All the Landammann of Uri Through the 1700s

Of all the offices held by the Zumbrunnen in Switzerland, the most important was that of the Landammann, who served as the leader of all the people of Uri. For most — if not all — of its history, the Landammann was elected by the people of the Canton. He was the head of state, supreme judge, and military leader of the Canton.

There is a lack of clarity about the very first dozen or so men to hold this office, as many of the oldest records have been lost. There’s no doubt that even very early on the Landammann was democratically elected. Uri held regular gatherings of its citizens beginning as early as 1231, so it’s possible that the position was elected from the very beginning.

  1. Werner, Baron of Attinghausen (1206)[a]
  2. Werner Von Attinghausen (1234)[a]
  3. Burkhard Zumbrunnen (1241-51)[b]
  4. Arnold Von Silenen (1251)[c]
  5. Werner Von Attinghausen (1261)[a]
  6. Werner von Silenen (1267)[c]
  7. Burkhard “Schüpfer” Zumbrunnen (1273-1287)[b]
  8. Walter Von Spiringen (1287-1290)
  9. Werner Von Attinghausen (1294-1325)[d]
  10. Johannes Von Attinghausen (1325-1357)
  11. Johannes von Erstfeld (1358-1374)
  12. Johannes Püntener (1367-1369)[e]
  13. Konrad Der Frauen (1374-1387)
  14. Beginning with Konrad Der Frauen the ancient and modern sources seem to mostly agree.

  15. Walter Von Erstfeld (1386-1391)
  16. Heinrich Der Frauen (1391-1394)
  17. Walter Büeler (1394-1404; 1422-1424)
  18. Johannes Rot (1404-1422)
  19. Heinrich Schreiber (1424-1426; 1431-1432)
  20. Heinrich Von Beroldingen (1426-1431)
  21. Heinrich Von Spiringen (1432-1433)
  22. Johannes Kluser (1433-1434)
  23. Walter Zumbrunnen (1434-1438)
  24. Heinrich Arnold Von Spiringen (1438-1439; 1443-1444; 1446-1447; 1449-1450; 1459-1461)
  25. Jost Käs (1439-1441; 1444-1445)
  26. Johannes Büeler (1441-1443; 1445-1446)
  27. Arnold Hofer (1447-1449)
  28. Johannes Püntener I (1450-1455; 1456-1457; 1461-1463)
  29. Walter Im Oberdorf (1455-1456; 1457-1458)
  30. Heinrich Dietli (1458-1459)
  31. Johannes Fries (1463-1467; 1469-1471; 1476-1477; 1485-1487)
  32. Walter In der Gass (1471-1474; 1479-1481; 1483-1485; 1494-1496)
  33. Jakob Arnold von Spiringen (1474-1479; 1490-1492)
  34. Andreas Von Beroldingen (1477-1479; 1487-1490; 1496-1499; 1505-1507)
  35. Johannes Zumbrunnen I (1481-1483)
  36. Jakob Im Oberdorf (1492-1494; 1501-1503)
  37. Heinrich Troger (1499-1501; 1507-1509)
  38. Walter Imhof I (1503-1505; 1511-1513)
  39. Johannes Püntener II (1509-1511; 1513-1515)
  40. Johannes Zumbrunnen II (1515)
  41. Peter Albrecht (1516-1518)
  42. Johannes Dietli (1518-1520; 1526-1529)
  43. Josue Von Beroldingen (1520-1523; 1534-1537; 1540-1542; 1546-1548; 1553-1555; 1562-1563)
  44. Jakob Troger (1523-1526; 1531-1534)
  45. Ulrich Dürler (1529-1531)
  46. Johannes Brücker (1537-1540; 1544-1546; 1557-1559)
  47. Amandus Von Niderhofen (1542-1544; 1555-1557)
  48. Mansuetus Zumbrunnen (1548-1549)
  49. Jakob Arnold Von Spiringen II (1549-1551; 1559-1561; 1569-1571)
  50. Kaspar Imhof (1551-1553; 1561-1562)
  51. Heinrich Albrecht (1563-1565; 1571-1573)
  52. Jost Dietrich Schmid (1565-1567; 1573-1575; 1581-1582)
  53. Peter a Pro (1567-1569; 1575-1577; 1585-1586)
  54. Heinrich Püntener II (1577-1579)
  55. Johannes Zumbrunnen III (1579-1581)
  56. Sebastian Tanner (1583-1585)
  57. Ambros Püntener (1586-1588; 1598-1599)
  58. Johann Jakob Troger (1589-1590; 1601-1603)
  59. Walter Imhof II (1590-1592; 1603-1605)
  60. Sebastian Von Beroldingen (1592-1594)
  61. Sebastian Heinrich Kuon (1594-1596; 1605-1607)
  62. Peter Gisler (1596-1598; 1615-1617)
  63. Emanuel Bessler Von Wattingen (1599-1601; 1619-1621)
  64. Gedeon Stricker (1607-1609)
  65. Johann Konrad Von Beroldingen (1609-1611; 1625-1627)
  66. Johann Peter Von Roll (1611-1613; 1635-1637)
  67. Melchior Megnet (1613-1615)
  68. Heinrich Tresch (1617-1619)
  69. Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen (1621-1623; 1637-1639)
    Johann Heinrich is the last Zumbrunnen to serve as Landammann, although for the sake of completeness the rest of the list though 1798 is included below.

    A few observations: through this point in time, eight Zumbrunnen men had served as Landammann, more than any other family. Other leading magisterial families included Püntener (with 6 through this point), Troger and Von Beroldingen (with 5) and Imhof (with 4). It is evident the Zumbrunnen went into some sort of social decline beginning in the mid- to late-1600s. By contrast, many representatives of the Püntener, Schmid and Bessler families would continue to serve as Landammann into the 1700s, ultimately surpassing the Zumbrunnen for number of men who served as Landammann.

