Les Cent Suisses, France 1540

The Swiss Hundred Guard was created in 1480 by Louis XI as a personal bodyguard. Their main function was the protection of the King within the palace, but they also accompanied the king into battle. In the battle of Pavía, François I’s Swiss Hundred died rather than be captured by the Spanish. 

They were armed with halbards and swords. The company was dissolved after Louis XVI left Versailles in 1789 but was reformed on 15 July 1814 with a squad of 136 guards and eight officers. They accompanied Louis XVIII into exile in Belgium and returned with him to Paris after the battle of Waterloo. 

The unit resumed its traditional role providing palace guards in the Tuileries, but in 1817 it was replaced by a new company formed from the French regiments of the Royal Guard.