A Contested Outcome 81
without delay, with hostages taken for the remainder. That prompted Geneva to
sign a Burgrecht for five years with Bern and Fribourg as a means of deterring any
further attacks by irregulars.120 It also encouraged the Swiss cities in May to con-
clude a perpetual Burgrecht among themselves, much to the chagrin of the rural
cantons.121 In this Burgrecht were now included Solothurn, for so long an associ-
ated member, and Fribourg, whereupon Duchess Yolande renounced all rights of
lordship over the city in July and handed back its diploma of submission.122 The
breach with the rural cantons was only healed four years later with the conclusion
of the Compact of Stans.
Meanwhile, the fate of the Franche-Comté hung in the balance. Some cantons
demanded that it should remain under Confederal control; failing that, they
should receive 100,000 fl compensation from Burgundy. The Swiss were under no
illusion that both France and Lorraine had designs upon the territory, as Bern was
quick to inform Luzern.123 Indeed, French envoys sought to enlist Swiss support
for its claim!124 All this came too late: by then the French had occupied the
Franche-Comté. Although Bern argued for a campaign of reconquest, the other
cantons demurred. For its part, Zürich felt that the Franche-Comté was too
remote, and preferred to sell Swiss rights, though Zürich regarded 100,000 fl as
insufficient should France be the buyer.125 Opinion among the other cantons was
altogether mixed, but a majority preferred France as a neighbour rather than the
Habsburgs, for that would at least ensure that their French pensions would con-
tinue (they received an assurance on that score). Lowly Zug shared Zürich’s reser-
vations, while Unterwalden urged its co-Confederates to screw as much money out
of the French as possible.126 Uri was prepared to join a campaign, but only to
secure better financial terms.127
In the end, neither the Franche-Comté nor the Vaud remained in Swiss hands.
France initially offered to buy the Franche-Comté from the Swiss at a premium
over against what Burgundy had offered, and in late December 1477 even raised
the sum to 200,000 écus,128 but the geopolitical reservations previously voiced by
several cantons, and the realization how difficult it would be to defend the terri-
tory, carried the day, though Swiss mercenary bands were still itching for a new
campaign of conquest in 1479.129 For its part, Bern had originally hoped to rule
the Vaud alone, as well as receiving 100,000 fl in war reparations. It found no
backers for this proposal.130 Instead, in April 1477 at Chambéry Duchess Yolande
had agreed to pay 50,000 fl over five years to regain the Vaud.131 If she defaulted,
120 This Burgrecht was revived in very different circumstances in 1526. Würgler, ‘Kolbenbanner’, 210.
121 EA II, 677 (no. 891). 122 EA II, 694 (no. 906).
123 EA II, 646–7 (no. 869: a; b; to a; to b) (January 1477).
124 EA II, 648–50 (no. 871: b).
125 EA II, 651–4 (no. 873: f ) (February 1477); 671–2 (no. 885: c) (April 1477).
126 EA II, 671–2 (no. 885: c; f ).
127 Stettler, Eidgenossenschaft, 253–4. Stettler’s account is so compressed as to be confusing and
even misleading.
128 EA II, 707–3 (no. 917: i) (October 1477); 709–10 (no. 921: g) (December 1477).
129 EA III, 1, 23–5 (no. 30: i) (February 1479). 130 Stettler, Eidgenossenschaft, 253.
131 By August 1477 she was promising to pay within a year. EA II, 694–5 (no. 908).