helvetic armies suppressed the uprisings, but opposition to the new government gradually increased over the years, as the Swiss resented their loss of local democracy, the new taxes, the centralization and the hostility to religion. Nonetheless, there were long-term effects to the Helvetic citizens. The Republic's name Helvetic , after the Helvetii ,

1404-428: The primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 202 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 27 businesses in this sector. 571 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 88 businesses in this sector. In 2000 there were 1,304 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 899 or about 68.9% of the residents worked outside Seengen while 421 people commuted into

1458-441: The "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first, the so-called municipality, was a political community formed by-election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with

1512-768: The French. This army was deployed along the defensive line from Napf to Rapperswil . Reding besieged French-controlled Lucerne and marched across the Brünig pass into the Berner Oberland to support the armies of Bern. At the same time, the French General Balthasar Alexis Henri Antoine of Schauenburg marched out of occupied Zürich to attack Zug , Lucerne and the Sattel pass . Even though Reding's army won victories at Rothenthurm and Morgarten , Schauenburg's victory near Sattel allowed him to threaten

1566-585: The Gaulish inhabitants of the Swiss Plateau in antiquity, was not an innovation; rather, the Swiss Confederacy had occasionally been dubbed Republica Helvetiorum in humanist Latin since the 17th century, and Helvetia , the Swiss national personification , made her first appearance in 1672. In Swiss history , the Helvetic Republic represents an early attempt to establish a centralized government in

1620-537: The Regeneration period which led to the Constitution of 1848 and the creation of the Swiss federal state . Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic ( République helvétique   ( French ) , Helvetische Republik   ( German ) , Repubblica Elvetica   ( Italian ) , Republica helvetica   ( Romansh ) ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during

1674-401: The army was made up of simple farmers without military training. Fischer, the Bruggisser brothers and other leaders held fiery speeches and urged the troops to discipline. Any unnecessary bloodshed should be prevented, they ordered. Fischer sent a detachment to Seengen , and then on to Seon and Gränichen , while he led the main body to Lenzburg. The troops' discipline and lack of violence

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1728-528: The authorities crushed, with towns and villages burnt down by French troops. No general agreement existed about the future of the Swiss. Leading groups split into the Unitaires , who wanted a united republic, and the Federalists , who represented the old aristocracy and demanded a return to cantonal sovereignty. Coup attempts became frequent and the new régime had to rely on the French to survive. Furthermore,

1782-465: The centralized state, Switzerland became a confederation once again, called the Swiss Confederation . Before the advent of the Helvetic Republic, each individual canton had exercised complete sovereignty over its own territory or territories. Little central authority had existed, with matters concerning the country as a whole confined mainly to meetings of leading representatives from the cantons:

1836-428: The council that prepared a new constitution, which came into force in 1831. However, the needs of the Freiämter were quickly ignored. The joy of victory soon gave way to bitter disappointment. "General" Fischer's future life was dull. He fell out both with the Merenschwand people and with his family. In 1835 he moved to Lenzburg. In 1861 he was preparing to visit his daughter, but never arrived. What happened to him

1890-745: The country. During the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s, the French Republican armies expanded eastward. In 1793, the National Convention had imposed friendship with the United States and the Swiss Confederation as the sole limit while delegating its powers in foreign policy to the Committee of Public Safety , but the situation changed when the more conservative Directoire took power in 1795 and Napoleon conquered Northern Italy in 1796. The French Republican armies enveloped Switzerland on

1944-597: The current government. The "Liberals" called for a revision of the Cantonal Constitution, in order to have more say in the government and more freedoms. The farmers, on the other hand, accused the government of extravagance, nepotism and complained about high taxes. They knew very little about the constitution, rather they pushed for concrete things such as changes to military service or construction of roads. On 12 September 1830 two young students, Johann Peter and Kaspar Leonz Bruggisser, rode to Lenzburg to attend

1998-418: The fighting, he sent messengers to the surrounding communities. The militia was to assemble on 6 December. On the morning of 5 December, throughout the entire upper Freiamt , alarm bells rang, calling the militia out. Fischer hoped to force the assembly at Wohlen to go along with his plan. That evening he made the zum Sternen inn his temporary military headquarters, as he waited for the militia to assemble

2052-485: The following cantons: As well as the Old Swiss Confederacy , the following territories became part of the Helvetic Republic: There were four associated states : There were 21 condominiums : There were five protectorates : The Helvetic Republic also annexed two territories not previously part of Switzerland: Seengen Seengen is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in

2106-540: The former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde . After an uprising led by Alois von Reding in 1798, some cantons were merged, thus reducing their anti-centralist effectiveness in the legislature. Uri , Schwyz , Zug and Unterwalden together became the canton of Waldstätten ; Glarus and the Sarganserland became the canton of Linth , and Appenzell and St. Gallen combined as

