Huguenot-L Archives

Archiver > Huguenot > 2002-06 > 1024689034


From: "pioneer genealogy" <>
Subject: Re: [Huguenot] Jean de Christains- Geneva 1800
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 14:50:34 -0500


Roy,
This is copied from a search on google...

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

Swiss Guards

Swiss mercenaries who fought in various European armies from the 15th cent.
until the 19th cent. These mercenaries, who were not volunteers, were put at
the disposal of foreign powers by treaties (called capitulations) between
the Swiss diet, the separate cantons, and the foreign power concerned, in
return for money payments. As a result of the traditional alliance between
Switzerland and Francedating from the Everlasting Peace of 1516the Swiss
mercenaries played their most important role in the military history of
France. Francis I used some 120,000 Swiss levies in his wars, and in the
battle of Pavia (1525) his personal guard, the Hundred Swiss, was slain
before Francis was captured by the Spanish. Under Louis XIV, the Swiss
troops were organized in two categories: the kings military household and
the ordinary Swiss regiments. The most famous episode in the history of the
Swiss Guards was their defense (Aug. 10, 1792) of the Tuileries palace in
Paris in the French Revolution. Some 500 men of the regiment were massacred
by the invading mob. Their heroic stand is commemorated by the Lion of
Lucerne, the impressive monument by Thorvaldsen at Lucerne, Switzerland. The
French revolutionists abolished Swiss troops, but Napoleon I obtained (1803)
several Swiss regiments, which were virtually annihilated in the Russian
campaign of 1812. Swiss troops were used in the Bourbon restoration, and
many of them were massacred in the July Revolution of 1830, after which they
were permanently abolished. The Swiss constitution of 1874 forbade all
military capitulations and recruitment of Swiss by foreign powers, although
volunteering in foreign armies continued until absolutely prohibited in
1927. An exception to the ruling of 1874 is the Swiss Guard of the Vatican,
founded in 1505 by Pope Julius II, which is the personal guard of the pope.
Recruited from the Catholic cantons of central Switzerland, the Swiss Guard
at the Vatican is garbed in colorful costume of Renaissance design.


The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2001 Columbia
University Press.



>From: "Roy Day" <>
>Reply-To:
>To:
>Subject: Re: [Huguenot] Jean de Christains- Geneva 1800
>Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 19:05:56 +0100
>
>There are a number of historical errors in the story you tell.
>
>There are excellent articles available on the web giving the history of the
>'Swiss Guard' and although formed in the 16th century all members were
>catholic. As far as I can tell they also never operated outside Italy.
>
>The King of France from 1774 to 1792, Louis XVI, was also a catholic.
>
>Similarly it was not Napoleon who 'made France a Catholic country'. Again
>there is plenty of information fully describing his revolutionary period on
>the web.
>
>Whilst Jean de Christains may well have performed the duties you describe I
>think it 100% certain that he was not a Protestant and therefore not a
>Huguenot.
>
>Roy.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "pioneer genealogy" <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 6:09 PM
>Subject: [Huguenot] Jean de Christains- Geneva 1800
>
>
>| Hello,
>|
>| I am searching for information concerning members of the Swiss Guard in
>the
>| service of the King of France and his family during the time period of
>1775
>| to 1795.
>|
>| Family history tells of a Jean de Christains, a protestant from Geneva,
>and
>| a Captain of the Swiss Guard in Paris before and during the revolution.
>He
>| was later an officer in the French army with Napoleon and imprisoned for
>six
>| months around 1803. He escaped with his wife Suset Brudit (also of
>Geneva)
>| and his familiy to the United States via Belgium. They arrived in the
>| United States in 1804. The reason given for the imprisonment and
>subsequent
>| departure is that they were Protestant and Napoleon made France a
>Catholic
>| country at this time (and Geneva had recently become a part of France).
>The
>| family property on Lake Geneva was confiscated because they refused to
>| become Catholic.
>|
>| Did records of the Swiss Guard survive the revolution?
>| How can I confirm that this family existed in Geneva around 1775-1800?
>|
>| Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I can not find information
>| concerning this family besides what was passed down through the family.
>|
>| Thank you,
>| Chris Litzsinger
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>| _________________________________________________________________
>| MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
>| http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
>|
>|
>| ==== Huguenot Mailing List ====
>| No Flaming will be allowed.. We are all part of a Whole so lets try to
>act
>like family...Marie Worley-Howery List MOM
>|
>| ==============================
>| To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
>go to:
>| http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
>|
>
>
>==== Huguenot Mailing List ====
>If you need any assistance please feel free to contact me at
>
>
>==============================
>To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
>go to:
>http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237


_________________________________________________________________
Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com

This thread: