Swiss troops in French service for the Bourbon royal house 1814–1830

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"Je n'en prendrai aucun.
Louis" ( I won't take any of them. Ludwig ).
Facsimile of a memorandum from 1815 with the handwritten decision of King Ludwig XVIII. not to take any followers of Napoleon into his service

From 1814 to 1830 seven Swiss troops were again in French service for the Bourbons of the Restoration , as life guards and as royal house and protection troops.

In 1814, after the first exile of Napoleon ( Elba ), the Tagsatzung had released the Swiss troops in French service from their oath and re-appointed King Louis XVIII. from the House of Bourbon . The brief return of Napoleon to power in the following year caused the Diet to withdraw the four battalions and forced Louis XVIII. temporarily to flee to Ghent. In 1814 he had re-established the "Royal Swiss Guard" based on the model of the " Hundred Swiss" . She accompanied him to Belgium in 1815 and, three months later, after the final exile of Napoleon ( St. Helena ), back to Paris. In 1816 he concluded a 25-year capitulation with the cantons for six Swiss troops, which he used in the invasion of Spain in 1823 (on behalf of the Holy Alliance ). During the July Revolution of 1830, they protected his successor Charles X , the last Bourbon on the French throne, with severe losses . You were then finally recalled by the Swiss Confederation. Parts of it subsequently formed the core of the newly founded French Foreign Legion of the "citizen king" Louis-Philippe I , successor to Charles X from the House of Orléans and the last "King of the French" .

1815 was also the year in which the Congress of Vienna established the borders of what is now Switzerland and the Confederations put the first independent constitution into force with the federal treaty. It was superseded in 1848 by the current federal constitution of the Swiss Confederation of Switzerland , under which the Swiss troops in foreign services were gradually abolished.

Swiss troops in foreign service was the name of the paid service of commanded, whole troop bodies abroad, regulated by the authorities of the Swiss Confederation by international treaties .

These treaties contained a chapter regulating military affairs: the so-called surrender (or private surrender if one of the contracting parties was a private military contractor).

Overview of the Swiss troops in French service for the Bourbons of the Restoration
(and the Foreign Legion of their successor Louis-Philippe I from the House of Orléans )

House of Bourbon
King Louis XVIII 1814-1824
# fra designation year
87 Royal Swiss Guard
Royal General Guard on foot
1814-1815
1815-1830
88 7th Guards Regiment 1816-1830
89 8th Guards Regiment 1816-1830
90 1st Swiss Line Regiment 1816-1830
91 2nd Swiss Line Regiment 1816-1830
92 3rd Swiss Line Regiment 1816-1830
93 4th Swiss Line Regiment 1816-1830
King Charles X. 1824–1830
House of Orléans
King Louis-Philippe I 1830–1848
# fra designation year
94 French Foreign Legion 1831 – today

A king on the defensive needs reliable domestic troops

Louis Stanislas Xavier de Bourbon had fled abroad in time before the Jacobin terror when his older brother, King Louis XVI. and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined in 1793 . As their son, Louis Charles - nominally as Louis XVII. the Dauphin - two years later, as a ten-year-old living on his own in Temple prison in Paris, died of (probably) tuberculosis , he became the first candidate for the French throne. However, in the shadow of Napoleon Bonaparte's triumphant advance, he was forced to constantly change his place of residence in Europe, mostly in isolation, almost constant financial difficulties and humiliating dependence on the generosity of governments and princes. In 1814, when Napoleon was overthrown, he lived as Count of Lille in England when the provisional government of Talleyrand , on behalf of the Allied occupation in Paris, called him Louis XVIII. declared King of France and Navarre. The Diet immediately relieved the Swiss troops of their oath for Napoleon and placed them under the new head of state.

His entry into Paris was escorted from Compiègne by Colonel Charles Philippe d'Affry from Friborg, commander of the 4th Swiss Regiment, with a hundred of his grenadiers. Louis XVIII immediately hurried to replace this improvised bodyguard with a regular company "Hundertschweizer" under the name "Royal Swiss Guard" and issued a corresponding ordinance.

Name,
duration of use
(87 fra ) Royal Swiss Guard 1814–1815
(87 fra ) Royal General Guard on foot (gardes à pied ordinaires du corps du Roy) 1815–1830
Year,
contractual partner
1814, decree of Louis XVIII. on the basis of the order of 1776, without actual surrender with the cantons, but obviously tolerated by them.

1815 royal decree: increase to 310 men and change of name (gardes à pied ordinaires du corps du Roy).

