1291 → tuna · bat.

By tradition the Confederacy began with the Rütli Oath: in 1291 the three rural "forest cantons" — Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden — sealed the Federal Charter (Bundesbrief), a mutual-defence pact, as the Habsburg dynasty tightened its grip on the strategically vital Gotthard pass trade route to Italy. The alliance let self-governing valley communities present a united front against outside lords; the folk hero William Tell belongs to this founding myth. It is taken as the birth of Switzerland and is still marked by the national holiday on 1 August. Peg 12 · 91 → tuna · bat: a bat perched on a tuna.

Tip: "Schwyz" gave the country its name — Schweiz / Switzerland.

Go deeper:

• Old Swiss Confederacy — Wikipedia — the 1291 Federal Charter, the Rütli tradition, and how three forest cantons grew into Switzerland.

1315 → tomb · tail.

When Duke Leopold I of Austria marched to crush the upstart Confederates, they ambushed his mounted knights on the narrow strip between a steep slope and Lake Ägeri near Morgarten in 1315, rolling down rocks and logs before finishing the trapped column with halberds. A lightly-armed peasant militia annihilating a feudal army stunned Europe and proved the young alliance could defend itself; the cantons promptly renewed and tightened their pact in the Pact of Brunnen. Peg 13 · 15 → tomb · tail: a tail poking out of a tomb.

Go deeper:

• Battle of Morgarten — Wikipedia — how the Confederates ambushed Leopold I's army in the mountain pass.