Tercio

The tercios were the administrative and tactical unit of the Spanish infantry of 1534 with 1704. Gathering approximately three thousand Infantryman S professionals, highly trained and disciplined, the tercios were considered quasi-invincible until the Bataille of Rocroi. In the other countries, they were often called square Spanish .

History

At the conclusion of the Reconquista, after the Wars of Grenade completed at the end of 1491, the Spanish army is organized whereas she sees herself committed in Italy and in the Roussillon. In 1495, a royal decree creates the first permanent units, the capitanías of a manpower from 100 to 600 men. Equivalent of the companies French of the time, those count in their center of the Piquier S, the principal rafter S, the Rodelero S, armed with swords protected by a small round shield, the rodela, and by a light leather armor sometimes, but also of the espingarderos, armed with the first Arquebuse S.

During the first Wars of Italy, Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba (death in 1515), increases the number of arquebusiers and the mobility of the Spanish army by granting a greater part on the initiative individual. Regrouping from twelve to sixteen capitanías is created under the name of coronelía. Thereafter, they count four or six capitanias of 300 men. In 1525, the Spanish infantry in Italy counts 7050 men gathered in 33 capitanías. It is there that is born the term Tercio , between 1534 and 1536, to indicate the three groups of capitanías, Lombardy, Naples and Sicily, which defend the Spanish possessions of Italy.

During the first times, the tercios are not numerous, it do not constitute the essence of the infantry to the service of the kingdom of Spain, they must be regarded as the units of elite of this one. In times of peace, the maintenance of the tercios cost a third approximately budget of the kingdom of Castille. In time of war, the kings of Spain were to resort to the loans. Most of the tercios is also formed of quota allied of the Spain, with Italian tercios, German and Irish.

The number of units of Spanish origin really will increase only starting from 1635, with the beginning of the war against the France and the lifting of the temporary tercios in the Iberian peninsula. In 1637, appear the provincial tercios . In 1663, they are reformed in tercios provincial fixed, and are first bearing uniform, whose color is distinctive. A new royal decree in May 1685, reform again the tercios which move away even more of the massive model the century preceding with twelve to fifteen companies by 66 or 72 soldiers. The piquiers, arquebusiers and musketeers are in proportion of a third each one. The companies being able, seems T it, to divide into two Bataillon S. Towards 1690, the Spanish army forms twelve companies of pomegranate S, armed with rifle and of the bayonet, the generalized adoption of this weapon in 1702 and the removal of the piquiers, rings the knell of the traditional system of the tercios. Finally, in 1704, a royal decree of Philippe {{Romanian|V|5}}, removes the tercios to substitute Régiment S to them for two Bataillon S on the French model.

Composition and manpower

A tercio was consisted the regrouping of several will bandage or companies of combat, around a permanent staff of about thirty men, an innovation for the time. However the number and the composition varied notably during the long existence of the tercios.

Of 1534 with 1567, the first tercios based especially in Italy comprise ten will bandage of 300 men, including two arquebusiers. The eight units of piquiers mix three types of soldiers:

the corseletes , of the piqueros (Piquier S) equipped with a complete half-armor, which form the rows external of the formation.
the piqueros secos , them also of the Piquier S but which were not provided that of some parts of armor and sometimes of small round shields, the Rodela S, which are held in the middle of the square.
the espingarderos (Arquebusier S)

Both will bandage arquebusiers counts only piqueros secos and espingarderos, the first being often replaced by Hallebardier S, more mobiles. In 1567, before its departure for the Flandres, the pile cluster introduces some Mousquetaire S, within will bandage, to be able to bore thickest of the armours.

All will bandage them, have also a staff of eleven men, it includes/understands, the captain and his page, a Alférez, a Sergent, a Abanderado or Enseigne, three musicians, a Fourier, a Chapelain and a Barbier. The body of the troop is divided into Escadre S of 25 soldiers, carried out by a veteran, the Cabo. The squadron was divided it even into camaradas from 6 to 12 men, control it also by a veteran. In theory, a tercio of this time thus includes/understands: 147 Officer S, 1080 piquiers with corselets, 400 light piquiers, 1220 arquebusiers and 190 musketeers. In practice, manpower are reduced because of the Désertion S and of the losses, and there is a tendency to increase the number of gunners, therefore the firepower. Will bandage often have a manpower of 150 or even 100 men.

