Royal United Services Institution. Journal His Holiness the Popes Military Household
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This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library] On: 18 November 2014, At: 13:06 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Royal United Services Institution. Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi19 His Holiness the Popes Military Household Lieut.-General F. H. Tyrrell Published online: 11 Sep 2009. To cite this article: Lieut.-General F. H. Tyrrell (1903) His Holiness the Popes Military Household, Royal United Services Institution. Journal, 47:306, 901-914, DOI: 10.1080/03071840309417545 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071840309417545 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. 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Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions Downloaded by [University of Auckland Library] at 13:06 18 November 2014 HIS IIOLINESS THE POPES M1LI'l'AK.Y HOUSEHOLD. THE sword as well as tlic keys of St. Peter devolved upon liis successors in the See of Rome: aiid tlie IIeads of tlie Cliurcli Militant here on earth found I tliemsclves often obliged to resort to carnal weapons. and to methods of warfare otlier than spiritual to vindicate their rights or to uphold their aiithority. Pope Julius 11. engineered the League of Cambray, which shattered the laborious fabric of Venetian power; and the commanding genius of Pope Pius V. steered the fleets of Christendom to victory at Lepanto. Their successors took a full share in all tlie wars which continually devastated Italy; hut from the limited area of tlieir temporal dominions, and from the unwarlike character of their subjects, they were never able to attain to any considerable degree of military power; and the Papal armies were mere auxiliaries to the mighty liosts of France, Spain, and Austria, wliicli for thee centuries and more made the fair fields of Italy the battle-ground of their conflicting interests and ambitions. The Pope's standing Army never earned any great reputation for itself, and in 1798 it was defeated and dissolved by tlie conquering Frencli Re- publican invaders, W~Ofollowed tlic baniiers of Buoaaparte. During the first half of tlic nineteenth century the defence aiid pacification of the States of tlie Cliurcli was iiiidertakeii alternately by the Armies of France and Austria; but when the rising tide of the Italian national movement threatelled the temporal sovereignty of the Read of the Church, Pope Pi0 Noiio raised an army of 20,000 men, of wlioin about half were foreign inerceiiaries and volunteers, froiii .I1 the Catholic countries of Europe and America, commanded by th , French general Downloaded by [University of Auckland Library] at 13:06 18 November 2014 LanioriciEre, wlio liad niade his reputation in Algerian warfare. But this army was destroyed by Cialdini's Piedniontese on the fatal field of Castelfidardo, on tlie 17th September, 18GO; and ten years later the Italian troops entered the city of Rome, dispersed the few remain- ing battalions and squadrons of Papal troops, and confined the authority of the Pope to the precincts of the Vatican. Since that day, now over thirty years ago, tlie military establishment of His Boliness lias been limited to four corps, with an aggregate strength of 500 officers and soldiers, charged with the escort of liis person, tlie guard of his palace, and the maintenance of order ?t the great feasts and ceremonies in St. Peter's. The organisation, equipment, and history of the household troops of His Holiness are described below: the historical details are taken from the pamphlet by M. Henri de Schaller, entitled " Histoire 902 IIIS HOLINESS TIIE POPE’S XILITART IIOUSEIIOLD. de la Garde Snissc Pontificale,” publislicd at Fribourg in 1897; and from Freiicli military periodicals ; and from tlic rcport of the proceed- ings at the late celebration of the centenary of tlic establishment of the Noble Guard, publislicd at the Vatican Press. The four corps of IIis Holiness’ BIilitary IIouseliold take prece- dence as follows :- 1. The Noble Guard. 2. The Swiss Guard. 3. The Palatine Guard. 