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Swiss Guards have been Swiss who fought for various European powers from the 15th century until the 19th century, called up from the separate Swiss cantons and placed at the disposal of various foreign powers by treaties (the "capitulations"), in return for money payments. Today, they serve only Vatican City.1 Swiss Guards in France
As a result of the Everlasting Peace between Switzerland and France declared in 1516, Swiss mercenaries have played their most important roles in the military history of France. Francis I of France used some 120,000 Swiss levies in his wars, and in the battle of Pavia ( 1525) his personal guard, the Hundred Swiss ("Cent Suisses") were slain before Francis was captured by the Spanish. Under Louis XIV, the Swiss troops were organized in two categories, with the king’s military household separate from the ordinary Swiss regiments.
The most famous episode in the history of the Swiss Guards of the royal household was their defense of the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution, when several hundred of the Guard were massacred by the invading mob that stormed the Palace, August 10August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 143 days remaining. The term "the 10th of August" is widely used by historians as a shorthand for the Storming of the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792, th, 1792Events January 25 The London Corresponding Society is founded. February 20 The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington. March 16 King of Sweden Gustav III Shot in the back by Jaco. Their heroic stand, which permitted the royal family to escape across the gardens, is commemorated by Bertel ThorvaldsenBertel Thorvaldsen ( November 19, 1770 March 24, 1844), a Danish sculptor of European renown, was born in Copenhagen in 1770 (according to some accounts in 1768). He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Art Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi in that city,'s monument in LucerneLucerne (German: Luzern is a city in Central Switzerland with a population of 60,274 (31 December 2003), capital of the canton of Lucerne. The city is located on the borders of Lake Lucerne Vierwaldstattersee with a famous wooden bridge and within sight o, the Lion of LucerneLucerne (German: Luzern is a city in Central Switzerland with a population of 60,274 (31 December 2003), capital of the canton of Lucerne. The city is located on the borders of Lake Lucerne Vierwaldstattersee with a famous wooden bridge and within sight o, dedicated in 1821. The French Revolution abolished mercenary troops in its citizen army, but Napoleon I and the Restauration MonarchyFollowing the ouster of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne. The ensuing period is called in French the Restauration characterized by a sharp conservative reaction and the re-establishment of the Roman both used them. When the Tuileries were stormed again, in the July RevolutionLiberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830 also known as the July Revolution was a revolt by the middle class against Bourbon King Charles X which forced him out of office and replaced him ( July 29, 1830), the Swiss Guards melted into the crowd. They were not used again.
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.
