The feat of William Tell and the legend of him

Each nation has its own hero, which personifies the nation's desire for freedom and independence. Sometimes his role is played by mythological characters, and more often the actions of a real person are so embellished that it is already difficult to distinguish the truth from fiction. One of these heroes is Wilhelm Tell, which for several centuries the Swiss made up legends and songs.

A bit of history

Before moving on to the story of Wilhelm Tell himself, one should make a brief excursion into the history of Switzerland, more precisely in the history of the canton of Uri, located in the Alps. The inhabitants of Uri were known for centuries for their freedom-loving disposition, and although this region was considered a German territory, the laws of the Alps were in force.
In addition, until the last quarter of the 13th century, the canton of Uri together with the cantons Schwyz and Unterwalden enjoyed certain privileges as a reward for the courage shown by their inhabitants in the service of the Austrian emperor. And Rudolph I, who greatly respected the brave mountaineers, even granted them the right to independently elect their ruler - Landamman. But then everything changed, and the Swiss had to defend their freedom. To this end, in 1291, three rebellious cantons joined the military alliance, which marked the beginning of the establishment several centuries later of the Swiss Confederation.

Who is William Tell?

But back to Wilhelm Tell. What is known about it? Yes, quite a bit. It is believed that he was a native of the city of Burglen, located in the canton of Uri. Moreover, the record about the birth of Tell in the parish books has not been preserved. However, those who hold the opinion that Tell is a real character, explain the lack of written evidence by the fact that the official archives of the canton of Uri were burnt in the fire in 1440. In addition, there is a version that Tell was the son-in-law of a real historical person - Walter Furst, who, as documented, in 1307 publicly swore with Werner de Stauffacher and Arnold Melchtal to free his native country from the domination of hated and cruel Austrians. If there are almost no real facts about the life of the national hero of Switzerland, the feat of William Tell is known in the smallest detail. And no one can say where the truth is, but where the fiction.

Wilhelm Tell: the legend and the real facts. What is known about it?

It all began in 1291, when the receiver of Rudolf the First ascended to the throne Adolf Nassau. The new emperor, nicknamed the Black Duke, was particularly cruel and consigned to oblivion all previous peace agreements. The first thing he did was replace the Landammen with his governors, the so-called bali. These Austrian officials began to create lawlessness, which caused resentment among the inhabitants of the Swiss cantons. Of particular cruelty was the bali Gessler, who sat out in the fortress in Altdorf and directed from there his minions, who sowed terror among the local peasants. Here, the real facts end, and the legend begins, describing the feat of William Tell in bright colors and with all the details. And many researchers rightly point out that the legend about the proud arrow from the Alps is very similar to the legends of virtuoso archers (there are about a dozen of them all) that exist among different peoples living in a vast space from Persia and India to the Scandinavian Peninsula.

The feat of the brave Swiss

As the legend says, one day Gessler decided to find out if the rebellion among the inhabitants of Uri is ripening. To do this, he ordered to establish a post on the square and to plant a duchess's hat on it. Then the heralds announced that passers-by are obliged to bow to this headdress symbolizing the power of the Austrians, and those who refuse will await death. Clenched teeth, the inhabitants obeyed the order, and only William Tell, who was walking in the square with his son, refused to bow to the hat. When he was brought in for questioning, he stated that he was a free man.

Baley Gessler was angry, but did not dare immediately execute the rebel. Deciding to act trickier, he promised to pardon Tell if he could get from a hundred steps to the target, and as a target suggested using an apple, put on the head of his son William. Of course, Tell declined, but the insidious bali said that then on the apple he ordered to shoot one of his archers. According to legend, it was under such circumstances that the feat of William Tell was performed - the man, having gathered all his courage, fired and fell into the apple on the head of his six-year-old son Walter, and then fled with the child.

Life of the hero after the achievement of heroism

Very little is known about the life of Wilhelm Tell after the event in the Altdorf Square. In particular, the legends say that he still shot Gessler from a crossbow when he was going to take his family hostage, and after doing many glorious deeds. For example, participated in the battle of Morgarten, which occurred in 1315. So the feat of William Tell was not the only one. When age no longer allowed him to fight with weapons in his hands, the man became the treasurer of the Bingen church. It is also claimed that death overtook the hero in 1354, when William Tell, already a very old man, died trying to save a child drowning in a mountain river.

Opera Rossini - a masterpiece of classical music

The patriotic and parental feat of William Tell was immortalized by Joachino Rossini, who created in 1829 his masterpiece - the opera "Wilhelm Tell".

Overture to this large-scale work has been included in the program of concerts of symphonic music for almost 190 years , and no classical opus can compete with its popularity. Rossini himself was so devastated after a long six months of working on "Wilhelm Tell" that after living after her premiere for another 40 years, no longer appealed to the operatic genre. Rossini's opera "Wilhelm Tell" was highly appreciated by critics. However, until the end of the XIX century, the censors mercilessly chopped her libretto and changed the name, because they saw in it calls for revolution and rebellion.