  • Uniform: Royal blue skirt with scarlet collar or lapels and yellow buttons (the officers made of gold), bearskin hat with a plate with the coat of arms of France and white (below) red (above) plumes, trousers royal blue;
  • All ranks equipped with a higher rank and paid: the captain as captain-colonel, etc. down to the guardsman, who was classified as a field woman. After a certain period of service, they could even be promoted to a higher grade;
  • Applicants had to present a certificate of repute from their pastor or parish council that was impeccable in every respect.
Stock,
formation
1 company of 138 men with the following budget:
commander
1 captain- colonel
Staff :
1 regimental adjutant (aide-major)
1 sub-adjutant (sous-aide-major)
1 ensign
1 Oberfourier , as quartermaster
1 field preacher
1 senior surgeon
1 sub-inspector
Team:
2 lieutenants
2 sub-lieutenants
4 surplus sub-lieutenants,
without pay
2 field women
4 constables
2 fouriers
8 corporals
4 reels
2 pipers
100 guardsmen
Origin squad,
troop
From the federal cantons, especially from Friborg.

The lieutenant commander could make suggestions for the batches with the following priorities:

  • 1. Active (or who could be) former "Hundred Swiss";
  • 2. Members of the Swiss Guard regiments;
  • 3. Members of the other Swiss regiments.

The replacement of the higher batches should be done from within.

Owner,
commander,
namesake
Commanders were:
  • Kasimir Ludwig Victorianus von Rochechouart as captain-colonel;
  • Joseph Antoine Philippe de Diesbach Torny from Freiburg as lieutenant commander.
Use,
events
The company escorted Louis XVIII in March 1815. on his flight to Béthune on the border with Belgium. Led by Lieutenant Diesbach, she then retired to Bulle in Freiburg , awaiting new orders from the King.

Three days after the Battle of Waterloo , the order to leave Ghent came . The "Hundertschweizer" already numbered 250 men at this point in time, through additionally recruited 80 voltigeurs and a company of volunteers. They moved on foot via Basel to Mainz and from there on the Rhine to Cologne . They reached the King in Cambrai just in time to be able to march into Paris in June at the head of his escort .

After this only noteworthy event, the history of the "Royal Swiss Guard" is exhausted in the internal guard duty for the royal family. The unit was never involved in serious fighting until it was disbanded in 1830.

Louis XVIII Attempts to take the path of reconciliation as the new head of state with a constitution ( charter ) generated fierce criticism on both political fringes. In addition, in the spring of 1815, when Napoleon suddenly returned to power , he had to leave Paris again in a rush. Resigned, he fled to Ghent, back into exile. Three months later, after the Battle of Waterloo and the final abdication of Napoleon, he was finally able to return to the French throne under the Allied protective umbrella. He was accompanied on the way there and back by his "Royal Swiss Guard". The other four Swiss troops had meanwhile taken home by Switzerland and put into federal service.

Swiss troops only against trade facilitation?

Original of the federal treaty in the Federal Archives (to leaf through)

The negotiations with the Confederation about a surrender for two Swiss guards regiments and four line regiments turned out to be tougher than expected. After being freed from Napoleon's yoke and after considerable pressure from the great allied powers, Switzerland had enacted the first independent federal constitution in the form of the Federal Treaty in 1814 . It replaced the mediation act and shifted political decision-making authority back to the cantons, but left military matters at the federal level. Conflicts of interest were inevitable. The French envoy Talleyrand had to negotiate with two groups:

1. Zurich group, with more liberal, business-friendly ideas: in these cantons the prevailing opinion was that trade facilitation was more important than military surrender. The French king's urgent need for loyal troops should be used for negotiations with the aim of:

  • To guarantee the transit of goods from inland Switzerland to and from the French seaports;
  • Make the transit of goods free of charge or at least cheaper;
  • Lift the ban on exporting important French agricultural products to Switzerland;
  • To eliminate the import ban on Swiss industrial products to France;
  • To reduce the prohibitive French import duties on other Swiss exports.

2. Bern group, with a conservative tendency: "Mousseline and military" have nothing in common.

Talleyrand judged the other side correctly and "waved the fence post": Louis XVIII felt himself to be in favor of the wages outstanding from Napoleonic times. not obliged, unless ... The military then prevailed against the economy. After two years, the capitulation finally took place in 1816.

Zurich group
Canton Line regiment
companies
Guard regiment
companies
Zurich 4th 3
St. Gallen 4th 3
Schaffhausen
Basel
Thurgau
4th 3
Grisons 4th 3
Vaud 4th 3
Aargau
Ticino
4th 3
Total 24 18th
Bern group
Canton Line regiment
companies
Guard regiment
companies
Bern 3 3 (½ battalion)
Lucerne 3 2
Nidwalden 1 ½
train 1 ½
Freiburg 3 2
Geneva 1 1
Solothurn 3 3 (½ battalion)
Uri 1 ½
Schwyz 2
Obwalden 1 ½
Glarus 1 ½
Valais 4 (1 battalion) 3 (½ battalion)
Total 24 18th
Grenadier of the Guard

Some contractual elements:

