Rütlischwur
Encyclopedia
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
, taken on the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Lucerne
Lake Lucerne
Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country.The lake has a complicated shape, with bends and arms reaching from the city of Lucerne into the mountains. It has a total area of 114 km² , an elevation of 434 m , and a maximum depth of 214 m . Its volume is 11.8...
near Seelisberg
Seelisberg
Seelisberg is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:The Rütli meadow, according to legend the site of the original oath foundational to the Old Swiss Confederacy, is situated in the territory of the municipality....
. The oath is notably featured in the Wilhelm Tell drama
Wilhelm Tell (play)
William Tell is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804. The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century...
of 1804 by Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
.
Early accounts
The Rütli oath is first mentioned in the White Book of SarnenSarnen
Sarnen is the capital of the canton of Obwalden situated on the shores of Lake Sarnen , Switzerland. It has a population of just under 10,000 and is surrounded by countryside and mountains. Sarnen is located 20 km south of Lucerne.- History :...
(1470). Its canonical form is that of the 16th century Chronicon Helveticum
Chronicon Helveticum
The Chronicon Helveticum is one of the oldest accounts of the early history of the Swiss Confederation.The rough draft of the Chronicon Helveticum was written by the historian Aegidius Tschudi from Glarus in 1550...
of Aegidius Tschudi
Aegidius Tschudi
Aegidius Tschudi was an eminent member of the Tschudi family, of Glarus, Switzerland....
. According to Tschudi, the three oath-takers (Eidgenossen) were Werner Stauffacher
Werner Stauffacher
Werner Stauffacher was supposedly the name of the representative of the canton of Schwyz, one of the three founding cantons at the legendary Rütlischwur of 1291, as told by Aegidius Tschudi....
for Schwyz
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
, Walter Fürst
Walter Fürst
Walter Fürst was a Swiss patriot from Uri, who contributed to establish the liberty and independence of Switzerland. According to Tschudi he represented Uri at the Rütlischwur....
for Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
and Arnold of Melchtal
Arnold von Melchtal
Arnold von Melchtal, also spelt Melchthal and otherwise Arnold von der Halden, was one of the three Eidgenossen, the legendary founding fathers of Switzerland. He represented the Canton of Unterwalden at the Rütlischwur....
for Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
.
Early Modern period
The figures of the three oath takers or Eidgenossen during the 16th century merged with the legend of William TellWilliam Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
and became known as "the Three Tells".
Impersonations of the Three Tells in historical costume played a role during the Swiss peasant war of 1653
Swiss peasant war of 1653
The Swiss peasant war of 1653 was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the Emmental valley in the Canton of Bern and then to the cantons of...
.
Historicity
Tschudi dates the event to 8 November, 1307. Its historicity is uncorroborated, but also not implausible, the 1307 date falling in a period of a series of similar treaties such as the Federal Charter of 1291 and the pact of BrunnenPact of Brunnen
The pact of Brunnen is a historical treaty between the cantons ofUri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, concluded in Brunnen SZ on 9 December 1315....
of 1315, the pact of Uri and Urseren of 1317, the pact with Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
in 1332, the Zürich guild revolution
Zünfte of Zürich
There are fourteen historical Zünfte of Zurich, under the system established in 1336 with the "guild revolution" of Rudolf Brun...
of 1336, all part of a larger communal movement finally countered by the imperial Golden Bull of 1356
Golden Bull of 1356
The Golden Bull of 1356 was a decree issued by the Reichstag assembly in Nuremberg headed by the Luxembourg Emperor Charles IV that fixed, for a period of more than four hundred years, important aspects of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire...
and culminating in the Battle of Sempach
Battle of Sempach
An armistice was agreed upon on 12 October, followed by a peace agreement valid for one year, beginning on 14 January 1387.The battle was a severe blow to Austrian interests in the region, and allowed for the further growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy....
of 1386.
Schiller's Wilhelm Tell
In Friedrich SchillerFriedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's drama, this oath of the mentioned three men takes place in Walter Fürst
Walter Fürst
Walter Fürst was a Swiss patriot from Uri, who contributed to establish the liberty and independence of Switzerland. According to Tschudi he represented Uri at the Rütlischwur....
