Mandates that regulated life outside Zurich

During the Ancient Régime, the government in Zurich regulated the lives of their subjects down to the smallest detail, above all by means of the Sittenmandate (moral regulations). Perceived excesses like gambling, playing music and dancing were restricted, the display of luxury and new dress fashions prohibited. The ruling classes liked to surround themselves with this aura of luxury exclusively. However, the rural entrepreneurs who had become wealthy in the proto-industry, emulated the bourgeois fashion habits of the cities. By prohibiting the display of coloured shoes and jewellery, it was intended to re-emphasise the differences between the classes.