other · Germany and Central Europe

Grey League

1395 CE – 1799 CE · capital Ilanz

The largest of the Three Leagues of the Grisons, a federation of upper Rhine valley communes sworn under a maple tree at Truns in 1424.

Origins

In 1395 the abbot of Disentis and local lords of the upper Rhine valley made an alliance for peace and mutual protection, and in 1424 it was renewed at Truns, under a maple tree, as a league that included the communes themselves. The name Grey League is traditionally explained by the grey homespun cloth worn by its people.

Rule and society

The league joined communes of the Surselva, Hinterrhein and Mesolcina valleys, each with its own courts and assembly, meeting at Ilanz. It allied with the League of God's House in 1406 and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471, forming the Three Leagues, and in 1497 became an associate of the Swiss. Its communes divided between Catholic and Reformed.

Decline and legacy

The Grisons became part of the Helvetic Republic in 1799 and a Swiss canton in 1803. The league's name survives in Graubünden, the canton's German name.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Grey League. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/grey-league
MLA
“Grey League.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/grey-league. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Grey League.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/grey-league.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Grey League’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/grey-league (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