Page 3 - GC-May-June-2026

Wilhelm Tell: equal parts history and legend
By Martin Ederer
lot of people are familiar with
Athe name Wilhelm Tell, thanks
in huge part to a very famous opera
overture by Giacchino Rossini. That
overture’s main themes have been
well-embedded in popular culture.
Think Lone Ranger and the whole
Looney Tunes franchise. But who
was Wilhelm Tell and how real was
he? Even the experts disagree.
The basic story of Wilhelm Tell
has existed in Swiss patriotic lore
since around 1291, when the origi-
nal three cantons of Uri, Schwyz
and Unterwalden decided to quit the
Holy Roman Empire and go it
alone. We have several accounts
starting from the late 1400s.
A first rather unspecific refer-
ence appears in the White Book of
Sarnen by Hans Schriber of Ob-
walden. It mentions a figure who
fits Tell’s description as one of the
conspirators eventually responsible
for the Rütlischwur of 1291 that set
up the original Swiss Confederation. Tell is arrested for not saluting Gessler's hat (mosaic at the Swiss National Museum, Hans Sandreuter, Writers cast doubts on the au-
A second account appears in the 1901). One of the fourteen mosaics on the facade of the armoury of the Swiss National Museum. Sandreuter thenticity of the Wilhelm Tell story
Tellenlied from the same time, won a competition for the design of the fourteen mosaics in 1897 but left them unfinished upon his death from almost the beginning. Similar
which names Wilhelm Tell as the in 1901. Photo by Hans Sandreuter; photograph: Roland zh - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
“first conspirator,” but also updates
events to the Burgundy Wars in the terlin. That brings us to the 1500s Glarus’ Chronicon Helveticum, that road went through a stone cut 1700s analyses multiplied compar-
late 1400s. Other accounts mention- and Aegidius Tschudi.
ing Tell include Melchior Ross, The account that shaped the Tell A print edition finally appeared in Swiss rebellion grew from there, legends circulating through Europe,
Conrad Justinger and Petermann Et- story with all the familiar details the 1730s. In any event, questions galvanizing the Swiss Confederacy. noting strong resemblances among
appeared in Aegidius Tschudi of linger about its absolute accuracy. Tell fought the Austrians again in them.
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Three Tells (a trinity?) doing the
same also multiplied.
By the 19th century, the memo-
ry of Tell had inspired French revo-
lutionaries to stand up to the corrupt
French monarchy. For the Swiss,
however, Tell inspired heroic stands
against the hated French not much
later after they had occupied Swit-
zerland. Benito Juarez of Mexico
took the name of Wilhelm Tell
when he joined the Freemasons. Jo-
hann Wolfgang von Goethe learned
of the Tell story and saw play mate-
rial in it. He did not follow through,
but he handed the idea off to
Friedrich Schiller, who did compose
a play. Rossini used Schiller’s play
for his eponymous opera. Later,
Wilhelm Tell also became a favorite
subject for films. Swiss immigrants
to Indiana named their community
Tell City. Back in Switzerland,
Tell’s popularity also got a boost
during the difficulties of the two
world wars.
doubts also persisted whether this
figure ever really existed. By the
manuscript completed around 1572. known as the Hohle Gasse. The ing the Tell legend to other heroic
According to Tschudi’s version, 1315. Tell died rescuing a child By the 1970s, efforts were un-
Tell was born in Bürglen, Uri in the from the Schächen River in 1354. derway to present Wilhelm Tell’s
Schächental. Tschudi describes Tell Tschudi’s Wilhelm Tell became story to schoolchildren more as a
as a strong man and an expert an inspiration for people fighting legend than as a real person in the
marksman with the crossbow. Earli- entrenched and corrupt rulers ever
history of Swiss nation-building.
er accounts had already remarked since. The stories about Tell quickly The short form is that Wilhelm Tell,
about his marksmanship. became conflated with religious im- whether historic or mythological,
In Tell’s time, the Austrian Hab- agery, promising Tell’s “second refuses to go away quietly. Recent
sburg Holy Roman Emperors were coming” in times of crisis. Stories of polls show that most Swiss still be-
trying to tighten their grip on Uri, lieve that he actually existed.
and Tell became one of the co-con-
spirators with Werner Stauffacher,
seeking to resist it. Albrecht
Gessler, the new Austrian Vogt (or
reeve) of the emperor in Altdort
(Uri), raised a pole under the village
linden tree, hung his hat on it, and
demanded that everyone bow before
it. Tschudi places the date of that
event with great specificity on No-
vember 18, 1307.
Tell and his son Walter visited
Altdorf but Tell publicly refused to
bow before the hat. Tell was arrest-
ed, but an angry Gessler had also
heard about Tell’s legendary marks-
manship, offering a punishment and
a deal, both equally cruel. Tell and
his son were to be executed, but he
could save himself and his son if he
could shoot an apple off his son’s
head in a single attempt. Tell’s ar-
row split the apple but did not touch
his son. So far so good.
Gessler noticed, however, that
Tell had drawn two arrows from his
quiver, so he asked why. Tell hesi-
tated to answer until Gessler prom-
ised that he would not kill him.
Tell’s reply: The second bolt was
for Gessler if he had missed with the
first one and accidentally killed his
son. Gessler grew furious. He kept
his word about not killing Tell, but
he did order that Tell be bound and
sent to prison for life.
Tell was loaded onto Gessler’s
boat waiting on Lake Luzern to take
him to the castle dungeon of Küss-
nacht. A storm broke on the lake;
fearing the boat would sink, the
frightened guards begged Gessler to
remove Tell’s shackles so that he
could take the helm. A reluctant
Gessler complied, but Tell promptly
steered the boat onto a shoal and
jumped out, that location is still re-
ferred to as Tell’s Slab (Tellsplatte).
A memorial chapel marks the spot
since the 1500s.
Tell ran to Küssnacht with
Gessler in hot pursuit. Tell finally
ambushed and killed him with his
second crossbow arrow where the May - June 2026 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • 3