's house in Altdorf
Altdorf
Altdorf may refer to: In Switzerland:*Altdorf, Switzerland, the capital of the canton of Uri , *Altdorf, Schaffhausen, a village in the canton of Schaffhausen ,...
and basically consists of a promise to meet again on 1 August on the Rütli meadow and to bring with them leading and brave men of the three cantons to decide upon a common action plan. Most notably, among the representatives of Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
was Konrad Baumgarten, a free and wealthy man who has killed, in his own residence, the local Habsburg sheriff Wolfenschiessen with an axe in defence of his wife Itta Baumgarten against the sheriff's trespass and inappropriate attempts to approach her. On the other hand, William Tell
William Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
refused the invitation to come to the Rütli as he was of the opinion that the strong shall act on his own and was sceptical about any common actions.
The most famous version of the oath is no doubt that found in the play "Wilhelm Tell"
Wilhelm Tell (play)
William Tell is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804. The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century...
by Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, written in 1804:
| German wording | Approximate English translation |
|---|---|
Wir wollen sein ein einzig Volk von Brüdern, in keiner Not uns trennen und Gefahr. Wir wollen frei sein, wie die Väter waren, eher den Tod, als in der Knechtschaft leben. Wir wollen trauen auf den höchsten Gott und uns nicht fürchten vor der Macht der Menschen. |
We shall be a single People of brethren, Never to part in danger nor distress. We shall be free, just as our fathers were, And rather die than live in slavery. We shall trust in the one highest God And never be afraid of human power. |
Position in Swiss national identity
The building of Switzerland as a federal stateSwitzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12, 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution, which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg...
in the first half of the 19th century (1803-1848) revived symbols of the period of growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
The growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the important trade routes through the mountains...
in the Late Middle Ages, including the legends of William Tell
William Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
and Arnold Winkelried and the Rütli oath. Patriotic songs such as the Sempacherlied
Sempacherlied
Sempacherlied is the title of a number of patriotic songs celebrating the Swiss victory at the Battle of Sempach .The oldest versions are recorded in the late 15th to early 16th century, e.g. by Melchior Russ , by Wernher Schodeler and by Aegidius Tschudi...
as well as Schiller's play had an important position, and shooting competitions or tirs
Schützenfest
A Schützenfest is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of both Germany and Switzerland....
became an important symbol of the common cause and military readiness of the Confederacy.
After the establishment of the federal state, the Rütli oath became associated with the Swiss Federal Charter, a document dated to 1291.
This choice was not straightforward, as it went against Tschudi's date of 1307, and historians could enumerate a total of 82 similar documents of the period of 1251 to 1386. The decision was motivated pragmatically, as the modern Swiss capital of Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
was going to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the city's foundation in 1891 and it was convenient to place the 600th anniversary of the Confederacy in the same year.
Especially in Central Switzerland, the opportunistic re-dating of the event was resented, and the Rütli oath continued to be dated to 1307 well into the 20th century. Accordingly, the 600th anniversary of the Confederacy was celebrated again in 1907, this time in Altdorf
Altdorf
Altdorf may refer to: In Switzerland:*Altdorf, Switzerland, the capital of the canton of Uri , *Altdorf, Schaffhausen, a village in the canton of Schaffhausen ,...
.
It was only after the celebration of the 650th anniversary in 1941, seen as an important symbol of Swiss independence in times of war
Switzerland during the World Wars
During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily. However, precisely because of its neutral status, Switzerland was of considerable interest to all parties involved, as the scene for diplomacy, espionage, commerce,...
, that the date of 1291 became universally associated with the Rütli oath. The Swiss national holiday on 1 August marks the date of the Federal Charter (dated to "the beginning of August, 1291), and thus the Rütli oath. Following a public vote on 26 September 1993, 1 August has been an official national holiday since 1994.
The three men who took the oath were the three Landamänner (Canton chiefs) of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden; Konrad ab Yberg, Werner von Attinghausen and Konrad von Wolffenschiessen. Today only the Ab Yberg family still exists.