  • The 20 cantons jointly committed themselves to 48 large companies in the line regiments and 36 large companies in the guard regiments (from these large companies the appropriate teams for the elite companies of grenadiers and voltigeurs were then selected);
  • The officers of the cantonal companies had to prove the citizenship of this canton with a certificate from the relevant government council. The team had to consist of volunteers and Swiss, with the exception of the line companies. Non-native NCOs and soldiers were allowed up to 1/4;
  • Applicants had to be free of handicaps, commit themselves for four years and be at least one height (measured barefoot) of: guard 1.58 m, line 1.55 m, voltigeur 1.52 m;
  • The annual salary of the officers was significantly higher than for comparable French (example Colonel: Guard Fr. 12,500 / 6,250, line 6,000 / 5,000), slightly higher or equal for the lower ranks;
  • The uniform was determined by the French government and has changed over time. In 1821, for example, the guards wore a scarlet skirt with royal blue lapels for the 7th and red for the 8th regiment, as well as royal blue (white in summer) trousers. On the head sat a shako made of black felt with white cords, the metal shield with the lilies and a white plume. The grenadiers wore high bearskin hats. The line, however, a madder red skirt with white buttons with the number of the unit and sky blue (in summer white) pants. The headgear was also a shako. The armament and equipment corresponded to those of the French infantry (standard: French infantry rifle model 1777 ):
  • The use of the troops outside of the European mainland and as a garrison on ships was not allowed, direct encounter in action should be avoided;
  • The freedom to practice one's religion and own justice with a Swiss military tribunal was assured;
  • The officers, regardless of their religion, had free access to all civil and military positions and dignities;
  • The cantons' right of recall in the event of their own use during the war was guaranteed.
Name,
duration of use
(88 fra ) 7th Guards Regiment 1816-1830

(89 fra ) 8th Guard Regiment 1816-1830

Year,
contractual partner
1816, surrender of Louis XVIII. with the cantons (excluding Appenzell and Neuchâtel).
Stock,
formation
1 brigade with 2 guard regiments:
  • Brigade command: 1 Swiss field marshal with the rank of lieutenant general with a Swiss adjutant general and Swiss general staff;
  • Each of the 2 guard regiments with 1 staff and 3 battalions:
    • Large staff with 19 men: 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant colonel, 3 battalion chiefs, 1 major, 3 adjutant majors, 1 quartermaster, 1 clothing captain, 1 grand judge, 1 second quartermaster, 1 ensign, 1 surgeon major, 2 junior surgeons, 1 Catholic and 1 Reformed field preacher;
    • Small staff with 26 men: 3 adjutant NCOs, 1 drum major, 3 drum corporals, 12 musicians (including 1 boss), 1 master tailor, 1 gaiter, 1 master cobbler, 1 gunsmith, 3 profosses ;
    • Large and small staff: a total of 45 men, including 19 officers;
Shako the royal guards
  • Each of the 3 battalions with 8 companies: 6 fusilier companies , 1 grenadier and 1 voltigeur company ;
  • each of the 8 companies with:
    • 3 officers (1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 1 sub-lieutenant);
    • 14 NCOs (1 field woman, 4 sergeants, 1 Fourier, 8 corporals);
    • 74 soldiers;
    • 2 tambours;
    • maximum of 2 regimental children;
    • Total company: 93 men (3 officers and 90 NCOs and soldiers);
  • Guard regiment total: 2,227 men (companies of 93 men: 18 fusiliers: 1,674 / 6 grenadiers and voltigeurs: 558 / staff: 45), with 91 officers (including 19 staff officers) and 2,186 non-commissioned officers and soldiers (including 26 in the small stick).
Origin squad,
troop
The companies and officers were cantonal.
Owner,
commander,
namesake
Commanders were:
  • Swiss Brigade of the Royal Guard: Heinrich von Salis-Zizers, Graubünden, 1825: Friedrich Heinrich von Högger;
    • Adjutant General: François Nicolas Ignace de Gady, Freiburg;
  • 7th Guard Regiment: Friedrich Heinrich von Högger, 1825: Franz Simon Fidelis Rudolf Anton von Salis-Zizers;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: Eugène de Courten, Siders, 1817: Philippe de Maillardoz, Freiburg;
    • Battalion chiefs: Heinrich Heidegger, Zurich, 1825: Balthasar A'Bundy von Ilanz / Philippe de Maillardoz, Freiburg, 1817: Rudolf Karl Amédée von Muralt, Bern / Auguste de Bontems-Lefort, Geneva, 1825: Franz Kottmann , Schongau;
  • 8th Guard Regiment: Charles Philippe d'Affry from Freiburg, 1818: Eugène de Courten, 1825: Joseph von Besenval, Solothurn;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: Joseph von Besenval, Solothurn, 1825: Johann Jakob Gächter, St. Gallen;
    • Battalion leaders : Abraham Rösselet , Twann / Johann Jakob Gächter, St. Gallen, 1825: Jacques Armand, Vaud / César Auguste de St. Denis, Senarclens;
Use,
events
After the meeting in Besançon and the first muster in Dijon, the two guard regiments moved into their barracks in Paris / Rueil and in Orléans .

