While I was in Emilia-Romagna, a few years ago (early 2000's?) a bus of the Italian army with a dozen of Italian soldiers inadvertently crossed the Sanmarinese border, misled by their GPS that did not signal that their itinerary included San Marino. The Sanamarinese gendarmeria intercepted them, disarmed them and kept them into custody until the Italian Minister of Defence issued an official formal apology... We'd never been so close to WW3!
A few years ago a company of Swiss troops got lost on exercise and stumbled into a town.....in Liechtenstein. The only police officer on duty that night "arrested them" and the matter was solved over a few bottles of wine according to the Swiss defence minister.
In November, 1969, I was strolling in front of St. Peter's very late at night, just enjoying the quiet and marveling at the fountains, the lights, and Bernini's columns. I thought I might be able to just casually stroll to the right of the Basilica (facing it at the time) and see what was in that area, even thinking at that hour I might be able to see the land area behind it. I was walking by what I think was an old Roman aqueduct to my right and the Basilica to my left and this alley way was getting darker and darker and more narrow. I actually thought I was going to get inside! But I was shocked out of my skin by two Swiss Guards in the dark, standing near a gate i was unknowingly approaching. They had those halberds, and dang! Simultaneously, they CLASHED those two metal blades together and yelled "Halt!". I nearly jumped out of my hide! With a squeaky voice I told them I was just walking. "Sorry!" I made a quick reversal and gave up my quest to sneak into the back way. In the dark, they scared the daylights out of me!!!
I went and looked up a picture of the Basilica from the front trying to picture your story. Was it that little narrow passage to the right of the building that looks like it leads into it kind of ? Or was where you went in not visible from the front? It's cool to be able to put a real image to your story and picture it. The guards apparently did their job effectively. They are as much for real as they are for show. You know that they most certainly have firearms on them as well. It's really all a matter of culture and tradition to continue with these forms of displays. Same reason for the Queens Guard and how they act in public. Best believe that if push came to shove these guys would fight.
100th like! You know what man? Those two guys had a great crack-up over that. I bet that evening they had their buddies rolling telling them that story. They are soldiers too, after all.
@@1FokkerAce I am sure you are right. I bet they really enjoyed clanging those big sharp blades together and causing me to nearly have a heart attack. I was 20 years old then and I too was a soldier in the US Army and was on leave time touring around Europe. Knowing soldiers, I bet they had a good ole time later on telling their buddies about it. I don't imagine they got too many would-be intruders like that late at night. Enjoyed your comments.
Not perhaps 40 km away from my homevillage is Lichtenstein castle, a fairy tale castle from 1840s. This often causes confusion with the small country Liechtenstein.
The Swiss Guard took shockingly high casualties during the Sack of Rome by Charles V's troops in the 1520's, allowing the Pope to escape. It was a hopeless last stand in the Vatican gardens.
Would love to see a video about my country in this respect, Malta, there's a lot of military history here. Contemporarily we have the AFM but up until a few decades ago we had the KOMR (King's Own Malta Regiment) which my grandfather was a part of until it was disbanded. Could talk about the NATO presence we had here for a few years while we still had British army present etc. Your content is always well made! :)
Malta was the biggest unsinkable aircraft carrier in the world. Without it the Afrika-Korps might have made it to reach Egypt and conquer the oil fields there, which would again have multiplied the abilities of the germans. Germany was constantly massively hampered by fuel shortage. When the Allies started bombing the german hydrolysis fuel factories from July 1944 on, the german fuel production collapsed. At the end of the war, Germany just had 20,000 tons of fuel left. The germans would even have run out of ammo, as a byproduct of the fuel generation from coal is sulphur, and was the only source for gunpowder. Just think of all the Me 262s parked at the Autobahn Salzburg - no fuel...
Trivia: The heir to the Princely House of Lichtenstein recently married the eldest daughter of the younger brother of the Duke of Bavaria. By a long and rather convoluted family history this has created a union between the Royal Family of Lichtenstein and the heirs to the Jacobite succession. Their son, Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, is both second in line to that country's throne as heir apparent after his father, and also in direct line of succession to the Jacobite claims to the thrones of the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
@@JJONNYREPP Macron was not only born in France, but his family traces its roots back to Hauts-de-France, Gascony and England. He is not of Middle Eastern ethnicity, but even if he was, being born in France would make him a citizen of France.
@@Iason29 Same for me. Way back in 1969, four of us Army soldiers were on leave and we were coming from Switzerland and on our way to Spain. We zipped right on through Monaco before we knew it. We DID have one interesting thing to see. When we got to the Border Crossing to enter into France, there was this big black high sitting car with some kind of royal device on the front of the hood . .. car was probably British made . . . waiting on the other side to come into Monaco. We had an excellent view of the person on the inside. It was a VERY old and wrinkly lady wearing a solid white dress and wearing a diamond studded big tiara. I remember clearly seeing the red rouge on her pasty white cheeks and the very bright lipstick she used. She looked 95 years old. Never could figure out who she was. She was some level of royalty, I'm sure.
@L C I have a modest sized farm for someone in Kentucky. It's one-third the size of Monaco! Had I bought a few more acres, I could have had me my own country right here! :)
It would be interesting to see a video in regards to the standoffs between the Swiss Guard and the German Army during the war. Thank you for another intriguing video.
@@somedude5951 Hitler's parents were practicing Roman Catholics. Once he left home, he never attended mass or received the sacraments. Yes, he never technically left the church but he nor anyone else with sense would claim he was a real Roman Catholic outside of propaganda or underhanded political/religious narratives. The story of the Vatican, the Pope, Italy, and the Italian government is far more complex than "Mussolini gave the Pope control of the Vatican so they were buddies". Your attempts to connect Hitler and Mussolini to the church or Christianity as a whole are as big of failures as Hitler's "1000 year Reich"
@@randomlyentertaining8287 Factually wrong. The Vatican was heavily invested in the 3rd Reich and provided Nazis with papers and money and escape routes. Mussolini needed the last remnant of the Roman Empire, the sewer authority of the city of Rome, to justify his cesaric reign.
