The Spanish Tercios were the elite infantry unit that maintained its hegemony in Europe for approximately 150 years, being the fundamental pillar of the Hispanic Monarchy. This military force dominated the battlefields during the 16th and 17th centuries thanks to the strategic control of the Spanish Road. Its success did not rely on simple militias, but on professionals who received a constant soldada (soldier’s pay) and demonstrated their valor in epic victories, such as the Siege of Breda, marking an era of unmatched tactical superiority.
Origin and creation of the Tercios
For the Spanish Empire, it was necessary to have a ready and prepared army in different locations. Thus were born the Spanish Tercios, one of the finest armies in history that we continue to study today.
The importance of the Great Captain and the Catholic Monarchs
At the end of the 15th century, during the conquest of Granada, various changes were enacted that laid the foundations for what would later be known as the Spanish Tercios.
The Catholic Kings implemented changes in their army, largely imitating the Swiss model. They introduced long pikes to stop the cavalry. In addition, a strict hierarchical order and constant training were imposed, thus moving away from medieval militias.
The Great Captain advised these modifications, which he adopted after the defeat at the Battle of Seminara, avoiding open-field combat against Swiss pikemen and Gascon crossbowmen. During the Second Italian War, the Great Captain had an army whose foot soldiers were divided into lancers, crossbowmen, and espingardiers. This recalled the division of the Spanish Tercios, who used other firearms instead of the espingard.
The Ordinance of Genoa
Charles I culminated this process with the creation of the first official tercio, the Old Tercio of Lombardy in 1534. Although the official organization of the Tercios took place in 1536 with the Ordinance of Genoa. Following this, the Old Tercio of Naples, the Old Tercio of Sicily, and the Old Tercio of Sardinia were created, referring to the territory they had to defend. After these, all the others are known as new tercios.
The tercios were known by the territory to which they were assigned, the location where they had been recruited (Tercio of Málaga), or the campaign in which they had served. They could also adopt the name of their maestre de campo or have a nickname (such as the Tercio of the Sacristans).
The origin of the term tercio is uncertain. For some, it is because the tercios represented a third part of the Army of Italy, whose infantry was divided into three parts: Lombardy, Naples, and Sicily. For others, the origin lies in the three types of infantry combatants. However, there are also those who believe the term comes from the three thousand men divided into twelve companies that constituted its initial formation.
Cómo se organizaban los Tercios y su reclutamiento
The Spanish Tercios or the Tercios of Flanders were each divided into approximately 15 to 20 companies, although this varied depending on the needs of the territory, the available funds, or the demand for men.
Recruitment was also different. When the tercios needed to recruit, the king issued a special permit granting each captain a district where soldiers enlisted voluntarily, including not only Spanish soldiers, but also German, Italian, Burgundian, and other troops. Once the soldier had been recruited, he received a first wage in order to equip himself. Although it was not always possible, it was usually required that the soldiers belonging to the Spanish tercios be healthy and strong enough to endure the conditions of war.
There were no training centers for their instruction; it was the sergeants who were in charge of it. Furthermore, they did not group many novices into a single company, but instead tried to distribute new soldiers across all companies so they could learn from the veterans.
They were formed by pikemen, musketeers, and arquebusiers, commanded by a captain. Thus, the Spanish tercios were infantry that fought in armies alongside cavalry and artillery.
They were distinguished by the effective combination of edged weapons—pikes ranging from 3 to 6 meters and swords strapped to the belt—and firearms: arquebuses, used by arquebusiers, and muskets, a weapon similar to the arquebus but with greater range.
As time passed, the tercios increased the number of musketeers and arquebusiers compared to that of the pikemen.
In their battlefield formation, the musketeers—opening fire—and arquebusiers—shooting at closer range—were positioned in the front rows; subsequently, the large body of pikemen formed a barrier by lowering their long pikes to point at the enemy.
Great Battles: From Saint-Quentin to Rocroi
Soon, the Spanish tercios began achieving great feats, as seen in battles such as:
The Battle of Saint-Quentin, against France in 1557. A large part of the Spanish army was composed of the Old Tercios of Naples. The confrontation took place during the siege of the city of Saint-Quentin on August 10, during the feast day of Saint Lawrence.
The Battle of Empel, which gave rise to the Miracle of Empel. The Spanish tercios fought against a fleet of Dutch rebels in 1585. Besieged and without supplies, the Spanish troops were saved when the freezing cold iced over the Meuse River, allowing them to launch a surprise attack and defeat the Dutch army.
Or the Battle of Breda, in 1625 during the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War in Flanders against the United Provinces of the Netherlands. During this battle, the city of Breda was besieged by the Spanish army led by Spinola in order to cut off their supplies and conquer the city. This battle was a source of inspiration for works such as The Surrender of Breda, by Velázquez.
There were many more victories, such as the Battle of Pavia, among others. However, not everything was a victory, and the Spanish Tercios were ultimately defeated by French troops at the Battle of Rocroi in May 1643. This loss is considered the beginning of the decline of the tercios due to the widespread impact of the defeat.
After this battle, the Spanish tercios continued to fight until their definitive dissolution in 1704 during the reign of Philip V.
Why were the Spanish Tercios invincible for so long?
The success of the Spanish Tercios lay in the “combined arms” approach: the coordinated use of pikes for defense and arquebuses for long-range attacks. Unlike other militias of the era, the Tercios consisted of highly disciplined veterans who received a professional soldada (wage), which guaranteed unmatched cohesion and a winning morale on the European battlefield.
These are some of the expressions that come to us from the Spanish tercios; there are many things we still have today thanks to them. Not only sayings, these troops were an example of discipline, loyalty, and professionalism.
Legacy and Curiosities of the Spanish Tercios
Although the tercios were dissolved, they are still present today. The Spanish Legion, inspired by the French Foreign Legion, is an heir to the Spanish tercios, as, among other things, it is divided into tercios. Among them were the Gran Capitán tercio, the Duque de Alba tercio, the Don Juan de Austria tercio, and the Alejandro Farnesio tercio.
Furthermore, their importance was so great that many modern-day expressions have their origins in the Spanish Tercios, such as:
- “To go to the porra” (Go jump in a lake / Go away) ➔ For them, this was synonymous with being arrested, as the Sergeant Major of each tercio directed his men’s pace with a large club called a “porra.” Since arrested soldiers were placed under his guard, this expression was born.
- “All hell broke loose” (literally, “The battle of Saint-Quentin broke out”) ➔ referring to the battle on August 10, 1557.
- “I don’t give a hoot / I couldn’t care less” (literally, “I care a fife’s worth”) ➔ The “pito” was the boy who played this instrument (fife) in the army. Since his pay was very low, using this expression means the matter at hand is of very little value.
- “For a fleeing enemy, a silver bridge” ➔ that is, facilitating the enemy’s escape is, in many cases, better than engaging in battle.