Unteraargau

As Bernese Aargau is referred to those areas in the western part of the Swiss canton of Aargau, which were 1415-1798 peasant lands of the city and the republic of Berne. These include the Aare Valley between Aarau and the Klingnauer reservoir, the side valleys of the Aabachs, the Suhre, the Wigger and Wyna as well as some areas in the Jura. The area mainly comprises the present-day districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg and Zofingen.

The term Bernese Aargau is not the historical origin and at no time was an official field name. In the parlance of the city of Bern this subject territories were called from 1628 'under- Aargau ». Upper Aargau is still the name for the area between Langenthal and Burgdorf in the Canton of Bern.

1415 Austrian Duke Friedrich IV was outlawed by Emperor Sigismund of Habsburg. The Confederates were invited to Aargau to wrest the Habsburgs. The Bernese were there the fastest and had already occupied the western half of the Habsburg territory before the other towns responded at all. The eastern half was divided into the Common Lordships County of Baden and Free offices as well as in that of Zurich alone controlled basement office. In the south of Lucerne received some offices.

The Bernese brought to 1514 various smaller dominions on the southern edge of the Jura in their possession, which had previously heard local nobles or monasteries. They took control of the strategically important mountain passes Benkerjoch, Bözberg, Staffelegg and Salhöhe on the border of the Frick Valley, which was a part of Vorderösterreich then.

The Bernese Aargau consisted of seven administrative territories ( called offices ). At the beginning of the bailiff of Aarburg managed the entire area. Only later, when Bern the rights of the nobility and clergy back pushed more and more, were more offices added: Lenzburg ( 1442 ), Schenkenberg ( 1460 ), Beaver Stein ( 1499 ), Zofingen ( 1528), Königsfelden ( 1528) and Kasteln ( 1732).

The four so-called Munizipalstädte Aarau, Brugg, Lenzburg and Zofingen allowed to maintain the high level of jurisdiction and thus a degree of autonomy. The bailiff and the country writers were each burger in town Bern, lower administrative posts have been filled by locals. Under pressure from the Council of the City of Bern, the Reformation was introduced in 1528 in all subjects areas.

The economy of the Bernese Aargau was initially based almost entirely on agriculture. The new administrative territories were the granaries of the city of Bern. From the late 17th century promoted Bern on economic grounds, commercial and early forms of industry. In the second half of the 18th century, the Bernese Aargau was one of the most industrialized areas of the Swiss Confederation. Instrumental in development of industry were Huguenot refugees from France.

After the conquest of Switzerland by the French in March 1798 the Helvetic Republic was proclaimed. The Canton of Aargau was created from the Bernese Aargau lower, but remained without the Office Aarburg, the time being in Bern. Aarau was the first capital of Switzerland for five months. By 1803, signed by Napoléon Bonaparte Mediation Act of the State has been extended: From the Bernese Aargau, the Canton of Baden, Canton Frick valley and the Office Aarburg was the Canton of Aargau in its present form.