The Battle of Laupen was fought in June 1339, between Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy and Habsburg territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its position in the region. As a consequence of the conflict, the relations of Bern and the Swiss Confederacy tightened, resulting in Bern's permanent accession in 1353.
Illustration by Diebold Schilling the Elder (Spiez chronicle, 1480s) showing the cavalry engagement of the Forest Cantons.
Prayer of the Bernese before the battle. Rudolf von Erlach is shown with his coat of arms, kneeling next to the altar.
Monument to the battle on Bramberg, Neuenegg municipality, design by Karl Marcell Heigelin (1798–1833), inscribed In memoriam proelii Laupensis e quo Bernenses cum sociis die 21 junii 1339 victore discessere, with the coat of arms of Erlach, Hic lapis positus est 1853.
The canton of Bern, or Berne, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the de facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.
Helveto-Roman settlement Bern-Engehalbinsel
Baths at Engehalbinsel near Bern
Siege and execution of the garrison at Grandson
View from the Chasseral across the Mittelland to the Bernese Alps