The peace treaty signed on November 29, 1516 followed the bloody battle of Marignano between France and the Old Swiss Confederacy.
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On Thursday in Fribourg, France and Switzerland celebrated the inclusion of the 1516 “Eternal Peace” treaty in UNESCO’s international Memory of the World Register. The official ceremony took place in the presence of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin.
Parmelin praised the 1516 treaty as one that now benefits from a “broader outlook”.
“The document symbolises the fact that negotiation can prevent a victory from becoming a humiliation,” he said as Philippe Demierre, president of the Fribourg government, and Marion Paradas, the French ambassador to Switzerland, looked on.
For the first time in 510 years, the two copies of the Peace of Fribourg have been reunited in the very place where they were drawn up and sealed. The French National Archives agreed to lend the copy that was presented to François I in Paris in 1516 by a delegation from the Swiss cantons.
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Forgotten Swiss peace pact has lessons for Europe on ending bloodshed
Authorities and the public can now view the two original texts, which left a “lasting” mark on the history of Franco-Swiss relations.
The peace treaty signed on November 29, 1516 followed the bloody battle of Marignano between France and the Old Swiss Confederacy. Up to 20,000 soldiers lost their lives. The agreement brought an end to Swiss expansion into Italian territory and a peace settlement binding the Swiss to never again take up arms against the French.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist
