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65-585: Generally, the term "Savoyard Army" is used for the period when the rulers of Savoy held only the title of Duke, while "Sardinian Army" is preferred for the period after they obtained the title of King of Sardinia in 1720. The Savoyard Army was officially established in the 15th century when the Duchy of Savoy was created. During this period, the army of the Savoyard lands was concentrated at bases in Piedmont and

130-454: A dagger secured to the body with a leather strap, as well as a bandolier for the rifle. The officers did not have firearms; they only carried melee weapons. New models of rifles were adopted in 1844, with a first attempt at using percussion rifles . However, the transition from the firearms which used fire strikers to more modern weapons that fired using an "Eggs" capsule was completed only in 1859. All rifles were equipped with bayonets with

195-781: A large part of Piedmont and the County of Geneva in Switzerland, which was then lost to the Old Swiss Confederacy . The main Vulgar languages that were spoken within the Duchy of Savoy were Piedmontese and Arpitan . The Duchy of Savoy was the central and most prominent of the territories possessed by the House of Savoy, and hence this title was and still is used often to indicate the whole of their possessions. In reality,

260-515: A long siege (1629). Developments of arms and politics affected the economy and future history, exacerbating the already difficult situation after the death of Victor Amadeus I in 1637. He was succeeded for a short period of time by his eldest surviving son, the 5-year-old Francis Hyacinth . The post of regent for the next-oldest son, Charles Emmanuel II , also went to his mother Christine of France , whose followers became known as madamisti (supporters of Madama Reale ). Because of this, Savoy became

325-543: A masterpiece of Baroque architecture , and a copy recreated in Italy of the magnificence of the Palace of Versailles . It was a time of great urban expansion, and Charles Emmanuel II promoted the growth of Turin and its reconstruction in the baroque style. After his death in 1675, there followed the period of the regency (1675-1684) of his widow, the new Madama Reale , Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours . Charles Emmanuel II

390-974: A number of key Alpine passes on the Italian side. This severely threatened the independence of the duchy. During the Thirty Years' War , Savoy was one of the states of the Holy Roman Empire that largely sided with France and against both the Emperor and Spain. Savoyard troops participated on the side of the French in the Savoyard-Genoese War , the War of the Montferrat Succession , the Tornavento campaign and, in part, in

455-498: A satellite state of the regent's brother, King Louis XIII of France. The supporters of Cardinal Prince Maurice of Savoy and Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano (both sons of Charles Emmanuel I), together with their followers, took the name of principisti (supporters of the Princes). Each warring faction soon besieged the city of Turin . The principisti made early gains, severely looting Turin on 27 July 1639. Only in 1642 did

520-399: A set interval between the fire of each file, making a more constant fire possible. However, with the fire in platoons, the soldiers were separated into three close files and their front was divided into platoons, in each of which the soldiers of the three files fired at the same time, followed by the other platoons at a regular interval. This system remained the standard for all units throughout

585-632: Is remembered as "Charles the Great", since he was a versatile and cultured man, a poet and a skillful reformer. He was able to manage the duchy at a time of severe crisis vis-a-vis the European powers and found support from the Habsburgs . The policy of Charles Emmanuel was in fact based more on actions of international warfare, such as the possessions of the Marquis of Saluzzo, and the wars of succession in

650-498: The Aosta Valley , where it was maintained by the local feudal lords who in exchange for the command of some regiments, maintained them for state service and stationed them on the land in the meantime. It was Duke Emmanuel Philibert who was largely responsible for the radical reforms of the army which made it a stable component of the state and disconnected it from the local feudatories at the same time. As part of this, he created

715-666: The County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII . The duchy was an Imperial fief, subject of the Holy Roman Empire , until 1792, with a vote in the Imperial Diet . From the 16th century, Savoy belonged to the Upper Rhenish Circle . Its territory included the current French departments of Savoie , Haute-Savoie , and the Alpes-Maritimes , the current Italian region of Aosta Valley ,