In 1568, a first reform, intervenes on the units present in Flandres, with the passage to twelve will bandage but only of 250 men. The proportion of piquiers within these units is much stronger, with 1110 corselets and 1080 light piquiers, against 448 arquebusiers and 230 musketeers. The reason of this increase in the number of piquiers is probably related to the cost of the weapons, the Arquebuse costing 26 réaux against 7 for a spade.

In 1632, a royal decree fixes the organization of the Spanish tercios at 12 companies of 250 men and those of Flandres and of Italy, to 15 of 200 men. This news will bandage, known as of ordinance, are uniform within same a tercio; that of 250 men includes/understands eleven officers and assistances, 90 corseletes, 60 musketeers and 89 arquebusiers, and that of 200, eleven officers and assistances, 70 corseletes, 40 musketeers and 79 arquebusiers.

However in 1636, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, organizes the Spanish tercios and Italian of the army of Flandres on another model with thirteen companies of piquiers and two arquebusiers but, because of large proportion of musketeers in will not bandage piquiers, those do not represent any more but one the third of theoretical manpower. These tercios is supposed to have 759 piquiers, 318 arquebusiers and 1380 musketeers. The tercios provisional surveys in the Iberian peninsula, are them much less powerful, with ten will bandage only hundred men, they also consist of troops of poor value. The provincial tercios which follow them are successful with their twelve companies of one hundred men and the troops more justified much.

In 1663, a reform creates the fixed tercios provincial , with 16 companies of 62 men, then 20 of 50. On the ground, manpower, there still are reduced, with often an average around 500 men.

In 1701 Philippe {{Romanian|V|5}} fixes the manpower of the tercio at one or two battalion of 650 men, twelve companies and a company of pomegranates, the company being made up of 3 officers, 2 sergeants, 10 piquiers, 35 arquebusiers.

Equipment and armament

The principal weapon of the piquiers is a spades, long from 25 to 27 palma of mano (scale of hand), either approximately 5,2 Mètre S. But they have also a sword, long of 4,5 palma, or 95 Centimètre S and a Dague from 30 to 40 centimetres, for the bodies with body. The corseletes thus have a half armor or corselet which covers all the top of the body, leaving only the legs without real protection. The piqueros secos, them less exposed are satisfied with simpler and less expensive parts of armor. When the shock takes place between the two phalanges of piquiers, which usually does not take place because the losses are then important, the piquiers push their spade of the left hand by the end, while directing right hand towards the face or the chest of their adversary. Against the cavalry, the spade is blocked against the right foot and held by the left hand with approximately 45° of slope, the soldier keeps his free right hand which enables him to declad its sword if it needs to be defended. The embarked troops use a shorter spade, approximately 3,2 meters.

The Arquebusier S are protected only by their helmet, often a Morion and a Broigne out of leather, or casaque of fabric or in skin of buffalo, at the 17th century the helmet is often replaced by a simple felt hat. They carry a Arquebuse with twelve prepared, called powder amounts the twelve apostles , suspended on a cross-belt and an additional reserve of powder and balls in a bag. To serve their weapon, they also have a rod out of wooden to stuff the load and a pear containing the fine blasting powder intended for starting. They can be also defended with the body with body them thanks to the sword and the scraping-knife. The equipment of the musketeer included/understood in more the fourquine which was useful has to support its heavy firearm during the shooting. Initially equipped with a Platinum to wick, the two weapons will gradually adopt the Platine with wheel at the beginning of the 17th century, then will tardily be replaced by the Mousquet with a Platine with flint, or Fusil, which equipped with a bayonet, revolutionizes the art of the war and causes the disappearance of the tercios.

Tactic

The great innovation of the tercio, is to combine within the same unit, the piquiers whose effectiveness against the cavalry, was proven by the Swiss ones, with the battles of Grandson and Morat and gunner to badger the enemy before the shock.

With the combat, the tercio, form according to its manpower, one or more squadrons of battle, also named Cuadro de Terreno (square of ground). This formation combines the weapons to make them effective against the various enemy units. The piquiers form a square, which constitutes the point of résitance of the unit. They are deployed in a tightened way, occupying each one a rectangle of 0,64 meter broad and 1,92 of depth. The corseletes hold outsides of the square, whereas the piqueros secos gather in the center.

Around this square, the carriers of firearms are laid out:

four mangas from 150 to 300 arquebusiers with each corners of the square
the others is distributed on the sides, formants of the garrisons, attached squared.
the musketeers when they were introduced, seems to be deployed on the face of the square.

In the event of attack, the arquebusiers and the musketeers, took refuge behind the rampart of the piquiers.

