History
During theThe pawnshe infantry He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...were divided into three parts. The one tercio with spears, as the Germans brought them, which they called pikes; and the other had the name of shields eople of swords and the other, of crossbowmen and spit bearers. ater replaced by arquebusiers/blockquote> Yet others derive the name from the three thousand men mustered in the first units. This last explanation is supported by the field master Sancho de Londoño in a report to the Duke of Alba in the 16th century:The tercios, although they were instituted in imitation of theoman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...legions, in few things can be compared to them, that the number is half, and although formerly there were three thousand soldiers, for which they were called tercios and not legions, already it is said like this even if they do not have more than a thousand men.
Composition and characteristics
Although other powers adopted the battle formations and tactics perfected by the tercios, their armies fell short of the fearsome reputation of the Spanish army, which possessed a core of experienced professional soldiers. This army was further supplemented by "an army of different nations", a reference to the varied origins of the troops from the German andItalian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...states and theSpanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...and smaller units from other countries such asIreland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea .... In 1621, for example, of the 47 military units of the Spanish army, counting together the larger Spanish, Spanish Netherlands and Italian tercios, and the much smaller German, Burgundian and Irish regiments, only seven were manned by troops of Spanish origin.Such international musters were characteristic of European warfare before the levies of theNapoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren .... However, the core Spanish troops were Spanish subjects, admired for their cohesiveness, superior discipline and overall professionalism.
Organization
Initially, each tercio that served in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands was organized into: * 10 companies of 300 soldiers each led by captains, in which ** 8 were pikemen's companies and ** 2 were of arquebusier companies The companies were later reduced to 250 men and the ratio of arquebusiers (later musketmen) to pikemen steadily increased. During the early actions in the Netherlands, the tercios were reorganized into three ''coronelias'' ("colonelcies"), led by ''coronels'' ("colonels") each composed of a headquarters unit and four companies each (the predecessor of today'sbattalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...s), but as a whole continued to be subdivided into the same 10 companies of 250 personnel each: two of arquebusiers and 8 of pikemen. Colonels were also of royal appointment.
Staff
* ''Maestre de Campo'' -colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...* ''Coronel'' - colonel/lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...* '' Sargento mayor'' -major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...* ''Furriel mayor'' -quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...* ''Capellán mayor'' -chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...* ''Pifano mayor'' - fife major * ''Tambor mayor'' - drum major
Company
* 1 ''Capitán'' -captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...* 1 ''Alférez'' -ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...* ''Abanderado'' -standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...* ''Sargento'' -sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...* ''Capellán'' - chaplain * ''Furriel'' - quartermaster * ''Tambor'' - drummer * ''Pifano'' - fifer * ''Barbero'' -barber surgeon The barber surgeon, one of the most common European medical practitioners of the Middle Ages, was generally charged with caring for soldiers during and after battle. In this era, surgery was seldom conducted by physicians, but instead by barbers ...* ''Cabos de escuadra'' -corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...s * 150 ''piqueros'' -pikemen A pike is a very long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the Early Modern Period, and were wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayon ...* 100 ''arcabuceros'' -arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...iers (later musketeers) * 40 ''coseletes'' - sword-and-buckler men
Leadership of the tercio
Similar to military organization today, a tercio was led by amaestre de campo ''Maestre de campo'' was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Carlos V, inferior in rank only to the ''capitán general'' and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council of State, and commanded a '' tercio''. Their po ...(commanding officer) appointed by the king, with a guard of eight halberdiers. Assisting the maestre was thesergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...and afurir Furir (from French '' fourrier'', a person responsible for the feed) is a Swedish military rank (OR5) reintroduced in 2019, after having been abolished in 2009. Duties The ''Furir'' is a Squad Leader at Skill Level B (Intermediate). Promotion fr ...major in charge of logistics and armaments. Companies were led by acaptain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...(also royally appointed), with anensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...in charge of the company color. The company non-commissioned officers weresergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...s, furrieles (furirs) andcorporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...s. A sergeant served as second-in-command of a company and transmitted the captain's orders; furrieles provided weapons and munitions, as well as additional manpower; corporals led groups of 25 (similar to today'splatoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...s), watching for disorder in the unit. Each company hadcorps of drums A Corps of Drums, also sometimes known as a Fife and Drum Corps, Fifes and Drums or simply Drums is a unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers. The major historical distin ...made up of drummers and fifers, sounding duty calls in battle, with the drum major and fife major being provided by the ''tercio'' headquarters. The tercio staff included a medical component (made up of a professional medic, a barber, and surgeons), chaplains and preachers, and a judicial unit, plus militaryconstable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...s enforcing order. They all reported to the Maestre de campo directly.
