(Redirected from Gardes Suisses)
Papal Swiss Guards in traditional uniforms
'Swiss Guards' are
Swiss mercenary soldiers who have served as
bodyguards,
ceremonial guards, and
palace guards at foreign
European courts from the late
15th century until the present day (in the form of the Papal Swiss Guard). They have generally had a high reputation for discipline and loyalty to their employers. Some of these units have also served as fighting troops in the field. There were also regular Swiss mercenary regiments serving as line troops in various armies, notably those of France, Spain and Naples until the
19th century who were not household or guard units.
Various "Swiss Guards" have existed. The earliest such detachment was the Guard of the 'Hundred Swiss' at the French court (1497 – 1830). This small force was complemented in
1567 by a Swiss Guard regiment. The 'Papal Swiss Guard' in the
Vatican was founded in
1506 and is the only Swiss Guard that still exists. In the
18th century several other Swiss Guards existed for periods in various European courts.
Swiss Guards in France
Pioneer of the Swiss Guards in France, 1779
There were two different corps of Swiss mercenaries performing guard duties for the Kings of France: the 'Hundred Swiss' (''Cent Suisses''), serving within the Palace as essentially bodyguards and ceremonial troops, and the 'Swiss Guards' (''Gardes suisses''), guarding the entrances and outer perimeter. In addition the Gardes suisses served in the field as a fighting regiment in times of war.
The Hundred Swiss were created in
1496 by King
Charles VIII. Their main role was the protection of the King indoor, what was called the ''garde du dedans du Louvre'' (the Louvre indoor guard), but in the earlier part of their history they accompanied the King on campaign. In the
Battle of Pavia (
1525) the Hundred Swiss of King
Francis I were slain before Francis was captured by the
Spanish. They shared the indoor guard with the King's Bodyguards (''Gardes du Corps''), which were Frenchmen.
As a result of the
Everlasting Peace between
Switzerland and
France declared in
1516, Swiss mercenaries played their most important roles in the military history of France.
Francis I of France used some 120,000 Swiss mercenaries in his wars. In
1616 King
Louis XIII gave a regiment of Swiss infantry the name of Gardes suisse (Swiss Guards). The new regiment had the primary role of protecting the doors, gates and outer perimeters of the various royal palaces. This unit was officially a regiment of the line, but it was generally regarded as part of the
King's Military Household.
During the
17th and
18th centuries the Swiss Guards maintained a reputation for discipline and steadiness in both peacetime service and foreign campaigning. Their officers were all Swiss and their rate of pay substantially higher than that of the regular French soldiers. Internal discipline was maintained according to Swiss codes which were significantly harsher than those of the regular French Army.
By the 18th century the Swiss Guards were brigaded with the Regiment of French Guards (''
Gardes françaises''), with whom they shared the outer guard, and were in peace-time stationed in barracks on the outskirts of
Paris. Like the eleven Swiss regiments of line infantry in French service, the Gardes suisses wore red coats. The line regiments had black, yellow or light blue facings but the Swiss Guards were distinguished by dark blue lapels and cuffs edged in white embroidery. Only the grenadier company wore bearskins while the other companies wore the standard tricorn headdress of the French infantry. The Guards were recruited from all the Swiss cantons. The nominal establishment was 1,600 men though actual numbers normally seem to have been below this.
The Swiss Guard being brought to the Guillotine
The most famous episode in the history of the Swiss Guards was their defense of the
Tuileries Palace in central Paris during the
French Revolution. Of the nine hundred Swiss Guards defending the Palace on
August 10, 1792 more than six hundred were killed during the fighting or massacred after surrender. An estimated two hundred more died in prison of their wounds or were killed during the
September Massacres that followed. Apart from about a hundred Swiss who escaped from the Tuileries, some hidden by sympathetic Parisians, the only survivors of the regiment were a 300 strong detachment which had been sent to Normandy to escort grain convoys a few days before
August 10. The Swiss officers were mostly amongst those massacred, although Major Bachmann in command at the Tuileries was formally tried and guillotined in September, still wearing his red uniform coat. Two Swiss officers did however survive and went on to reach senior rank under Napoleon.