Correction: Every household in andorra is _supposed_ to have a weapon, and we're allowed (and by an unnecessarily literal interpretation of a law from like the 20s, yes, expected) to have both hunting rifles and shotguns without a license, but very very few do outside of those who practice any shooting sports. Something that absolutely baffles any Americans I get to speak with. Pistols are allowed with a license (though no carry is allowed anywhere near inhabited areas outside shooting ranges) and "weapons of war" are forbidden.
Let me add that the Swiss Guard is one of the best trained anti-terrorism units in the world, training with the SAS, Delta Force, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Mossad and Grenzshutze Gruppe 9. and probably others that are under wraps. There's some damn good soldiers under those pretty uniforms.
Another Fascinating video, thank you Dr. Felton. I was raised as a Roman Catholic in the US, and was even an altar boy and would do errands and mow the lawn for our parish priest, as we lived just a couple of houses down. We have funny story in our family: as a young boy of about 10, I asked my parents if we could move to Switzerland. As you might imagine, my parents were both amused and curious as to why. So having seen a movie or television program, I informed them that when I grew up I wanted to join the Pontifical Swiss Guard, but in order to do that i needed to be a Swiss citizen. Therefore in typical 10 year old logic, i informed them that our family must move to Switzerland. My parents were less than keen about this idea, so we ended up remaining in our small town on the border with Canada. I was always fascinated with all things military and historical, so instead of fulfilling my goal of being a Swiss Guard, I joined the Army as a combat engineer and attended Military College. So thank you for this video Dr. Felton, you've brought back a fun childhood memory.
You mean "genuinely' curious. I was an altar boy for several years in the the late 1950's through the 1960's. I was alone with several priest. Alone with them many times. Not ONE time did any of them even hint at doing any of these sex things you are referring to. Many years later a lot of us boys got together at class reunions. We all totally agreed that none of us ever even got close to being molested. We respected those priests and they cared about us guys. Great memories of very holy men. I have serious doubts of all these molestation cases. Yes, I'm sure some happened. But I think maybe anywhere from 50 to 70 percent are guys just jumping on the lawsuit wagon for money. It would be an easy thing to do to accuse a priest, especially a dead one. I am skeptical. I get around to a lot of Catholic communities and so far I've never met one boy who can say any of that stuff happened to him.
@@maladjustedlabel260 not once, nor was he ever even remotely suggestive. I had a deep respect for him, and the other priests in the area, whom I got to know. All the way up through high school I would caddy for them when they played golf, do errands and yard work, they were always kind and very grateful for the help. When I caddied for them, they would buy me a nice fish and chips lunch at the golf clubhouse. The Priest in the town where I went to military college, was a former WWII navy chaplain, and was one of the finest men I've had the privilege of knowing. I remained very active in my local parishes throughout college and never once did I even here of anyone being harmed. It is such a shame that very few , very warped Catholics priests molested young boys, because it has forever tarnished the reputations of entire group of men. It is akin to what is happening today in the USA with police officers, the misdeeds of a tiny few have destroyed the reputations of countless men and women who perform an invaluable service to their communities. We must always be careful not to judge a group by the actions of a few. That leads to hatred and as students of history, and with the help of Educators like Dr Felton, we know where the path of hatred leads.
I visited San Marino a few years back as part of a package tour of Italy. With Rome, Florence and Venice on the trip, it was easy to overlook, but it actually turned out to be a real highlight on the trip. I wish I'd had more than the day we had there.
Makes sense they were remnants of the Papal army of the papal states, but I thought since Garibaldi destroyed the papal states in the the 1850's that the papal state lost everything except the Swiss guard, but apparently they still maintained both their cavalry and infantry section.
@@Iason29 I don't think he destroyed the Papal States, man, because if he did, why then, would the pope at the time exile himself in Rome, after the city became the definite capital of the newly created Kingdom of Italy?
@@Iason29 1870 was the last time the Pope's Army saw action defending him. The Pope ordered them to give way, in order to avoid bloodshed in an unwinnable fight. For 60 years the Popes then remained permanently inside the Vatican, not even visiting their other churches in Rome until 1929 when Mussolini signed a treaty with them, by which the Popes officially recognised the new Italian state that had been founded by the Garibaldians in 1870 (including the 1/5th of its territory that had been the Papal States since the early middle ages). In return the Italian State accorded the tiny Vatican State protection and guarantees. The city of Rome, which had been a 'Papal City' for well over 1,000 years, had been the real sticking point. The Roman municipal administration is today on friendly terms with the Vatican because of the massive tourist income to the local economy of Rome itself. Most Catholic Church historians believe the Popes as heads of the worldwide Catholic Church were well rid of having a country to govern.
I'd like to provide you with this interesting perspective because you remind me of my grandson. He is now in his 40s and works for Siemens as an accountant in their Mediterranean division. I believe he works in Athens if I recall. We don't speak anymore since he tried to embezzle my retirement so he could pay off a loan shark in Tuscaloosa.
Vatican is also the world's most militarised country, with more than 1 in 7 people in the army, more than North Korea, more than most countries during WW2.
Some time ago I posted a comment somewhere else about the last time Andorra was invaded... in 1934. As it is vaguely related I paste it here: "In the 30s a guy self-proclamed King of Andorra, Boris the 1st, no less. When the bishop of La Seu d'Urgell heard about it and called the Guardia Civil. The bishop is the other co-prince, so somebody was getting in his turf. 5 guardias were dispatched (a sergeant and four constables), they 'invaded' Andorra, they captured the usurper and got back home to La Seu. That's how the Spanish invasion of Andorra went..."