Battle formations
Within a tercio's squares, ranks of pikemen assembled into a hollowpike square The pike square (German: ''Gevierthaufen'', lit. 'square crowd', or ''Gewalthaufen'' lit. 'crowd of force') was a military tactical formation in which 10 rows of men in 10 columns wielding pikes, was developed by the Swiss Confederacy during th ...(''cuadro'') containing swordsmen – typically with short sword, buckler, and javelins. As firearms rose in prominence, the swordsmen were phased out. The arquebusiers (later, musketeers) were usually split up in several mobile groups called "sleeves" (''mangas''), typically deployed with one ''manga'' at each corner of the ''cuadro''. By virtue of this combined-arms approach, the formation simultaneously enjoyed the staying power of its pike-armed infantry, the ranged firepower of its arquebusiers, and the striking power of its sword-and-buckler men. However, as the formation matured in practice, the number of swordsmen was reduced and then eliminated and the ratio of gunmen to pikemen increased over time. In addition to its defensive ability to repulsecavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...and other forces along its front, the long-range fire of its arquebusiers could be easily shifted to the flanks, making it versatile in both attack and defense. Groups of squares were typically arrayed in dragon-toothed formation, staggered, with the leading edge of one unit level with the trailing edge of the preceding, similar tohedgehog defence The hedgehog defence is a military tactic in which a defending army creates mutually supporting strongpoints in a defence in depth, designed to sap the strength and break the momentum of an attacking army. The strongpoints are designed to be exp .... This enabledenfilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...lines of fire and somewhat defiladed the army units themselves. Odd units stood forward, alternating with even units stepped back, providing gaps for an unwary enemy to enter and expose its flanks to rakingcrossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...from the guns of three separate squares. Tercio companies also conducted particular operations independently of the main formations.
Tercios and the Spanish Empire
Tercios were deployed all over Europe under theHabsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...rulers. They were made up of volunteers and built up around a core of professional soldiers and were highly trained. Sometimes later ''tercios'' did not stick to the all-volunteer model of the regular Imperial Spanish army – when the Habsburg kingPhilip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...found himself in need of more troops, he raised a tercio ofCatalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...criminals to fight inFlanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ..., a trend he continued with mostly Catalan criminals for the rest of his reign. A large proportion of the Spanish army (which by the later half of the 16th century was entirely composed of tercio units: TheTercio of Savoy A ''tercio'' (; Spanish for " third") was a military unit of the Spanish Army during the reign of the Spanish Habsburgs in the early modern period. The tercios were renowned for the effectiveness of their battlefield formations, forming the ...and the Tercio of Sicily were deployed in the Netherlands to quell the increasingly difficultrebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...against the Habsburgs. Ironically, many units of the Spanish tercios became part of the problem rather than the solution when the time came to pay them: with the Spanish coffers depleted by constant warfare, unpaid units often mutinied. For example, in April 1576, just after winning a major victory, unpaid tercios mutinied and occupied the friendly town ofAntwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,, in the so-calledSpanish Fury at Antwerp The Sack of Antwerp, often known as the Spanish Fury at Antwerp, was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. It is the greatest massacre in the history of the Low Countries. On 4 November 1576, mutinying Spain, Spanish tercios of the Army of Flande ..., and sacked it for three days. Completely reliant on his troops, the Spanish commander could only comply.
