Musketeers of the Guard

The Musketeers of the Guard were a fighting company of the military branch of the Maison du Roi, the Royal Household of the French monarchy.Technically, all soldiers armed with muskets were musketeers. But the most iconic of all the musketeers, and certainly the ones most portrayed in popular culture and historical pieces, were the personal household guards of French King Louis XIII. The king formed the Musketeers of the Guard in 1622, a few years before the novel's plot begins. The musketeers of Louis XIII were soldiers who served as a combination of secret service and special forces. Their main duty was to protect the king and his family. In a time of frequent plots and conspiracies, this was no small task. The early 17th century was a troubled time in France. French Protestants, known as Huguenots, opposed domination by the Catholic crown. Bitter religious wars broke out. The struggle for power among the king, the nobility and the Church was constant, and assassination attempts were not uncommon. In fact, Louis' own father, Henri IV, had been assassinated in 1610. Louis XIII became king of France when he was only 9. After assuming full power, he besieged the Huguenots in the port city of La Rochelle in the 1620s. The Musketeers of the Guard fought in that conflict, which is vividly depicted in the novel.

The musketeers were formidable warriors in battle. Their training and esprit de corps afforded them a decided edge. In later years, they wore elaborate uniforms trimmed with gold lace. They wore their iconic blue tunics, rapiers and muskets. To become a Musketeer of the Guard, it helped to be an aristocrat or nobleman -- not necessarily rich, but connected to the French ruling class. Over their long history, the number of musketeers in service varied from 150 to 300 men. The group served the French monarchy almost continuously until 1816, when it finally disbanded thanks to a lack of funding.

Battle vs. Grand Armée (by MilenHD)
Battle begins near Versilles as 5 Grande Armée soldiers are ready to attack,but suddenly one of them was shot by musket ball.

Musketeer of the Guard:12345

Grande Armée:1234

Then one Grande Armée aim his musket and shot one of the Musketeers.

Musketeer of the Guard:1234

Grande Armée:1234

Then both squads charge at each other,the first victim of the charge was Musketter impaled by Grande Armée's bayonet.

Musketeer of the Guard:123

Grande Armée:1234

The rest of the Musketeers begin to hide behind the walls,one Musketeer pulls out his pike,in the same time a charging Armée soldier get stab by the pike,trying to pulls out the pike the Musketeer get  shot by 1733 pistol.

Musketeer of the Guard:12

Grande Armée:123

Reloading his pistol,the Armée soldier get shot by Musketeer's flintlock pistol,but sudenly a charging Armée decapitates Musketeer's head with his saber.

Musketeer of the Guard:1

Grande Armée:12

The last Musketeer pulls out his rapier and main gauche and charge at the remaining Armée soldiers,the first was stabbeb by the main gauche in the chest,then he rush to the last soldier.

Musketeer of the Guard:1

Grande Armée:1

Then both warriors begin to duel,the Armée soldier slash 4 times but making only a small dents to the armor of the Musketeer.Then the Musketeer suddenly block the saber with his dagger and with final blow he stab the Armée soldier in the stomach with his rapier.

Musketeer of the Guard:1

Grande Armée:

Seeing its dead the Musketeer roars in victory "Vive le Roi!" (Long live the king).

Expert's opinion
Musketeer of the Guard won thanks to his better short range and long range weapons and armor was able to stop the bayonet and the saber,Grande Armée only dominate in special weapons and they lacks armor, training and accuracy.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.