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 formation was often feared by enemy troops because of the legendary determination of its soldiers in combat Рits reputation was fully established at the battle of Pavia (1525), in which 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. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme, First World War. ... A pike is a pole weapon once used extensively by infantry principally as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. ... A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth-bore long gun. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Combatants France Spain, Holy Roman Empire Commanders Fran̤ois I, Louis de la Tr̩moille Fernando de Avalos Strength 17,000 infantry 6,500 cavalry 53 guns 19,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 17 guns Casualties 12,000 dead or wounded 500 dead or wounded In 1525 during the Battle...

Although other major powers adopted the formation, their armies fell short of the fearsome reputation of the Spanish. That army, however, was not made up entirely of Spaniards, but was "an army of different nations", many of the troops being mercenaries from Germany, Italy and the Walloon territories of the Spanish Netherlands. But the Spanish formed the core, noted by others for their superiority in discipline and professionalism. Their professionalism was displayed in the Battle of Rocroi (1643), when the German and Walloon tercios fled from the battlefield, while the Spanish stayed on the field with their commander, absorbing three cavalry charges by the French, before the fourth finally broke their formation with the assistance of artillery. The term Walloon may refer to either the Walloon language, or to the ethnic people of the same name. ... The Battle of Rocroi, fought May 19, 1643, resulted in a decisive victory of the French army under Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, at that time Duke of Enghien, against the Spanish army under General Francisco de Melo. ...

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, typically with 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, making it an ideal defense and offense formation.

The end of the dominance of the tercio came with the Spanish defeat by the French at the previously-mentioned 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 promoted by the famous Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, and would dominate the 18th century battlefield. The linear formation relied on shock force more than any other element: soldiers would fire their muskets simultaneously, demoralizing the enemy force. The tercios proved inadequate to with stand this new formation, which was more organized and sustained fewer casualties by cannon fire. The Battle of Rocroi, fought May 19, 1643, resulted in a decisive victory of the French army under Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, at that time Duke of Enghien, against the Spanish army under General Francisco de Melo. ... // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... Gustav II Adolph Gustav II Adolph (December 9, 1594 - November 6, 1632) (also known as Gustav Adolph the Great, under the Latin name Gustavus Adolphus or the Swedish form Gustav II Adolf) was a King of Sweden. ...

Today, the Spanish Legion and the Spanish Marine Corps still uses the tercio as its largest unit designation. The Spanish Legion (La Legión Española) is a military elite unit of the Spanish Army. ...

External links

• The Spanish Tercios: http://www.geocities.com/ao1617/TercioUK.html
• Renaissance Armies: The Spanish http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_armies_spanish.html