  70. Johann Jakob Tanner (1623-1625; 1641-1643)
  71. Kaspar Roman Troger (1627-1629)
  72. Sebastian Heinrich Tresch (1629-1631)
  73. Karl Emanuel Von Roll (1631-1633; 1635-1637)
  74. Johann Kaspar Arnold von Spiringen (1633-1635)
  75. Johann Walter Imhof (1639-1641)
  76. Johannes Stricker (1645-1647)
  77. Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer von Evibach (1647-1651; 1657-59)
  78. Jost Püntener (1651-1653)
  79. Johann Anton Arnold Von Spiringen (1653-1655)
  80. Andreas Planzer (1655-1657)
  81. Johann Franz Imhof (1659-1661)
  82. Johann Karl Emanuel Bessler von Wattingen (1661-1663; 1675-1677)
  83. Karl Anton Püntener I (1663-1665)
  84. Johann Franz Schmid (1665-1667; 1671-1673)
  85. Karl Franz Schmid I (1667-1669; 1677-1679)
  86. Johannes Kaspar Stricker (1669-1671)
  87. Johann Peregrin Von Beroldingen (1673-1675)
  88. Sebastian Muheim (1679-1681)
  89. Johann Anton Schmid (1681-1683)
  90. Johann Heinrich Emanuel Bessler von Wattingen (1683-1685)
  91. Johann Karl Püntener (1685-1687)
  92. Johann Karl Bessler (1687-1689; 1693-1695; 1699-1701)
  93. Johann Martin Schmid (1689-1691; 1703-1705)
  94. Sebastian Emanuel Tanner (1695-1697)
  95. Jost Azarias Schmid (1697-1699)
  96. Josef Anton Püntener (1701-1703; 1705-1707; 1717-1721; 1713-1715; 1723-1725; 1729-1731; 1734-1736)
  97. Johann Ulrich Püntener (1707-1709)
  98. Jost Anton Schmid I (1709-1711)
  99. Karl Alfons Bessler von Wattingen I (1711-1713; 1738-1742)
  100. Karl Anton Püntener von Brunberg II (1715-1717)
  101. Karl Franz Schmid II (1717-1719; 1727-1729)
  102. Emanuel Stanislaus Püntener von Brunberg (1721-1723)
  103. Sebastian Heinrich Crivelli (1725-1727)
  104. Johann Sebastian Jauch (1731-1731)
  105. Jost Franz Anton Schmid (1732-1734)
  106. Franz Martin Von Roll (1736-1738)
  107. Johann Josef Florian Scolar (1742-1744)
  108. Johann Franz Martin Schmid (1744-1746; 1762-1764)
  109. Friedrich Alfons Bessler von Wattingen (1746-1748)
  110. Johann Franz Josef Schmid (1748-1749)
  111. Franz Maria Josef Leonz Crivelli (1750-1752; 1766-1768)
  112. Johann Joachim Epp von Rudenz (1752-1754)
  113. Konrad Emanuel Bessler von Wattingen (1754-1756)
  114. Josef Martin Fridolin Brand (1756-1758)
  115. Johann Peter Brand (1758-1760)
  116. Karl Franz Josef Schmid (1760-1762)
  117. Karl Alfons Bessler von Wattingen II (1764-1766; 1776-1778)
  118. Josef Stephan Jauch (1768-1770)
  119. Josef Anton Müller (1770-1771)
  120. Karl Franz Schmid III (1772-1774; 1786-1788)
  121. Karl Franz Müller (1774-1776)
  122. Franz Josef Lauener (1778-1780)
  123. Karl Josef Jauch (1780-1782)
  124. Jost Anton Schmid II (1782-1784)
  125. Johann Franz Sebastian Crivelli (1784-1786)
  126. Karl Thaddäus Schmid (1788-1790)
  127. Martin Anton Püntener (1790-1792)
  128. Karl Anton Püntener von Brunberg (1790-1792)
  129. Heinrich Anton Straumeyer (1792-1794)
  130. Jost Anton Müller (1794-1796)
  131. Josef Maria Schmid (1796-1798)

a) This is sourced from the “General History of the Free-State of Uri,” written in 1788 by Franz Vinzenz Schmid.
b) Some sources say there was one Landammann named Burkhard Schüpfer who served across this period. The old historians Franz Vinzenz Schmid and the “Nobiliaire Militaire Suisse” both say two separate men: a father and son, both named Burkhard Zumbrunnen, held these jobs, as do a number of other sources. “Schüpfer” is presumably the second Burkhard’s nickname, used to distinguish him from his father.
c) Franz Vinzenz Schmid says two men named Von Silenen were Landammann; other sources say that only Arnold was Landammann, and that he served in the later period.
d) Franz Vinzenz Schmid says a man named Johann Imhof Von Blumenfeld was Landammann in between Werner and Johann Von Attinghausen. But other sources seem to all agree that Johann Von Attinghausen directly succeeded his father in the role.
e) Franz Vinzenz Schmid says this man’s name was Cuns Von Bürglen, but others say Püntener.

3 Comments

  1. […] most-respected statesman. Over the years, eight different Zumbrunnen held the office of Landammann of Uri, including Burkhard Zumbrunnen, his son also named Burkhard Zumbrunnen, Walter Zumbrunnen, […]

  2. […] competence, and after his successful term as landvogt, Johann would eventually be appointed the landammann of Uri, the head of state for the entire […]

  3. […] zum Brunnen and Lady Maria Salome Rizard. Sponsors: Lord Colonel Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer, landammann and general captain of Uri. and Lady Maria Elisabetha von Beroldingen. (Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer […]

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