Massacre of the Swiss Guard in France

226 years ago today in 1792, French revolutionaries storm the Tuileries Palace and massacre King Louis XVI’s Swiss Guard mercenaries.

The French Revolution which had been ongoing for almost 3 years prior to this event and was about to hit a defining point. The Paris Commune grew tired of the King’s reluctance and mismanagement of implementing revolutionary demands and 20,000 insurgents marched on his palace.

The palace was a formidable position to defend. It was garrisoned by 950 veteran Swiss mercenaries of the Gardes Suisse, along with about 3000 National Guard and royalists. This garrison should have been more than enough to handle a civilian mob but the garrison was ill prepared and ammunition was woefully low. Leading the defense was the competent and admired commander Marquis de Mandat who was tricked out of the palace by a summons and assassinated. The Mayor of Paris and other public officials elected by the revolutionaries would then convince the King to abandon the defense of the palace and avoid bloodshed. With his departure he took with him most of the garrison and ordered the Swiss troops to retire into the interior of the building. The few National Guard troops left guarding the courtyard would then turn to the insurgents cause, letting them enter the palace.

The insurgents then ascended the grand staircase, and called on the Swiss Guard to surrender. "Surrender to the Nation!" they shouted in German to the Swiss.

"We should think ourselves dishonored!” shouted back the Swiss. Their commander then said ”We are Swiss, the Swiss do not part with their arms but with their lives. We think that we do not merit such an insult. If the regiment is no longer wanted, let it be legally discharged. But we will not leave our post, nor will we let our arms be taken from us."

They then took up positions along the windows of the château and behind a barricade on the staircase as the two bodies confronted each other with insults for a period of time. It is unclear which side shot first, but the Swiss, firing from above, quickly cleaned out and disbursed the insurgents. In response, the mob brought up some cannons but the Swiss quickly sallied out with a counterattack and seized the cannons. They then pushed further and recovered possession of the main entrance. The success of the Swiss enraged the mob into a bloodlust. The National Guard troops then aided the insurgents to push the defenders back into the interior of the palace.

Learning of the bloodshed, King Louis wrote an order to the Swiss to lay down their arms immediately and to retire to their barracks. Acting on this order in the middle of heavy fighting though meant almost certain death for the Swiss and they delayed. As the defenders ammo ran low they then followed the King's order to disengage. The main body of Swiss Guards fell back through the palace and retreated under fire through the gardens at the rear of the building. They were brought to a halt by the insurgents, broken into smaller groups and slaughtered. Out of the 900 Swiss, only three hundred survived and most of these would die of their wounds in prison or during the September Massacres next month.

Louis was officially arrested 3 days later and sent to Paris. On 21 September, the National Assembly abolished the monarchy and declared a Republic. Louis would be placed on trial and executed in January.

[Online References]

(http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/319/ )

(https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/attack-on-the-tuileries/ )

(http://www.thisdayinworldhistory.com/august-10-1792-ce-the-french-monarchy-is-arrested-as-federe-militias-storm-the-tuileries-palace/ )

Authored by R.E. Foy