The Royal Guard of the Archers (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Guarda Real dos Archeiros'') was the palace guard of the

Portuguese Monarchs This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

from the 16th century until the end of the monarchy in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1910. Its members were 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, the Guard being also known as the Royal Guard of the Halberdiers (Portuguese: ''Guarda Real dos Alabardeiros'').CASTRO E SOUSA, António Dâmaso de, ''A origem da Guarda Real dos Alabardeiros, hoje Archeiros do Paço'', Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional, 1849 The Royal Guard of the Archers was mainly a ceremonial guard. The security of the Monarchs and the Royal Family was mainly entrusted to regular

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

units, some elite regiments being especially chosen of this function, like the Marines Regiment in the 17th and early 18th centuries and the 2nd Lancers Regiment late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History

Before the existence of the Royal Guard of the Halberdiers, King

John II of Portugal John II (; ; 3 May 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince (), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for reestablishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigo ...

created a Guard of Riders (Portuguese: ''Guarda de Ginetes'') for his protection, composed of light cavalry troopers. King

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned ov ...

kept this light cavalry guard and established that it should be composed of 200 riders. Apparently, King John III had discontinued the Guard of Riders, being known that he traveled by public places with little or no guard protection. The Royal Guard of the Halberdiers was created by King

Sebastian Sebastian may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century * Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...

, as a company of foot halberdiers, all Portuguese, appointing as its first captain, Francisco de Sá de Meneses, count of Matosinhos. In 1580,

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

became the

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

, establishing the

Iberian Union The Iberian Union is a historiographical term used to describe the period in which the Habsburg Spain, Monarchy of Spain under Habsburg dynasty, until then the personal union of the crowns of Crown of Castile, Castile and Crown of Aragon, Aragon ...

and naming

archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

Albert of Austria as

Viceroy of Portugal The Viceroy of Portugal was the political chief of the Kingdom of Portugal and the highest representative of the King of Portugal during the period of the Iberian Union, when a personal union existed between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain ...

, with residence in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. The Royal Guard of the Halberdiers was kept, but archduke Albert created within it a second company made up of German halberdiers. The Guard continued to be kept – with the Portuguese and the German companies – by the following viceroys, being mainly responsible by their protection as the Kings didn't live in Portugal. In the 16th century, similar halberdier guards were created in Portugal by the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...

and by the

Dukes of Braganza The title Duke of Braganza () in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Starting in 1640, when the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown were kn ...

. The first – still existing today – was responsible for the policing of the University and the city of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

and the second was responsible for the ducal protection. On 1 December 1640, Portuguese Independence was restored and Duke John of Braganza became King of Portugal as John IV. John IV kept the Royal Guard of the Halberdiers, with the Portuguese and German companies, while his former ducal guard of halberdiers was transformed into the company of halberdiers of the Prince's guard. The Royal Guard of the Halberdiers became increasingly just a ceremonial and palace guard. The military protection of the Portuguese Monarchs was given to Army and

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine current power * Marine debris * Marine energy * Marine habitats * Mari ...

units. As in Portugal, military units with the specific function of royal guard never existed – except for brief periods in the 19th century – the Kings security was entrusted to regular military units, some elite regiments being preferably chosen for this task. The Guard followed the

Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil The Portuguese royal court transferred from Lisbon to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in a strategic retreat of Queen Maria I of Portugal, prince regent John, the Braganza royal family, its court, and senior officials, totaling nearly 10,000 ...

in 1807. In 1822, Prince Peter of Portugal declared the

Independence of Brazil The independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Empire of Brazil, Brazilian Empire. It is c ...

becoming Emperor

Peter I of Brazil '' Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1831 (under the name of ...

. Inspired in the Portuguese Guard, Peter I created a similar Imperial Guard of the Archers (Portuguese: ''Guarda Imperial dos Archeiros''). By Decree of 28 August 1833, the three companies of the Royal Guard of the Archers were merged in just one company made up only of Portuguese. The Guard existed until the end of the Monarchy and the establishment of the Portuguese Republic on 5 October 1910.

Gallery

File:UEB 047.jpg, Portuguese Royal and Brazilian Imperial Archers guards uniforms in the early 19th century File:Guarda Real dos Archeiros no funeral de D. Carlos e de D. Luís Filipe (1908-02-08) - António Novais.png, The Archers Guard escorting the funeral procession of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and Prince Luís Filipe File:Funerais de D. Carlos e de D. Luís Filipe, a Guarda Real dos Archeiros junto do Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (1908-02-08) - Joshua Benoliel.png, The Royal Guard of the Archers in 1908 File:Abertura das Cortes, a Guarda Real dos Archeiros aguardando a chegada de D. Manuel II (1908-04-29) - Joshua Benoliel.png, The Archers Guard waiting for King Manuel II in the State opening of the Portuguese Parliament File:Museu dos Coches 1 - Jul 2009.jpg, Uniform of an Archer Guard in exhibition at the

National Coach Museum The National Coach Museum () is located in Lisbon, Portugal. First established in 1905 as the Royal Coaches Museum (), the museum houses historic horse-drawn coaches and carriages that belonged to the royal houses of Portugal from the 16th t ...

History

Gallery

References

See also