The Cent-Suisses (, ''Hundred Swiss'') were an elite infantry company of

Swiss mercenaries The Swiss mercenaries were a powerful infantry force constituting professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among the military forces of th ...

that served the

French kings France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

from 1471 to 1792 and from 1814 to 1830.

History

The unit was created in 1471 by King

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

. Originally, the company was composed of a hundred men, all from

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and armed with

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge), is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a hook or ...

s, who were selected for their above-average height. As the weapons of the time evolved, notably with the appearance of firearms, its members were divided between pikemen and

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

iers. When Swiss mercenaries learned that King Charles VIII was preparing an expedition against Naples, they rushed en masse to be recruited. By the end of 1494, thousands of them were in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to join the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army () was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another du ...

which would occupy Naples the following February. In 1495, the king's life was saved thanks to the actions of his Swiss infantrymen. Louis de Menthon was appointed the first commander of the Cent-Suisses in 1496. The unit was part of the ''

Maison militaire du roi de France The ''maison militaire du roi de France'' (, ''military household of the king of France'') were the Royal guard, military branch of the Maison du Roi, the royal household of the List of French monarchs, French monarchy. Officially part of the Fr ...

'' (military household of the king of France). The Cent-Suisses were dissolved by the Legislative Assembly on 12 May 1792, during the French Revolution, and therefore survived (unlike the Swiss Guards) the storming of the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...

on 10 August 1792. Along with the rest of the royal household, it was first re-established in the spring of 1814, at the start of the First Bourbon Restoration, and again in 1815 under the Second Restoration. After resuming its historic function as a ceremonial palace guard, now at the Tuileries, in 1817 detachments from the French regiments of the post-Restoration Royal Guard were transferred to the unit, and the Cent-Suisses company was renamed the ''Compagnie des gardes à pied ordinaires du corps du Roi''. It was finally disbanded during the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

in 1830. The Cent-Suisses served as model for a military unit of the

Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy (; ) was a territorial entity of the Savoyard state that existed from 1416 until 1847 and was a possession of the House of Savoy. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy f ...

(later

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

), which was created in 1579 and disbanded in 1798. Other similar units existed in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(1745), and

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

(1696–1713). The Pontifical Swiss Guard, founded in 1506, belongs to this tradition.

Organization

The Cent-Suisses were commanded by a Swiss captain with two lieutenants, one Swiss and the other French, under his orders. Members of the unit had the right to be tried according to the laws of their country of origin, and the royal household therefore included a

military court A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

for the Cent-Suisses.Cent-Suisses de la Maison du roi

Gallery

File:Cent-Suisse, by Gustave David (cropped).JPG, Cent-Suisse during the reign of

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

, 1507 File:Zentralbibliothek Solothurn - CentSuisse sous le règne de Henri IV En 1600 - a0418.tif, Cent-Suisse during the reign of Henry IV, 1600 File:France, 1817 (NYPL b14896507-1632786).tiff, Cent-Suisse

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

during the Bourbon Restoration, 1814–1817 File:Cent suisses 1786.png, Court service uniform, 1786 File:Louis-Hercule-Timoléon de Cossé, duc de Brissac.jpg,

Louis Hercule Timoléon de Cossé-Brissac Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

as commander (''capitaine-colonel'') of the Cent-Suisses, 1770 File:Cent-Suisses parade sword-IMG 0723-black.jpg, Cent-Suisses parade sword at the

Musée de l'Armée The Musée de l'Armée (; "Army Museum") is a national military museum of France located at Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is served by Paris Métro stations Invalides (Paris Métro and RER), Invalides, Varenne (Paris Métro ...

, Paris

References

{{reflist 1471 establishments in Europe 1470s establishments in France 1792 disestablishments in France 1814 establishments in France 1830 disestablishments in France Swiss mercenaries Royal guards Guards of honour Military history of the Ancien Régime Military units and formations of the early modern period Military units and formations of the late modern period