Bienne

Biel, or Bienne, lies at the northeastern end of Lake Biel beneath the Jura Mountains. Lands around the lake were granted to the bishop of Basel in 999, and Bishop Heinrich von Thun probably founded the town in the 1220s. Although it remained under the bishop's jurisdiction, its council sought greater independence; King Rudolf of Habsburg granted Biel a town charter in 1275.

The town made alliances with neighbouring cities, including Bern in 1279 and Solothurn in 1334. Its obligations to Bern and the bishop clashed in 1367, when war brought the burning of Biel and the destruction of the bishop's castle. Bern acquired nearby Nidau in 1388, while the bishop retained influence in Biel. The town became associated with the Swiss Confederation and, despite its Catholic overlord, adopted the Reformation in 1528.