Introduction The Noble Guard (Italian: Guardia Nobile) was one of the household guard units serving the Pope, and formed part of the military in Vatican City. It was formed by Pope Pius VII in 1801 as a regiment of heavy cavalry. Conceived as the Pope’s personal guard, the unit provided a mounted escort for the… Read More
Introduction Cavalleggeri were an inferior category of cavalry during the classic period of feudal cavalry. This included knife-armed cavalry, lancers’ pages and mounted crossbowmen. Later, cavalleggeri became a subsidiary arm of the gendarmerie (refer to Light Cavalry). In 1498, Louis XII of France gave this name (chevau-léger) to his mounted companies, forming a sort of… Read More
Introduction The Banner of the Holy Roman Church (Latin: Vexillum; Italian: Gonfalone di Santa Romana Chiesa, occasionally Vessilio di San Pietro, “Standard of Saint Peter”) was the battle standard of the Papal States during the Renaissance and a symbol of the Catholic Church. The office of the Gonfalonier of the Church was originally intended to… Read More
Introduction The gonfalonier of the Church or papal gonfalonier (Italian: Gonfaloniere della Chiesa, “standard-bearer”; Latin: Vexillifer Ecclesiæ) was a military and political office of the Papal States. Refer to Gonfalone of the Church. Background Originating from the use of the Papal banner during combat, the office later became largely ceremonial and political. At his nomination,… Read More
Introduction The captain general of the Church (Italian: Capitano generale della Chiesa) was the de facto commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Papal States during the Middle Ages. Background The post was usually conferred on an Italian or other noble with a professional military reputation or (later) a relative of the pope. The parallel… Read More
Introduction Adolphus Washington Greely FRSGS (27 March 1844 to 20 October 1935) was a United States Army officer and polar explorer. He attained the rank of major general and was a recipient of the Medal of Honour. A native of Newburyport, Massachusetts and an 1860 graduate of Brown High School (now Newburyport High School), in… Read More
Events 1229 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares himself King of Jerusalem in the Sixth Crusade. 1241 – First Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongols overwhelm Polish armies in Kraków in the Battle of Chmielnik and plunder the city. 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is… Read More
