Marx Röist (1454–1524) was a member of the political elite of

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, and from 1517 the second commander of the

Papal Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

Biography

The son of a wealthy patrician and city councillor, Heinrich Röist, he served as

Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a ''Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (' ...

from 1476 and represented the ''Konstaffel'' guild in the city council from 1489. He served as city treasurer from 1493, and as

reeve Reeve may refer to: Titles *Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents *Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord *High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...

Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: * Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany * Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich) Altstetten is a quarter in district 9 of the city of Zürich in Switzerland. It was formerly a municipality in it ...

from 1493. He was elected

mayor of Zürich In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

in 1505. His political influence was considerable. He participated in most of the Diets of the Confederacy during 1500–1520, and he was the leader of the Swiss delegations to

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

in 1499 and to

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

in 1512. He was knighted after the

Battle of Murten The Battle of Morat (also known as the Battle of Murten) was a battle in the Burgundian Wars (1474–77) that was fought on 22 June 1476 between Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, and a Swiss Confederate army at Morat/Murten, about 30 kil ...

in 1476, and served as an officer in all Confederate military actions during 1476 until 1515. He commanded the Swiss troops in the Battle of Marignano in 1515. He was nominally the commander of the Papal Swiss Guard from 1517 until his death, but he was deputized by his son,

Caspar Röist Caspar Röist (13 July 1478 – 6 May 1527) was a Swiss papal official and commander of the papacy's Swiss Guard. He died whilst commanding it in its Stand of the Swiss Guard, last stand during the sack of Rome (1527), sack of Rome in 1527. ...

from 1518. During the

Reformation in Zürich The Reformation in Zürich was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrates of the city of Zürich and the princess abbess Katharina von Zimmern of the Fraumünster Abbey, and the population of the city of Hist ...

, Röist was in general agreement with Huldrych Zwingli, excepting Zwingli's

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

, vehemently opposing the removal of religious imagery from the churches. He died before the conflict with Zwingli escalated, and the city council enacted the decree permitting the removal of saints' images still on the very day of his death, 15 June 1524.

References

* * R. Walpen, ''Die päpstliche Schweizergarde'' (2006), 64–66. {{authority control 1454 births 1524 deaths Politicians from Zürich Mayors of Zürich Commanders of the Swiss Guard Swiss reeves Röist family Military personnel from Zürich