Specialized tercios
On 24 February 1537 the ''Tercio de Galeras'' (''Tercio'' of Galleys) was created. Today, the ''Real Infantería de Marina'' (Spanish Marine Infantry The Spanish Naval Infantry ( es, Infantería de Marina) is the Marines, naval infantry unit of the Spanish Navy () responsible for conducting amphibious warfare by utilizing naval platforms and resources. The Marine Corps is fully integrated in ...) consider themselves successors of the legacy and heritage of the Galleys Tercios making it the oldest currently operating marines unit in the world. There were other units of naval ''tercios'' such as ''Tercio Viejo de Armada'' (Old Navy Tercio) or ''Tercio Fijo de la Mar de Nápoles'' (Permanent Sea Tercio of Naples). Such specialized units were needed for the protracted war with theOttoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...over the entireMediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ....
Naming conventions
Most tercios were named according to the place where they were raised or first deployed: thus they were ''Tercio de Sicilia'', ''de Lombardía'', ''de Nápoles'' (Tercio of Sicily, of Lombardy, of Naples) and so on. Other tercios were named for their commanding officer, such as ''Tercio de Moncada'' for its commander Miguel de Moncada (whose most famous soldier wasMiguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...). Some tercios were named by their main function, such as ''Galeras'' or ''Viejo de Armada''.
Colours
File:Cross of Burgundy (Template).svg, The Cross of Burgundy The Cross of Burgundy (french: Croix de Bourgogne; es, Cruz de Borgoña/Aspa de Borgoña; german: Burgunderkreuz; it, Croce di Borgogna; ca, Creu de Borgonya; nl, Bourgondisch kruis) is a saw-toothed ( raguly) form of the Cross of Saint Andr ...was adopted as the symbol of the Tercios and the Spanish Empire. File:Tercio - Liga.svg, ''Tercio de la Liga'' (1571) File:Tercio - Spínola.svg, ''Unknown Tercio flag (appears near commander Ambrogio Spinola in the painting "The Surrender of Breda" of Diego Velázquez)'' (1621) File:Tercio - Alburquerque.svg, ''Tercio de Alburquerque'' (1643) File:Tercio - Morados Viejos.svg, ''Tercio Morados Viejos'' (1670) File:Tercio - Amarillos Viejos.svg, ''Tercio Amarillos Viejos'' (1680)
The Portuguese ''terços''
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...adopted the Spanish model of ''tercio'' in the 16th century, calling it ''terço''. In 1578, under the reorganization of thePortuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...conducted by King Sebastian, four ''terços'' were established: the ''Terço'' ofLisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ..., the ''Terço'' of Estremadura, the Terço ofAlentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ..., and the Terço ofAlgarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it .... Each had about 2,000 men, formed into eight companies. The infantry of the army organized for the expedition to Morocco in 1578 was made up of these four terços together with the Terço of the Adventurers (totally made up of young nobles), three mercenary terços (the German, the Italian, and the Castilian), and a unit of elite sharpshooters of the Portuguese garrison of Tangier. This was the Portuguese force which fought the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. While Iberian Union, united with the Spanish Crown, from 1580 to 1640, Portugal kept the organization of ''terços'', although the Army had declined. Several Spanish ''tercios'' were sent to Portugal; the principal of them, the Spanish infantry ''Tercio'' of the City of Lisbon, occupied the main fortresses of the Portuguese capital. The ''Terço'' of the Navy of the Crown of Portugal, the ancestor of the modern Portuguese Marines, was created in this period. After the restoration of Independence of Portugal, Portuguese sovereignty in 1640, the Army was reorganized by King John IV of Portugal. The terços remained the basic units of the Portuguese infantry. Two types of terços were organized: the paid terços (first line permanent units) and the auxiliary terços (second line militia units). Portugal won the Portuguese Restoration War, Restoration War with these terços. At the end of the 17th century, the terços were already organized as modern regiments. However, the first line terços were only transformed into regiments in 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession – after the Spanish tercios were transformed into regiments in 1704. The second line terços were only transformed into militia regiments in 1796. Some of the old terços are direct ancestors of modern regiments of the Portuguese Army.