A battalion was assigned to Paris every 3 months to take care of the outer guard of the royal palaces together with French units. The idle times between watches were filled with exercises when the weather was suitable. In addition to occasional appearances at ceremonial occasions and defilees , this service was rather monotonous, but still demanding because of the language barriers between the troops of both nations and the complexity of courtly Paris.

Fusiliers and grenadiers of the Swiss Guard regiments 1824 (right half of the picture)

This garrison service was interrupted only once by a campaign, the intervention of France in 1823 in Spain on behalf of the Holy Alliance . His aim was to put down the Spanish Revolution and to free the Spanish King Ferdinand VII, who was captured in Cadiz .

In the operational army under the command of the Duke of Angoulême , the eldest son of the later King Charles X, there was also a Swiss force in the 4th Corps, the reserve under General Bordesoulle. The 4th March Regiment of the Royal Guard (4e Régiment de marche de la Garde Royale), in the infantry division of the Royal Guards led by Lieutenant General de Bourmont , was an ad hoc Swiss Guard regiment . It consisted of the two battalions of Muralt from the 7th and de St. Denis from the 8th Guard Regiment and was supplemented by volunteers to 1,500 men. The command of this force was given to Colonel Eugène de Courten, the commander of the 8th Guards Regiment. She was directly involved in the only significant action, the Battle of Trocadero on the peninsula off the city of Cádiz .

The 1st battalion (von Muralt) comprised the companies von Graffenried (grenadiers), Germann (Zurich), Hirzel (Zurich), von Diesbach (Freiburg), Blarer (Basel), von Kalbermatten (Wallis), von Tschann (Solothurn) and Rupplin (Schaffhausen, voltigeurs). The 2nd battalion (de St. Denis) consisted of the companies of Courten (Wallis, Grenadiers), Müller (Uri), von Schaller (Freiburg), Lutz (Schwyz), von Kalbermatten (Wallis), Deville (Aargau), von Salis (Graubünden) and Christians (voltigeurs).

The guards regiment marched ad hoc in the spring of 1823 in rain and cold from Paris to Bayonne and from there via San Sebastian to Madrid . One of the challenges for Colonel de Courten, who was concerned about discipline and order, was evidently the good but cheap wine in south-west France, which his troops (too) favored. There was no serious contact with the enemy. Not even when, after a two-month stay in the Spanish capital, the enemy was outmaneuvered on the way to Cadiz in Andalusia in the Sierra Morena with strenuous marches and counter marches in great heat.

Trocadero peninsula in front of Cádiz 1888 (center right)
Bay of Cadiz 1823

When the Guards regiment arrived, Cadiz was already sealed off from the land side by the French troops ad hoc (after consuming an average of 7 pairs of shoes per man!). De Courten and the 2nd Battalion (de St. Denis) were responsible for service at the headquarters that the Duke established in Puerto Santa Maria . The 1st battalion (from Muralt) was relocated to Puerto Real for excavation work at the Cordatura (canal trench) in front of the Trocadero peninsula.

The attack on Trocadero took place on the night of August 31, 1823. The assault force consisted of a first attack column with the 14 elite companies of the royal guard regiments, including the 2 of the battalion of Muralt, 100 sappers and an artillery battery without guns. The second attack column was formed with the rest of the Guard companies and the 34th Line Regiment. Shortly before low tide at 02:30 in the morning, the first French attack column, attacking through the shoulder-deep waters of the Cordatura and in enemy fire from the musketeers and mitrailleurs, took the first Spanish positions in the storm with the bayonet lowered. The embedded artillery battery seized the enemy guns and used them successfully in favor of the further French attack on the crew of the fortresses of San Luis and Matagorda, which were pushed back to the west of the peninsula (largely destroyed during Napoleon's retreat in 1812). The Duke of Angoulême had dry ammunition distributed over a pontoon bridge that had been built in the meantime . At 9:00 am, the insurgent's commander surrendered after heavy losses and went into captivity with 1,000 men.

After a month of heavy bombardment of the city and the fortress of San Lorenzo del Puntales from Trocadero, and increasingly due to the advancing French navy from the seaside, the occupation of Cadiz also capitulated. The war was over and King Ferdinand VII was free again. He, Louis XVIII. and the Duke of Angoulême later awarded numerous awards to the victorious attackers, including many Swiss troops who suffered only minor losses.

(The French intervention in Spain gave rise to the State of the Union Address of 1823 by US President James Monroe to Congress , in which he outlined the outline of a long-term US foreign policy , the so-called Monroe Doctrine ).

The Swiss Guard Regiment ad hoc de Courten did not return to Paris until the summer of 1824. After the Spanish campaign it was detached to Madrid as the provisional guard of the Spanish King Ferdinand VII.