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780-549: The French Revolutionary Army in 1792 and annexed to France. Savoy was first incorporated as the department of Mont-Blanc ; then, in 1798, it was divided between the departments of Mont-Blanc and Léman . Savoy, Piedmont, and Nice were restored to the House of Savoy at the Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815. Under the 1847 Perfect Fusion the duchy was merged with the other parts of the Savoyard state into

845-593: The French Royal Army , which the Ducal army had frequently encountered (as opponents and allies) in the frequent wars of the era. In this period, the Piedmontese army was very open to innovations and was constantly modernising, especially during the reign of Victor Amadeus II . The two most important reforms of these years were probably the creation of a specialised group of grenadiers and the abolition of

910-540: The Nine Years' War . Savoy defeated the French in the siege of Cuneo , but was dramatically defeated in the battles of Staffarda and Marsaglia . Savoy became a French satellite, and Victor Amadeus II married Anne Marie d'Orléans , niece of King Louis XIV. Savoy remained a French ally during the first phase of the War of the Spanish Succession , but changed sides later. France invaded again, and Savoy

975-557: The Piedmontese Civil War , among other places. The strong French influence, plus various misfortunes, repeatedly hit Savoy following the death of Charles Emmanuel I (26 July 1630). First of all, the plague ran rampant in 1630 and contributed significantly to the already widespread poverty. The War of the Mantuan Succession (1628–1631) was very bloody in the countryside and subjected Casale Monferrato to

1040-678: The Piedmontese Easter ( Pasque Piedmont ). Reports from the massacres spread quickly throughout Protestant Europe, sparking outrage, especially in Britain. Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell threatened the Duchy of Savoy with intervention, somewhat shaping the military decisions made by the Duke. On 18 August 1655, the Pinerolo Declaration of Mercy was issued, which constituted a peace treaty between Charles Emmanuel II and

1105-478: The Second Italian War of Independence , a new military code was introduced by the king, which regularised the period of military service , establishing it as five years of active service, then 6 years in reserve, up to the age of thirty, with 50 days of obligatory training and instruction per year. The active service was divided into two kinds: ordinanza and provinciale . The first included service in

1170-511: The Swiss . When Philibert II died in 1504, he was succeeded by Charles III the Good , a weak ruler. Since 1515, Savoy had been occupied by foreign armies, and Francis I of France was just waiting for the opportunity to permanently annex Savoy and its possessions. In 1536, Francis I ordered the occupation of the duchy, which was invaded by a strong military contingent. Charles III realized too late

1235-567: The pikemen , both of which took place in 1685. The second of these reforms in particular anticipated the motion of travel throughout Europe – in fact, the French and the Spanish only abolished their pikemen some fifteen years later, while the Swedes still had a third of their infantry equipped with pikes in 1720. Also important, somewhat later, was the Regulation of 1709, which was inspired by

1300-405: The "peasant militia" on 5 July 1566. With this, the command of the army officially passed into the hands of the Duke of Savoy. Since there were no limits on age or length of service, many soldiers remained in service for a very long time, which had a deleterious impact on the army. There was little or nothing in the way of training and the resulting force left a lot to be desired on the campaign. In

1365-585: The Austrian army were given the same rank that they had previously held. The promotion structure was as follows: Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( Italian : Ducato di Savoia ; French : Duché de Savoie ) was a territorial entity of the Savoyard state that existed from 1416 until 1847 and was a possession of the House of Savoy . It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor , raised

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1430-492: The Duke of Savoy " ( Italian : "gli Stati del Duca di Savoia"). Today, historians use the term Savoyard state to indicate this entity, which is an example of composite monarchy where many different and distinct territories are united in a personal union by having the same ruler. The duchy was created in 1416 when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor ( r.   1433–1437) awarded the title of " Duke " to Count Amadeus VIII . Being landlocked at its conception in 1388,

