Established in 1506 under Pope Julius II, it is among the oldest military units in continuous operation,[5] and is sometimes called "the world's smallest army".

[4] The Swiss Guard is popularly recognised by its Renaissance-era dress uniform, consisting of a tunic striped in red, dark blue, and yellow, high plumed helmet, and traditional weapons such as the halberd.

However, guardsmen perform their protective duties in functional attire and with modern firearms; since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, the Guard has placed greater emphasis on its nonceremonial roles and has seen enhanced training in unarmed combat, small arms, and counterterrorism tactics.

[8] The Swiss Guard's security mission extends to the Pope's apostolic travels, the pontifical palace of Castel Gandolfo, and the College of Cardinals when the papal throne is vacant.

Among the participants in the war against Naples was Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II (1503–1513), who was well acquainted with the Swiss, having been Bishop of Lausanne years earlier.

[9] In September 1505, the first contingent of 150 soldiers set off on march to Rome, under the command of Kaspar von Silenen, and entered the city on 22 January 1506, now regarded as the official date of the Guard's foundation.

The last stand battlefield is located on the left side of St Peter's Basilica, close to the Campo Santo Teutonico (German Graveyard).

Clement VII was forced to replace the depleted Swiss Guard by a contingent of 200 German mercenaries (Custodia Peditum Germanorum).

[13] Ten years later, Pope Paul III ordered the Swiss Guard to be reinstated and sent Cardinal Ennio Filonardi to oversee recruitment.

The guard was reinstated in 1814,[2] when the Pope returned from exile, under the previous commander Karl Leodegar Pfyffer von Altishofen.

[citation needed] The guard was disbanded yet again in 1848, when Pius IX fled to Gaeta, but was reinstated when the Pope returned to Rome the following year.

After the Piedmontese invasion of Rome, the Swiss Guard declined in the later 19th century into a purely ceremonial body with low standards.

The guards were trained solely for ceremonial parade, kept only a few obsolete rifles in store and wore civilian dress when drilling or in barracks.

Repond's reforms and strict discipline were not well received by the corps, culminating in a week of open mutiny in July 1913, and the subsequent dismissal of thirteen ringleaders from the guard.

The foundation of Vatican City as a modern sovereign state was effected by the Lateran Treaty of 1929, negotiated between the Holy See and Italy.

Estermann and his wife, Gladys Meza Romero, were killed by the young guardsman Cédric Tornay, who later committed suicide.

The case received considerable public attention and became the subject of a number of conspiracy theories alleging Cold War politics or involvement by the Opus Dei prelature.

British journalist John Follain, who published a book on the case in 2006, concluded that the killer acted purely out of personal motives.

[21] In a public ceremony on 6 May 2006, 33 new guards were sworn in on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica instead of the traditional venue in the San Damaso Courtyard.

In December 2014, Pope Francis directed that Daniel Anrig's term as commander should end on 31 January 2015, and that he be succeeded by his deputy Christoph Graf.

The chaplain of the guard reads aloud the full oath of allegiance in the command languages of the Guard (German, Italian, and French):[31][32] (English translation) I swear that I will faithfully, loyally and honourably serve the Supreme Pontiff (name of Pope) and his legitimate successors, and dedicate myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing, if necessary, my life to defend them.

He raises his right hand with his thumb, index, and middle finger extended along three axes, a gesture that symbolizes the Holy Trinity and the Rütlischwur, and swears the oath in his native tongue.

[33] (English translation) I, Halberdier (name), swear to diligently and faithfully abide by all that has just been read out to me, so help me God and his Saints.

[34] (plus various Romansh language versions) The official full dress uniform is of blue, red, orange and yellow with a distinctly Renaissance appearance.

A clear expression of the modern Pontifical Swiss Guard uniform can be seen in a 1577 fresco by Jacopo Coppi of the Empress Eudoxia conversing with Pope Sixtus III.

The ordinary guardsmen and the vice-corporals wear the "tricolor" (yellow, blue and red) uniform without any rank distinctions except for a different model of halberd in gala dress.

The commissioned officers, captains, major, vice-commander and commander, are distinguished by a completely red uniform with a different style of breeches, and golden embroidery on the sleeves.

In gala dress all ranks wear a bigger purple plume on their helmets, except for the commander, who has a white one.

[37] The total set of Renaissance style clothing weighs 8 pounds (3.6 kg), and may be the heaviest and most complicated uniform in use by any standing army today.

A full set of replicas of the historical cuirasses was commissioned in 2012, from Waffen und Harnischschmiede Schmidberger in Molln, Upper Austria in 2012.