The
Sonderbund War of November 1847 was a
civil war in
Switzerland, then still a relatively loose confederacy of
cantons (states). It ensued after seven
Catholic cantons formed the
Sonderbund ("separate alliance") in 1845 to protect their interests against a centralization of power. The war concluded with the defeat of the Sonderbund. It resulted in the emergence of
Switzerland as a federal state, concluding the period of political "
restoration and regeneration" in Switzerland.