There appears to be no truth in the charge that Louis XVI caused the defeat and destruction of the Guards by ordering them to lay down their arms when they could still have held the Tuileries. Rather, the Swiss ran low on ammunition and were overwhelmed by superior numbers when fighting broke out spontaneously after the Royal Family had been escorted from the Palace to take refuge with the National Assembly. A note has survived written by the King ordering the Swiss to retire from the Palace and return to their barracks but this was only acted on after their position had become untenable. The regimental standards had been secretly buried by the adjutant shortly before the regiment was summoned to the Tuileries on the night of August 9th, indicating that the likely end was foreseen. They were discovered by a gardener and ceremonially burned by the new Republican authorities.
The Lion Monument in Lucerne.
The heroic but futile stand of the Swiss is commemorated by
Bertel Thorvaldsen's monument in
Lucerne dedicated in
1821 and showing a dying lion collapsed across broken symbols of the French monarchy.
The French Revolution abolished mercenary troops in its citizen army, but
Napoleon I and the
Restoration Monarchy both made use of Swiss troops. Four Swiss infantry regiments were employed by Napoleon, serving in both Spain and Russia. Two of the eight infantry regiments included in the Garde Royale from 1815 to 1830 were Swiss and can be regarded as successors of the old Gardes suisse. When the Tuileries were stormed again, in the
July Revolution (
July 29,
1830), the Swiss regiments, fearful of another massacre, were withdrawn or melted into the crowd. They were not used again. In 1832 disbanded veterans of the Swiss regiments and another foreign unit, the Legion de Hohenlohe, were recruited into the newly raised
French Foreign Legion for service in Algeria.
The
Swiss constitution, as amended in
1874, forbade all military capitulations and recruitment of Swiss by foreign powers, although volunteering in foreign armies continued until prohibited outright, in
1927.
Pontifical Swiss Guard
The 'Corps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard' or 'Swiss Guard' (Ger: ''Schweizergarde'', Ital. ''Guardia Svizzera Pontificia'', Lat. ''Pontificia Cohors Helvetica'', or ''Cohors Pedestris Helvetiorum a Sacra Custodia Pontificis'') as part of the
Military of the Vatican City is an exception to the Swiss rulings of 1874 and 1927. It is a small
force responsible for the security of the
Apostolic Palace, the entrances to the
Vatican City and the safety of the
Pope. Its official language is
German.
The history of the Swiss Guards has its origins in the 15th century.
Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) already made a previous alliance with the Swiss Confederation and built barracks in Via Pellegrino after foreseeing the possibility of recruiting Swiss mercenaries. The pact was renewed by
Innocent VIII (1484-1492) in order to use them against the Duke of Milan.
Alexander VI (1492-1503) later actually used the Swiss mercenaries during their alliance with the King of France. During the time of the Borgias, however, the Italian wars began in which the Swiss mercenaries were a fixture in the front lines among the warring factions, sometimes for France and sometimes for the Holy See or the
Holy Roman Empire. The mercenaries enlisted when they heard King
Charles VIII of France was going to raise a war against Naples. Among the participants in the war against Naples was Cardinal
Giuliano della Rovere, the future
Pope Julius II (1503-1513), who was well acquainted with the Swiss having been
Bishop of Lausanne years earlier. The expedition failed in part thanks to new alliances made by Alexander VI against the French. When Cardinal della Rovere became pope
Julius II in
1505, he asked the
Swiss Diet to provide him with a constant corps of 200 Swiss mercenaries. In
September 1505, the first contingent of 150 soldiers started their march towards Rome, under the command of
Kaspar von Silenen, and entered the Vatican on
January 22,
1506, today given as the official date of the Guard's foundation. "The Swiss see the sad situation of the Church of God, Mother of Christianity, and realize how grave and dangerous it is that any tyrant, avid for wealth, can assault with impunity, the common Mother of Christianity," declared
Ulrich Zwingli, a Swiss Catholic who later became a
Protestant reformer. Pope Julius II later granted them the title "Defenders of the Church's freedom"
[1].
