Palatine Guard

The Second World War was a high point in the history of the Palatine Guard.

Commandant of the Palatine Guard (non-hereditary)

Throughout most of its history the Palatine Guard wore a nineteenth-century uniform comprising a shako, dark blue tunic and light blue trousers.

The Swiss Guard, the Palatine Guard, and the Pontifical Gendarmerie remained in service (10).

Three of these corps, the Palatine Guard, the Noble Guard and the Gendarmery were flat out law-and-order bad asses.

With a well-timed sweep of his ringed fingers, he disbanded the Palatine Guard, Noble Guard and Gendarmery.

The Noble Guard and the Palatine Guard were abolished by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

He also abolished the Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard, leaving the Swiss Guard as the sole military order of the Vatican.

It was donated to Pope Pius IX in 1877 by the Holy See's Palatine Guard to commemorate his jubilee as a bishop.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the Palatine Guard mustered some 500 men, but the German occupation required the recruitment of additional personnel.

He was also Vice-Chaplain of the Palatine Guard of Honor and responsible of the Conference of Saint Vincent of Paul.

Ceremonially, they shared duties in the Papal household with the Palatine Guard and Noble Guard, both of which were disbanded in 1970 under Paul VI.

Born in Neustadt an der Weinstraße in the Electorate of Bavaria in 1744, Stengel joined the Bavarian army's Palatine Guards in 1758.

The new style of design was copied in the later Palatine Tiara given to Gregory's successor, Pope Pius IX by the Vatican's Palatine Guard in 1877.

The Palatine Guard were usually seen either when the Pope was in Saint Peter's Square, or when a Head of State or other important visitors were received by the Pope.

Also mentioned as a basis were the paladins of Roland, the palatine guard of Augustus deified, the papal guard of the same name, and the Christian myths of King Arthur.

Some sources will say that the Palatine Guard or the Gendarmes were disbanded by the motu proprio, but in fact it was a letter from Paul VI to his Secretary of State on 14 September 1970 which disbanded all the papal armed forces except the Swiss Guard.