2160-496: The government quickly negotiated an end of the uprising. They agreed to a full revision of the constitution and all the other demands of the Freiämter militia. Fischer returned to the Freiamt in triumph. Muri Abbey installed a memorial plaque in his honor. In his home town of Merenschwand he was met with liberty trees and a triumphal arch. While the government was not overthrown, the people had shown their strength. Heinrich Fischer, now called "General" Fischer, presided over

2214-469: The grounds of "liberating" the Swiss people, whose own system of government was deemed feudal , especially for annexed territories such as Vaud . Some Swiss nationals, including Frédéric-César de La Harpe , had called for French intervention on these grounds. The invasion proceeded largely peacefully since the Swiss people failed to respond to the calls of their politicians to take up arms. On 5 March 1798, French troops completely overran Switzerland and

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2268-419: The household, 420 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 439 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. As of 2000 , there were 952 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. In 2008 there were 573 single family homes (or 42.7% of the total) out of a total of 1,343 homes and apartments. There were a total of 90 empty apartments for

2322-524: The ideas of the French Revolution . Many Swiss citizens resisted these " progressive " ideas, particularly in the central areas of the country. Some of the more controversial aspects of the new regime limited freedom of worship , which outraged many of the more devout citizens. In response, the Cantons of Uri , Schwyz and Nidwalden raised an army of about 10,000 men led by Alois von Reding to fight

2376-558: The insurgents and simply let them pass without conflict. The situation became more dangerous in Lenzburg, where about 100 government soldiers formed to resist the militia, and brought their guns in position. The Freiämter militia ran toward the militia with wild battle cries, and the government soldiers broke and ran without firing a shot. By 6pm the militia entered Aarau and the commander of government troops surrendered without any resistance. The militia surrounded government buildings, and

2430-488: The last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 31.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000 ) speaks German (93.9%), with French being second most common ( 1.0%) and Albanian being third ( 1.0%). The age distribution, as of 2008 , in Seengen is; 382 children or 11.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 435 teenagers or 13.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 357 people or 10.9% of

2484-481: The municipality for work. There were a total of 826 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.1% used a private car. From the 2000 census , 500 or 19.8% were Roman Catholic , while 1,578 or 62.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, there were 4 individuals (or about 0.16% of

2538-417: The next morning. On the morning of 6 December, about 6,000 soldiers gathered on the broad field between Wohlen and Villmergen . They were quickly divided into companies and battalions. At the head of the army were about 2,000 uniformed and well armed soldiers, who were recently returned from mercenary service in France. Because of their red uniforms they were called Rotröckler or Red Coats. The rest of

2592-576: The occupying forces insisted that the accommodation and feeding of the soldiers be paid for by the local populace, which drained the economy. The treaty of alliance of 19 August with France, which also reaffirmed the French annexation of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel and imposed French rights over the Upper Rhine and the Simplon Pass for evident strategic reasons towards Germany and Italy, also broke

2646-514: The perceived need for better co-ordination between them came to a head and culminated in the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848 . The Republic's 5-member Directory resembles the 7-member Swiss Federal Council , Switzerland's present-day executive. The Helvetic Republic is still very controversial within Switzerland. Carl Hilty described the period as the first democratic experience in Swiss territory, while within conservatism it

2700-502: The population are between 20 and 29 years old. 415 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 610 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 466 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 333 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 161 people or 4.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 107 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 12 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older. As of 2000 , there were 59 homes with 1 or 2 persons in

2754-570: The population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic faith. In Seengen about 80.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Of the school age population (in the 2008/2009 school year ), there are 286 students attending primary school , there are 218 students attending secondary school, there are 191 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in

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2808-481: The town of Schwyz . On 4 May 1798, the town council of Schwyz surrendered. On 13 May, Reding and Schauenburg agreed to a cease-fire, the terms of which included the rebel cantons merging into a single one, thus limiting their effectiveness in the central government. However, the French failed to keep their promises in respecting religious matters and before the year was out there was another uprising in Nidwalden which

2862-444: The tradition of neutrality established by the Confederation. All this made it difficult to establish a new working state. In 1799, Switzerland became a virtual battle-zone between the French, Austrian, and Imperial Russian armies, with the locals supporting mainly the latter two, rejecting calls to fight with the French armies in the name of the Helvetic Republic. Instability in the Republic reached its peak in 1802–1803; it included

2916-513: Was admired by both sides. Much too late the authorities reacted and ordered the army out to suppress the militia. However, moral was poor among the government troops and most units either did not move or deserted. For example, Lieutenant Sauerland, on the evening of 5 December had 250 soldiers from the Fricktal garrisoned at Küttigen . On the next morning he discovered that he only had 50 soldiers left. Whole companies expressed their solidarity with

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