Who was William Tell and why was he famous?

Question

I know about him shooting the apple off of his son's head and all that, but I'd like to know -who- he was and -why- that made him famous.

Answer 1

William Tell from Bürglen was known as an expert marksman with the crossbow. At the time, the Habsburg emperors were seeking to dominate Uri. Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf raised a pole in the village's central square with his hat on top and demanded that all the local townsfolk bow before it. As Tell passed by without bowing, he was arrested. He received the punishment of being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son, Walter, or else both would be executed.

Tell had been promised freedom if he shot the apple. On November 18, 1307, Tell split the fruit with a single bolt from his crossbow, without mishap. When Gessler queried him about the purpose of the second bolt in his quiver, Tell answered that if he had ended up killing his son in that trial, he would have turned the crossbow on Gessler himself . Gessler became enraged at that comment, and had Tell bound and brought to his ship to be taken to his castle at Küssnacht. In a storm on Lake Lucerne, Tell managed to escape. On land, he went to Küssnacht, and when Gessler arrived, Tell shot him with a crossbow bolt.

Answer 2

The first written account of the legend dates from 1474, the period of the wars of the Swiss against Charles the Bold of Burgundy ; but the story of a man showing his skill with the crossbow in such a way is much earlier. The legend has been used for plays ( Schiller , 1804) and an opera ( Rossini , 1829), as well as in filmed versions.

Answer 3

He is the national hero of the Swiss and was the leader in their late Medieval struggle for the autonomy of the Swiss cantons versus (Germanic) Imperial control. Check out the biography at Answers.com, which includes the Wikipedia entry: http://www.answers.com/topic/william-tell The general thrust of the article is that real events (a successful revolt and the formaton of a cantonal league in 1291) led to the development of a perhaps mythological hero.

Answer 4

William Tell (German: Wilhelm Tell; French: Guillaume Tell; Italian: Guglielmo Tell) was a legendary hero of disputed historical authenticity who is said to have lived in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th centuryThe legend
William Tell from Bürglen was known as an expert marksman with the crossbow. At the time, the Habsburg emperors were seeking to dominate Uri. Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf raised a pole in the village's central square with his hat on top and demanded that all the local townsfolk bow before it. As Tell passed by without bowing, he was arrested. He received the punishment of being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son, Walter, or else both would be executed.

Tell had been promised freedom if he shot the apple. On November 18, 1307, Tell split the fruit with a single bolt from his crossbow, without mishap. When Gessler queried him about the purpose of the second bolt in his quiver, Tell answered that if he had ended up killing his son in that trial, he would have turned the crossbow on Gessler himself . Gessler became enraged at that comment, and had Tell bound and brought to his ship to be taken to his castle at Küssnacht. In a storm on Lake Lucerne, Tell managed to escape. On land, he went to Küssnacht, and when Gessler arrived, Tell shot him with a crossbow bolt.

This defiance of the Austrian reeve Gessler sparked a rebellion, leading to the formation of the Old Swiss Confederacy.

Answer 5

How do you think of you will react if somebody like Pharrell Williams informed you? "you are the main well liked b*tch in this place" a grin of graditude and a thank you is all that guy or woman is getting from me. BQ definite that's staggering out area!

Answer 6

He is most famous because wrote an overture about the Lone Ranger.

Answer 7

Expert marsman and author of the lone ranger - imortilized through his writings

Answer 8

good question! i'd like to know this too,i'll keep checking your answers to find out!