Customer Reviews

The Pope's Army: 500 Years of the Papal Swiss Guard

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Yes the Swiss Guard around the Pope seem rather medieval in their uniforms, but their history and their training is far from uninteresting. This short but fascinating book gives the highlights of their foundation, their history and their present place in the life of the most influential religious leader in the world. Well worth reading and well worth gaining respect for an elite group of young men.

This book is a small treasure for anyone who wants to have a glimpse into the long history of the Papal Swiss Guard. This bodyguard of mercenaries was created in 1506 and 19 years later suffered its greatest challenge, when it defended the Pope against the imperial troops of Charles V and lost 147 of its 189 members. The dreadfull sack of Rome was not enough though for the Papal Swiss Guard to eclipse from history and a few years later it was again on duty. Robert Royal presents this long journey through time in an eloquent way, embellishing it with many little known episodes and painting unforgettable portraits of the various commanders of that small but dedicated mercenary group (it has traditionally the status of a regiment despite its company size). Also useful, is the description of the present day Swiss Guard, the criteria for anyone wishing to become a member and the many changes that modern times have bring to its training, armament and duties. The book includes a section of 12 color photographs. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this colourful subject!

How I wish I could write a positive review of this book. Unfortuately, I cannot. This book starts out great and then becomes so bogged down with names, battles, and other details that it loses sight of its topic--the Papal Swiss Guard. There are no pictures, maps, timelines or other visual aids that would help the struggling reader, other than a small color spread of photos in the center of the book. I enjoy reading non-fiction books and I love studying the history of the Catholic Church, but this is the kind of book that causes people to hate reading history. Dry, boring with no sense of narrative. It was a struggle to get through it and I only did because I am very interested in the subject. The only section worth reading was the period about the Vatican during World War II. Maybe one of these days a writer will write a book about the Swiss Guard that is enjoyable as well as informative. This one "ain't it."

The Pope's Army: 500 Years Of The Papal Swiss Guard, by Robert Royal (President of the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington D.C.) is an in-depth study of the Swiss Guard's five-hundred year service to the Pope and the Vatican. Informatively taking the reader through the Medici Popes, the sack of the Roman Empire, medieval sieges, the Napoleonic War, the unification of Italy, the imprisonment of the Pope, World War I and II, the resistance to the Nazi s, and collective information on more recent Popes, The Pope's Army is an invaluable documentation of the Vatican City and the Popes with respect to the dedicated military guard serving to protect of the papal well-being and safety for last the five-hundred years. The Pope's Army is very informative and strongly recommended reading.

This book has a decidedly Catholic spin on history. It provided some insights not found in other European histories, especially on the Sack of Rome in 1527. There were a few typos: Clement VII was not in the Babylonian Captivity of 1378/1409 (page 32). Charles VII of France died in 1461, so he couldn't have gone to Naples in 1491 (page 43). Clement XIV was not pope from 1669-1774 (page 115).

The writing style is good, but I should have bought a used copy, as this is a book I probably won't read again.