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H I S T O R Y
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The History of William Tell In the thirteenth century
the people of the Forest Cantons stood under the protection and
supervision of the Emperor who had acquired the habit of sending his
bailiff from time to time to pass sentence on the people and collect
the imperial taxes. Towards the end of the century the Dukes of
Habsburg-Austria tried to extend their dominion to the Forest Cantons.
When Albert of Austria became Emperor he sent his own Austrian
officers to the Forest Cantons instead of the imperial bailiffs. This
provoked the resistance and the wrath of the countrymen. It is in this context that
the history of William Tell must be seen One day, Gessler, the
Austrian bailiff, planned to find out what the people thought of his
rule. He had an Austrian hat suspended
from a pole in the village of Altdorf and issued an order that
every man who passed by should bare his head out of respect to the
hat. William Tell and his son Walter from the village of Bürglen
happened to pass that way without paying due reverence to the hat.
Tell was seized and taken to the bailiff who asked why the order had
been disobeyed. Tell advanced some foolish excuses. But Gessler did
not accept them and judged. „Tell, you are a famous crossbowman.
Your punishment shall be to shoot an apple from your little son's head“.
Poor Tell offered his own life so as not to risk that of his child. In
vain did he implore Gessler to commute this terrible punishment. The
bailiff even decided that if he refused or missed at the first attempt,
both he and his son would have to die. Tell had no alternative. He
took aim and the arrow struck the apple right through the centre. The
assembled crowd sympathized with Tell and applauded his shot wildly.
Gessler, however, had noticed that Tell had put a second arrow into
his quiver, and demanded to be told what it was for. Tell replied
evasively that it was a custom among crossbowmen, but Gessler was not
satisfied. He promised to spare Tell's
life if he told him the truth. Thereupon Tell informed him that if he
had missed the apple with the first arrow, he would certainly have hit
him, Gessler, with the second. At this bold reply the bailiff gave the
order for Tell to be taken to his castle near Küssnacht and to
imprison him for the rest of his life The whole party including
Gessler embarked for Küssnacht. But they had not long been afloat
when a tremendous storm arose and threatened to sink the boat. Even
the sailors began to get alarmed and told the bailiff that Tell, who
was almost as good a steersman as he was a crossbowman, was their last
hope. So Tell was set free and given control of the boat. He steered
straight for a rocky ledge on the Axen and when he was near enough he
took his crossbow and sprang on to the ledge kicking the boat back
into the raging waters. Tell hurried over the
mountains to the "Hollow Way" near Küssnacht The news of Tell's deed
spread quickly around the country inspiring the movement for freedom
and independence in the Forest Cantons. TELL MUSEUM
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