Defense of the Louvre 1830

In July 1830, when the uprisings against the Bourbons broke out in Paris, the 7th Guards Regiment of Salis was sent into heavy street and barricade fighting and recorded, and in the defense of the Louvre , Tuileries and Babylon barracks against the attacks of the unleashed revolutionaries, between 300 and 400 dead and wounded.

It was disarmed in Orléans together with the 8th Guards Regiment, which was very detrimental to the maintenance of discipline. Some let themselves be naturalized in an express procedure, others sold their equipment, many deserted. Both regiments of guards finally arrived in Besançon in a rather poor condition. The individual Swiss who were scattered and wounded in the capital Paris and on the retreat to Orléans were supported by the Swiss Chargé d'Affaires Tschann, to whom the corresponding loans were approved by the Diet, and provided with travel money. The Provisional Government allowed them to march back to the border in small groups of 20 to 30 and eventually up to 100 men.

The abdication took place in Besançon together with the four line regiments. Many joined the 1st Battalion of the French Foreign Legion in 1831 .

Name,
duration of use
(90 fra ) 1st Line Regiment 1816–1830

(91 fra ) 2nd Line Regiment 1816–1830
(92 fra ) 3rd Line Regiment 1816–1830
(93 fra ) 4th Line Regiment 1816–1830

Year,
contractual partner
1816, surrender of Louis XVIII. with the cantons (excluding Appenzell and Neuchâtel).
Stock,
formation

4 line regiments:

  • Each of the 4 line regiments with 1 staff, 3 battalions and 1 artillery section;
    • Large staff with 18 men: 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant colonel, 3 battalion chiefs, 1 major, 3 adjutant-majors, 1 quartermaster, 1 clothing captain, 1 major judge, 1 ensign, 1 surgeon major, 2 junior surgeons, 1 Catholic and 1 Reformed field minister;
    • Small staff with 26 men: 3 adjutant NCOs, 1 drum major, 3 drum corporals, 12 musicians (including 1 boss), 1 master tailor, 1 gaiter, 1 master cobbler, 1 gunsmith, 3 profosses;
    • Large and small staff: a total of 44 men, including 18 officers;
    • Artillery section with 40 men and 2 guns: 1 officer (1 lieutenant), 4 NCOs (1 sergeant, 1 corporal, 1 Fourier, 1 brigadier (private?)), 20 gunners (including 1 fireworker ), 15 train soldiers (including 1 fireworker) ;
  • Each of the 3 battalions with 6 companies: 4 fusilier companies, 1 grenadier and 1 voltigeur company;
  • each of the 6 companies with:
    • 4 officers (1 captain, 1 first-class lieutenant, 1 second-class lieutenant, 1 sub-lieutenant);
    • 14 NCOs (1 field woman, 4 sergeants, 1 Fourier, 8 corporals);
    • 84 soldiers;
    • 2 tambours;
    • maximum of 2 regimental children;
    • Company total: 104 men (4 officers and 100 NCOs and soldiers);
  • Total line regiment: 1,956 men (companies of 104 men: 12 fusiliers: 1,248 / 6 grenadiers and voltigeurs: 624 / staff: 44 / artillery section: 40), with 91 officers (including 18 staff officers) and 1,865 non-commissioned officers and soldiers (26 of them in the small staff).
Origin squad,
troop
The companies and officers were cantonal:
  • 1st Line Regiment: Zurich 3, Basel 3, St. Gallen 3, Thurgau 3, Schaffhausen 3;
  • 2nd line regiment: Uri 3, Schwyz 3, Obwalden 3, Glarus 3, Solothurn 3, Wallis 3;
  • 3rd line regiment: Bern 5, Lucerne 3, Nidwalden 1, Zug 2, Freiburg 3, Geneva 3;
  • 4th line regiment: Graubünden 4, Aargau 4, Waadt 4, Ticino 4;
Owner,
commander,
namesake
Commanders were:
  • 1st Line Regiment: Salomon Bleuler from Zurich;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: Johann Friedrich Im Thurn, Schaffhausen;
    • Battalion Chiefs: Peter Anton Danielis, Rorschach / Heinrich Bleuler, Zurich / Salomon Fehr, Frauenfeld;
    • Artillery Section ;: Eduard Rahm, Schaffhausen;
  • 2nd line regiment: Jost Fridolin from Näfels, 1825: August von Bontems-Lefort, Geneva;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: Baptist Bucher, Unterwalden, 1823: François de Riaz, Vaud;
    • Battalion chiefs: Karl von Glutz-Blotzheim, Solothurn / Franz Dominik Ab Yberg / Simon Zenklusen, Wallis;
    • Artillery Section: Joseph Nideröst;
  • 3rd line regiment: Albert Bernhard von Steiger from Laupen, 1826: Jost von Rüttimann, Lucerne;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: Barthélemy Denervaux, Mézières;
    • Battalion leaders: Jost von Rüttimann, Lucerne / Karl Martin Kajetan Andermatt, Zug / Robert Scipio von Lentulus, Bern;
    • Artillery Section. Jacques Lenoir;
  • 4th line regiment: Franz Simon Fidelis Rudolf Anton von Salis-Zizers, 1825: François de Riaz, Vaud;
    • Lieutenant Colonel: François de Riaz, Vaud, 1823: Charles de Bontems;
    • Battalion leaders : Peter Ludwig von Donatz , Graubünden / Octave Louis de La Harpe, Vaud / Jean Marie Cusa, Ticino;
    • Artillery Section: Pierre de Bontems, Geneva;
Use,
events
Quiberon peninsula with Penthièvre fortress
Location of Quiberon
The place of collection of the four line regiments was Besançon and the first muster took place in Dijon. Then they moved into their first locations in the French province:
  • 1st Line Regiment: Lyon;
  • 2nd Line Regiment: Dijon;
  • 3rd Line Regiment: Besançon;
  • 4th regiment of the line: Clermont-Ferrand.

