From Wikipedia:
Swiss Guards is the name
given to the Swiss soldiers who serve as bodyguards,
ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European
courts since the late 15th century. In contemporary usage,
it refers to the Pontifical Swiss Guard of Vatican City.
They have a high reputation for discipline and loyalty to
their employers. Apart from household and guard units, some
formations also serve as fighting troops; regular Swiss
mercenary regiments served as line troops in various armies,
notably those of France, Spain and Naples up to the 19th
century.
Various units of Swiss Guard existed for hundreds of years.
The earliest such detachment was the Swiss Hundred Guard
(Cent-Garde) at the French court (1497 – 1830). This small
force was complemented in 1567 by a Swiss Guard regiment.
The Papal Swiss Guard in the Vatican was founded in 1506 and
is the only Swiss Guard that still exists. In the 18th
century several other Swiss Guards existed for periods in
various European courts.
The institution reflects the situation of Switzerland at the
time. Unlike the present, Switzerland was a poor country
whose young men often sought their fortunes abroad.
