Under the Cross Keys: A Story of the Pontifical Zouaves

First published in 1894, Under the Cross Keys: A Story of the Pontifical Zouaves by Wilfrid Robinson tells the story of his time as a Papal Zouave in the form of a historical novel. That brave unit, composed of men from across Christendom and every corner of society, was formed to defend the Papal States and Bl. Pope Pius IX from the forces of anti-Catholic Italian revolutionaries during the Italian Risorgimento (1860–1870). 

Robinson gives us the story of his Regiment during the pivotal 1867 campaign through his character Maurice Rose. Without over-embellishing the tale, in these pages he lets the Zouaves show, through the examples of their own lives, the self-sacrifice, duty, and heroism that defined the Pope's Soldiers.

Men like Bernard de Quatrebarbes, whose devotion to Our Lady was so exemplary that he wore the brown scapular as though it were a required part of his uniform — and who was mortally wounded at Monte Rotondo after ordering his men to safety and firing his gun alone to hold his post. Or the giant Dutchman Peter Jong, who fought on with his rifle as a club after his bayonet broke, killing fourteen of the enemy before he was overwhelmed. Or the young English Corporal Collingridge, who kept six of the enemy at bay with his back to a wall until he was pierced with bayonets. His final words were: "My Jesus, I offer my life for the Roman Church, for the Pope, for my parents. Jesus, Mary, Joseph." These are just a few of the many men whose stories fill this book — men who gave their lives defending the temporal rights of the Church.

According to a review of the book from The Tablet after its release: "Every young boy should read this book, and every old boy should see he does it, praying he may be in health and free when the hour of avenging Italy's dishonour comes." In this republished edition, we hope for nothing but the same.

This new edition includes an introduction by Nicholas Schofield, a renowned historian of the English Papal Zouaves. He is the author of Victorian Crusaders: British and Irish Volunteers in the Papal Army, 1860–70 (Helion & Company, 2022). Please enjoy Under the Cross Keys: A Story of the Pontifical Zouaves, republished here for the first time in over 130 years.

About Papal Zouave International:
Papal Zouave International is a historical society founded in 2023 to promote and preserve the history of the Papal Zouaves, primarily through social media, the publication of the Fidei et Virtuti Journal featuring original and republished articles, and the reprinting of out-of-print books.

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Size: 5.5 x 8

155 pages

ISBN:  979-8-9893230-7-4  (pbk) | $19.99 USD