4. The Pontifical Gendarmefie. The first of these is a bodyguard esclusively composed of noblemen and gentlemen; the second and fourth are companies of professional soldiers, regularly enlisted and trained, and living in quarters under military discipline; the tliird is a volunteer or militia corps of civilian soldiers, only occasionally called out for parade or duty. All the corps depend for administrative purposes upon tlic Papal Secrctary of State, ~110, under tlie late Pope, Leo XIII., was Cardinal Ranipolla, while the detail of their duties is arranged and communicated to them by the Najor Donio, wlio occupies the position and performs the functions of the Lord Cliamberlain at a Roynl Court. Thc immediate guard of the person and private apartments of I-Iis Holiness devolves on the Noble Guard; tlie Swiss Guards keep tlie aiitecliambers and the gates of tlie Vatican ; tlie Pontifical Gendarmi or Carabinieri do tlie duty of police within the precincts, and in the inuseums and picture galleries ; and the Palatine Guards line the route and smell the pomp of the Papal processions when His Holiness descends into St. Peter’s on the great festivals of the Church. All these coip are composed of men picked for their fine appearance nud good physique, which is set off by their handsome uniforms; and indeed there are no troops to be seen in Europe better dressed, better drilled, and better turned out in all respects tlian these soldiers of the Cliurcli, who form to-day the little garrison of the Vatican. The following details of the history, forma- tion, and equipment of tlie different corps, may interest some of the readers of the JOURNAL. THE NOBLEGUARD. Downloaded by [University of Auckland Library] at 13:06 18 November 2014 The Pope’s Guardia Nobile is one of tlie few survivals of those companies of gentlemen-troopers wlio were in tlie sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries the ornament and the defence of all the Royal Courts of Europe. The Corps dates back its first origin to the year 1485, in tlic Pontificate of Innocent VIII., whose father, the Cardinal Aran Cibo, is credited with the institution of the first Papal Corps of Guards. Forty ycars before, tli? Dauphin, afterwards Charles the Seventh of France, had formed tlic companies of the Scots Garderdu- corps, and the Scots Gcndarmeric froin tlic knights and men-at-arms, wliorn Arcliibnld “ Tineman,” Earl of Douglas, had led to the assist- ance of tlie French against Henry V. ; and Cardiiial Ximeiies was busy orgnnising the formidable Spaiiisli Standiug Army, with which he governed Castile. These examples are supposed to have animated the HIS HOLINESS TIIE POPE’S MILITARY HOUSEHOLD. 903 Cardinal Cibo with the idea of forming a permanent corps of House- hold troops for the service of liis son, tlio reigning Pope, and of his ~liccessorson the tlirone of St. Peter’s. Tlie company of noble young @ants wliicli lie formcd to bc a permanent escort and personal guard for tlic Sovereign Pontiff, rcccivccl tlie title of Gar& des Chevaus- Le‘gcrs, and tlic badgc of a Pcac0cliJ spreading its plumes, with the motto ‘I Lcautd passe tout,” wliicli was the family dcvice of its foundcr. The corps was formed in two cornpanics, and the captains were often nephews or relatives of tlie Pope, or otliei-wise mere scions of the noblest families of Rome. Tlic quarters were near the Vatican by tlie City gnte, wliicli still presei-ves the memory of tlie corps in tlie name of Ports dei Cnvaleggieri. Tlic corps distinguished itself on many fields of battle; it was annihilated after n desperate defence in tlie sack of Rome by the army of tlie Constable Dourbon, and was afterwards reconstituted. The famous Andrea Dorin served his apprenticeship to arms iu tlio ranks of tlie Cavaleggieri. To tliis,corps was also coiifidcd tlie Vesillum or baiiner of tlie Holy Roman Church, wliicli was first consigned by tlie Supreme Pontiff to the chief leader of a Crusade. The Vessillifero, or bearer of this banner, had the rank and insignia of n captain, aiid on occasions of parade or ceremony rode with liis sacred chargc between tlic two captains of the Corps. This charge lias now desceiidcd to tlie Noble Guard. In 1555 the Senate of Rome raised a corps of one hundred gentle- men-atrarms from among tlie nobles of the city, aiid presented it to Pope Paul IV., wlio consecrated tlie Company as “Cavaliers of tlie Faith ”; but it was more generally lmowii as the ‘I Lnncie Spezzate,” which may Fe freely translated in EngMi by “Free Lances.” In squads of ten they took turns in guarding the private apartments of tlie Pope, aiid in escorting him when lie went abroad.