Aristocrats Who Guarded the Pope
by Evan Wing
id you know that, until 1970, the Holy See had its own cavalry corps?
The Pontifical Noble Guard was a regiment of heavy cavalry created by Pope Pius VII in 1801 to defend the Papal States. Much like knightly companies of the medieval and renaissance periods, members of the regiment were drawn exclusively from noble families - at first only from the nobility of Rome, but after 1903 the rules were relaxed to allow noble sons from all of Italy. The unit escorted the Pope in his travels, guarded the Holy See, and conducted special missions across the Papal States at the Pope's request. Notably, the Noble Guard was the only all-volunteer papal military unit in history - aside from a small allowance for uniforms and gear, members received no pay.
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