1495-511: The Kingdom of Italy and then also in the Republic. On 19 March 1852, a general reorganisation of the cavalry came into force which led to the following arrangement: Every regiment had a general staff, 4–6 active squadrons and 1 reserve squadron. Each squadron contained 5 officers, 6 junior officers, 2 trumpeters, 2 blacksmiths, 1 saddler, 130 soldiers and 100 horses. The Sardinian artillery

1560-470: The Laukart attachment system, which meant that they could be clipped onto the rifle without obstructing fire. The musket developed in parallel with this. The first nineteenth-century models appeared in 1833 and they were modified in 1844 to make them more like actual infantry rifles, except shorter and more manageable on account of their lighter weight. The carbine was mainly given to sharpshooters, but

1625-523: The Royal carabinieri , the armourers, the musicians, the musketeers, and the volunteers, while the second consisted of all the other soldiers who were obliged to remain in the army for 8 years unless the government ordered otherwise. In this reform, criminals condemned to forced labour, imprisonment, and exile were excluded from military service, as were those guilty of crimes relating to the penal code, men condemned by foreign courts to similar punishments, and

1690-512: The Savoys ruled not a unitary state, but a complex array of different entities and titles with different institutional, cultural, and legal backgrounds. These included for example the Duchy of Aosta , Principality of Piedmont , and County of Nice , which were distinct and not juridically part of the Duchy of Savoy. The Savoys themselves referred to their possessions as a whole as " the States of

1755-544: The Waldensians. The government of Charles Emmanuel II was the first step towards major reforms carried out by his successor Victor Amadeus II in the next century. Of particular importance were the founding of militias in Savoy and the establishment of the first public school-system in 1661. A cultured man, but also a great statesman, Charles Emmanuel imitated King Louis XIV of France at the sumptuous Palace of Venaria ,

1820-457: The army by desertion from the Austrian army (largely during the first and second Italian wars of independence) were given the same rank they had had in the Austrian army, while older soldiers who deserted from the Austrians were promoted to junior officer class. The law regulating the officers was approved on 25 May 1852 by Victor Emmanuel II. As for the junior officers, officers deserting from

1885-527: The average soldier in peacetime was 15 centesimi , rising to 25 in wartime, in addition to a ration of bread, 830g of wood in summer and 1660g in winter (double for junior officers), and a daily subsidy for the wives of the soldiers and two rations of bread per day. The infantry were the backbone of the Sardinian army and were subdivided into different types: National Service Infantry, Light legion, infantry for external security, provincial infantry, legions of

1950-756: The bourgeois formed 20%. The rest of the army was manned by the proletariat. After the Armistice of Cherasco in 1796 and the failure of the Kingdom of Sardinia's attempt to prevent the Napoleonic invasion, the Sardinian Army was gradually demobilised and was converted into the forces of the Subalpine Republic and then of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy . After the restoration of the kingdom in 1815, Victor Emmanuel I ordered

2015-564: The discipline of the Prussian army observed during the Siege of Turin and by the firing tactics of the English and Dutch forces. Thus, the fire of platoons in serried ranks was adopted instead of files in open ranks. The difference was that when firing in files, the soldiers were deployed in four or more files separated by four metres and all the soldiers in one file fired at the same time, with

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2080-484: The duchies of Mantua and Montferrat. Generally, Savoy sided with Spain, but on occasion allied with France (as, for example, the Treaty of Susa required). During the seventeenth century, the influence of the court of Versailles put pressure on Savoy. Due to the proximity of the Spanish controlled Duchy of Milan and Savoyard defeats in the previous century, French troops were garrisoned in forts (such as Pinerolo ) in

2145-612: The duchy, with his marriage to Margaret of France . Emmanuel Philibert realized that Savoy could no longer trust France. He therefore moved the capital from Chambéry to Turin in 1562, which he protected with a complex system of fortifications known as the Cittadella (remnants of the Cittadella can still be seen, although it was largely destroyed by the subsequent expansion of the city). From his military experience in Flanders , Emmanuel Philibert learned how to run an army, having won

