county · Germany and Central Europe

County of Toggenburg

1209 CE – 1468 CE (approx.) · capital Lichtensteig

East Swiss county of the upper Thur valley whose last count's death in 1436 set off the Old Zürich War between Swiss confederates.

Origins

The lords of Toggenburg appear in the 11th century and are documented as counts by the early 13th century, holding the upper Thur valley from castles near Lichtensteig. Through marriage and purchase they gained wide lands in the eastern Alps, including the Prättigau and Davos.

Rule and society

The counts ruled a valley of farmers and herders and fought frequently with the Imperial Abbey of Saint Gall and with Habsburg Austria. Count Frederick VII became one of the most powerful lords in the region, allying with both Zürich and Schwyz. Communities in his Rhaetian lands formed the League of the Ten Jurisdictions after his death in 1436.

Decline and legacy

Frederick VII died childless in 1436, and the rival claims of Zürich and Schwyz to his lands caused the Old Zürich War of 1440 to 1446. The core county passed to the barons of Raron, who sold it to the Imperial Abbey of Saint Gall in 1468.

Lineage

County of ToggenburgImperial Abbey of Saint Gall 1206 CE – 1798 CE

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Toggenburg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-toggenburg
MLA
“County of Toggenburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-toggenburg. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Toggenburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-toggenburg.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Toggenburg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-toggenburg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