The string of Swiss victories is broken in the early 16th century, and after a few painful defeats (notably at Marignano 1515), the Confederacy stopped its aggressive expansion.
The early modern period is characterized by internal disputes, both religious and social (peasant uprisings).
The final French invasion of Switzerland was only marginally a military operation and mostly a collapse due to centrifugal forces within the Confederacy.
These are minor skirmishes on 2–5 March 1798, leading to the swift collapse of the Old Confederacy, the clashes of April and May last pockets of resistance against the recently established Helvetic Republic.
The Valais formed the separate Rhodanic Republic in 1802 and joined the restored Swiss Confederacy only in 1815.