2210-409: The early nineteenth century, the soldiers of the Sardinian army had the following social composition: 65% farmers, 25% labourers and artisans, 10% bourgeois and aristocrats. Only 20% were literate and a mere 5% had received secondary education. In the regiments, there was a school for the soldiers in which they could learn to read, write, and keep accounts. According to the regulations of 1853, the pay of

2275-603: The eighteenth century, the cavalry were armed with carbines which were very accurate over short distances. The horses were mostly bay-coloured animals imported from German and they served for 4–6 years. A sixth were female. In the nineteenth century, the carabinieri were introduced and they formed the main cavalry force, especially distinguishing themselves in the First Italian War of Independence with their splendid sabre charges. The dragoons were equipped very differently – with long bayonetted rifles (although they retained

2340-529: The encampments, French corps, and the territorial militia. To improve the quality of the operations of the infantry, there was a training system in Piedmont with training camps, modelled on the armed forces of France and Germany. The most important of these training camps was located in Briga Alta and was commanded by a General Inspector. The Sardinian cavalry, particularly noted for its valour in battle,

2405-510: The executors of justice, including judges, magistrates, their children, their adjutants and the children of their adjutants. The Piedmontese army in this period had a total force of 79,000 men (roughly 22,000 of which were officers and 56,000 were regular troops), in addition to around 20,000 officers and soldiers in non-Piedmontese volunteer forces, like the Hunters of the Alps . The volunteers in

2470-467: The famous Battle of St. Quentin (1557) . He was the first duke of Savoy to establish a stable military apparatus that was not composed of mercenaries but rather by specially trained Savoyard soldiers. His son, Charles Emmanuel I , extended the duchy to the detriment of the lordships of Montferrat and the territory of Saluzzo, previously ceded to France, in 1601 under the Treaty of Lyon . The wars of Charles Emmanuel ended mostly in defeats. Nevertheless, he

2535-399: The first half of the 18th century. Throughout the century, there was a general tendency to the expansion of the army. In 1691, it contained 12 regiments of infantry, 3 of dragoons and 2 of cavalry; in 1747, it exceeded 32 regiments of infantry, but the cavalry continued to be formed of 2 regiments, while the dragoons had expanded to 5 regiments. With respect to numbers, we know that in 1774,

2600-608: The flag of the Knights of Malta (whence the modern Flag of Malta and of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ), and others (flags of Denmark and Switzerland , with inverted colors to those of England and Genoa , among others). In the 18th century, the letters " FERT " were sometimes added in the cantons to distinguish the flag from the Maltese one. Armistice of Cherasco The Armistice of Cherasco

2665-574: The history of the nation. His long reign was highlighted by wars (the country expanded its territory by defeating the Duchy of Montferrat and Marquisate of Saluzzo ), as well as reforms and edicts, and also some controversial actions. The first was in 1434, when he chose to withdraw to the Château de Ripaille, where, living the life of a hermit , he founded the Order of St. Maurice . In 1439, he received an appointment as antipope , which he accepted (under

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2730-575: The name of Felix V), although he subsequently resigned a decade later out of a fear of undermining the religious unity of Christians. The second important action of the Government of Amadeus VIII was the creation of the Principality of Piedmont in August 1424, the management of which was entrusted to the firstborn of the family as a title of honor. The duke left the territory largely formed from

2795-453: The nobility in the pay of the Duke, regiments of mercenaries, and Protestant regiments (mostly consisting of French Huguenots ). In 1664, "proprietary" regiments of the Duke were first created, which bore the Duke's coat of arms as a flag rather than the arms of their individual commanders. Seven years later, in 1671, the army was also given a uniform, which was light grey for almost all units, much like that which had recently been adopted by

2860-480: The old Savoy domain. As a cultured and refined man, Duke Amadeus gave great importance to art. Among others, he worked with the famous Giacomo Jaquerio in literature and architecture, encouraging the cultivation of the arts in the Italian Piedmont. However, his first son Amedeo died prematurely in 1431 and was succeeded by his second son Louis . Louis was in turn succeeded by the weak Amadeus IX , who

