History As a Historical Reality, William Tell Probably Never Existed
© Lonely Planet Publications 27 History As a historical reality, William Tell probably never existed. But as a na- tional legend, the man who helped to drive out Switzerland’s foreign rulers by shooting an apple off his son’s head has perfectly embodied the coun- try’s rather singular approach to independence throughout the ages. PRE-CONFEDERATION Modern Swiss history is regarded as starting in 1291, but people had already been living in the region for thousands of years. The first in- habitants were Celtic tribes, including the Helvetii of the Jura and the A comprehensive Mittelland plain and the Rhaetians near Graubünden. Their homelands overview of the country’s were invaded firstly by the Romans, who had gained a foothold by 58 history, politics and BC under Julius Caesar and established Aventicum (now Avenches) as society is provided by their capital. Then, Germanic Alemanni tribes arrived to drive out the Jonathan Steinberg’s Romans by AD 400. Why Switzerland? The Alemanni groups settled in eastern Switzerland and were later joined by another Germanic tribe, the Burgundians, in the western part of the country. The latter adopted Christianity and the Latin language, laying the seeds for the division between French- and German-speaking Switzerland. The Franks conquered both tribes in the 6th century, but the two areas were torn apart again when Charlemagne’s empire was partitioned in 870. Initially, when it was reunited under the pan-European Holy Roman Learn about historical Empire in 1032, Switzerland was left to its own devices. Local nobles exhibitions being staged wielded the most influence, especially the Zähringen family – who by the Swiss National founded Fribourg, Bern and Murten, and built a castle at Thun (see Museum and its partners p167 ) – and the Savoy clan, who established a ring of castles around Lake at www.musee-suisse Geneva, most notably Château de Chillon (see p89 ).
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