{"id":1865,"date":"2026-05-18T12:26:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/foreign-military-service\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T07:58:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:58:54","slug":"foreign-military-service","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/foreign-military-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign Military Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u2014 Home \u00b7 Stories \u00b7 Foreign Military Service<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Foreign Military Service<\/em>.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Until the 19th century, it was quite common for Grisons farmers’ sons to enter foreign military service\u2014France, the Netherlands, Naples, and later the Vatican. Traces can also be found among the Bonadurer family. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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G<\/span>risons mercenary service was for centuries an important economic factor\u2014and a social safety valve. Those who did not inherit a farmstead in Versam, Arezen, or Fan went abroad: to Holland in the service of the States General, to France in one of the Swiss regiments, or as officers in the service of Naples and Sardinia. <\/p>

Unfortunately, specific Bonadurer names do not appear in the pay lists in a form that would allow clear identification\u2014but family tradition records several cases. A young man who went to France and never returned. Another who came home with half a lung and was long called “the Dutchman”<\/em> in Versam. <\/p>

A European<\/em> Destiny<\/h3>

Anyone who imagines the Grisons farmer as confined and mountain-bound is mistaken: hardly any population in old Europe was as mobile, as networked, and as European as this one. The Bonadurer family fits into this picture\u2014they are not an isolated valley story, but part of a continental network. <\/p>

Even after the prohibition of foreign military service in 1859, it took some time before the last mercenary traditions faded. Only with the introduction of general conscription in Switzerland and the growing prosperity of the valley after 1900 did service in foreign armies cease to be a real option for Grisons farmers’ sons. <\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Historical Context<\/h4>
Holland<\/span>1614\u20131829<\/span><\/div>
France<\/span>16th \u2013 19th c.<\/span><\/div>
Naples<\/span>18th \u2013 19th c.<\/span><\/div>
Vatican<\/span>since 1506<\/span><\/div>
Prohibition CH<\/span>1859<\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n The complete register of all non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Third Swiss Regiment is kept in the Federal Archives in Bern. The personnel roster lists a total of 7,885 names\u201428 of which gave the municipalities of Safien, Tenna, Valendas, or Versam as their place of birth and\/or last residence. Below are the entries, in ascending order by date of recruitment. \n <\/p>\n\n \n

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Buchli Lazarus<\/p>\n

Versam \u00b7 Register 1128<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Recruited<\/p>\n

March 4, 1828<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Unit<\/p>\n

2nd Bat 5th Fus Co<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Discharged<\/p>\n

April 9, 1833<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Born<\/p>\n

08.10.1790<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Died<\/p>\n

08.09.1843<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Occupation<\/p>\n

Schoolmaster, Church Warden, Clerk<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Note:<\/strong> Desertion on March 6, 1831, apprehended on February 23, 1832.\n <\/div>\n

\n Resident in the Gadastatt. Married on November 7, 1808 to Menga Fontana (1785\u20131854) of Versam. Father of one daughter and seven sons\u2014progenitor of all Buchli currently living in the municipality of Versam, with the exception of those in the Grosshuus and those on the Tobel. \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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Bonadurer Georg<\/p>\n

Versam \u00b7 Register 1459<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Recruited<\/p>\n

October 26, 1828<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Unit<\/p>\n

1st Bat 4th Fus Cofrom July 1, 1830: 1st Bat 1st Rifle Co<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Discharged<\/p>\n

February 1, 1833<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Born<\/p>\n

02.10.1804<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Died<\/p>\n

22.12.1890<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Occupation<\/p>\n

Shoemaker<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Resident in the Underhof. Son of Hans Marti Bonadurer and Fida Gredig. Married on April 11, 1836 to Margreth St\u00f6ckli (1814\u20131897) of Safien. Ancestor of the Jehli in the Underhof and at the Egga, the Kocher in the R\u00f6ssli, and the Joos in Arezen. \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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Wieland Joos<\/p>\n

Tenna<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Recruited<\/p>\n

November 29, 1833<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Unit<\/p>\n

2nd Bat 5th Fus Co<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Discharged<\/p>\n

April 1, 1838<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Born<\/p>\n

24.10.1807<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Died<\/p>\n

29.11.1871<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Parents<\/p>\n

Clerk Christian Wieland & Katharina Gartmann<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Married on June 9, 1851 to the widow Elsbeth Walther n\u00e9e Gredig from the Acla. \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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Wieland Rageth<\/p>\n

Turisch<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Recruited<\/p>\n

December 20, 1844<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Unit<\/p>\n

2nd Bat 5th Fus Cofrom Sept. 1, 1845: Corporal<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Discharged<\/p>\n

January 15, 1853<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Born<\/p>\n

04.04.1825<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Parents<\/p>\n

Rageth Wieland & Christina Sutter<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Decorations<\/p>\n

Silver Medal of St. George<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Campaigns: September 1848 Capture of Messina \u00b7 1849 Sicily Campaign Medal of St. George \u00b7 4th Class Medal for the Sicily Campaign\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

\n Battered by years of military discipline and order and military drill, many found themselves barely able to cope with the waves and storms outside the barracks walls.\n <\/p>\n\n \n

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\n Excerpt from T\u00f6ndala No. 125\n <\/p>\n

\n Author: Peter Michael-Caflisch, born in 1949 in Winkel near Valendas \u00b7 schoolmaster in Versam since 1975 \u00b7 resident in upper Arezen since 1979\n <\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n \n

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Continuation<\/p>\n

Foreign Military Service \u2014 T\u00f6ndala No. 125 (complete text)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Continue reading \u2192<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Home \u00b7 Stories \u00b7 Foreign Military Service Foreign Military Service. Until the 19th century, it was quite common for Grisons farmers’ sons to enter foreign military service\u2014France, the Netherlands, Naples, and later the Vatican. Traces can also be found among the Bonadurer family. Grisons mercenary service was for centuries an important economic factor\u2014and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1865","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1866,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1865\/revisions\/1866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}