William Tell

William Tell, legendary Swiss patriot of the 14th century. According to tradition, Tell refused to salute the cap of Gessler, the despotic Austrian governor of his canton, Uri. Gessler then ordered Tell to shoot an arrow through an apple set upon the head of Tell's young son. He accomplished the feat, but stated that if he had killed his son, he would have proceeded to kill Gessler himself. Tell was then imprisoned. Upon escaping, he set an ambush for the governor and killed him. The slaying is said to have sparked the uprising of the Swiss against their Austrian rulers, resulting in the unification and independence of the Swiss nation.

The first written version of the legend of William Tell appeared in a 15th-century ballad; it later served as the basis for the famous drama Wilhelm Tell (1804) by the German playwright Friedrich von Schiller and for the opera Guillaume Tell (1829) by the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini.