The Spanish Tercios 1536–1704

A mixed infantry formation made up of about 3,000 men armed with pikes, swords and handguns, the innovative and influential tercio or 'Spanish square' was the basic combat unit of the armies of Spain throughout much of the 16th and 17th centuries. Arguably the first permanent tactical formation seen in Europe since the Roman cohort, the tercio was the forerunner of modern formations such as the battalion and regiment. The variety of different weapons fielded in the tercio meant the Spanish infantry could resist opposing cavalry forces while overcoming every kind of enemy infantry deployed against them. Featuring full-colour artwork and photographs of rare items held at the Spanish Army Museum, this study covers the whole period during which the tercios were active, opening with the third Italian war between the forces of France and the Holy Roman Emperor and concluding with the final transformation of the Spanish tercios into regiments in 1704.

Ignacio Jos Notario Lpez and Ivn Notario Lpez were born in Madrid, in 1969 and 1973, and both are soldiers in the Spanish Army, in infantry and cavalry respectively. They have served several tours of duty in the Balkans (Bosnia and Kosovo) and Afghanistan, with a number of assignments in different armoured and mechanized regiments. Their historical interests are particularly focused on the military history of Spain. Gerry Embleton has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects over more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15th and 18th century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums. His son Sam Embleton is also an illustrator, and this is their tenth joint project for Osprey.