Swiss American Historical Society Review
Keywords
L'Escalade, Duke of Savoy
Abstract
L'Escalade, the Duke of Savoy's failed attack against Geneva in December 1602, is to the annals of this city not unlike the Fourth of July is to the popular culture of the United States. The colorful narrative of L'Escalade has all the necessary ingredients for a historical event to become mythical: heroes, villains, deception, and success. There is a universal appeal to a story about ordinary citizens triumphing over a larger invading army. The brazenness of the attack is an enduring image that has proven highly malleable for poets, preachers, and politicians, and L'Escalade 's celebration has continued through the years to inspire and entertain the citizens of Geneva. A flourish of publications appears every 50 years or so to commemorate the event though very little has been written about it in English. Marking the event with a remembrance began almost immediately after its conclusion and continues today as an annual civic celebration.
Recommended Citation
Fehleison, Jill
(2013)
"L'Escalade of 1602: History, Myth, and Commemoration,"
Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 49:
No.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol49/iss1/3