There existed at least three alternatives of the square, which held an increasingly wide face:

Cuadro de Terreno Gente, on 25 rows.
Cuadro de Terreno prolongado
Cuadro de Terreno prolongado of gran frente, on 16 rows.

The mangas arquebusiers, thanks to their greater mobility, were very usually detached, in avant-garde or on the sides to badger the enemy, a little with the manner of the riflemen of the posterior armies. The presence of piquiers or halberdiers in their center, allowing them not to be swept by a load of cavalry, when they were too far away from the square of the tercio. Their use of the shooting takes account of the limitations of the weapons of the time, the detached mangas approached the enemy, but with good distance. a section had then left the unit to draw. Deployed on three rows, which opened fire successively, it operated until each soldier drew four blows, which corresponded to the limit before the weapon warms up, then turned over within the manga, and another section was sent towards the enemy.

Towards the end of the 16th century, one tend to constitute smaller squadrons with 800 to 1500 men, instead of the 3000 of the first formations.

The tercio when it walk is deployed in column. The two companies of arquebusiers are used, one in avant-garde, the other behind guard. The companies of piquiers do not go not grouped, the detached musketeers follow the avant-garde, follow-up in their turn by half of the arquebusiers, then piquiers. In the center came then the banners and the staff, which preceded the remainder by the piquiers, then arquebusiers. Behind them and before the rear-guard, the luggage, in nonhostile ground, one placed those of the principal column at the head to prevent that it take delay. Scouts were deployed on before and the sides to clarify walk.

One of the forces of the tercios, was to create provisional detachments gathering several will bandage in a tropas , of variable importance. These temporary units were useful principalment at the time of the routing of reserves, but were sometimes used like detachment of combat, still improving the flexibility of the tercio, according to the circumstances.

List of Tercios

number of tercios:

1689 : 70 approximately Spanish 50%
1700, died of Charles {{Romanian|II|2}}: 28 tercios Spanish and 30 allied.

The Spanish tercios are divided into seven viejos (old), 7 or 9 fixed auxiliaries viejos, 14 or 15 provincial tercios, including 5 Viejos and 9 or 10 Nuevos.

viejo of Lombardia
viejo of Sicilia
viejo of Nápoles
viejo of Brabante
Saavedra
Alvaro de Sande
Flandes
Fuenclara
Caracena
Mortora
Garciez
Alburquerque
Boniface
Meneses
Seralvo
Cordobas
Casco de Granada
Nuevo de Toledo
Nuevo de Valladolid
Azules Viejo
fijo LED reyno of Nápoles
Zapena
Villar
Monroy
Morados Viejos (Seville)
Amarillos Viejos
Azules Viejos (Tolède)
Viejo Lesaca
Castilla
Guipúzcoa
los Arcos
Idiáquez
Aragón
Valencias there Cop of Garcies
Verdes Viejos
Diputación de Cataluña
Ciudad de Barcelona
Collorados Viejo
Amarillo Nuevo (tercio provincial of the Leon)
Amarillos Viejos
Costa de Granada
Azules Nuevos (tercio provincial of Murcia)
Los Blancos (tercio provincial of Segovia)
Colorados Nuevos (tercio provincial of Gibraltar)
Morados Nuevos (tercio provincial of Tolède)

tercios of Armada (2 or 3 in 1701)

Viejo of Armada Mar Oceano
Viejo Armada
Fijo of Mar de Napoles

tercios Italian (11 to 14 in 1701)

Toraldo
Cardenas
Avalos-Aquino
Torrecusa
Guasco
Lunato
Paniguerola
Torralto (Neapolitan)
San Severo (Neapolitan)
Torrecusa (Neapolitan)
Cardenas (Neapolitan)
Lunato (lombard)
Paniguerola (lombard)
Guasco (lombard)
tercio vecchio of Nápoles (Neapolitan)

Irish tercios (1 in 1701? )

Tyron
Bostock

tercios German (6 to 9 in 1701) tercios of the Grisons (Swiss, 2 in 1701)

tercios Walloon (8 in 1701)

Beaumont

Current Spanish army

In spite of its suppression in 1704, the term of tercio still exists in the current Spanish infantry, it indicates the three battalions of the Spanish Foreign legion and the body of the marine fusiliers.

See too

Don Juan d' Aguila, (1545 - 1602) general Spanish, chief of the task forces of the companies of Tercios.

Sources

Bossuet, Funeral oration of the prince de Condé , 1687; a passage describes the Spanish infantry made up of tercios and their value with the combat.

Random links: