much in motion. The city of Zug was seen as having Habsburg ties with the cities of Zurich and Lucerne, and therefore had to be conquered. It is likely that this was more for political than economic reasons: the Lucerne market was very important for central Switzerland, but also strongly dependent on the city of Zurich. Zurich initiated a siege on Zug with the federal army in June 1352. Zug surrendered. On 27 June 1352 Zurich, Luzern, Zug, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed an alliance. Zurich's saw this �Zugerbund� (Zug alliance) as an alliance of convenience. For the city of Zug, little changed, and Zug remained Habsburg. That same year, the Zug alliance was declared invalid by all parties. A period of Schwyz domination then followed. Only gradually did Zug become sovereign and federal.
Simultaneously, Zug expanded its territory, acquiring a number of rural areas in the form of bailiwicks (Walchwil, Cham, Gangolfswil [Risch] H�nenberg and Steinhausen, and Oberr�ti, now part of the canton of Aargau). Zug became a confederation in itself - with the �city� and its subject territories, and the three outer (�free�) municipalities, �geri, Menzingen (with Neuheim) and Baar. This problematic dualism dominated until 1798, i.e. until the end of the old confederation, the political structure of the Canton Zug. The unifying element of this miniature confederation was, among others, the rural municipalities and the forty-member city council.
During the turmoil of the Reformation, Zug remained on the Catholic side of central Switzerland and retained the old faith. Warring religious confederates fought at Kappel am Albis (1531) and at Gubel in Menzingen. Its location on the edge of central Switzerland made Zug a confessional border town.
The period up until 1798 was marked by internal political rivalries and turbulence. The invasion of the French troops marked the end of the old order, and with the Helvetic order came a radical political change. Zug became
