Historedia
Episode 1 of 2

Constitution Entry into Force

When
12 September 1848
Where
Switzerland
Part of
Swiss Federal Constitution enters into force

The Swiss Federal Constitution was declared on 12 September 1848, creating a federal state after the Sonderbund War.

The constitution was accepted by fifteen and a half cantons in summer 1848, with Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Valais, Ticino, and Appenzell Innerrhoden opposing. It established the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons, replacing the prior treaty-based confederation.

Sources

  1. Federalism in Switzerland Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-30
  2. Swiss Federal Constitution Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-16

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.