Aegidius Tschudi tried to trace the genealogy of the Tschudi family back to the 10th century by connecting the Tschudi family with the Zurich Knights of Glarus. However, this reconstruction did not stand up to the critical historical research of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the Glarus-born historian Frieda Gallati in particular succeeded in proving that Aegidius Tschudi not only interpreted Swiss history according to his own ideas, but also wanted to bring his own family tree into connections through forgeries and misinterpretations that could not be scientifically proven in this way. Like many Glarus families, the Tschudi family can certainly not be traced back much earlier than the middle of the 14th century. The first confirmed Tschudi is Heinrich Tschudi, who was born in Glarus in 1356 and died in the night of the murder in Weesen 1388.

 

Duane Freitag, himself with Glarus roots, grew up in New Glarus, Wisconsin and has taken a keen interest in the historical and cultural background of his old home and has published several articles and books on these subjects. Duane has written a very readable article about Tschudi and his forgeries, which I may publish here with his kind permission.

​

​

Tschudy Family Fabrications

 

Compiled by Duane H. Freitag

​

Download of the article in English

​

​

​