2925-412: The peacetime year of 1660, then 26,178 in 1672, and 35,000 in 1705 (with 10,000 militia called up to bolster them and more uncalled). The militia was relatively well-armed and consisted of 24,000 men in 1566, of whom about a third could be used outside of their immediate district. The flag of Savoy was a white cross on a red field. It is based on a crusader flag, and as such is identical in origin to

2990-469: The poor administration by Violante. The future of the nation was entrusted to the hands of a boy, Philibert I , who died at the early age of seventeen, after reigning for ten years. He was succeeded by Charles I , who died aged 21, and Charles II , who died aged 6. As a consequence of its participation in the Burgundian Wars , Savoy lost all its possessions north and south-east of Lake Geneva to

3055-478: The reconstruction of the Piedmontese army, organised into ten brigades of infantry and supported by cavalry and artillery. These were divided into two large armies, each of which contained two divisions and a reserve division. Under Victor Emmanuel II , the Royal Sardinian Army was changed in many respects, with an increase in numbers and in the quality of the forces. In 1858, before the outbreak of

3120-475: The regular army numbered around 20,000 men. The conscripts were chosen by lot and could escape by making a payment or substituting a relative. The division took place on the basis of age and the oldest soldiers (provided they were literate) were made corporals . From these, the sergeants were chosen on the basis of merit. After the unification of Italy the army became the Royal Italian Army . In

3185-402: The seventeenth century, the Piedmontese army underwent notable reforms. The cause of these substantial changes was the foreign policy undertaken by the Savoyard government and new internal conditions. During the first half of the seventeenth century, the Savoyard army was not a solid force, but varied significantly in periods of peace and war and was essentially composed of regiments recruited from

3250-401: The size of the army quickly rose. In 1625, the duchy had an army of 26,600 regulars (25,381 infantry and 1,213 cavalry), plus about 8,000 militia. The regulars consisted of 5 to 7 regiments of Piedmontese, with mercenaries comprising the rest, including 9 regiments of French and 2 regiments of Italians. In 1635 the regular army was down to 12,250, then 15,710 in 1637, 18,000 in 1649, then 5,500 in

3315-476: The then- County of Savoy acquired a few kilometres of coastline around Nice . Other than this expansion, the 14th century was generally a time of stagnation. Pressure from neighboring powers, particularly France , prevented development, which characterized the rest of the Renaissance era for Savoy. The reign of Amadeus VIII was a turning point for the economy and the policy of the state, which deeply marked

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3380-429: The total number of Savoyard troops reached 100,000 individuals. In that year a regulation was introduced concerning the length of permanent military service. The king maintained control of the troops, supported by a defence staff, composed of adjutants and 28 experienced generals, all of aristocratic origin (nobles held 78% of the positions in the officer ranks), while in the various ranks of the infantry and cavalry forces,

3445-519: The two factions reach an agreement; by now, the widow of Victor Amadeus I had placed Victor's son Charles Emmanuel II on the throne and ruled as regent in his place, even past his age of majority. A resurgence of religious wars took place during the regency. Subsequently, in 1655, Savoyard troops massacred large numbers of the Protestant population of the Waldensian valleys, an event known as

3510-479: The unitary Kingdom of Sardinia. Savoy itself would be given to France under the terms of the Treaty of Turin (1860) . The duchy was a notable regional military power, often getting involved in wars between the French and Habsburgs. In the 17th century, peacetime strength tended to hover around 4,800 professional soldiers (3,600 infantry and 1,200 cavalry), with a large peasant militia. In times of war, militiamen were trained and impressed and mercenaries were hired, and

3575-513: The use of the sabre as traditional). The typical artillery cannon of the Sardinian army was the mod.704 rear-load saker , which was regularly used until 1848. The heavy artillery was characterised by long cannons (8-16-32 pound culverins ). The junior officers were drawn largely from the ordinary soldiers on the basis of merit and ability. Some of them were trained in various regimental schools, while others were sent to specialist schools for their particular branch. The junior officers who came into