The four line regiments were mainly used in garrison service, i. that is, they had to maintain peace and order in strategically important locations. When famines broke out in 1816/17, they also had to escort provisions trains and prevent attempts at looting. In general, however, commanders managed to develop and maintain good relationships with local authorities and the population. The king and Paris were usually far away (it was different with the guard regiments, which in Paris under the increasingly bad image of the Bourbons at times became real objects of hate). When Charles X took office, his snub caused a lack of understanding. In particular, his arbitrariness in the promotions to the highest command levels generated resentment. In the 3rd Line Regiment, for example, he passed much more suitable candidates and promoted the largely incapable Rüttimann to the top. Which was to lead to difficulties when the July Revolution of 1830 broke out.

The news of this coup and the order of the provisional government to replace the Bourbon lilies France modern.svgwith the tricolor Tricolor Cockade.svgreached the individual units before the instruction arrived from Switzerland to meet in Besançon to abdicate:

  • 1st Bleuler Line Regiment: stationed in Grenoble, was able to go to Besançon relatively unmolested.
  • Bontems 2nd Line Regiment: Garrison in Lorient , with detachments in Port Louis and in the fortress Penthievre at the entrance to the Quiberon peninsula , had more difficulties. In Rennes , things only progressed because Bontems reluctantly agreed to replace the white plume on the shako with the three-colored cockade . In Orléans, unlike the two guards regiments, it escaped disarmament and finally reached Besançon with arms.
  • 3rd Rüttimann Line Regiment: in Nîmes, where the new government needed time to set up the necessary authorities, the relationship between Rüttimann and the bars was strained. The unreasonable first had to be replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Karl von Bontems, who was able to quickly improve communication. At first he got on with food pulled over the shako, but had to replace the plume with the cockade, bypassing Grenoble, in order to get to Besançon.
  • 4th Riaz Line Regiment: on Corsica with depot in Toulon, where the message last arrived. The departure was delayed because the releasing French unit was a long time coming. Before the Corsican emotions boiled, the regiment got away and moved to Besançon with the weapons. However, also using the "shakosentence": first the lining and then the cockade.

In Besançon the administration of the abdication took place, which lasted about two weeks. The majority of those released were recruited in Naples or joined the French Foreign Legion in 1831 .

Louis XVIII So in addition to the "Royal Swiss Guard", his domestic troops should have nominally over 12,000 Swiss troops:

Officers NCOs
and soldiers
Total man
2 guards regiments 182 4,372 4,554
4 regiments of the line 364 7'460 7,924
Swiss troops insgesam t 546 11,832 12,378

But this number was never reached during the entire period of service!

Unpopular protection and combat troops of an increasingly unpopular ruler

Louis XVIII looked after his second restoration by one of the Allied occupation plundered France and a rapidly growing influence of the ultra-royalists, under the leadership of his brother Charles Philippe, the future King Charles X faced. The latter achieved an overwhelming success in the parliamentary elections in August 1815, which they immediately exploited for their goals. Under their influence, there was a nationwide wave of reprisals and purges, sometimes accompanied by terrorist violence, which fell victim to not only prominent Napoleon military leaders but also Talleyrand's political career. The increasing polarization between royalist and liberal forces led to constant conflicts between government and chamber, so that Louis XVIII. the parliament dissolved in 1816 and announced new elections. He succeeded in establishing a moderate majority in the chamber, which benefited the middle class and strengthened the political left.

In the meantime France's reparations payments to the Allies had been paid off surprisingly quickly and Louis XVIII. their crew got rid of. In 1818 he even joined the Holy Alliance . However, he did not succeed in bringing the internal political differences between the liberals and royalists under control.

In 1820, a fatal political assassination attempt on Charles Philippe's son , the Duke of Berry, triggered a political overthrow in favor of the royalists and a phase of political violence that removed the crux of the liberalization that had been achieved.

