f the burghers. In 1356 the city was nearly destroyed by a great
earthquake. After long swaying between the neighbouring Rhine cities and
the Swiss Confederation, it was admitted into the latter in 1501. It later
became one of the chief centres of the Reformation movement in Switzerland,
so that the bishop retired in 1525 to Porrentruy, where he resided till
1792, finally settling at Soleure in 1828, the bishopric having been wholly
reorganized since 1814. As in other Swiss towns the trade gilds got all
political power into their hands, especially by the 18th century. They
naturally favoured the city at the expense of the rural districts, so that
in 1832 the latter proclaimed their independence, and in 1833 were
organized into the half canton of Basel Landschaft, the city forming that
of Basel Stadt.

See _Basler Biographien_ (3 vols., 1900-1905); _Basler Chroniken_ (original
chronicles), (5 vols., Leipzig, 1872-1890); H. Boos, _Geschichte von
Basel_, vol. i. (to 1501) alone published (1877); A. Burckhardt, _Bilder
aus d. Geschichte von Basel_ (3 vols., 1869-1882); _Festschrift z. 400ten
Jahrestage d. ewig. Bundes zwisch. B. und den Eidgenossen_ (1901); T.
Geering, _Handel und Industrie d. Stadt Basel_ (1885); A. Heusler,
_Verfassungsgeschichte d. Stadt Basel im Mittelalter_ (1860), and
_Rechtsquellen von Basel_ (2 vols., 1856-1865); L. A. Stocker, _Basler
Stadtbilder_ (1890); L. Stouff, _Pouvoir temporel des eveques de Bale_ (2
vols., Paris, 1891); R. Thommen, _Gesch. d. Universitaet B._, 1532-1632
(1889); _Urkundenbuch d. Landschaft B._ (pub. from 1881), and ditto for the
city (pub. from 1890); W. Vischer, _Gesch. d. Universitaet B._, 1460-1529
(1860); R. Wackernagel, _Gesch. d. Stadt Basel_ (3 vols., 1906 sqq.); K.
Weber, _Die Revolution im Kanton Basel_, 1830-1833 (1907); G. Gautherot,
_La Republique rauracienne_ (1908).

(W. A. B. C.)

BASEL, CONFESSION OF, one of the many statements of faith produced by the
Reformation. It was put out in 1534 and must be distinguished from the
First and Second Helvetic Confessions, its author being Oswald Myconius,
who based it on a shorter confession promulgated by Oecolampadius, his
predecessor in the church at Basel. Though it was an attempt to bring into
line with the reforming party both those who still inclined to the old
faith and the anabaptist section, its publication provoked a good deal of
controversy, especially on its statements concerning the Eucharist, and the
peo