History

One of the earliest Reding is Werner, leader of the Schwyz in the Marchen dispute with Einsiedeln Abbey in 1309-1311. Rudolf appears in 1378-1395 as an arbitrator and witness and in 1400 with other Reding as a petitioner for a letter of indulgence in favor of the church of Sattel. Hector, father of Ital the Elder, was Landammann of Schwyz (head of state) around 1408-1411. Sattel is confirmed as the residence of the Reding family until the end of the 15th century, although the date of the relocation of other Redings to Arth and Oberarth remains unclear. Heinrich is the progenitor of the Reding family still living today. His son Johannes (around 1500-1562) founded the Arth branch, the other son Georg the Schwyz branch. In the 15th century, the family gained a strong position of power in Schwyz and federal affairs, especially with Ital the Elder, and remained politically important in Schwyz until the beginning of the 20th century. Among other things, it provided over 20 Landammänner (chief of state). In the 16th and 17th centuries, Reding acted as bailiffs and sovereigns in Toggenburg, and from 1630 to 1798 they held the office of federal land registrar in Thurgau. Foreign military services became important for their further social and economic advancement, with Rudolf playing a key role. Several hundred Reding served as officers up to the rank of lieutenant general and captain general, most of them in French and Spanish, but also in Savoy, Neapolitan and other royal services. In addition to the extensive land holdings, the income from the military service allowed the construction of stately houses, particularly in Schwyz, including the “Large House in Brüel”, built by Heinrich in 1604, the Ital-Reding house, built by Ital in 1609, and the Reding house on Schmiedgasse, begun by Rudolf in 1610 and completed in 1617. On the other hand, the foreign mercenary services often brought the family into turbulent domestic political tensions (e.g. the Harten and Linden quarrel) or, as in the case of Josef Karl, sometimes led to the ruin of individual families. Almost 100 Reding belonged to the clergy, 17 of whom were parish priests in the canton of Schwyz. Augustin was abbot of Einsiedeln Abbey, Heinrich Franz (1650-1702) provost of the canonry of Zurzach. The family always supported the interests of the Catholic Church, especially during the Wars of Religion and at the time of the Counter-Reformation. Marriage connections existed with all the distinguished families in Schwyz, but also with numerous noble and patrician families in other catholic states of the Swiss confederation and from abroad.