In 1353 <answer>Bern</answer> joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the formative period of 1353 to 1481. <answer>Bern</answer> invaded and conquered Aargau in 1415 and Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories; thereby becoming the largest city-state north of the Alps, by the 18th century comprising most of what is today the canton of <answer>Bern</answer> and the canton of Vaud.
What is the largest city-state north of the Alps?
Bern