Evolution and replacement
The first real challenge to the dominance of the Spanish tercios on the open battlefield came at the Battle of Nieuwpoort (1600). The victor of Nieuwpoort, the Dutch stadtholder Maurice, Prince of Orange, believed he could Military Revolution#Linear tactics, improve on the ''tercio'' by combining its methods with the organisation of the Roman legion. These shallower linear formations brought a greater proportion of available guns to bear on the enemy simultaneously. The result was that the tercio squares at Nieuwpoort were badly damaged by the weight of Dutch firepower. Yet the Spanish army very nearly succeeded in spite of internal dissensions that had compromised its regular command. The Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) in the Low Countries continued to be characterized by sieges of cities and forts, while field battles were of secondary importance. Maurice's reforms did not lead to a revolution in warfare, but he had created an army that could meet the tercios' battle formations on an even basis and that pointed the way to future developments. During the Thirty Years War (1618–1648) tercio style battle formations of the Holy Roman Empire suffered major defeats at the hands of more linear formations created and led by the Swedish soldier-king Gustavus Adolphus. However, the tried-and-true tactics and professionalism of the Spanish tercios played a decisive role in defeating the Swedish army at the Battle of Nördlingen (1634), Battle of Nördlingen. Throughout its history, the tercios' composition and battlefield formations and tactics evolved to meet new challenges. The classic pike and shot square formations fielded by the Spanish tercios and good cavalry support, continued to win major battles in the 17th century such as Battle of Wimpfen, Wimpfen (1622), Battle of Fleurus (1622), Fleurus (1622), Siege of Breda (1624), Breda (1624), Battle of Nördlingen (1634), Nördlingen (1634), Relief of Thionville, Thionville (1639), and Battle of Honnecourt, Honnecourt (1641). It was not until Battle of Rocroi, Rocroi (1643) that the Spanish tercio's reputation of invincibility in open battle was shattered. Still, the Rocroi defeat was precipitated by the collapse of the supporting cavalry rather than the failure of the tercios' infantry. Even then, the tercios continued to win battles after Rocroi, such as at Battle of Valenciennes (1656), Valenciennes (1656) but their composition and battlefield style had continued to evolve. In this period steady improvements in firearms and field artillery were increasingly favoring the linear style. By the late 17th century the tercios had adopted so much of the linear style that their battlefield formations and tactics often had little resemblance to the battle formations and tactics a century earlier. In 1704, the regular Spanish tercios were transformed into regiments and the pikeman as an infantry type was dropped. Those of the reserves and the militia would later be transformed into similar organisations.