The force has varied greatly in size over the years and has even been disbanded. Its first, and most significant, hostile engagement was on
May 6,
1527 when 147 of the 189 Guards, including their commander, died fighting the forces of
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V during the
Sack of Rome in order to allow
Clement VII to escape through the
Passetto di
Borgo, escorted by the other 40 guards. The last stand battlefield is located on the left side of
St Peter's Basilica, close to the ''Campo Santo Teutonico'' (German Graveyard).
The Swiss Guard has served the popes since the
1500s as part of the papal army. Ceremonially, they shared duties in the Papal household with the
Palatine Guard and
Noble Guard, both of which were disbanded in
1970 under
Paul VI. Today the Papal Swiss Guard have taken over the ceremonial roles of the former Vatican units, serving now as the
army of the
sovereign state of the
Vatican. At the end of
2005, there were 134 members of the Swiss Guard. This number consisted of a Commandant (bearing the rank of "
oberst" or
Colonel), a
chaplain, three officers, one
sergeant major ("
feldwebel"), 30
NCOs, and 99 "halberdiers", the rank equivalent to private (so called because of their traditional
Halberd).
The sword worn by the Swiss Guard
Building on their training in their traditional service in the Swiss military, members wear a long sword (officers a rapier or straight sabre) and receive instruction in the ceremonial use of their halberd on a four-sided pole which is held on their right during marches, drill, and regular formations in their official duties around the Vatican. The halberd includes a loose metal ring just below the halberd blade which adds a loud ''clink'' when an individual or formation comes to attention. Other weapons and regalia carried by higher ranking non-halberdiers include: a command baton, a
partisan, a
flamberge (a wavy two-handed sword), and breastplate with shoulder guards. Headwear is typically a black beret for daily duties, while a black or silver morion helmet with red, white, yellow and black, and purple ostrich feather is worn for ceremonial duties, the former for guard duty or drill; the latter for high ceremonial occasions such as the annual swearing in ceremony or reception of foreign heads of state. The Guard also engages in yearly rifle competition and receives self-defense instruction, as well as basic instruction on defensive bodyguard tactics not dissimilar to those used in the protection of many heads of state.
[2]
The guards must be
Catholic, unmarried males with
Swiss citizenship who have completed basic training with the
Swiss military and can obtain certificates of good conduct. New recruits must have a professional diploma or high school degree and must be between 19 and 30 years of age and at least 174 cm (5'9") tall
[3].
Qualified candidates must apply to serve. If accepted, new guards are sworn in every
May 6 in the San Damaso Courtyard (
Italian: ''Cortile di San Damaso'') in the Vatican. (May 6 is the anniversary of the
Sack of Rome.) The
chaplain of the guard reads aloud the
oath in the language of the guard (mostly
German, some
French, a little
Italian):
: (German version)
''"Ich schwöre, treu, redlich und ehrenhaft zu dienen dem regierenden Papst'' [name] ''und seinen rechtmäßigen Nachfolgern, und mich mit ganzer Kraft für sie einzusetzen, bereit, wenn es erheischt sein sollte, selbst mein Leben für sie hinzugeben. Ich übernehme dieselbe Verpflichtung gegenüber dem Heiligen Kollegium der Kardinäle während der Sedisvakanz des Apostolischen Stuhls. Ich verspreche überdies dem Herrn Kommandanten und meinen übrigen Vorgesetzten Achtung, Treue und Gehorsam. Ich schwöre, alles das zu beobachten, was die Ehre meines Standes von mir verlangt."''
: (English translation) ''"I swear to
faithfully, honestly and honorably serve the reigning Pope''
[name of Pope]'' and his legitimate successors, and to dedicate myself to them with all my strength, ready to sacrifice, should it become necessary, even my own life for them. I likewise assume this promise toward the members of the
Sacred College of Cardinals during the period of the
Sede Vacante of the
Apostolic See. Furthermore, I pledge to the Commandant and to my other superiors respect, fidelity, and obedience. I swear to abide by all the requirements attendant to the dignity of my rank."''