3640-479: The weakness of the state, and tried to defend the city of Turin . However, the city was lost on 3 April of the same year. Charles III retreated to Vercelli , trying to continue the fight, but never saw the state free from occupation. Emmanuel Philibert was the duke who more than any other influenced the future policy of Savoy, managing to put an end to the more than twenty-year long occupation. The Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis , signed in 1559, restored full autonomy to

3705-554: Was a truce signed at Cherasco , Piedmont , on 28 April 1796 between Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and Napoleon Bonaparte . It withdrew Sardinia from the War of the First Coalition (leaving only Britain and Austria in the Coalition) and handed over Alessandria , Coni and Tortone to Republican France. Sardinia also handed over supplies and munitions to France and allowed its troops free passage through Piedmont . It

3770-445: Was also the distinctive weapon of the carabinieri. The Sardinian army was first equipped with pistols in 1847 (although some were already in use from 1844). These included the large cavalry pistol which was considered a weapon of last resort as an unsatisfactory compromise between a pistol and a musket. The pistol and cavalry pistol bullets were spherical and hollow with a diameter of 16.6 mm and an explosive payload of 2.5 g. From

3835-445: Was based at Casale Monferrato and consisted of two battalions, each containing 5 companies, which each contained: 4 officers, 6 junior officers, 2 trumpeters, and 88 men. The companies were assigned in various arrangements to the divisions and were given various tasks, including the construction of telegraph links. Civilian companies also came to be involved in the work of these engineers. The infantry were armed with bayonet rifles and

3900-453: Was entirely of Savoyard extraction. The force which distinguished itself in the War of the Spanish Succession had 2,420 horsemen at its disposal in peacetime, but could rapidly double its numbers in times of war. The Sardinian cavalry included 3 corps of bodyguards to the sovereign (120 in peacetime and 260 during wars) and 6 regular regiments, including the famous "Piemonte Reale Cavalleria" and "Savoia Cavalleria" which were retained during

3965-490: Was extremely religious (he was eventually declared blessed), but of little practical power, to the point that he allowed his wife, Yolande (Violante) of Valois , sister of Louis XI , to make very important decisions. During this period, France was more or less free to control the affairs of Savoy, which bound Savoy to the crown in Paris. The Duchy's economy suffered during these years, not only because of war, but also because of

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4030-497: Was saved by Austrian troops led by the duke's cousin, Prince Eugene of Savoy at the siege of Turin . At the end of the war in 1713, Victor Amadeus II received the Kingdom of Sicily . By the Treaty of London , Victor Amadeus II reluctantly exchanged Sicily for Sardinia in 1720. The various dominions held in personal union by Victor Amadeus II included Sardinia, Savoy, Piedmont , Aosta Valley, Nice , and Oneglia . The collection

4095-408: Was succeeded by his 11-year-old son, Victor Amadeus II ; his mother, the French born Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours was regent. Marie Jeanne sought to marry her son to the daughter and heir presumptive of King Peter II of Portugal . This could have led to the House of Savoy becoming rulers of Portugal. After Victor Amadeus II assumed power, Savoy became hostile to France, which invaded in

4160-595: Was usually referred to as "Sardinia", meaning the kingdom. Charles Emmanuel III , son and successor of Victor Amadeus II, joined the War of the Austrian Succession and concluded it with a resounding victory against the French in the Battle of Assietta . Gaining parts of western Lombardy like Angera and Vigevano in the subsequent treaty. After the French Revolution , Savoy was invaded by

4225-565: Was very similar to that of the French, organised in brigades each of which contained 4/6 pieces moved by 300 horses and assembled on-site by soldiers. The artillery was divided into field and mountain artillery, as well as siege artillery (mortars and howitzers). A large number of the artillery personnel were recruited from Biella , which was also where the industry that produced the artillery was located. In battle, five pieces of artillery were assigned to each infantry brigade and four pieces for each cavalry brigade. The regiment of military engineers

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