The Swiss Confederacy expands its territory further…

The Swiss Confederacy expands its territory further in the second half of the fifteenth century.

In the north, the formerly Habsburg cities of Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein had become reichsfrei in 1415, with the ban of Frederick IV.

The two strategically important cities—they offer the only two fortified bridges over the river Rhine between Constance and Basel—not only struggle with the robber barons from the neighboring Hegau region but also are under pressure from the Habsburg dukes, who seek to reintegrate the cities into their domain.

On June 1, 1454, Schaffhausen becomes an associate (Zugewandter Ort) of the confederacy by entering an alliance with six of the eight cantons (Uri and Unterwalden do not participate).

With the help of the confederates, a Habsburg army of about two thousand men is warded off east of Thaynge.