I stayed a few nights in the old town of San Marino, an amazing place. They have a military march/parade through the streets each night to shut the city gate. The guards I witnessed doing this had the dress similar to the Swiss guard.
The only flat tire I ever got while driving all over Europe was coming up that winding hill to go to the top of San Marino. I can proudly say I changed a tire on that dangerous road! ;) November, 1969.
My aunt once had a flat in Monaco, which lead me to do some digging around. Especially when she recently went on holiday there (summer 2022). I found out that the palace guards do the school run, taking children from the childrens home to schools around the city. Their workday uniform’s a police style uniform, both of which you forgot to mention.
Great video on a very niche topic. I do love your very interesting videos on WW2 but this is a nice bit of fresh air. Greetings from Switzerland Fun fact: I had a classmate who served in the Swiss Guard from 2017-2019.
It's not a cushy assignment. They are first trained with the Swiss Army and then have strenuous physical exercise obligations once stationed at the Vatican. They have to stay in shape like other soldiers.
Italy has 3 micro-nations, one of which is now just an embassy, but it used to have an air force post WW2, the International Sovereign Military Order of Malta, at 68 Via Condotti, Rome. They flagged the Italian post-war air force.
Just pure history and information. No fluff and all presented with an objective, well educated and loveable host. Thank you, Mr. Felton for giving us what we need. History is sacred.
When I was growing up we were always told the one man who guarded the gate of Hillsborough Castle (Co. Down, N.Ireland) was the only soldier in the private army of the Governor. He tended to have an awful lot of British Army soldiers around him. As far as I know the position of Governor was abolished in 1972, and there are now a small number of Wardens.
It’s always a good day when I see one of your videos, Dr. Felton. Interesting, well researched and well presented. As usual. I would guess you have the most devoted followers on TH-cam. Thank you.
Swedish band Sabaton has a song titled The Last Stand. It’s a narrative on the Pontifical Swiss Guards heroic defense of Pope Clement in the early 16h century.
@MarkFelton I am addicted to your channels. Thank you for making history accessible. Would you consider a special episode or series dedicated to Historic Games? Keep up the great work Professor!
A point on nomenclature - this video uses "micronation" and "microstate" interchangeably, but all the countries in this video are microstates. Micronations specifically refers to completely unrecognised entities such as Sealand and the hobbyist nation-building movement.
Dude this video is AMAZING TIMING for me as I've been googling and youtubing the smallest militaries in the world. Some of the african armies are fascinating to see how little they have in terms of equipment. Some countries I've never even heard of I'm learning about their armed forces or lack their of
Possibly apocryphal story about Andorra’s military: prior to WW1, Krupp sold the principality a cannon so powerful that it could not be test-fired without causing an international incident.
Speaking of Vatican City, I've read that it's the only country on Earth that has a birthrate of zero - which I guess makes sense. Very interesting video, Dr. Felton (as always). Thanks very much!
I mean, last time I had checked within a rounding error, there are no Female Vaticans so it makes sense. I should also point out that Vactin City does not have birthright citizenship, or any form of automatic citizenship actually. one can only be made a citizen at the discretion of the Pope, typically awarded to various functionaries of the Catholic Church who Run the city itself, or to some for ceremonoal reasons.
There is no hospital there, so the births if any would be on Italian territory. I think no one can claim Vatican citizenship by descent or by birth. It’s the church that does that right?
Zero most of the time. Wives of the Swiss Guards having babies go to the local hospitals in Rome. BUT . . . and accidental quick birth COULD take place within the walls of Vatican City.
I always wondered if the Swiss guards are trained in the Italian martial arts of the Renaissance period, in other words know how to use their halberds. And yet those arts focus on knowing how to face other enemies who also have halberds, swords, bucklers and pikes so most likely today Swiss guard aren't trained cause facing a guy in close combat they murder him for sure since nobody is gonna attack them with similar weapons.
@@teejin669 Nah, their uniforms are so plain I doubt it they are having hidden arms, most likely the may have European martial training as a form of tradition, there are still a number of schools in Italy who teach them.
I own a beautiful 5" camp knife forged by the blacksmith who makes the weapons and armour for the Swiss Guard. It's a ladder pattern damascus blade with maker's mark on the ricasso. It has an integral guard and stag horn handle. It was a gift to me from an Austrian friend who knows the fellow. I use it regularly since I work in the outdoors, fantastic steel that holds an edge for days of use.
I worked in the knife business for about 10 years and saw some very nice pieces in that time. Would love to have a look at a high end custom like that. Real dilemma with that kind of knife trying to decide whether to carry it in the field or display it.
G’day Mark. You did miss one micro nation, but it’s a sort of odd ball. And it’s the “Sovereign Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta”. Although I’m not sure they actually have an army. They once did though, as well as the most powerful navy at that time.
This was a very formative video Mr Felton! Although I think you should have mentioned the Swiss Guard’s most famous engagement the Sacking of Rome in 1527. The Swedish band Sabaton also has a famous song about them
Very good and most interesting. Although not the army of a nation state, I was surprised to not see the Army of The Duke of Atholl, The Atholl Highlanders.
Keep up the great history films! Can you consider doing one on the little known Joe Boyle Yukon machine gun battery that was sent to WW1 from Dawson City, Yukon Canada, right after the gold rush. Many respects.
Very cool. It seems the smaller the army, the more traditional the uniforms. I just wonder how San Marino could have been an independent state in 301 A.D. What did the Roman emperors have to say about that?
@@tywinlannister8015 i suspect that you haven't seen the film "The mouse that roared" which documents the lead up to the Fenwickian invasion of the United States.
