Zouave Pontifical

This shows a private of the Zouaves Pontificaux (Papal Zouaves=, a unit with an interesting story bearing a rifle with an interesting story too.

Modern times crusaders, the Papal Zouaves are founded in 1861 from a couple of hundred men from different countries, then they expended up to more than 3 000 men. the bulk of them was French, Dutch and Irish but there was also Swiss, Belgians or Germans, and later on US Americans and French Canadians (from Québec), and from many other nations. Their were all true chrisitians and catholic fanatics, and view themselves like crusaders fighting for the safety of the Pope, the Church, its people and its properties on Earth, mostly against revolutionaries like Italian Garibaldians.

When Rome fell in 1870, at the outbreak of the war against Prussia, the French contingent of the Papal Zouaves went back to France to fight the Germans. They kept their exact uniform and weaponry (some were rearmed with the Chassepot rifle though), but just changed th