Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

Stand of the Swiss Guard

Stand of the Swiss Guard was a battle fought on 6 May 1527 at Vatican City. It was part of the War of the League of Cognac, which ran from 1526 to 1530. The recorded result: see Aftermath and effects.

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Fought6 May 1527
WhereVatican City41.833N, 12.500E
Outcomesee Aftermath and effects
BelligerentsPapal StatesagainstImperial army (mutinous)
Casualties and losses1,000 militiamen killed; 147 Swiss Guards killedandUnknown
Part ofWar of the League of Cognac1526 to 1530

Where it sits in the War of the League of Cognac

Battle of Camollia, 1526Battle of Governolo, 1526Sack of Rome, 1527, 1527Stand of the Swiss Guard, 1527Siege of Pavia, 1528Siege of Pavia, 1528Siege of Naples, 1528Battle of Capo d'Orso, 1528Siege of Monopoli, 1529Battle of Landriano, 1529Siege of Florence, 1529Battle of Gavinana, 153015261530Stand of the Swiss Guard, 1527
12 placed engagements of the War of the League of Cognac in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 May 1527
PlaceVatican City
41.833N, 12.500E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength5,000 militiamen; 189 Swiss Guards20,000+ (mutinous); 14,000 German Landsknechte; 6,000 Spanish soldiers; Unclear number of Italian mercenaries
Casualties and losses1,000 militiamen killed; 147 Swiss Guards killedUnknown; 45,000 civilians dead, wounded, or exiled
Commanders
  • Pope Clement VII
  • Caspar Röist
  • Renzo da Ceri
  • Michele Antonio of Saluzzo
Stand of the Swiss GuardStand of the Swiss GuardSack of Rome, 1527German occupation of RomeSiege of RomeSack of RomeSack of RomeSack of RomeNaplesPescaraL'AquilaCivitavecchiaCasertaCampobasso100 km41.833N, 12.500E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 16 times between 476 BC and 1943.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1527

Stand of the Swiss Guard is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 1 in present-day Vatican City.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7598143, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Stand of the Swiss Guard, revision 1372345219, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.