Royal Guard (Poland)
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Royal Guards (also referred to as the Royal Foot Guards, pl, Gwardia Piesza Koronna) were an elite military formation and regiment of the Kingdom of Poland and the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
directly responsible for the protection of the monarch and his family.


Background

The earliest mentioned document or decree referring to the Royal Guards of Poland dates back to the reign of King John II Casimir. In 1650, the newly established regiment under the command of foreign mercenaries and military commanders was entirely incorporated into the regular, main forces of the Crown over which the monarch or ruler was personally responsible and accountable for. The guards served at the royal courts of Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (reigned as Michael I),
John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
, Augustus II the Strong, Augustus III and the last king of Poland Stanisław II Augustus. The first commander-in-chief of the modern regiment was Field Marshal Jakub Henryk Fleming, who held this post between 1717 and 1732. Guard was in service directly to the King and was paid out of the Treasury of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. Following a reform and the re-organization carried out in 1710, other small units directly serving for the monarch were either incorporated into the Royal Foot Guard regiment or broken down into reserves. This act was a punishment for siding with King Stanisław I Leszczyński during
a war ''A War'' () is a 2015 Danish War film, war drama film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm, and starring Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling. It tells the story of a Danish military company in Afghanistan that is fighting the Taliban while trying ...
with Augustus II the Strong.


Reorganization in 1717

After the reorganization carried out in 1717, the Royal Foot Guards were regarded and considered as one of the most exceptionally trained, strongest and largest military formations of the Crown and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Since 1756 both the elite land troops and the mounted units served as the Royal Guard and performed a compulsory guard drill in front of
Wilanów Palace Wilanów Palace ( pl, Pałac w Wilanowie, ) is a former royal palace located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw, Poland. Wilanów Palace survived Poland's partitions and both World Wars, and so serves as a reminder of the culture of the Polish ...
, the Saxon Palace and the
Warsaw Royal Castle The Royal Castle in Warsaw ( pl, Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) is a state museum and a national historical monument, which formerly served as the official royal residence of several Polish monarchs. The personal offices of the king and the admin ...
for the monarch's pleasure and perhaps for public spectacle or entertainment. Since the soldiers were responsible for protecting the palace or the royal residence, therefore they were also responsible for the protection of the reigning
monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
and the royal family.


Later period

On October 3, 1789, after the nomination of the 26-year-old Prince Józef Poniatowski to the rank of Major-General of the forces, he briefly took command of the Royal Foot Guards. Most likely, Poniatowski held the position until the spring of 1790, when he was sent as an envoy to
Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
. On the orders of King Stanisław II Augustus, on June 16, 1792, the Royal Guard soldiers and officers were dismissed or transferred to the newly created 15 Regiment. Such actions were possibly influenced by the tense economic and financial situation of the Commonwealth. Following this decision, the remaining soldiers were mobilized into two newly established units; a Battalion of Grenadiers and Battalion of
Fusiliers Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word ''fusil'' – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in co ...
. The Royal Guards consisted of the most exceptionally trained soldiers and most exceptional officers of the Polish Army in the late eighteenth century. The Royal Guards actively participated in the
Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...
and were responsible for the defence of
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.


Dress and uniform

Royal Guard's uniform consisted of a red cloth jacket with white lapels and a blue or
turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of yea ...
vest. An infantry soldier of the Royal Guards Regiment was armed with a
flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...
musket with an attached bayonet, possibly originating from a
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n musket model dating from 1722 and then upgraded by the Saxons and manufactured in the town of Suhl. An officer was required to always wear a broadsword at his side. Deputy officers had a shorter version of the musket, but also were responsible for having a ceremonial saber and a pistol. Each soldier was equipped with a backpack and pouches in addition to a leather belt slung over his shoulder with a wooden insert and prepared sites in the form of holes or pockets for loads. During the colder seasons, the soldiers also received red coats, similar to those worn by the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
.


References and sources

{{commons category, Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Disbanded armed forces Military history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Royal guards