--- title: "This is when the Pope’s Swiss Guard was deadlier than 300 Spartans" date: "2021-11-27" modified: "2021-11-27" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/this-is-when-the-popes-swiss-guard-was-deadlier-than-300-spartans/" categories: - "History" --- # This is when the Pope’s Swiss Guard was deadlier than 300 Spartans ![]() *Marching in exercise uniform with rifles (1938). (Wikimedia Commons)* Military history is full of famous last stands – the [Greeks at Thermopylae](), [Custer at Little Big Horn](), the [French Foreign Legion at Camarón —]() just to name a few. The last unit people might think of making a famous last stand are the Pope's personal bodyguards: the Swiss Guard. But even though the men who would respond to an incident involving the Pope have traded poofy pants for tactical gear, and bladed weapons for Sig SG 550 rifles, those razor-sharp halberds weren't always just ceremonial. There was a time when the halberds, pikes, and swords carried by the ceremonial guards were the latest in military technology. The Swiss Guard are, after all, the oldest, continuous standing army in the world. ![]() *A group of Swiss guards after a celebration inside St. Peter Dome, 29 June 2006. (Wikimedia Commons)* In 1527, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V had just beat down the French in Italy. the only problem was, he couldn't afford to pay the massive army he used to do it. Understandably pissed, the 34,000-strong army began to march on Rome, believing the Papal States would be an easy target to sack and pillage. They were right... for the most part. On May 6, 1527, that army broke through Rome's defenders and looted and pillaged the city for 12 days. ![]() *Paintings always make sacking, burning, and pillaging seem so tame. (Wikimedia Commons)* But the city didn't just roll over for the renegade army. Defending Rome was a militia made up of 5,000 and 189 of the Pope's Swiss Guard. Of those, around 40 or so escorted Pope Clement VII to safety – and they were the only survivors of the assault. The rest were slaughtered, choosing to hold their ground in the Vatican. While that number seems like a horrifying loss for the Swiss Guards, consider that the elite unit [reduced the fighting force of the Imperial Army *by three-quarters*](). Of the 20,000 troops that moved to storm the city of Rome, 15,000 were killed or injured by the city's defenders. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()