Famous battles
Victories
* Battle of Cerignola, Cerignola (1503) *Battle of Garigliano (1503), Garigliano (1503) *Battle of La Motta (1513), La Motta (1513) *Battle of Noáin, Noáin (1521) * Battle of Bicocca, Bicocca (1522) * Battle of the Sesia (1524), Sesia (1524) * Battle of Pavia, Pavia (1525) * Sack of Rome (1527), Sack of Rome (1527) * Battle of Landriano, Landriano (1529) * Siege of Vienna (1529), Vienna (1529) * Battle of Serravalle (1544), Serravalle (1544) * Battle of Muhlberg, Muhlberg (1547) * Battle of St. Quentin (1557), St. Quentin (1557) * Great Siege of Malta (1565) * Battle of Oosterweel, Oosterweel (1567) * Battle of Jemmingen, Jemmingen (1568) * Battle of Lepanto, Lepanto (1571) * Relief of Goes, Goes (1572) * Siege of Haarlem, Haarlem (1573) * Siege of Leiden, Leiden (1574) * Battle of Mookerheyde, Mook (1574) * Battle of Gembloux (1578), Gembloux (1578) * Battle of Vila Franca do Campo, Terceira (1582) * Battle of Empel, Empel (1585) * Fall of Antwerp, Antwerp (1585) * Destruction of Neuss, Neuss (1586) * Siege of Rheinberg (1586–90), Rheinberg (1590) * Siege of Paris (1590), Relief of Paris (1590) * Battle of Craon, Craon (1592) * Siege of Doullens, Doullens (1595) * Siege of Calais (1596), Calais (1596) * Battle of the White Mountain, White Mountain (1620) * Battle of Fleurus (1622), Fleurus (1622) * Battle of Wimpfen, Wimpfen (1622) * Siege of Breda (1624), Breda (1625) * Relief of Genoa, Genoa (1625) * Recapture of Salvador, Salvador de Bahia (1625) * Battle of Nördlingen (1634), Nordlingen (1634) * Battle of Kallo, Kallo (1638) * Relief of Thionville, Thionville (1639) * Battle of Honnecourt, Honnecourt (1642) * Battle of Tuttlingen, Tuttlingen (1643) * Battle of Valenciennes (1656), Valenciennes (1656)
Defeats
* Battle of Ravenna (1512), Ravenna (1512) * Siege of Castelnuovo, Castelnuovo (1539) * Battle of Ceresole, Ceresole (1544) * Battle of Alcácer Quibir, Alcácer Quibir (1578) * Battle of Arques, Arques (1589) * Battle of Ivry, Ivry (1590) * Battle of Fontaine-Française, Fontaine-française (1595) * Siege of Amiens, Amiens (1597) * Battle of Turnhout (1597), Turnhout (1597) * Siege of Zaltbommel, Zaltbommel (1599) * Battle of Nieuwpoort, Nieuwpoort (1600) * Siege of Kinsale, Kinsale (1601) * Siege of Sluis (1604), Sluis (1604) * Battle of Montjuïc (1641), Montjuïc (1641) * Battle of Lleida, Lleida (1642) * Battle of Rocroi, Rocroi (1643) *Battle of Lens, Lens (1648) *Battle of Arras (1654), Arras (1654) *Battle of the Dunes (1658), The Dunes (1658)
See also
* Pike and shot * Musketeer * ''Captain Alatriste'' * Military history * Spanish Navy Marines units are called ''tercios'' * The units of the modernSpanish Legion For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreign Regiments () - such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal ...are also called ''tercios''.
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Christon I. Archer, John R. Ferris, Holger H. Herwig, Timothy H. E. Travers – For a history of Spanish arms in the 16th and 17th centuries. * Davies, T. R. (1961). ''The Golden Century of Spain 1501-1621''. London: Macmillan & Co. – Brief description of the birth of the Spanish ''tercio''. * López, Ignacio J.N. ''The Spanish Tercios 1536–1704''. Osprey Publishing - The history of the ''tercio'' from its antecedents to its decline and ultimate realignment into a regimental system in 1704.
Spanish Tercio Tactics
(myArmoury.com article)
Spanish web site
Honors Alonso ''Pita da Veiga'' the most heroic Spaniard at theBattle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, Au ...(Italy) 1525.
Non-Official Web siteof the Modern "Spanish Marines" (in existence since 1537 few years after ''Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, Au ...'' (Italy) 1525 and well before the ''Battle of Lepanto (1571), Battle of Lepanto'' (Greece) 1571).
The Spanish Army of the Thirty Years’ War
List of Tercios
* Lorraine White
The Experience of Spain’s Early Modern Soldiers: Combat, Welfare and Violence
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