The Swiss Guard in The Vatican: The Early Years

The birth of the Swiss Guard is historically dated to the 22 January 1506 when the first contingent of Swiss mercenaries arrived in Rome. They were by no means the first Swiss mercenaries to arrive in Rome, as several Popes had done deals with the Swiss Confederation during the 15th century during times of crisis. This time was different. They came as part of a deal between Pope Julius II and the Swiss Confederation as part of an eternal alliance between the two parties.

The agreement meant that the Swiss would be responsible to maintain the numbers and send replacements when necessary. The guards’ duty was specifically tied to the Pope’s person: They were responsible for the life and the personal defence of the reigning Pope. In return, the Swiss got privileges in the appointment of bishops: They were allowed to submit shortlisted candidates from which the Pope would chose their bishops. Kings and Emperors had waged many wars against the Popes to get this privilege, and failed.

Pope Julius clothed them in the yellow and blue colours traditional to his own della Rovere family. Having a personal guard was essential to Julius as his external policy centred on getting rid of the European powers sitting in Italian lands and re-conquering Papal lands lost over the last century. Internally he reorganized the church by strengthening the position of the Pope against the cardinals. All in all, he managed to step on the toes of just about everyone.

Members of the Swiss Guard were not subject to the Pope’s secular power. They were subject to the laws of the Confederation and had the right to be judged by their peers. For all this, it was only logical that they swore their oath in German, and they swore it to the Pope as head of the Catholic Church, not the secular prince ruling parts of Italy. The language of the guards to this day is a mixture of German and Italian.

Emperor Charles V of Austria (and at that time also King of Spain) had a rather pointed discussion with Pope Clement VII which culminated in the Sack of Rome on May 6, 1527. The emperor had chosen his German troops specifically for their Lutheran convictions in the hope they would break just about every convention held at the time, and he was not disappointed. When they entered Rome, they also entered St. Peter. They butchered 200 fugitive civilians on the steps of the altar after having slaughtered the 147 Swiss Guards trying to defend them against the infidels.

42 guards ushered the Pope out of the Vatican and into the Castel Sant’Angelo keeping him from getting captured. This could not prevent the total defeat of the Papal forces, and part of the conditions for the Popes freedom was the disbanding of the Swiss Guard. They were replaced by a German Guard. The Pope managed to get the concession from the Emperor that any Swiss willing to do so would be allowed to enter the German Guards, but he managed to hold only 12 of his trusted men as their hate and disdain for the heathen Germans was just too much to bear.

If the German Guard was replacing the Swiss, it was rather as jailers to the Pope than for his defence. In addition to the Germans, Charles V left a Spanish Guard in the Vatican. The Papal States and the Catholic Church were in a state of occupation and controlled by the Habsburg emperors.

In memory of the sacrifice of the Swiss Guards during the Sack of Rome, new recruits to the guard are sworn in on May 6. The ceremony is normally not open to the public but is attended by the families of the new recruits. On invitation, it is also attended by the Swiss Government, Swiss bishops, ambassadors, and cardinals.