St�ffis) family, it is likely that it was founded with the support of the Bishop. The first citizens of Estavayer-le-Lac were mentioned in 1291. During the Middle Ages the history of the town is closely linked with that of their lords. This changed in the 13th Century when the Lords of Estavayer split into three branches. Each branch owned a castle in the city, and exercised sovereign rights over some of the citizens. All three branches shared the city government between themselves. In 1244, the Bishop placed the Lords of Estavayer under the Counts of Savoy. From this point on the city was part of the Savoy district of Vaud. In 1349, William IV of Estavayer sold his part of the city to Isabelle of Chalon, the Countess of Vaud. Estavayer-le-Lac became the center of a district under Vaud. Between 1403-1535 Estavayer-le-Lac sent representatives to the assembly of estates which was generally held in Moudon.
During the Burgundian Wars, the town was besieged by the Swiss Confederation and captured on 27 October 1475, with heavy losses among the citizens of the town. The city of Fribourg purchased a number of rights in Estavayer-le-Lac in 1488 and appointed a vogt to reside in Chenaux Castle and administer the Fribourg properties in town. In 1536, they acquired additional rights in the town and surroundings and made Estavayer-le-Lac the center of a Fribourg bailiwick. The bailiff was also the Schultheiss of the city and stood before the Council. After the death of the last Lord of Estavayer in 1632, Fribourg took the rest of the city in 1635, and became the sole ruler of the city. It remained the capital of a bailiwick until the end of the Helvetic Republic, when it became the capital of the Broye district.
From the late Middle Ages until 1671, the town was governed by the common law of Lausanne. In 1671, the Fribourg authorities issued their own laws for the city. A town council was first mentioned in the charter of 1350, which was granted by Isabelle