Excellent video Mark, very interesting. I have seen the Swiss Guards in Vatican City as well as the Changing of the Guard in Monaco. The Swiss guards were a glimpse into the 16th Century. I saw a military function in Paris around 2001 and one of the French infantry units had as its' dress uniform a sky blue zouave uniform with a white turban. It was like looking back into the 19th Century. I would like to see a video about the Knights Hospitallers or as they are now known the Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
That was a totally fascinating roundup of the subject matter. Would never have sought that out on my own but am happier that I now know a small piece of it.
One could disable all of these forces by controlling the feather supply.
Your comment is far funnier than the one I intended to post.
They have spare feathers
The Ottomans failed to control the feather supply during the Siege of Vienna and it really came back to bite them.
Strategic flamingo reserves
@@stflaw Thanks.
While I was in Emilia-Romagna, a few years ago (early 2000's?) a bus of the Italian army with a dozen of Italian soldiers inadvertently crossed the Sanmarinese border, misled by their GPS that did not signal that their itinerary included San Marino. The Sanamarinese gendarmeria intercepted them, disarmed them and kept them into custody until the Italian Minister of Defence issued an official formal apology... We'd never been so close to WW3!
😯
A few years ago a company of Swiss troops got lost on exercise and stumbled into a town.....in Liechtenstein. The only police officer on duty that night "arrested them" and the matter was solved over a few bottles of wine according to the Swiss defence minister.
Not sure the rest of the world would be bothered ;)
@@exiletsj2570 They got quite upset when some Archduke was killed in the early 20th century! 😀
@@MongooseTacticool Indeed, until all the alliances and treaties tumbled into place....Then the rest of the world be bothered. 😅
In November, 1969, I was strolling in front of St. Peter's very late at night, just enjoying the quiet and marveling at the fountains, the lights, and Bernini's columns. I thought I might be able to just casually stroll to the right of the Basilica (facing it at the time) and see what was in that area, even thinking at that hour I might be able to see the land area behind it. I was walking by what I think was an old Roman aqueduct to my right and the Basilica to my left and this alley way was getting darker and darker and more narrow. I actually thought I was going to get inside! But I was shocked out of my skin by two Swiss Guards in the dark, standing near a gate i was unknowingly approaching. They had those halberds, and dang! Simultaneously, they CLASHED those two metal blades together and yelled "Halt!". I nearly jumped out of my hide! With a squeaky voice I told them I was just walking. "Sorry!" I made a quick reversal and gave up my quest to sneak into the back way. In the dark, they scared the daylights out of me!!!
In the dark alley, you don't screw with guys holding Halbards
I went and looked up a picture of the Basilica from the front trying to picture your story. Was it that little narrow passage to the right of the building that looks like it leads into it kind of
? Or was where you went in not visible from the front? It's cool to be able to put a real image to your story and picture it. The guards apparently did their job effectively. They are as much for real as they are for show. You know that they most certainly have firearms on them as well. It's really all a matter of culture and tradition to continue with these forms of displays. Same reason for the Queens Guard and how they act in public. Best believe that if push came to shove these guys would fight.
@@AngPur While I agree with you . . . . I wasn't "screwing" with these guys. They snuck up on ME!
100th like! You know what man? Those two guys had a great crack-up over that. I bet that evening they had their buddies rolling telling them that story. They are soldiers too, after all.
@@1FokkerAce I am sure you are right. I bet they really enjoyed clanging those big sharp blades together and causing me to nearly have a heart attack. I was 20 years old then and I too was a soldier in the US Army and was on leave time touring around Europe. Knowing soldiers, I bet they had a good ole time later on telling their buddies about it. I don't imagine they got too many would-be intruders like that late at night. Enjoyed your comments.
Props to Mark for correctly prenouncing "Liechtenstein" as a native english speaker.
I've been there - very nice place.
Not perhaps 40 km away from my homevillage is Lichtenstein castle, a fairy tale castle from 1840s. This often causes confusion with the small country Liechtenstein.
Not surprising - he always pronounces German names correctly, so he's obviously familiar with the language.
@@MarkFeltonProductions Indeed. Vaduz is a delightful town.
@@currentsitguy : Has Vaduz realy Stadtrechte/ town rights?
The Swiss Guard took shockingly high casualties during the Sack of Rome by Charles V's troops in the 1520's, allowing the Pope to escape. It was a hopeless last stand in the Vatican gardens.
[MUFFLED SABATON IN DISTANCE]
Also involved in that event: League of Cognac and the Duke of Bourbon. Am getting thirsty.
Hopeless? Hardly, considering they succeeded in their mission it was a glorious last stand!
Wasn't Charles V's troops, they were mutinous traitors
@@markaxworthy2508 that makes me really respect those popes
Would love to see a video about my country in this respect, Malta, there's a lot of military history here. Contemporarily we have the AFM but up until a few decades ago we had the KOMR (King's Own Malta Regiment) which my grandfather was a part of until it was disbanded. Could talk about the NATO presence we had here for a few years while we still had British army present etc. Your content is always well made! :)
I love watching videos about Malta and will love to visit your country.
You have the biggest artillery piece in the world I believe
@@Matt-xc6sp Bigger than 80 cm like the german Mörser "Karl"?
Malta was the biggest unsinkable aircraft carrier in the world. Without it the Afrika-Korps might have made it to reach Egypt and conquer the oil fields there, which would again have multiplied the abilities of the germans. Germany was constantly massively hampered by fuel shortage.
When the Allies started bombing the german hydrolysis fuel factories from July 1944 on, the german fuel production collapsed. At the end of the war, Germany just had 20,000 tons of fuel left. The germans would even have run out of ammo, as a byproduct of the fuel generation from coal is sulphur, and was the only source for gunpowder.
Just think of all the Me 262s parked at the Autobahn Salzburg - no fuel...
