Rorschach is first mentioned in 850 as
Rorscachun. Though the city of St. Gallen and Appenzell opposed the new monastery, after the approval of
Pope Sixtus IV and protracted negotiations with Emperor Friedrich III the
corner stone of the new
Mariaberg Abbey was laid on 21 March 1487. At first the city simply protested the Abbot's plan, but when that went nowhere, they began planning an attack on the abbey. They believed that the Swiss Confederation would not intervene due to tensions between them and the
Swabian League. On 28 July 1489 a group of 1200 Appenzellers and 350 St. Galleners assembled at Grub (now part of
Eggersriet) and marched on the Abbey. They quickly tore down the walls and burned everything they could find. After spending the night drinking and feasting on the abbot's supplies, they returned to their homes. The attack cost the Abbot the 13,000 gulden he had already spent on construction along with an additional 3,000 in furniture and supplies. The Abbey's
vassals were supportive of the actions of the city and Appenzell and on 21 October 1489 signed the
Waldkircher Bund with the rebels. Facing forces from the Confederation, the Waldkircher Bund dissolved as each group prepared to defend themselves. The Swiss army besieged St. Gallen on 11 or 12 February and on 15 February the city surrendered. The peace treaty dissolved the Bund, restored the abbot's lands, allowed him to rebuild Mariaburg Abbey but required him to remain in St. Gallen. Mariaberg Monastery was rebuilt starting in 1497 and completed 1518. But it only served the monastery of St. Gallen as an administrative center and later became a school. ==Geography==