The legend of William Tell
William Tell is one of the universal symbols of the victory of the oppressed over the oppressor. Is it possible that William Tell, the very symbol of Swiss independence, never existed ? It is 1291 and the story begins at a time when Austria—a foreign power—ruled the cantons of Uri, Schwytz and Unterwald, now forming part of central Switzerland. The local population was obliged to show allegiance to the Austrian Emperor’s representative, Gessler, by saluting his hat attached to a…
