The outer edges of the central pike square were lined with a thin rank of arquebusiers totaling 250 men. The large square in the center was made up of the pikemen, 56 files across and 22 ranks deep. The colunellas were eventually replaced, in the 1530s, by the much larger tercio, a huge pike-and-shot formation with an on-paper strength of roughly 3,000 men.Īs this formation matured in usage by the Spanish during the sixteenth century, it generally took on the appearance of a “bastioned square” – that is, a large square with smaller square “bastions” at each corner. The Spanish colunellas continued to show valuable flexibility as the Great Italian Wars progressed, and the Spanish string of battlefield successes continued. The sixteenth century Spanish and Imperial developments Ī tercio in "bastioned square," in battle. This new tactic resulted in triumph for the Spanish and Fernández de Córdoba's colunellas at the Battle of Cerignola, one of the great victories of the Italian Wars, in which the heavily outnumbered Spanish pike-and-shot forces, in a strong defensive position, crushed the attacking gendarmes and Swiss mercenaries of the French army. This was especially necessary because the firearms of the early sixteenth century were inaccurate, took a very long time to load and only had a short range, meaning the shooters were often only able to get off a few shots before the enemy was upon them. The arquebusiers could shoot down their foes, and could then run to the nearby pikemen for shelter if enemy cavalry or pikes grew near.
![pike and shot formation pike and shot formation](https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*Nkd8QAQCGQNFnFYdUO9fIg.jpeg)
It interspersed formations of men in close order armed with the pike and looser formations armed with the firearm, initially the arquebus. Realizing that he could not match the sheer offensive power of the French gendarmes and Swiss pikes, Fernández de Córdoba decided to integrate the shooting power of firearms, an emerging technology at the time, with the defensive strength of the pike, and to employ them in a mutually-supporting formation, preferably in a strong defensive position.Īt first, this mixed infantry formation was referred to as a colunella ("colonelcy"), and was commanded by a colonel. The chastened Spanish undertook a thorough reorganization of their army and tactics under the great captain Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba.
![pike and shot formation pike and shot formation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Pamphlet.jpg)
In 1495 at the Battle of Seminara, the hitherto-successful Spanish army was trounced while opposing the French invasion of Naples by a French army composed of armoured gendarme cavalry and Swiss mercenary infantry. The French dominance of warfare at this time presented a daunting challenge to those states which were opposed to Valois ambitions, particularly in Italy. The French army of the Valois kings was particularly formidable due to its combination of all of these elements.
![pike and shot formation pike and shot formation](https://crossfireamersfoort.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/nrdlingenterciotorralto.jpg)
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