Much of the medieval period was a time of power struggles between competing dynasties such as the House of Savoy, the Visconti in <answer>northern Italy</answer> and the House of Habsburg in Austria and Slovenia. In 1291 to protect themselves from incursions by the Habsburgs, four cantons in the middle of Switzerland drew up a charter that is considered to be a declaration of independence from neighboring kingdoms. After a series of battles fought in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, more cantons joined the confederacy and by the 16th century Switzerland was well-established as a separate state.
Where were the Visconti from?
northern Italy