Ferdinand V being escorted by the Royal Guard during the swearing of the
Fueros in
Guernica in 1476 as
Lord of Biscay The history of the Royal Guard dates back to
medieval times. The senior unit and one of the oldest guards corps in the world is the Corps of Gentlemen of the Chamber, the
Monteros de Espinosa, dating to 1006 and created by
Sancho Garcia of the
House of Castile. Even before the time of the first monarch of Spain, the
Catholic Monarchs formed the Guardias Viejas de Castilla ("Old Guards of
Castile"). Later on, the first monarch of Spain,
Charles V ordered that a company of those guards to reside and continuously stand guard in his palace, denominating it
Los Cien Continos ("The Continuous Hundred").
Official formation José Cavalcanti in the uniform of commandant-general of the Corps of Royal Guards Halberdiers (reign of
Alfonso XIII) When arriving in Spain in 1502, Charles V's father,
Philip the Handsome brought with him his
Guardia Borgoñona ("
Burgundian Guards"). They were also called the
Guardia de los Archeros (aka
Guardia de Cuchilla > "Guards of the Blade") because they were armed with a
glaive-type polearm called an
archa, not because they were archers (
arqueros). Their purpose was to secure the royal household by standing guard or patrolling the grounds on horseback. These group of Royal Guards with their Burgundian style, together with two units of
alabarderos ("halberdiers"), would remain in service until the reorganization of the Troops of the Royal Household (
Tropas de Casa Real) by
Philip V. During his reign, the Royal Guards were organized into: • Headquarters • Royal Guards Halberdiers • Royal Carabinier Guards • Musketeers of the Royal Guards • Guards de Corps (organized as a squadron) • Two Guards infantry regiments (Walloon Guards and Guards of Spain) In the 19th century the Guards were reinforced by the
Spanish Marine Infantry, which formed its own unit. In 1824-25 the Guards was expanded into a fully independent army group reporting to the sovereign and the Royal Military Household with two full corps following the example of France's Napoleonic Imperial Guard and Borbon Restorationist Royal Guards: • Internal Royal Guards Corps • Halberdiers • Guards of the Royal Household • Guards de Corps • Infantry units • External Royal Guards Corps • 1st Guards Infantry Division • 1st and 2nd Guards Infantry Brigades, organized into two to three regiments of infantry • 1st Guards Cavalry Division • 1st and 2nd Guards Cavalry Brigades • Royal Horse Artillery Battery • Train Company • Royal Guard Company of Sappers and Miners • 2nd Guards Infantry Division (Provincial) • Royal Guard Grenadiers Brigade • Royal Guards Rifle Brigade In the 1840s only the internal units of the Royal Guards remained as the others were disbanded or transferred to the regular Army. In 1868 the Halberdiers stood down, only to be reformed under King Amadeo I as the Royal Guard Battalion of one infantry company and one cavalry troop and revived as a full battalion under his successor, Alfonso XII.
Civil War The Guards were disbanded in 1931 as a result of the formation of the
Second Republic and was replaced by the Presidential Horse Guards Squadron (
Escuadrón de Escolta Presidencial), which was a cavalry formation. By 1936, it included the infantry Presidential Guards Battalion (
Batallón de Guardia Presidencial), which remained loyal to the Republic during the
civil war.
Restoration Under
Francisco Franco, by Decree of February 4, 1949, the Military House of the Generalissimo was reorganized and on the basis of the republican formations the Regiment of the Guards of His Excellency the Head of State (
Regimiento de la Guardia de Su Excelencia el Jefe del Estado), later on the Guards Regiment of HE the Generalissimo (
Regimiento de la Guardia de S.E. el Generalísimo), was activated, which included a mounted squadron (the
Guardia Mora) which was first raised from surplus personnel of the
Regulares. After several reorganizations, the unit would last until Franco's death as a combined arms guards regiment. Upon Franco's death and the ascension of King
Juan Carlos I as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the guards regiment was integrated into the new army under the king, forming the basis of what is now the modern day Guardia Real - the Royal Guards Regiment (
Regimento de la Guardia Real), which is responsible to the king through the Ministry of Defense. In the 1980s it grew into a three-battalion regiment. Today it is a four-battalion unit that serves as the protocol and security service of the Spanish royal family.
Modern Day In 2002, a
section from the Royal Guards
Land Army Company deployed to Kosovo as part of peacekeeping efforts there. The following year, a platoon from the Royal Guards
Air & Space Force Company and a platoon from the
Naval Infantry Marine Company of the Royal Guards also joined the peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo and was stationed there throughout the year. In 2005, a section from the
Land Army Company of the Royal Guards deployed again to Kosovo. In 2006, a platoon from the Royal Guards
Air & Space Force Company deployed to Afghanistan. In 2007, a mixed
section (made up of members from all the branches) of the Royal Guards deployed again to Kosovo. == Role ==