# List of commanders of the Swiss Guard

The Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is the head of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. In total, there have been 35 commanders of the Swiss Guard serving 51 popes, with interruptions during 1527–1548 following the Sack of Rome, in 1564/5, in 1704–1712 and in 1798/9 following the French invasion. 24 out of 35 commanders were citizens of the city of Lucerne (not counting the incumbent, Christoph Graf, who is from Pfaffnau in the canton of Lucerne). During 1652–1847 the office became quasi-heritable, with ten commanders members of the Pfyffer von Altishofen family of Lucerne. Two commanders were from Zürich, serving during the years of the Swiss Reformation; in modern times, three commanders were from St. Gallen, two from Fribourg, and one each from Solothurn, Grisons and Valais.

## List of commanders

List:
| No. | Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Place of origin | Pope |
| 1 | von Silenen, KasparKaspar von Silenen (1467–1517) | 1506 | 5 August 1517 † | 10–11 years | Silenen, Uri; Luzern | Julius II Leo X |
| 2 | Röist, MarxMarx Röist (1454–1524) | 1517 | 15 June 1524 † | 6–7 years | Zürich | Leo X Adrian VI Clement VII |
| 3 | Röist, CasparCaspar Röist (1478–1527) | 1524 | 6 May 1527 † | 2–3 years | Zürich | Clement VII |
| Guard disbanded (1527–1548) ||||||||
| 4 | von Meggen, JostJost von Meggen [it] (1509–1559) | 1548 | 17 March 1559 † | 10–11 years | Luzern | Paul III Julius III Marcellus II Paul IV |
| 5 | von Silenen, Kaspar LeoKaspar Leo von Silenen | 1559 | 1564 | 4–5 years | Luzern | Pius IV |
| Guard disbanded (1564–1566) ||||||||
| 6 | von Brunegg, Jost SegesserJost Segesser von Brunegg [it] (1529–1592) | 1566 | 1592 † | 25–26 years | Luzern | Pius V Gregory XIII Sixtus V Paul IV Urban VII Gregory XIV Innocent IX Clement VIII |
| 7 | von Brunegg, Stephan Alexander SegesserStephan Alexander Segesser von Brunegg [it] (1570–1629) | 1592 | 16 August 1629 † | 36–37 years | Luzern | Clement VIII Leo XI Paul V Gregory XV Urban VIII |
| 8 | Fleckenstein, NikolausNikolaus Fleckenstein [it] (1580–1645) | 1629 | 1640 | 10–11 years | Luzern | Urban VIII |
| 9 | Fleckenstein, JostJost Fleckenstein [it] (1588–1652) | 1640 | 26 June 1652 † | 11–12 years | Luzern | Urban VIII Innocent X |
| 10 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Johann RudolfJohann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen (1615–1657) | 1652 | 17 May 1657 † | 4–5 years | Luzern | Innocent X Alexander VII |
| 11 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, LudwigLudwig Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1686) | 1658 | 1686 † | 27–28 years | Luzern | Alexander VII Clement IX Clement X Innocent XI |
| 12 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, FranzFranz Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1696) | 1686 | 1696 † | 9–10 years | Luzern | Innocent XI Alexander VIII Innocent XII |
| 13 | von Baldegg, Johann Kaspar MayrJohann Kaspar Mayr von Baldegg [it] (1652–1704) | 1696 | 1704 † | 7–8 years | Luzern | Innocent XII Clement XI |
| - | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Johann RudolfJohann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen Acting | 1704 | 1712 | 7–8 years | Luzern | Clement XI |
| 14 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Johann KonradJohann Konrad Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1727) | 1712 | 1727 † | 14–15 years | Luzern | Clement XI Innocent XIII Benedict XIII |
| 15 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Franz LudwigFranz Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1772) | 1727 | 1754 | 26–27 years | Luzern | Benedict XIII Clement XII Benedict XIV |
| 16 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Jost IgnazJost Ignaz Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1754 | 1782 | 23–24 years | Luzern | Benedict XIV Clement XIII Clement XIV Pius VI |
| 17 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Franz AloisFranz Alois Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1783 | 1798 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius VI |
| Post vacant (1798–1800) ||||||||
| 18 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, Karl LeodegarKarl Leodegar Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1800 | 1834 | 33–34 years | Luzern | Pius VII Gregory XVI Leo XII Pius VIII |
| 19 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, MartinMartin Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1835 | 1847 | 11–12 years | Luzern | Gregory XVI Pius IX |
| 20 | Meyer von Schauensee, Franz Xaver LeopoldFranz Xaver Leopold Meyer von Schauensee (1803–1860) | 1847 | 1860 † | 12–13 years | Luzern | Pius IX |
| 21 | von Sonnenberge, AlfredAlfred von Sonnenberge | 1860 | 1878 | 17–18 years | Luzern | Pius IX |
| 22 | de Courten, Louis-MartinLouis-Martin de Courten [it] (1835–1937) | 1878 | 1901 | 22–23 years | Sierre, Valais | Leo XIII |
| 23 | Meyer von Schauensee, LeopoldLeopold Meyer von Schauensee (1852–1910) | 1901 | 1910 † | 8–9 years | Luzern | Leo XIII Pius X |
| 24 | Repond, JulesJules Repond (1853–1933) | 1910 | 1921 | 10–11 years | Freiburg | Pius X Benedict XV |
| 25 | Hirschbühl, AloisAlois Hirschbühl (1883–1950) | 1921 | 1935 | 13–14 years | Brusio, Graubünden | Benedict XV Pius XI |
| 26 | d'Aspremont, Georg von SuryGeorg von Sury d'Aspremont | 1935 | 1942 | 6–7 years | Solothurn | Pius XI Pius XII |
| 27 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, HeinrichHeinrich Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1942 | 1957 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius XII |
| 28 | Nünlist, RobertRobert Nünlist [it] (1911–1991) | 1957 | 1972 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius XII John XXIII Paul VI |
| 29 | Pfyffer von Altishofen, FranzFranz Pfyffer von Altishofen (1917–1995) | 1972 | 1982 | 9–10 years | Luzern | Paul VI John Paul I John Paul II |
| 30 | Buchs, RolandRoland Buchs [de] (1940–2022) | 25 November 1982 | 29 November 1997 | 15 years, 4 days | Freiburg | John Paul II |
| - | Estermann, AloisAlois Estermann (1954–1998) Acting | 29 November 1997 | 4 May 1998 | 156 days | Luzern | John Paul II |
| 31 | Estermann, AloisAlois Estermann (1954–1998) | 4 May 1998 | 4 May 1998 † | 0 days | Luzern | John Paul II |
| (30) | Buchs, RolandRoland Buchs [de] (1940–2022) Acting | 6 May 1998 | 16 August 1998 | 41 days | Freiburg | John Paul II |
| 32 | Segmüller, PiusPius Segmüller (born 1952) | 1998 | 2002 | 3–4 years | St. Gallen | John Paul II |
| 33 | Mäder, Elmar TheodorElmar Theodor Mäder (born 1963) | 2002 | 2008 | 5–6 years | Wuppenau, Thurgau / St. Gallen | John Paul II Benedict XVI |
| 34 | Anrig, Daniel RudolfDaniel Rudolf Anrig (born 1972) | 19 August 2008 | 31 January 2015 | 6 years, 165 days | Sargans, St. Gallen | Benedict XVI Francis |
| 35 | Graf, ChristophChristoph Graf (born 1961) | 7 February 2015 | Incumbent | 10 years, 23 days | Pfaffnau, Luzern | Francis |