@@feedingravens *biggest black powder artillery piece, 40cm or so
Trivia: The heir to the Princely House of Lichtenstein recently married the eldest daughter of the younger brother of the Duke of Bavaria. By a long and rather convoluted family history this has created a union between the Royal Family of Lichtenstein and the heirs to the Jacobite succession. Their son, Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, is both second in line to that country's throne as heir apparent after his father, and also in direct line of succession to the Jacobite claims to the thrones of the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Ireland is a republic though
Ireland has no king. Ireland needs no king. SAOIRSE 🇮🇪
@@JJONNYREPP Macron was not only born in France, but his family traces its roots back to Hauts-de-France, Gascony and England. He is not of Middle Eastern ethnicity, but even if he was, being born in France would make him a citizen of France.
Time to ask King Joseph to become king of England, reform Britain back to Catholicism and perhaps even Ireland may finally rejoin the union.
They are the rightful heirs to the British throne unlike the Saxe-Coburgs.
That was really interesting. I didn't realise Monaco was so small, just a couple of square kilometres. Wow.
whenever you drive through it, you barely realise you've been out of France for like 5 min.
@@Iason29 Same for me. Way back in 1969, four of us Army soldiers were on leave and we were coming from Switzerland and on our way to Spain. We zipped right on through Monaco before we knew it. We DID have one interesting thing to see. When we got to the Border Crossing to enter into France, there was this big black high sitting car with some kind of royal device on the front of the hood . .. car was probably British made . . . waiting on the other side to come into Monaco. We had an excellent view of the person on the inside. It was a VERY old and wrinkly lady wearing a solid white dress and wearing a diamond studded big tiara. I remember clearly seeing the red rouge on her pasty white cheeks and the very bright lipstick she used. She looked 95 years old. Never could figure out who she was. She was some level of royalty, I'm sure.
@L C I have a modest sized farm for someone in Kentucky. It's one-third the size of Monaco! Had I bought a few more acres, I could have had me my own country right here! :)
In another video it was stated that New York's Central Park is actually larger than Monaco. Now that's mind blowing.
It would be interesting to see a video in regards to the standoffs between the Swiss Guard and the German Army during the war. Thank you for another intriguing video.
In the movie _The Scarlet and the Black_ Gregory Peck played a Vatican official who helped escaped pow's and the Italian resistance.
Adolph Hitler was Roman Catholic, sir.
And the Vatican was given to the pope in 1929 by Benito Mussolini.
No stand off there, only co operation.
@@somedude5951 Hitler's parents were practicing Roman Catholics. Once he left home, he never attended mass or received the sacraments. Yes, he never technically left the church but he nor anyone else with sense would claim he was a real Roman Catholic outside of propaganda or underhanded political/religious narratives. The story of the Vatican, the Pope, Italy, and the Italian government is far more complex than "Mussolini gave the Pope control of the Vatican so they were buddies".
Your attempts to connect Hitler and Mussolini to the church or Christianity as a whole are as big of failures as Hitler's "1000 year Reich"
@@markaxworthy2508 👍
@@randomlyentertaining8287 Factually wrong. The Vatican was heavily invested in the 3rd Reich and provided Nazis with papers and money and escape routes. Mussolini needed the last remnant of the Roman Empire, the sewer authority of the city of Rome, to justify his cesaric reign.
One final episode of Mark Felton before I get shipped of to basic. Can’t wait to come back to see more good content
Very Interesting
Good luck
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck!
Well done young man (or lady). Best of luck to you.
"Highest capital city in Europe."
Really, higher than Amsterdam? 🤔
lol lol
I see what you did there ;)
I think he was referring to altitude not "attitude" ;-)
Even higher than Venice...😁 Aaand please don't 4get...Amsterdam is not the capital of Holand but Den Haag..
@@edgarkrattiger9185 Amsterdam IS the capital but the government is seated in The Hague
Correction: Every household in andorra is _supposed_ to have a weapon, and we're allowed (and by an unnecessarily literal interpretation of a law from like the 20s, yes, expected) to have both hunting rifles and shotguns without a license, but very very few do outside of those who practice any shooting sports. Something that absolutely baffles any Americans I get to speak with.
Pistols are allowed with a license (though no carry is allowed anywhere near inhabited areas outside shooting ranges) and "weapons of war" are forbidden.
Let’s be honest every household should have a weapon and people who know how and specifically more importantly when their use is actually legitimate.
Weapons of war? Including knives, bats, bows and arrows, crossbows, swords, Lance's, tomahawks, and assorted nick nacks?
@@BlackMetalWorld
Certainly not
I know plenty of people that should NOT own guns…
@@BlackMetalWorld Should have one? why? Andorra is safe no one is breaking and murdering people
@@jacktravers5049 Vaguely. And fear driven.
Let me add that the Swiss Guard is one of the best trained anti-terrorism units in the world, training with the SAS, Delta Force, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Mossad and Grenzshutze Gruppe 9. and probably others that are under wraps. There's some damn good soldiers under those pretty uniforms.
Whenever I hear the title music I always jam knowing mark is gonna lay down some knowledge I didn't know I needed.
Keep up the great work Mark!
Another Fascinating video, thank you Dr. Felton.
I was raised as a Roman Catholic in the US, and was even an altar boy and would do errands and mow the lawn for our parish priest, as we lived just a couple of houses down.
We have funny story in our family: as a young boy of about 10, I asked my parents if we could move to Switzerland. As you might imagine, my parents were both amused and curious as to why. So having seen a movie or television program, I informed them that when I grew up I wanted to join the Pontifical Swiss Guard, but in order to do that i needed to be a Swiss citizen. Therefore in typical 10 year old logic, i informed them that our family must move to Switzerland. My parents were less than keen about this idea, so we ended up remaining in our small town on the border with Canada. I was always fascinated with all things military and historical, so instead of fulfilling my goal of being a Swiss Guard, I joined the Army as a combat engineer and attended Military College.
