and independent race, but their high military reputation dates from
the middle of the 15th century, when the comparatively ill-armed and
untrained mountaineers signally defeated Charles the Bold of Burgundy
and the flower of the chivalry of Europe in the battles of Granson,
Morat and Nancy. The Swabian war, towards the end of that century, and
the Milanese war, at the beginning of the following one, added to the
fame of the Swiss infantry, and made it the model on which that arm
was formed all over Europe. The wealthier countries vied with each
other in hiring them as mercenaries, and the poor but warlike Swiss
found the profession of arms a lucrative one.
A brief account of the Swiss mercenaries will be found earlier in this
article. Their fall was due in the end to their own indiscipline in
the first place, and the rise of the Spanish standing army and its
musketeers in the second. Yet it does not seem that the military
reputation of the Swiss was discredited, even by reverses such as
Marignan. On the contrary, they continued all through the 17th and
18th centuries to furnish whole regiments for the service of other
countries, notably of France, and individuals, like Jomini in a later
age, followed the career of the soldier of fortune everywhere. The
most notable incident in the later military history of the Swiss, the
heroic faithfulness of Louis XVI.'s Swiss guard, is proverbial, and
has been commemorated with just pride by their countrymen. The French
Revolutionary armies overran Switzerland, as they did all the small
neighbouring states, and during Napoleon's career she had to submit to
his rule, and furnish her contingent to his armies. On the fall of
Napoleon she regained her independence, and returned to her old trade
of furnishing soldiers to the sovereigns and powers of Europe. Charles
X. of France had at one time as many as 17,000 Swiss in his pay;
Naples and Rome had each four regiments. The recruiting for these
foreign services was openly acknowledged and encouraged by the
government. The young Swiss engaged usually for a period of four or
six years; they were formed in separate regiments, officered by
countrymen of their own, and received a higher rate of pay than the
national regiments; and at the close of their engagement returned with
their earnings to settle down on their paternal holdings. A series of
revolutions, however, expelled them from France and Italy, and
recently the advance of liberal ideas, and the creation of great
national armies based on the principle of personal service, has
destroyed their occupation. Switzerland is now remarkable in a
military sense as being the only country that maintains no standing
army (see Militia).