Tell, William, was a legendary hero of Switzerland. His story, though not verified by history, represents the spirit of the Swiss movement for independence from the Austrian Habsburgs in the 1300’s. According to legend, Tell was a man of tremendous strength and the most skilled marksman in the whole canton (state) of Uri. The Austrian bailiff, Gessler, had ordered all Swiss to bow to a hat he had set up on a pole in the main square of Altdorf. When Tell refused to bow, he was arrested. Gessler knew of Tell’s skill with the crossbow and promised to let him go free if Tell could shoot an apple off his own son’s head. Tell hit the apple and then said if he had hurt his son, he would have killed Gessler. Gessler had him seized and chained.
While Tell was being taken across a lake in a boat, a storm broke. Gessler ordered Tell untied to help steer the boat. Tell escaped and shot an arrow through the tyrant’s heart. This act led to a Swiss revolt, in which Tell played a leading role. This tale is the basis of Johann Friedrich Schiller’s drama William Tell (1804). Gioachino Rossini composed the opera William Tell (1829).