When his name is called, each new guard approaches the Swiss Guard's
flag, grasping the banner in his left hand. He raises his right hand with his
thumb,
index, and
middle finger extended along three axes, a
gesture that symbolizes the
Holy Trinity, and speaks:
:
''"Ich,'' [Name des Rekruten]'', schwöre, alles das, was mir soeben vorgelesen wurde, gewissenhaft und treu zu halten, so wahr mir Gott und seine Heiligen helfen."''
:''"I,''
[name of the new guard]'', swear to diligently and faithfully abide by all this which has just been read to me; may
The Almighty and His
Saints be my witnesses."''
Members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Prefettura Pontificia in Vatican City.
The term of service is between two and 25 years. The official dress uniform is of
blue,
red,
orange and
yellow with a distinctly
Renaissance appearance. A repeated historical misconception is that the contemporary dress uniform was designed by
Michelangelo. In fact, Commandant Jules Repond (1910-1921) created the current uniforms in
1914. While the uniforms of the Swiss Guard bearing Pope Julius II on a
litter (painted by
Raphael) is often cited as inspiration for the Swiss Guard uniform, the actual uniforms worn by those soldiers are of the style which appears by today's standards as a large skirt, a common style in uniforms during the Renaissance. A very clear expression of the modern Swiss Guard uniform can be seen in a 1577 fresco by Jacob Coppi of the Empress Eudoxia conversing with Pope Sixtus III. It is clearly the precursor of today's recognizable three-colored uniform with boot covers, white gloves, a high or ruff collar, and either a black beret or a black morion (silver for high occasions). Sergeants wear a black top with crimson leggings, while other officers wear an all-crimson uniform. The regular duty uniform is more functional, consisting of a simpler solid blue version of the more colorful tri-color grand gala uniform, worn with a simple brown belt, a flat white collar and a
black beret. For new recruits and rifle practice, a simple light blue
overall with a brown belt may be worn. During cold or inclement weather, a dark blue cape is worn over the regular uniform. The original colors (blue and yellow) were issued by
Pope Julius II taking his family (Della Rovere) colors,
Pope Leo X added the red to reflect his family's Medici colors.
After the
May 13,
1981 assassination attempt on
Pope John Paul II by
Mehmet Ali Ağca, a much stronger emphasis has been made on the Swiss Guards' functional, non-ceremonial roles. This has included enhanced training in unarmed combat and extended training and issuing of firearms.
Ranks of the Swiss Guard
Commissioned Officers
★
Oberst (
Colonel -- the
commandant of the Guard)
★
Oberstleutnant (
Lieutenant Colonel -- the vice-commandant)
★ Kaplan (
Chaplain, considered the same rank as a lieutenant colonel)
★
Major
★
Hauptmann (
Captain)
Non-commissioned Officers
★
Feldwebel (
Sergeant-major)
★
Wachtmeister (
Sergeant)
★ Korporal (
Corporal)
★ Vizekorporal (Vice-corporal; closest equivalent would be
lance corporal)
Enlisted
★ Hellebardier/Gardist (Halbardier/Guardsman)
Insignia
★
Insignia of Rank Swiss Guards
2006 Anniversary - 500 years in service
In April-May 2006, to celebrate 500 years in the line of duty a group of veteran guards marched from Switzerland to Rome, a month long journey through Italy. In a public ceremony on May 6 the 33 new guards were sworn in on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica instead of the traditional San Damaso Courtyard.
Also on parade at this event were the Company of Pikeman and Musketeers of the
Honourable Artillery Company of London. The Band and Corps of Drums of the HAC also provided musical support, and HAC members attended as guests.
Banner of the Swiss Guard with the coat-of arms of commander Elmar Th. Mäder, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Julius II. (Note the papal tiara on Pope Benedict's coat of arms.)
Papal Swiss Guard in traditional uniforms (particular).
The banner
The Swiss Guard banner is : a white cross divides the banners in four quarters. In the right lower corner is displayed Pope Julius II's coat-of-arms, in the middle is displayed the commander's own coat-of-arms. The ruling Pope coat-of-arms is in the left upper quarter: the other quarters display the Swiss Guard colors.
