Lower League
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The Lower League (Niedere Vereinigung[1], inferiores confederati), also known as the League of Constance, was an alliance of Rhenish cities (Colmar and Sélestat) with the Swiss cantons (Basel and Bern) led by the imperial city of Strasbourg to repel the Burgundian expansion spearheaded by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy.[2] The goal of the League was to drive Charles the Bold out of the region of Alsace, which he had bought from Sigismund, Archduke of Austria in 1469.[3] The League officially declared war on Charles the Bold on April 1474, after a rebellion broke out in Alsace by pro-league Asatian cities.[3][4] This led to the Burgundian Wars, which saw Charles the Bold fighting with the Swiss Confederancy until his death at the Battle of Nancy in 1477 against Duke René II of Lorraine and his army of Swiss mercenaries.[5]
The name of the league is intended to distinguish it from the "upper" (highland) league of the Swiss Confederacy.[1]