Rütlischwur

The Rütlischwur is the legendary oath taken at the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy by the representatives of the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, traditionally dated to 1291.
It is named for 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 play William Tell by Friedrich Schiller .

The Rütli oath is first mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen .
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 .
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 Rütlischwur itself, taken by Walter Fürst of Uri, Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz and Arnold von Melchtal of Unterwalden.
The Tellenlied names Wilhelm Tell as the "first oath-taker" .
The Tellenspiel of Uri replaces Fürst with Tell in the role of the oath-taker on behalf of Uri.Jacob Stampfer depicted the oath scene on his Bundestaler . 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.

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