Tercio

Tercio was a term used by the Spanish army to describe a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen and musketeers, sometimes referred to by other nations as a Spanish Square. Tercios, consisting largely of professional soldiers with superior discipline and fighting spirit, were well known on the European battlefield for their nigh-invincibility in combat during the 16th and 17th centuries. The tercio was often feared by enemy troops because of the legendary determination of its soldiers in combat – the legend reached its climax at the battle of Pavia where the French king was captured; the prospect of being thrown into battle against the Spanish tercios was even known to lead to desertions in opposing forces.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Infantry - Pikemen - Musketeer - European

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Although other major powers employed the tactic of forming their troops up into a tercios, their armies did not have the fearsome reputation of the Spanish army. It was noted that even the Spanish army was not in fact made up entirely of Spaniards but "it was an army of different nations", most of the troops were in fact mercenaries coming from Germany, Italy and Walloons. The Spanish only formed a small part of their army, but it was this minority that was noted by others for their superiority in discipline and professionalism that struck fear to almost anyone fighting them. Their professionalism is displayed in the Battle of Rocroi when the German and Walloon tercios fled from the battlefield, only the Spanish stayed on the field with their commander and it took three cavalry charges by the French to finaly break the square formation of the tercios on the fourth charge, which was aided by artillery.

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Within the tercio, ranks of pikemen arrayed themselves together into one large block (carré). The musketeers were usually split up in several mobile groups (mangas) and deployed relative to the carré, for instance one manga at each corner. By virtue of this combined-arms approach, the formation simultaneously enjoyed both the rigidity of its heavy infantry and the long-range firepower of its musketeers.

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The end of the dominance of the tercio was marked by the Spanish defeat at the hands of the French at Rocroi in 1643. In the late 17th century, the Spanish army abandoned the then-obsolete tercio in favour of the more flexible system of battalions and regiments based on the French model. This new system of fighting in linear formation was invented by a famous Swedish General Gustavus Adolphus, this new tactic would dominate the 18th centuary millitary battlefield.

Related Topics:
Rocroi - 1643 - Battalions - Regiments - French

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Today, the Spanish Legion still uses the tercio as its largest unit designation.

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