So thank you for this video Dr. Felton, you've brought back a fun childhood memory.
that's good, Brian, you ended up doing what you always liked.
When I was a kid, my dream was to become a train driver in the Swiss railway
did the priest touch you, generally curious.
You mean "genuinely' curious. I was an altar boy for several years in the the late 1950's through the 1960's. I was alone with several priest. Alone with them many times. Not ONE time did any of them even hint at doing any of these sex things you are referring to. Many years later a lot of us boys got together at class reunions. We all totally agreed that none of us ever even got close to being molested. We respected those priests and they cared about us guys. Great memories of very holy men. I have serious doubts of all these molestation cases. Yes, I'm sure some happened. But I think maybe anywhere from 50 to 70 percent are guys just jumping on the lawsuit wagon for money. It would be an easy thing to do to accuse a priest, especially a dead one. I am skeptical. I get around to a lot of Catholic communities and so far I've never met one boy who can say any of that stuff happened to him.
@@maladjustedlabel260 not once, nor was he ever even remotely suggestive. I had a deep respect for him, and the other priests in the area, whom I got to know. All the way up through high school I would caddy for them when they played golf, do errands and yard work, they were always kind and very grateful for the help. When I caddied for them, they would buy me a nice fish and chips lunch at the golf clubhouse.
The Priest in the town where I went to military college, was a former WWII navy chaplain, and was one of the finest men I've had the privilege of knowing. I remained very active in my local parishes throughout college and never once did I even here of anyone being harmed.
It is such a shame that very few , very warped Catholics priests molested young boys, because it has forever tarnished the reputations of entire group of men.
It is akin to what is happening today in the USA with police officers, the misdeeds of a tiny few have destroyed the reputations of countless men and women who perform an invaluable service to their communities.
We must always be careful not to judge a group by the actions of a few. That leads to hatred and as students of history, and with the help of Educators like Dr Felton, we know where the path of hatred leads.
I visited San Marino a few years back as part of a package tour of Italy. With Rome, Florence and Venice on the trip, it was easy to overlook, but it actually turned out to be a real highlight on the trip. I wish I'd had more than the day we had there.
Amazing! I didn’t know that the Vatican had others than the historical Swiss Guard! Thank you!
Makes sense they were remnants of the Papal army of the papal states, but I thought since Garibaldi destroyed the papal states in the the 1850's that the papal state lost everything except the Swiss guard, but apparently they still maintained both their cavalry and infantry section.
@@Iason29 I don't think he destroyed the Papal States, man, because if he did, why then, would the pope at the time exile himself in Rome, after the city became the definite capital of the newly created Kingdom of Italy?
@@Iason29 1870 was the last time the Pope's Army saw action defending him. The Pope ordered them to give way, in order to avoid bloodshed in an unwinnable fight. For 60 years the Popes then remained permanently inside the Vatican, not even visiting their other churches in Rome until 1929 when Mussolini signed a treaty with them, by which the Popes officially recognised the new Italian state that had been founded by the Garibaldians in 1870 (including the 1/5th of its territory that had been the Papal States since the early middle ages). In return the Italian State accorded the tiny Vatican State protection and guarantees. The city of Rome, which had been a 'Papal City' for well over 1,000 years, had been the real sticking point. The Roman municipal administration is today on friendly terms with the Vatican because of the massive tourist income to the local economy of Rome itself. Most Catholic Church historians believe the Popes as heads of the worldwide Catholic Church were well rid of having a country to govern.
Mico militaries I love it!..so much history left that has been unknown till Mark Felton revealed it!
Outstanding Professor Felton!!!! Thank you for your amazing research abilities! Mini army, maximum interest!
+1
Great comment 👍
I'd like to provide you with this interesting perspective because you remind me of my grandson. He is now in his 40s and works for Siemens as an accountant in their Mediterranean division. I believe he works in Athens if I recall. We don't speak anymore since he tried to embezzle my retirement so he could pay off a loan shark in Tuscaloosa.
I always learn something from Felton’s videos, and I’ve been a student of history for 65 years.
damn, that is commitment to knowledge, when were you born, Michael? 1955?
Vatican is also the world's most militarised country, with more than 1 in 7 people in the army, more than North Korea, more than most countries during WW2.
Ahahahah
It also has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
@@SirAntoniousBlock And one of the very lowest ages of consent.
@@Palimbacchius 😅
@@Palimbacchius lmao
This is great Mark!!! An interesting look into things I never knew about! Thank you Sir!!
Fascinating and wonderfully researched content as ever, thank you.
Some time ago I posted a comment somewhere else about the last time Andorra was invaded... in 1934.
As it is vaguely related I paste it here:
"In the 30s a guy self-proclamed King of Andorra, Boris the 1st, no less. When the bishop of La Seu d'Urgell heard about it and called the Guardia Civil. The bishop is the other co-prince, so somebody was getting in his turf. 5 guardias were dispatched (a sergeant and four constables), they 'invaded' Andorra, they captured the usurper and got back home to La Seu.
That's how the Spanish invasion of Andorra went..."
A pity Boris the 1st of the UK couldn't be similarly dealt with.
@@SirAntoniousBlock We can send the Guardia Civil again
@@andresmartinezramos7513 Issue an Interpol warrant for his arrest and extradition for crimes against humanity and neatness.
@@markaxworthy2508 , thanks for the info, I had no idea that Andorra was invaded so many times in less than a decade.
@@markaxworthy2508 I believe we are talking about the UK's prime minister
The pictures of the WW2 American soldiers contrasted with the traditional uniforms are really interesting.
CIV players: everyday stuff
I stayed a few nights in the old town of San Marino, an amazing place. They have a military march/parade through the streets each night to shut the city gate. The guards I witnessed doing this had the dress similar to the Swiss guard.
