Petermann Etterlin (1430/40–ca. 1509) served as a soldier in the 1460s and 1470s, later making a living in the wine trade and holding various civic offices in Lucerne from 1476. Between 1505 and 1507, he authored a chronicle of Switzerland, focusing on Lucerne. This work spans events from the legendary foundation of the Einsiedeln monastery in 861 to the murder and trial by ordeal at Ettiswil in 1503. Notably, it includes firsthand accounts of the military campaigns from 1468 to 1477 in which Etterlin participated. The chronicle emerged in response to anti-Swiss propaganda and reflects the heightened Swiss identity following the Burgundian Wars. It contributes to a historical narrative that interprets the Swiss Confederation as a product of various liberation wars. Until Johannes Stumpf's publication in 1548, Etterlin's chronicle was the only comprehensive account of Swiss history, significantly influencing later historiography, particularly in its portrayal of the country's founding.
