![]() ![]() Early modern history Īrmor for the Papal Guard of Gregory XIII, c. Anti-papal sentiment in Switzerland, however, stymied recruitment and it was not until 1548 that the papacy reached an agreement with mayor of Lucerne, Nikolaus von Meggen, to swear-in 150 new Swiss Guardsmen under commander Jost von Meggen, the mayor's nephew. Ten years later, Pope Paul III ordered the Swiss Guard to be reinstated and sent Cardinal Ennio Filonardi to oversee recruitment. Clement VII was forced to replace the depleted Swiss Guard by a contingent of 200 German mercenaries ( Custodia Peditum Germanorum). The last stand battlefield is located on the left side of St Peter's Basilica, close to the Campo Santo Teutonico (German Graveyard). Its most significant hostile engagement was on, when 147 of the 189 Guards, including their commander Caspar Röist, died fighting the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the stand of the Swiss Guard during the Sack of Rome in order to allow Clement VII to escape through the Passetto di Borgo, escorted by the other 42 guards. The force has varied greatly in size over the years and on occasion has been disbanded and reconstituted. Pope Julius II later granted the Guard the title "Defenders of the Church's freedom". "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 the Swiss Huldrych Zwingli, who later became a Protestant reformer. In September 1505, the first contingent of 150 soldiers set off on march to Rome, under the command of Kaspar von Silenen, and entered the city on 22 January 1506, now regarded as the official date of the Guard's foundation. ![]() This was made possible through financing by German merchants from Augsburg, Ulrich and Jacob Fugger, who had invested in the Pope and saw fit to protect their investment. When Cardinal della Rovere became Pope Julius II in 1503, he asked the Swiss Diet to provide him with a constant corps of 200 Swiss mercenaries. The expedition failed, in part thanks to new alliances made by Alexander VI against the French. 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 mercenaries enlisted when they heard King Charles VIII of France was going to war with Naples. 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. ![]() Alexander VI (1492–1503) later actually used the Swiss mercenaries during their alliance with the King of France. The pact was renewed by Pope Innocent VIII (1484–1492) in order to use Swiss troops against the Duke of Milan. Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484) had already made an alliance with the Swiss Confederacy and built barracks in Via Pellegrino after foreseeing the possibility of recruiting Swiss mercenaries. The Pontifical Swiss Guard has its origins in the 15th century. The unit's security mission is complemented by the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City.Ĭonclave of Pius V, with Swiss Guard guarding the entrance ( Codex Maggi, 1578) Recruits to the guards must be unmarried Swiss Catholic males between 18 and 30 years of age who have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces. Since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, a much stronger emphasis has been placed on the Guard's non-ceremonial roles, and has seen enhanced training in unarmed combat and small arms. The Swiss Guard are equipped with traditional weapons, such as the halberd, as well as with modern firearms. The dress uniform is of blue, red, orange and yellow with a distinctly Renaissance appearance. Established in 1506 under Pope Julius II, the Pontifical Swiss Guard is among the oldest military units in continuous operation. The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard Latin: Pontificia Cohors Helvetica Italian: Guardia Svizzera Pontificia German: Päpstliche Schweizergarde French: Garde suisse pontificale Romansh: Guardia svizra papala) is an armed force and honour guard unit maintained by the Holy See that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace within the territory of the Vatican City. ![]()
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