The initial popularity of Louis XVII. The more he moved away from the "Charte", the more he quickly turned into the opposite. This was also detrimental to the reputation of the Swiss troops, who increasingly became the hate figure of the common man. Garrison life with monotonous drills, parading, escorting and guard duty was only interrupted once. In 1823 the Holy League instructed Louis XVIII to intervene militarily in Spain on behalf of the local monarch. Some of the Swiss troops were also involved in this campaign.

Louis XVIII himself increasingly suffered from old age (he is said to have even fallen asleep while speaking in front of parliament!), withdrew more and more and passed away in 1824.

House troops of the last Bourbon

Karl X was already 67 years old when he succeeded his brother. He continued his strictly restorative but unrealistic policy as king. He moved further and further away from the constitution ("charte") of his predecessor.

Also towards his Swiss troops. Resigned as colonel general of the Swiss troops, he appointed z. B., as one of his first decisions, the Duke of Bordeaux as his successor ... a small child! He also did not stick to the canton's origin when filling the command posts. The affront and the violation of the surrender preoccupied the diary, but without any effect.

In French domestic politics he did not succeed in winning a majority in parliament and convincing the chamber of reintroducing the aristocracy. But his reactionary government led to increasing alienation between the monarch and the capital. The Swiss guards regiments were in the press, in the chamber and even on the street as "red Swiss" the target of hateful abuse and defamation actions.

In his attempt to dissolve parliament, popular anger turned into the open uprising of the July Revolution of 1830 . The Swiss troops were also affected in these battles and mourned several hundred dead and wounded. Charles X managed to flee to England.

A rump parliament declared Louis-Philippe I from the House of Orléans lieutenant general of the empire and proclaimed him "King of the French". He became the last king of France at all.

Charles X died of cholera in exile in Slovenia in 1836. He was the last Bourbon on the French throne.

The end of four centuries of military cooperation

After the events of the July Revolution of 1830, the Confederation finally withdrew its Swiss troops in French service. Many of the troops were transferred to the Neapolitan Swiss regiments , others to the French Foreign Legion created by the last "King of the French" , Louis-Philippe I.

Name,
duration of use
(94 fra ) French Foreign Legion 1831–1835, 1839 – today
Year,
contractual partner
1831, ordinance of the "Citizen King" Louis-Philippe I on the proposal of War Minister Marshal Soult .

The French Foreign Legion was allowed to be formed from locals and foreigners in France, but could only be used abroad.

1839, decree of King Louis-Philippe I for the re-establishment.

Stock,
formation
1831: 7 battalions, 1839: 5 battalions
Origin squad,
troop

Disliked people, criminals and men with no other alternatives from France and abroad:

The seven-flame grenade of the French Foreign Legion
  • 1st battalion: Veterans of the 7th and 8th Swiss Guard regiments and the Hohenlohe regiment ;
  • 2nd battalion: Swiss and German;
  • 3rd battalion: Swiss and German;
  • 4th Battalion: Spaniards and Portuguese;
  • 5th Battalion: Sardinians and Italians;
  • 6th Battalion: Belgians and Dutch;
  • 7th Battalion: Poland.
Owner,
commander,
namesake
The first in command was the Swiss Christoph Anton Stoffel from Arbon, formerly in command of the Napoleonic 2nd Foreign Regiment .
Use,
events
The Foreign Legion has always been directly subordinate to the respective head of state of France: then the king, now the President of the Republic.

It was set up to conquer and maintain North Africa, especially Algeria. Their first depot locations were in Langres , Bar-le-Duc , Agen and Auxerre . The Algerian Sidi bel Abbès became the early headquarters. The generally bad morale of their recruits (lack of perspective, desperation, hopelessness, ...) was compensated for by the legendary, extremely strict discipline .

In 1835 it was used by Louis-Philippe I in the Spanish Civil War, handed over to Queen Isabella II of Spain and hived off from the French army by royal decree.

In 1839 Louis-Philippe I re-established it by ordinance to strengthen the French troops in Algeria. Today it is an elite unit of the French land army .

In this way, Switzerland finally ended the military cooperation with its western neighbor that had been ongoing since the friendship treaty of 1453 of Montil-les-Tours.

Almost two decades later, the modern Swiss Confederation came into being with the Federal Constitution in 1848 .

