Constaffel

The Constaffel (or Konstaffel) was an institution of the upper class in Zurich, comparable to the Achtburger in Basel. In 1336, Rudolf Brun united members of Zurich's urban upper class into the Constaffel during the Brun's guild revolution. The old upper class, which had previously governed without guilds, as well as the new Constaffel, consisted of nobles and knights, rentiers, and wealthy merchants.

Today, it exists in the form of the social association Gesellschaft zur Konstaffel, which takes part in Sechseläuten.

In legal texts more broadly, the term Konstaffel refers to the residents of a castle, city, or city quarter. While the term was used in various cities including Strasbourg, where it also designated a constitutionally relevant institution of the upper class, the Constaffel was particularly significant in Zurich's political history.

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