The only flat tire I ever got while driving all over Europe was coming up that winding hill to go to the top of San Marino. I can proudly say I changed a tire on that dangerous road! ;) November, 1969.
My aunt once had a flat in Monaco, which lead me to do some digging around. Especially when she recently went on holiday there (summer 2022). I found out that the palace guards do the school run, taking children from the childrens home to schools around the city. Their workday uniform’s a police style uniform, both of which you forgot to mention.
You’re the best ever Dr. F!!! Have a happy 2022!!!
Great video on a very niche topic.
I do love your very interesting videos on WW2 but this is a nice bit of fresh air. Greetings from Switzerland
Fun fact: I had a classmate who served in the Swiss Guard from 2017-2019.
It's not a cushy assignment. They are first trained with the Swiss Army and then have strenuous physical exercise obligations once stationed at the Vatican. They have to stay in shape like other soldiers.
@@mikelastname1220 I know that.
Italy has 3 micro-nations, one of which is now just an embassy, but it used to have an air force post WW2, the International Sovereign Military Order of Malta, at 68 Via Condotti, Rome. They flagged the Italian post-war air force.
Oh, it's still more than just an embassy.
@@realQuiGon Not really, it was railroaded by the Pope the other year, just a puppet embassy of a former State.
@@EdMcF1 isn't an italian military unit? A medical on i thin?
@@EdMcF1 popes come and go. The order stands
Just pure history and information. No fluff and all presented with an objective, well educated and loveable host. Thank you, Mr. Felton for giving us what we need. History is sacred.
Great history lesson Dr Felton! Thanks for the great video
Not jealous of an educational channel this good or anything!
When I was growing up we were always told the one man who guarded the gate of Hillsborough Castle (Co. Down, N.Ireland) was the only soldier in the private army of the Governor. He tended to have an awful lot of British Army soldiers around him. As far as I know the position of Governor was abolished in 1972, and there are now a small number of Wardens.
I remember him. Went to school with his son. He played the bugle every remembrance Sunday
I Googled Hillsborough Castle and it is a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL place!!! Gorgeous rooms on the inside and the grounds were splendid too!
So that position do not exist and one man is not an army... Or was that John Rambo?😉
It’s always a good day when I see one of your videos, Dr. Felton. Interesting, well researched and well presented. As usual. I would guess you have the most devoted followers on TH-cam. Thank you.
Let's hope the Duke of Atholl's Highlanders, the last of Europe's private armies are mentioned
beat me to it
and they should really have been in this video as at about 100 men they might almost have come first
Was about to say the same ...
I'm sure they'll get their own video soon enough
As I see it this video was about the armies of nation states.
Good stuff Mark. You always seem to impress me with cool stuff 🙂 Thank you.
The way you presenting wars history is unique and excellent appreciating you for the great service ,special thanks , blessed and happy 👌
Thank you for this fascinating video, Dr. Felton. Very much appreciated!
Thank you for uploading Mark. I always appreciate your videos and your work.
Interesting stuff as always
Thanks again Dr Felton.
Mark this episode gave me the first surprise for the year. Thanks
Exceptional video Dr. Felton! This a subject I’ve always been fascinated with and was so excited to see you had covered it.
I always thought the swiss guards were purely ceremonial. Amazing to think they are actually well trained soldiers ready for anything.
In 1978 a few us got hollered at and chased away from a gate by the Swiss Guards because the Pope was coming, they didn't seem to be messing around. .
Swedish band Sabaton has a song titled The Last Stand. It’s a narrative on the Pontifical Swiss Guards heroic defense of Pope Clement in the early 16h century.
Another fascinating video. Thank you, Dr. Felton.
@MarkFelton I am addicted to your channels. Thank you for making history accessible.
Would you consider a special episode or series dedicated to Historic Games?
Keep up the great work Professor!
Besides the obvious ceremonial kit the swiss guard counts with a more practical kit that consists of a blue jumpsuit and a PDW (H&K MP7)
While all your content is extremely interesting and informative, somehow I found this one a step above. Thank you!
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for another excellent video Mark
Your videos are amazing works of art, Dr. Felton. I always enjoy learning from you!
A video about the French Foreign Legion would be fascinating as well.
I joined the legion to forget.
To forget what?
I do not know, I have forgotten.
I like how Mark Pointed out the guards on the left, I figured that one out myself haha.
Great informational video, thanks for uploading Mark.
A point on nomenclature - this video uses "micronation" and "microstate" interchangeably, but all the countries in this video are microstates. Micronations specifically refers to completely unrecognised entities such as Sealand and the hobbyist nation-building movement.
In before 50 a good start to the New Year, thanks Mark for, it might be a good year yet
This, this had lots of information I had not earlier heard. Thank you.
Finland out.
Super Interesting video, as always Mark, thanks!
Dude this video is AMAZING TIMING for me as I've been googling and youtubing the smallest militaries in the world. Some of the african armies are fascinating to see how little they have in terms of equipment. Some countries I've never even heard of I'm learning about their armed forces or lack their of
Possibly apocryphal story about Andorra’s military: prior to WW1, Krupp sold the principality a cannon so powerful that it could not be test-fired without causing an international incident.
Another informative video from Dr. Felton. He should really displace the History Channel on network TV, there's real history to be learned here.
Loved it! Congrats on the research and explanations!
I can listen to Dr Felton talk about military history and general knowledge for hours. Great stuff!
I love the outfits of the Swiss Guard!
Speaking of Vatican City, I've read that it's the only country on Earth that has a birthrate of zero - which I guess makes sense.
Very interesting video, Dr. Felton (as always). Thanks very much!
That's because all the women who live there are on the pill.
I mean, last time I had checked within a rounding error, there are no Female Vaticans so it makes sense.
