AHC: Largest Switzerland

Well, western Austria, Vorarlberg, wanted to join Switzerland after WW1 so there is a start. Culturally the area is very close to Switzerland.

edit: oh, before 1900. well a weaker Austria might work in Swiss favour.
 
A good start is the Battle of Marignano. Another is the Swiss exploiting the demise of the Duchy of Burgundy (as they directly contributed to it) by expanding their influence in Franche-Comte.
 
it's hard but possible. The main problem is that there neighbours are France and or burgundy, Austria and multiple relatively stronger competitions. It also doesn't help that Switserland is a very poor country for a long time.
 
The best opportunity would probably be during the 15th/early 16th centuries, when Swiss soldiers were widely acknowledged as the finest infantry in Europe. IRL lots of impoverished Swiss found employment as mercenaries, but it's possible to imagine an alternative scenario where they turned their energies to conquering neighbouring lands instead. If this happened, the northern Italian plain, which was rich and populous but generally unwarlike, would be a tempting target. Expansion north into Germany would also be possible, although since this would most likely lead to confilct with the Emperor this would only realistically happen if Switzerland had one or two powerful allies (France, maybe?).
 
Well, western Austria, Vorarlberg, wanted to join Switzerland after WW1 so there is a start. Culturally the area is very close to Switzerland.

That would make Liechenstein completely surrounded by Switzerland, which would be interesting.

I'm more interested in Switzerland growing larger but remaining, well...Switzerland: a benign 'lil neutral country. Which makes Vorarlberg joining a good one, in my mind.

And, I think post-1900 PODs are fine.
 
Switzerland taking the Aosta Valley, never losing any land conquered, And accepting Burgundy as an Ally in exchange for Savoie. Burgundy/Comte gets Lorraine, Provence, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, and weakens the fuck out of France. Switzerland gets Northern Piedemont, Lombardy, and Liechtenstein and Vorarlburg. Italy unifies later. Switzerland becomes predominantly German and allies with Bavaria, Baden, and Wurtemburg, forming the South German Confederation. Prussia forms North German Federation. The two have a few skirmishes before Burgundy does something stupid. Then SGC, NGF, and Austria take Burgundy by storm. France wants in on the spoils and gains much. German Hegemony is established in the mid 1800s as a strong alliance instead of a single empire.
 
Perhaps if Switzerland was more friendly to British/American causes in the latter parts of the 19th century and the early 20th century, they could benefit significantly from the World Wars. IOTL, Vorarlberg held a referendum to join Switzerland but the move with blocked by both the Swiss and Austrian governments. Maybe, a more expansionist or revanchist Switzerland wouldn't block the accession of Vorarlberg into Switzerland.

But apart from Vorarlberg, potential gains could be made in Southern Germany: "An online poll by the South German Südkurier newspaper found that almost 70% of respondents replied 'yes, the Swiss are closer to us in outlook' to a question whether the state of Baden-Württemberg should join Switzerland."

And in Italy: "In Como, an online poll in June 2010 by the La Provincia di Como newspaper found 74% of 2,500 respondents in favor of accession to Switzerland". A situation in which Italy is in disunity could yield significant benefits to the Swiss.

I dunno, just throwing out ideas.
 
I knew we'd discussed this recently! You, yourself posted a similar thread a month ago, and on that same day was the last post of a thread started by Hominid that was almost identical to this one.
 
I knew we'd discussed this recently! You, yourself posted a similar thread a month ago, and on that same day was the last post of a thread started by Hominid that was almost identical to this one.

That was a long time ago, and I couldn't find the thread through all the other threads out there. And there are some new information in this which I didn't find in the other one.
 
Didn't Switzerland make some territorial claims during the Congress of Vienna that didn't go anywhere? I mean, over and above the land they already received.
 
Switzerland taking the Aosta Valley, never losing any land conquered, And accepting Burgundy as an Ally in exchange for Savoie. Burgundy/Comte gets Lorraine, Provence, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, and weakens the fuck out of France. Switzerland gets Northern Piedemont, Lombardy, and Liechtenstein and Vorarlburg. Italy unifies later. Switzerland becomes predominantly German and allies with Bavaria, Baden, and Wurtemburg, forming the South German Confederation. Prussia forms North German Federation. The two have a few skirmishes before Burgundy does something stupid. Then SGC, NGF, and Austria take Burgundy by storm. France wants in on the spoils and gains much. German Hegemony is established in the mid 1800s as a strong alliance instead of a single empire.
...Butterfly murderer. ;-;

Why would Switzerland be predominantly Germany with frigging Lombardy, Savoy and Piedmont included?
 
Why would Switzerland be predominantly Germany with frigging Lombardy, Savoy and Piedmont included?

It wouldn't.

But further expansion in the Middle ages could do this. Swizerland to a large degree expanded into Hapsburg territories. If that would continue, you could have Switzerland gain Vorderösterreich as Untertanenland and several Imperial cities as independent Cantons. In fact South-Western Germany was perfect for such a gradual expansion with conquest and joining of cantons.

Problem is, though, that such a larger Switzerland increasingly sits between the Hapsburgs and France and either interests...
 
Easy gains: Vallentina, Ossala Valley, Mulhouse, Pays de Gex, Rottweil, Vorralberg, Pays de Chablais, Tre Pievi, the former exclaves of the Prince-Bihsop of Basel, some small extensions to Neuchatel and Vaud. This just requires a more successful Switzerland at Vienna, plus a couple of minor retentions elsewhere.
 
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