List of Tercios (original) (raw)

02 Monday Jul 2012

This is a WIP.

The tercio as an institution was formally established by Imperial Ordinance of 1534, the Gran Ordenanza, which prescribed as their generic ensign the red cross of Burgundy and Saint Andrew. The first three tercios were formally established by the Imperial Ordinance of Genoa of 15 November 1536: the Tercio de Nápoles y Sicilia, the Tercio de Lombardía and the Tercio de Málaga (also known as Tercio de Niza). Shortly afterwards the Tercio de Nápoles y Sicilia was split into the Tercio de Nápoles and the Tercio de Sicilia, while the Tercio de Málaga was renamed Tercio de Cerdeña. These four original tercios were called tercios viejos to distinguish them from newer tercios or tercios nuevos. When the oldest tercios of other territories of the Empire (Italy, Flanders) began to arrogate the title of viejo, the original four called themselves grandes tercios viejos.

Many new tercios followed. Some of these were were provincial, some were made up by soldiers from various nations either controlled by Spain or sympathising with it. This ‘Infantry of the Nations’ provided the bulk of the Spanish armies on all European fronts. Not all of them formed tercios. Italians, Burgundians, Franche-Comtois and Anglo-Saxons were organised in tercios from the beginning, Walloons since 1602. The Germans never formed tercios. IN 1663 the first fixed provincial tercios were established.

1. Spanish tercios

The four grandes tercios viejos:

Fixed provincial tercios:

Other Spanish tercios

Naval tercios

2. Italian tercios

3. Walloon tercios

4. Burgundian tercios

5. Irish, Scottish and English tercios

Swiss (Grison) tercios

Portuguese tercios