The story of this place
On 15 November 1315, the men of Schwyz and Uri ambushed the army of Duke Leopold I of Austria in a narrow defile between Lake Ägeri and the Morgarten slope. Rolling rocks and tree trunks down onto the mounted Habsburg knights, then charging with halberds, the outnumbered Confederates routed the Austrians and killed many in the panic and the lake. The victory secured the young Swiss Confederation's independence and was sealed by the renewed Pact of Brunnen. Morgarten became a founding legend of Swiss military prowess, proving disciplined footmen could shatter feudal cavalry.