Rütli Oath

Legendary oath taken at the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy

The Rütli Oath (German: Rütlischwur, ) is the legendary oath taken at the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy (traditionally dated to 1307) by the representatives of the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden,
It is named after the site of the oath taking, the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Uri near Seelisberg. Recorded in Swiss historiography from the 15th century, the oath is notably featured in the 19th century play William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) by Friedrich Schiller.

The Rütli Oath is first mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen (written 1470, based on a source dated c. 1420). The account in the White Book of Sarnen mentions how Beringer von Landenberg, the reeve 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 of Altzellen for attempted rape of his wife. Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz was threatened by reeve Gessler because he had dared to build a stone house. Stauffacher also escaped to Uri, and, inspired by his wife Gertrud Stauffacher, formed a secret pact against the reeves. This account is followed by the story of William Tell and the Burgenbruch, followed by the Rütli Oath itself, taken by Walter Fürst of Uri, Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz and Arnold von Melchtal of Unterwalden. The Tellenlied (c. 1477) names Wilhelm Tell as the "first oath taker" (der erste Eydgnoss). The Tellenspiel of Uri (1512) replaces Fürst with Tell in the role of the oath taker on behalf of Uri. Jacob Stampfer depicted the oath scene on his Bundestaler (c. 1546). The coin legend dates the event to 1296, and the three oath takers are named as Wilhelm Tell von Ure, Stouffacher von Schwytz and Erni von Underwalden. The report from Chronicon Helveticum by Aegidius Tschudi (c. 1570) became the canonical form in Swiss historiography. Tschudi retains the names of the three oath takers (Eidgenossen) already mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen (1470),
Werner Stauffacher for Schwyz, Walter Fürst for Uri and Arnold of Melchtal for Unterwalden. The figures of the three oath takers or Eidgenossen during the 16th century merged with the legend of William Tell 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. Tschudi dates the event to 8 November 1307. Later pacts of similar nature, reflecting the early growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy, are those with Lucerne in 1332, and the Zürich guild revolution of 1336. The larger context is that of the communal movement in medieval Europe, which was countered by the imperial Golden Bull of 1356. This conflict escalated, in the Swiss case, in the Battle of Sempach of 1386.

The building of Switzerland as a federal state in the first half of the 19th century (1803–1848) revived symbols of the period of growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Late Middle Ages, including the legends of William Tell and Arnold Winkelried and the Rütli oath. Patriotic songs such as the Sempacherlied as well as Schiller's play had an important position, and shooting competitions or tirs 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 Bern 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 in Altdorf. It was only after the celebration of the 650th anniversary in 1941, seen as an important symbol of Swiss independence in times of war, 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 name of the Swiss Confederation, "Eidgenossenschaft", harks back to the legendary comrades of the oath.