November 18: William Tell

On 18 November 1307, William Tell shot an apple off of his son’s head.

Austrian overlord Hermann Gessler had put a pole in town square, hung his hat on it, and demanded that the townsfolk to bow down to it. William Tell and his son then passed by this pole and publicly refused to bow down. Gessler seized Tell, who was well known as a marksman and set him a challenge. Tell was ordered to shoot an apple off his son’s head with his crossbow. If Tell was successful, he would be released, but if he failed or refused, both he and his son would die.

Tell put one arrow in his quiver and another in his crossbow, took aim, and shot the apple off his son’s head. Gessler was impressed and infuriated. He asked what the second arrow was for. Tell replied that if the first arrow had struck the child, the second would have been for Gessler. For such impertinence, Tell was arrested and sentenced to lifelong imprisonment in Küssnacht.

During the boat journey to the Küssnacht, a storm arose and the oarsmen begged with Gessler to release Tell so that he could steer them to safety. Gessler acceded and Tell maneuvered the boat close to the shore and then leapt to freedom, simultaneously pushing the boat back into the water.

Determined to use the second arrow, Tell hurried to Küssnacht. As Gessler and his party walked along on a dark lane called Hohlegasse on their way to the castle, Tell shot a bolt into the tyrant’s heart. Tell’s comrades were inspired by his act of bravery to throw off the yoke of Habsburg oppression in their homeland and to remain forever free.
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–Bradley Clinansmith

Photo Caption: William tell and his son from Olive Beaupre Miller The Treasure Chest of My Bookhouse (Chicago: The Bookhouse for Children, 1920) V:293.


Meet the Author: Bradley Clinansmith

I am an 18 year old freshman at Schoolcraft College. I plan to transfer to the University of Michigan after my second year of college to become a registered nurse. When I’m not in school I’m usually working. When free time does come around, I’m either hanging
out with my friends, my girlfriend, or playing a recreational sport.

7 Responses

  1. Justin Shureb says:

    I read that no other Swiss person is so widely known as Wilhelm (William) Tell, the Swiss National Hero of Liberty. Liberty is seen as the absence of tyranny and of oppression. William Tell was very popular during the French Revolution (1789) and he became the official symbol on the seal of the revolutionary Helvetic Republic of Switzerland (1798 – 1803). Willem tell used a crossbow to shoot an apple off his son’s head. Tells crossbow was a label for Swiss quality products. In the 1970’s, when the Spiritual Defense, extended during the cold war, the crossbow-label disappeared quietly.

  2. Christina Sammut says:

    Based upon other research that I have done, I can agree with Justin Shureb with the point that, “there is no other person so widely known as William Tell”. William Tell was extremely good at using a crossbow. I don’t believe he would have accepted the challenge if Tell wasn’t positive that he could have shot the apple off of his sons head successfully. William Tells name is a name that many people know and people are still telling his story today. Had William Tell just do what he was told, none of this would had happened. Today people do not like to do things when they are forced to do so. This is a clear example that the same thing took place many years ago, and that back then people didn’t like other people telling them what to do either.

  3. deanbuck05 says:

    William Tell was known as a strong man and an expert shot with the crossbow. The first reference to William Tell appears in the White Book of Sarnen (German: Weisses Buch von Sarnen). This book was written in 1475 by a country scribe named Hans Schreiber. William must have been a very brave man to have the guts to shoot an apple off of his sons head.

  4. Chris Duncan says:

    William Tell was not the only fable to include the “shoot the apple off your son’s head” legend. Others such as Palnatoki, Henning Wulf, and the like have said feat of skill and accuracy inside of their stories. However, William is the most popular and so is the only one remembered.

  5. Michael Pietron says:

    To be able to hit the target correctly is already a big challenge when the object you are aiming for is not as visible, but what is even more impressive is when others are able to hit targets while under some form of mental pressure, such as the risk of losing his son and his own’s lives. I remember reading an article in a magazine a while ago about people being able to shoot items such as cigarettes and cups. It is also interesting to see how far we have come from using these ranged weapons over time. The sports of shooting and archery have been around for such a long time, from the med-evil ages, to the wild west all the way to today’s organized shooting ranges people have always been testing their senses.

  6. Nik Stavreski says:

    King Leonidas of Sparta reminds me greatly of William Tell; as far as, bravery, rebellious spirit, and self honor/fulfillment as a human being, even in the face of death. As seen in “Dr. Steven L Berg’s History 134” 300. Not only did King Leonidas show these great qualities, but his soldiers helped express these ideals as well! It is very inspirational to hear stories like these. Standing up against all odds to fight for what you believe is right, even if it means losing your life to up hold those standpoints. It is very sad that in our day and age that events like this are not only frowned upon but punished for severely, and unknowingly in some cases…

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