Pioneer of the Swiss Guards in France, 1779
Swiss Guards in France
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 c1450 by King Charles VIII. Their main role was the protection of the King indoors, 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 a war. 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), who were Frenchmen.
Francis I of France used some 120 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 6th 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.
