Hans Conrad Werdmüller (Zürich, 20 July 1606 – Zürich, 30 July 1674)Database of the councilmen of Zürich
URL last accessed 2006-12-18. was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

military commander and a member of the city council of

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Biography

Werdmüller was the son of Christoph Werdmüller, a member of the Grand Council of Zürich, and Anna Jegglin. He studied at Zürich and

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. Werdmüller fought in the

Valtellina War The Valtellina War (1620–1626) was an episode of the Thirty Years' War arising out of competition to control the Valtelline, an Alpine valley forming a key part of the Spanish Road. Background Valtelline, in Northern Italy, was vitally impor ...

as a

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

in French service, then served

Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (6 July 1594, Sulzburg, Hochschwarzwald – 8 September 1659, Durlach) was a German Nobility, nobleman, who ruled as margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1622 to his death. He was succeeded by his son Frederi ...

from 1629 to 1631. Appointed captain in 1632, his military talents brought him to the rank of colonel. Werdmüller commanded the troops of Zürich during the

Wädenswil Wädenswil (locally often called ''Wättischwiil'', ''Wädischwiil'' or ''Wädi'') is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality located in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Z� ...

revolt of 1646 and the

Swiss peasant war of 1653 The Swiss peasant war of 1653 () was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the E ...

. He was responsible for the 17th-century reorganization of Zürich's defenses, most notably through the introduction of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

Biography

References

Further reading