I should also point out that Vactin City does not have birthright citizenship, or any form of automatic citizenship actually. one can only be made a citizen at the discretion of the Pope, typically awarded to various functionaries of the Catholic Church who Run the city itself, or to some for ceremonoal reasons.
There is no hospital there, so the births if any would be on Italian territory. I think no one can claim Vatican citizenship by descent or by birth. It’s the church that does that right?
Zero most of the time. Wives of the Swiss Guards having babies go to the local hospitals in Rome. BUT . . . and accidental quick birth COULD take place within the walls of Vatican City.
@@mikelastname1220 Didn't you listen? the Swiss guards have to be unmarried so no babies.
Great job, so much information to be learned about the tiniest of subjects. :)
Excellent history lesson also!
We've been to both The Vatican and Liechtenstein a couple of times. The Swiss guards are impressive!
I always wondered if the Swiss guards are trained in the Italian martial arts of the Renaissance period, in other words know how to use their halberds. And yet those arts focus on knowing how to face other enemies who also have halberds, swords, bucklers and pikes so most likely today Swiss guard aren't trained cause facing a guy in close combat they murder him for sure since nobody is gonna attack them with similar weapons.
@@Iason29 i always guessed they had pistols, pdws, or smgs hidden somewhere on them
I thought they are trained more the way the US Secret Service is, as a bodyguard force to protect VIPs.
@@teejin669 Nah, their uniforms are so plain I doubt it they are having hidden arms, most likely the may have European martial training as a form of tradition, there are still a number of schools in Italy who teach them.
Mark, great video as always. Would love a video about these micro nations during World War 2
As always an excellent video, Dr. Felton. Clear, concise, accurate, and well told. Just like I like my history to be!
I own a beautiful 5" camp knife forged by the blacksmith who makes the weapons and armour for the Swiss Guard. It's a ladder pattern damascus blade with maker's mark on the ricasso. It has an integral guard and stag horn handle. It was a gift to me from an Austrian friend who knows the fellow. I use it regularly since I work in the outdoors, fantastic steel that holds an edge for days of use.
I worked in the knife business for about 10 years and saw some very nice pieces in that time. Would love to have a look at a high end custom like that. Real dilemma with that kind of knife trying to decide whether to carry it in the field or display it.
@@Dystopia1111 It's a shame that I can't upload pics or I would. I had a custom leather sheath made for it that really completes the knife.
G’day Mark.
You did miss one micro nation, but it’s a sort of odd ball.
And it’s the
“Sovereign Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta”.
Although I’m not sure they actually have an army. They once did though, as well as the most powerful navy at that time.
While they kind of exist as a country they have no territory anymore.
Amazing information as always !!!
Super interesting video. Thank you. You make great content
This was a very formative video Mr Felton! Although I think you should have mentioned the Swiss Guard’s most famous engagement the Sacking of Rome in 1527. The Swedish band Sabaton also has a famous song about them
Very good and most interesting. Although not the army of a nation state, I was surprised to not see the Army of The Duke of Atholl, The Atholl Highlanders.
Indeed.
Very informative, Coach
Thanks for pulling through on the micro military’s information
Keep up the great history films! Can you consider doing one on the little known Joe Boyle Yukon machine gun battery that was sent to WW1 from Dawson City, Yukon Canada, right after the gold rush.
Many respects.
Very cool. It seems the smaller the army, the more traditional the uniforms. I just wonder how San Marino could have been an independent state in 301 A.D. What did the Roman emperors have to say about that?
....they said..."meh'....:D...
It began as a Christian monastic community, so although geographically part of the empire it was self governing.
Or they didn't notice. :)
They did'nt care to much since it was on an mountain
heus vos guys defricatus urina me offa- Diocletian
Thank you for another fascinating peek under the fringes, Dr. F.
Very interesting , thank you. Always enjoy your posts.
Imagine invading San Marino and getting taken out by a crossbow
Silent but deadly.
Just before You get hit by the crossbow bolt you hear deep voice: "Let me show You it's features! HAHAHAHAHA" ;)
Don't forget the small but elite army of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick who had carried out a successful invasion of the United States 50 years ago.
That sounds like the sort of obscure historical facts the Doc might make a video about.
@@tywinlannister8015 maybe in early April would be a great occasion
@@tywinlannister8015 i suspect that you haven't seen the film "The mouse that roared" which documents the lead up to the Fenwickian invasion of the United States.
@@Dave_Sisson You underestimate the comedic value such a video would have.
You always seem to make videos of whose subject just fascinates me. Well done, Dr. Felton!
Thank you for video sir
💐💐💐👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👌👌👌
If you have tiny armies you must have small sleevies.
Don't call us, we'll call you! Kindly leave the stage... NEXT!
Thank you for boosting our national ego, and make our dear Luxembourgian army seem like a world power.
Chad Lëtzebuerg 😎🇱🇺
Fascinating content, great visuals of units and descriptions, aerial views and maps, so yeah, the whole thing.
Interesting, glad to learn about these nations. Ty.
In a few years you can add the British Army to this list.
Part time artillery now that's a job
This is amazing, thanks for making this.
Very interesting video. Happy New Year professor!
Excellent video Mark, very interesting. I have seen the Swiss Guards in Vatican City as well as the Changing of the Guard in Monaco. The Swiss guards were a glimpse into the 16th Century. I saw a military function in Paris around 2001 and one of the French infantry units had as its' dress uniform a sky blue zouave uniform with a white turban. It was like looking back into the 19th Century. I would like to see a video about the Knights Hospitallers or as they are now known the Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
I wouldn't count too much on those 'Micro Military' pensions in the future.
That was a totally fascinating roundup of the subject matter. Would never have sought that out on my own but am happier that I now know a small piece of it.
Spot on Mark!
7:11 The official language is French. "Monégasques" is the name of Monaco’s citizens.
Monégasques is also used as the name of the patois spoken by the local people, but, as you say, French is the official language.