The young federal state, which was now dominated by liberal forces, gradually abolished the foreign service of Swiss troops in 1849 and 1859, and in 1927 also that of individual citizens , unless approved by the Federal Council . Since 2015, private mercenary companies have also been expressly prohibited.

bibliography

  • Heinrich Türler, Viktor Attinger, Marcel Godet: Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz , fourth volume, Neuchâtel 1927., OCLC 899085687 .
  • Moritz von Wattenwyl: The Swiss in foreign military service. Separately printed from the Berner Tagblatt , Bern 1930, OCLC 72379925 .
  • Paul de Vallière, Henry Guisan , Ulrich Wille : Loyalty and honor, history of the Swiss in foreign service (translated by Walter Sandoz). Les Editions d'art ancien, Lausanne 1940, OCLC 610616869 .
  • Albert Maag: History of the Swiss troops in French service during the Restoration and July Revolution (1816-1830). Published by Ernst Kuhn, Biel 1899, OCLC 610663524 .
  • Antoine de Courten: L'Expédition d'Espagne 1823/24 dite du Trocadéro. Une promenade? Témoignage . Self-published by de Courten, roll 2015.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g Paul de Vallière, Henry Guisan, Ulrich Wille: Loyalty and honor, history of the Swiss in foreign service (translated by Walter Sandoz). Les Editions d'art ancien, Lausanne 1940.
  2. ^ A b c d e f g Albert Maag: History of the Swiss troops in French service during the Restoration and July Revolution (1816–1830). Published by Ernst Kuhn, Biel 1899.
  3. Rodolphe de Castella de Delley: I. Les colonels généraux des suisses et grisons. II. Les Cent-Suisses de la garde du Roi (1481-1792) devenus gardes à pied ordinaires du corps du Roi (1814-1830) , self-published by Castella, Wallenried 1971.
  4. Benoît de Diesbach Belleroche: Diesbach, Philipp de (de Torny). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  5. a b c d e f Heinrich Türler, Viktor Attinger, Marcel Godet: Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz , fourth volume, Neuchâtel 1927.
  6. ^ A b Antoine de Courten: L'Expédition d'Espagne 1823/24 dite du Trocadéro. Une promenade? Témoignage . Self-published by de Courten, roll 2015.
  7. a b Children who were awarded to a member of the regiment in paternity suits. They grew up with the regiment until the boys could be used as a drum, for example.
  8. Jürg Simonett: Salis, Heinrich von (Zizers). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  9. a b Wolfgang Göldi: Högger, Friedrich Heinrich von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  10. ^ Sébastien Rial: Gady, Nicolas de. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  11. a b Jürg Simonett: Salis, Franz Simon von (-Zizers). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  12. a b c Frédéric Giroud: Courten, Eugène de. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  13. a b Claude Bonard: Bontems, Auguste François. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  14. Mark Lischer: Kottmann, Franz Anton Jacob. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  15. ^ A b Andreas Fankhauser: Besenval, Joseph von (Brunnstatt). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  16. Heidi Lüdi: Rösselet, Abraham. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  17. ^ Markus Bürgi: Bleuler, Salomon. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  18. ^ André Salathé: Fehr, Salomon. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  19. Emmanuel Abetel: Steiger, Albrecht Bernhard von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  20. ^ A b Sabine Carruzzo-Frey: Bontems, Charles. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  21. Martin Bundi: Donatz, Peter Ludwig von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  22. ^ Editing: Cusa (Cuxa). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  23. ^ French Wikipedia: Légion étrangère , accessed May 28, 2016
  24. Erich Trösch: Stoffel, Christoph Anton. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  25. ^ Federal Constitution of September 12, 1848 in the first Federal Gazette 1849:

    Article 11 :
    No military surrenders may be concluded.
    Article 12
    The members of the federal authorities, the federal civil and military officials and the federal representatives and commissioners may not accept pensions or salaries, titles, gifts or medals from foreign governments.
    If they are already in possession of pensions, titles or medals, they have to refrain from enjoying pensions and wearing the titles and medals during their term of office.
    Subordinate civil servants and employees can, however, be approved by the Federal Council to continue drawing pensions.

  26. Federal law, concerning advertising and entry into foreign military service (of September 30, 1859):

    Article 1
    Entry into those troops abroad that are not to be regarded as national troops of the state concerned is prohibited to any Swiss citizen without the approval of the Federal Council.
    The Federal Council can only grant such a permit for the purpose of further training for the purposes of the patriotic defense system.

  27. ^ Military Criminal Law of June 13, 1927:

    Article 94 A
    Swiss citizen who enters into foreign military service without the permission of the Federal Council is punished with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine.

  28. Federal Act on Private Security Services Provided Abroad (BPS) of September 1, 2015:

    Article 8
    Direct participation in hostilities:
    1 It is forbidden:
    a.
    to recruit or train personnel in Switzerland for the purpose of directly participating in hostilities abroad;
    b. to mediate or make available personnel from Switzerland for the purpose of directly participating in hostilities abroad;
    c. to found, relocate, operate or manage a company in Switzerland that recruits, trains, mediates or provides personnel for the purpose of directly participating in hostilities abroad;
    d. control from Switzerland a company that recruits, trains, mediates or makes available personnel for the purpose of directly participating in hostilities abroad.
    2 Persons who have their place of residence or their habitual abode in Switzerland and who are in the service of a company that is subject to this law are prohibited from directly participating in hostilities abroad

  29. ^ Meuwly, Olivier: Valliere, Paul de. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .