Palatine Guard

This article is about the unit established by Pope Pius IX. For the unit established by Constantine the Great, see Scholae Palatinae.
Palatine Guard in uniform

The Palatine Guard (Italian: Guardia Palatina d'Onore) was a military unit of the Vatican. It was formed in 1850 by Pope Pius IX, who ordered that the two militia units of the Papal States be amalgamated. The corps was formed as an infantry unit, and took part in watch-keeping in Rome. The only occasion on which it saw active service was during the token resistance on 20 September 1870 to the occupation of Rome by Italian government troops.[1]

  1. ^ "The Force of Destiny - a History of Italy since 1796", 978-0-713-99709-5