Ludwig Pfyffer

[1] He became a mercenary in the service of France in 1553, and by 1563 he was colonel of a regiment engaged against the Huguenots in the French Wars of Religion.

[1] After returning to Switzerland in 1569, Pfyffer was elected chief magistrate (schultheiss) of Lucerne in 1571, serving eleven consecutive terms until his death.

[1] As a leading figure of the Catholic cantons, Pfyffer influenced all of the Confederation's policy in matters of recruitment, alliances, and military capitulations (with Savoy in 1577 and Spain in 1587), which earned him the nickname “King of the Swiss”.

[1] Since before his military and political career, Pfyffer was a cloth and cattle merchant, financier, and partner of a company active in the salt trade.

[1] As the Swiss delegate to the Diet of Augsburg in 1566, he received a patent of nobility from Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.