TheRütli Oath (German:Rütlischwur,Swiss Standard German pronunciation:[ˈryːtliˌʃvuːr]) is the legendaryoath taken at thefoundation of theOld Swiss Confederacy (traditionally dated to 1307) by the representatives of the three foundingcantons,Uri,Schwyz andUnterwalden.It is named after the site of the oath taking, theRütli, a meadow aboveLake Uri nearSeelisberg. Recorded inSwiss historiography from the 15th century, the oath is notably featured in the 19th century playWilliam Tell (Wilhelm Tell) byFriedrich Schiller.
The Rütli Oath is first mentioned in theWhite Book of Sarnen (written 1470, based on a source dated c. 1420).[1]The account in theWhite Book of Sarnen mentions how Beringer von Landenberg, thereeve of Unterwalden, ordered the confiscation of oxen from the farmer at Melchi (Sachseln). The farmer's son attacked the reeve's servants and escaped to Uri, so that the father was blinded in retaliation.A little later, reeve Wolfenschiessen was slain by Konrad von Baumgarten ofAltzellen for attempted rape of his wife.Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz was threatened by reeveGessler because he had dared to build a stone house.Stauffacher also escaped to Uri, and, inspired by his wifeGertrud Stauffacher, formed a secret pact against the reeves.This account is followed by the story ofWilliam Tell and theBurgenbruch, followed by the Rütli Oath itself, taken byWalter Fürst of Uri, Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz andArnold von Melchtal of Unterwalden.TheTellenlied (c. 1477) namesWilhelm Tell as the "first oath-taker" (der erste Eydgnoss).[2]TheTellenspiel of Uri (1512) replaces Fürst with Tell in the role of the oath-taker on behalf of Uri.[3]Jacob Stampfer depicted the oath scene on hisBundestaler (c. 1546). The coin legend dates the event to 1296, and the three oath-takers are named asWilhelm Tell von Ure,Stouffacher von Schwytz andErni von Underwalden.
The report fromChronicon Helveticum byAegidius Tschudi (c. 1570) became the canonical form inSwiss historiography. Tschudi retains the names of the three oath-takers (Eidgenossen) already mentioned in theWhite Book of Sarnen (1470),Werner Stauffacher forSchwyz,Walter Fürst forUri andArnold of Melchtal forUnterwalden.[4]
The figures of the three oath takers orEidgenossen during the 16th century merged with the legend ofWilliam Tell and became known as "theThree Tells".Impersonations of the Three Tells in historical costume played a role during theSwiss peasant war of 1653.Tschudi dates the event to 8 November 1307.[4]
The historicity of the oath, and more specifically the Rütli as the site of the oath, is uncorroborated outside of the account in theWhite Book of Sarnen, dated to about a century after the purported event. The historicity of the event is thus unverifiable, but it is not implausible, as the 1307 date given by Tschudi falls within a period of similar treaties between the cantons, including theFederal Charter of 1291, thepact of Brunnen of 1315, and the pact of Uri and Urseren of 1317.The traditional date of 1307 for the first "conspiracy" between the three founding cantons is made plausible by the suggestion due toRoger Sablonier (2008) that the Federal Charter of "1291" may have been slightly pre-dated, and should be placed in the context of the inheritance of territories in Schwyz byWernher von Homberg in 1309.[5] Later pacts of similar nature, reflecting the earlygrowth of the Old Swiss Confederacy, are those withLucerne in 1332, and theZürich guild revolution of 1336. The larger context is that of thecommunal movement in medieval Europe, which was countered by the imperialGolden Bull of 1356. This conflict escalated, in the Swiss case, in theBattle of Sempach of 1386.
InFriedrich Schiller's playWilliam Tell, written in 1804, this oath of the mentioned three men takes place inWalter Fürst's house inAltdorf 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 ofUnterwalden wasKonrad Baumgarten, a free and wealthy man who 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 refused the invitation to come to the Rütli as he was of the opinion that the strong shall act on his own and was skeptical about any common actions.
The most famous version of the oath is no doubt that found in the play:
| German wording | Approximate English translation |
|---|---|
Wir wollen sein ein einzig Volk von Brüdern, | We want to be a single People of brethren, |
The three Landamänner (canton chiefs) of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwaldenrepresented in Schiller's Tell as taking the oath are those who have historically held office in 1291, Werner von Attinghausen for Uri,Konrad ab Yberg for Schwyz,[6]andKonrad Baumgarten for Unterwalden.[dubious –discuss]
The building ofSwitzerland as a federal state in the first half of the 19th century (1803–1848) revived symbols of the period ofgrowth of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Late Middle Ages, including the legends ofWilliam Tell andArnold Winkelried and the Rütli oath.[7] Patriotic songs such as theSempacherlied as well as Schiller's play had an important position, and shooting competitions ortirs 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 theSwiss Federal Charter, a document dated to 1291.This choice was not straightforward, as it went against Tschudi's date of 1307, and historians could[clarification needed] enumerate a total of 82 similar documents of the period of 1251 to 1386. The decision was motivated pragmatically, as the modern Swiss capital ofBern in 1891 was going to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the city's foundation 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 inAltdorf.
It was only after the celebration of the 650th anniversary in 1941, seen as an important symbol of Swiss independence intimes of war, that the date of 1291 became universally associated with the Rütli oath. TheSwiss 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 name of the Swiss Confederation, "Eidgenossenschaft", harks back to the legendary comrades of the oath.
