The Cuirassiers Regiment () is a Carabinieri cavalry regiment acting as guard of honour of the President of the Italian Republic. Their motto is Virtus in periculis firmior. From 1948 to 1965, the regiment was officially called Squadrone Carabinieri Guardie (Squadron of Carabineer Guards); from 1965 to 1990, Comando Carabinieri Guardie del Presidente della Repubblica (Carabineer Command of the Guards of the President of the Republic); and from 1990 to 1992, Reggimento Carabinieri Guardie della Repubblica (Carabineer Regiment of the Guards of the Republic). History Origins The first examples of a division of Archers and Esquires for the security of members of House of Savoy are dated back to the 15th century, but only during the dukedom of Emmanuel Philibert (1553–1580) a "Guard of Honor of the Prince" (Guardia d'Onore del Principe) was established with about fifty army-men led by a captain. This guard made its first appearance during the battle of St. Quentin in 1557. The division was subsequently expanded until in 1630 it had about 400 men, divided into 4 companies. Under the reign of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (1675–1730), the security units and ceremonial guards were merged into the "Body Guards" (Guardie del Corpo), which was subdivided into four companies. Since then, few changes had been made to the uniforms or to the composition of the unit, which has performed normal operational functions as well as serving in war campaigns. During the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars and following the occupation of Piedmont, King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia left the Kingdom in 1798 with only a few guards and took refuge briefly in Sardinia and Spain, until his return to Rome where he abdicated in favour of his brother Victor Emmanuel I on 4 June 1802. Thus, most of the Guards were transferred to the French government which formed the Squadron of Piedmontese Carabineers (Squadrone Carabinieri Piemontesi). Exiled for over a decade, Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia regain possession of his territories only on 20 May 1814, restoring the institutions existing before the Napoleonic rule. The corps of the Body Guards was re-established with the same dimension it originally had. On the following 13 July, the King established the "Corps of Royal Carabinieri" (Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali) with the occasional tasks of “escorting royals” (initially belonging to the Body Guards), along with the law enforcement and public security purposes according to the Royal