List of commanders
#Kaspar von Silenen, Uri (1506-1517)
#Markus Röist, Zürich (1518-1524)
#Kaspar Röist, Zürich (1524-1527)
#Jost von Meggen, Luzern (1548-1559)
#Kaspar Leo von Silenen, Luzern (1559-1564)
#Jost Segesser von Brunegg, Luzern (1566-1592)
#Stephan Alexander Segesser von Brunegg, Luzern (1592-1629)
#Nikolaus Fleckenstein, Luzern (1629-1640)
#Jost Fleckenstein, Luzern (1640-1652)
#Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1652-1657)
#Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1658-1686)
#Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1686-1696)
#Johann Kaspar Mayr von Baldegg, Luzern (1696-1704)
#Johann Konrad Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1712-1727)
#Franz Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1727-1754)
#Jost Ignaz Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1754-1782)
#Franz Alois Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1783-1798)
#Karl Leodegar Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1800-1834)
#Martin Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1835-1847)
#Franz Xaver Leopold Meyer von Schauensee, Luzern (1847-1860)
#Alfred von Sonnenberg, Luzern (1860-1878)
#Louis-Martin de Courten, Wallis (1878-1901)
#Leopold Meyer von Schauensee, Luzern (1901-1910)
#Jules Repond, Freiburg (1910-1921)
#Alois Hirschbühl, Graubünden (1921-1935)
#Georg von Sury d'Aspremont, Solothurn (1935-1942)
#Heinrich Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1942-1957)
#Robert Nünlis, Luzern (1957-1972)
#Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen, Luzern (1972-1982)
#Roland Buchs, Freiburg (1982-1998)
#
Alois Estermann, Luzern (1998)
#
Pius Segmüller, St. Gallen (1998-2002)
#Elmar Theodor Mäder, St. Gallen (2002-)
Former Vatican Guards
★
Noble Guard
★
Palatine Guard
Other Swiss Guards
Swiss Guard units similar to the French ones existed at several other courts in the 18
th century as well.
★ From
1579 on, a Swiss Guard served for the
House of Savoy, ruling
Savoy and later the
Kingdom of Sardinia. The Guard was dissolved in
1798.
★ From
1696 to
1713, a Swiss Guard served at the court of
Frederick I of Prussia.
★ A Swiss Guard also existed once in the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
★ From
1730 until
1757 and again from
1763 to
1814 in the
Kingdom of Saxony.
★ From
1734 until
1789 in the
Kingdom of Naples.
★ From
1748 until
1796 in the
Netherlands.
★ For a brief time (1748–
1767) during the reign of
Empress Maria Theresa (r.
1740–
1780), approximately 250 to 450 soldiers from Switzerland were hired to guard the
Hofburg, the winter palace in
Vienna. They replaced previous military units that had performed that duty, and were later replaced by others. The oldest courtyard of the palace is still called the "Swiss Court" ''(Schweizerhof)'' in acknowledgement of their 20-year presence.
References
1. History of the Pontifical Swiss Guards Official Vatican web page, Roman Curia, Swiss Guards, retrieved August 7, 2006
2. Vatican's honour to Swiss Guards
3. Admission requirements Official Vatican web page, Roman Curia, Swiss Guards, retrieved August 7, 2006
★ Royal, Robert. ''The Pope's Army: 500 Years of the Papal Swiss Guard''. Crossroads Publishing Co, 2006.
★
★
★ Bodin, J.: ''Les Suisses au Service de la France''; Editions Albion Michael, 1988. ISBN 2-226-03334-3.
★ Bertin, P.: ''Le Fantassin de France''; Service Historique de L'Armee de Terrre, 1988.
★ Serrano, Antonio. ''Die Schweizergarde der Päpste''. Verlagsanstalt >>Bayerland<<, 1992.
External links
★
Contemporary account of the attack on the Tuileries and the massacre of the Swiss Guards,
August 10,
1792
★
The Vatican's Official Swiss Guard site
★
''Die Päpstliche Schweizergarde''
★
Swiss Watchers, ''
The Guardian'',
April 5,
2005
★
Giga-Catholic Information
★
Oath ceremony photo
★
Swiss Guards official site
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
