# Battle of Stoss (17 June 1405)

URL: https://allhistories.com/swiss/timeline/1405-battle-of-stoss
Themes: Wars & Battles

On 17 June 1405 an Austrian army under Duke Frederick IV attempting to relieve the abbot of St Gall was defeated by the Appenzellers at Stoss pass, a steep approach leading into their valley. Rain made the slopes slippery, and the attackers were overwhelmed. After the victory the Appenzellers formed the 'League above the Lake', a union of towns and peasants that spread into the Rhine valley, Vorarlberg and the Allgäu. It collapsed after defeat at Bregenz in January 1408. The wars nonetheless weakened both the abbey and Habsburg power in the region. Much of the later glory surrounding the battle, including tales of heroic women fighting in men's clothes, belongs to chronicle tradition rather than documented fact.

## Why it matters
Stoss was a symbol of peasant freedom and prepared Appenzell's integration into the Confederacy.

Ruler at the Time: [Rupert of the Palatinate](https://allhistories.com/swiss/rulers/rupert-of-the-palatinate)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Appenzell Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appenzell_Wars)
- [Wikipedia — Frederick IV of Austria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_IV_of_Austria)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Battle of Stoss](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Battle+of+Stoss)
- [Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS) lookup — Battle of Stoss](https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/en/search/?text=Battle+of+Stoss)
- [Wikipedia — Old Swiss Confederacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Swiss_Confederacy)
- [Wikipedia — History of Switzerland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Switzerland)