As already mentioned, the Spanish ‘knights’, like the Spanish infantry, were reorganised by Ferdinand and Isabella, becoming semi-regular, on the pattern of French and Burgundian 'Bandes d’Ordon-nance’. Their Catholic Majesties also somewhat lightened the man-at-arms’ full armour, and introduced a rather handier ’lanza d’Armas’ in place of the very heavy medieval ’Lanzon ’. They are also said to have abolished horse-armour, but some Spanish cavalry certainly retained this considerably later.
In 1493 the ’Old Guard of Castile’ was created, originally 2,000 strong, in 25 companies of 80 men-at-arms, each having 20 light ’Ginetes’ (Genitors) attached. Each man-at-arms had two horses and a page who rode his ’turnabout’ horse and carried his lance. The ’Old Guard’ (who survived in reduced form to the 17th Century) wore ’alwhyt’ armour (uncovered, polished steel) with red plumes and the horse-trappings illustrated.
As well as the men-at-arms in Royal service, there were also the lances of the Military Orders, Grandees, Nobles, Prelates and of the wealthier inhabitants of Andalusia and Murcia. The Grandees and Nobles raised about 1,800 horse in the 1530s and 40s, of whom only a quarter were actually men-at-arms; the’Cavalry of Distinction’of Andalusia and Murcia may have reached 6,000, but only a small proportion of these would be men-at-arms, and most oi these cavalry were of rather dubious quality in training and equipment. Many served only in Spain.
From 1519, Spain had also the Bandes d’Ordonnance of the Low Countries, some 3,000 excellent Burgundian ’lances’ in squadrons of 20.
During the Italian Wars, the Spanish also used a fair number of well-equipped but not over-enthusiastic Italian lances (Italian lancesofthetime including at least fourmen, one or two being non-combatant).
Spain always had some difficulty in maintaining many well-equipped men-at-arms; by 1505 there were actually only nine companies, totalling 1,050, and, though Philip II raised the total to 17 companies, these were reduced in 1560 to 50 each. The standard of their mounts and armour is said to have been below that of other nations, and in the later 16th Century they did not usually form more than about ten per cent of the usual cavalry
Sallet — typical Spanish helmet of late 15th and early 16th Century (Tower of London).
Cabecete morion —another typical Spanish helmet (Tower of London).
The Spanish army in order of battle, at Nieuport in 1600. Note large pike blocks (one made from two Terclos); various types of cavalry; and massive gun teams and limbers in the foreground. (The Spanish in the Netherlands were the first to use artillery limbers.) (National Army Museum).
A Cardinal Ximenes’ flag, carried at the taking of Oran, which he led. White flag, dark shading, lines and tassels. Cardinal's hat red; light shading gold, b Also 1509. Red cross and border on white, c Cavalry flag, about 1600, showing the Virgin Mary. One possibility for this is a red flag and figure with gold rays, d The old 'national' flag. Likely to be carried by Spanish in early 16th Century. Yellow castle on red (Castile), red lion on white (Leon), e Carried by pikes at Pavia, 1525. Quarters as 'd' alternating with (probably) the four red' pales on yellow of Aragon — which could also be carried on Its own. f Catalonia. Four red bars on yellow, g Men-at-arms flag at Pavla. Probably yellow castles on red quartered with four red pales on yellow, tail of flag white, h Cavalry flag at Pavia. Probably red crosses on white, and either red on white or red on yellow stripes; tail white, i Mounted standard, 1503. Green flag, black eagle, rest gold, j Red cross ragu-ly, green and white stripes: late 16th or early 17th Century, k Cavalry flag, probably 17th Century. Colours include red on white, gold on red or white on gold. I Yellow cross on red. 1588. Used on ships, but I am not sure about iand forces, m 16th Century, red on yellow. Also seen on ships, n Simplest form of 16th Century flag — red on white.
Below left Spanish flags. One at left has a white outer edge and background with red cross and green checks. Second left Is a red cross on a white background. The dark triangles are green. Border is red with small diagonals and squares in corners green. The third flag is white with a red cross raguiy carrying the motto 'Non Minor Est Virtus' in white. The smaller cross is red with a red, green and yellow shield in the centre. The border is green with yellow diagonal dashes. The flag on the right is a red cross on a white background, all other detail green.
Force. By that period they had lost horse armour but retained heavy full or three-quarter armour, heavy lance and mace, and still required two horses. In the 17th Century —officially from 1633—the men-at-arms lost their lances, their armour was reduced to morion and cuirasse, and they were armed with pistolsandsword. Intheirnewguisethey were known as 'Caballos Corazas’
Lancers
Up to 1512, most Spanish lighter cavalry were incorporated in the ‘lances' of the men-at-arms ; they wouId have operated separately, and thereafter were organised separately, normally in 'cornets’ of 100 (up to 500 for a general’s cornet), which could be grouped in provisional ‘Trozos’ of 300 to 600, or in ‘Ter-cios’ of 500 or more; these again could be grouped in regiments or brigades. Cornets, of lancers and arquebusiers at least, were recognisable by a cassock of unit colour, worn over armour.
The lighter cavalry who tended to replace the men-at-arms were the lancers. Found in other armies (English demi-lances, for example) they were particularly characteristic of the Spanish, and continued to carry their lances through the first half of the 17th Century (though the lance itself became lighter).
They wore three-quarter armour, open helmets, and rode unarmoured horses, and by the mid-16th Century carried a pistol in place of the man-at-arms’ mace.
Ginetes
These were the typical Spanish light cavalry of the 15th and early 16th Century. Dashing skirmishers, they carried the heart-shaped Moorish leather-covered shield, and used Moorish tactics — feigned retreats and so on. Gonzalo de Cordoba’s army in 1495 had 500 genitors to a mere 100 men-at-arms. They could carry crossbows, but their chief weapons were sword and javelin. Some had plate armour, but most had mail shirt or brigantine, steel cap or morion, and odd bits of arm or leg armour.
Stradiots and Italians
Stradiots (described in Chapter 7) were first hired by the Spanish in 1507, and later considerable numbers of Italian light cavalry were also hired, at first with the crossbow, later with the arquebus.
Archers
There were mounted archers in the Burgundian Compagnies d’Ordonnance and in 1502 a force of 'Archers of Burgundy’ was incorporated into the Spanish cavalry, as, apparently, a kind of Royal Bodyguard. They wore a plumed open-face burgonet, mail shirt, and some arm and leg armour, with a white surcoat bearing the red cross of Bur-gundyonfrontand back. Theystill, according to Soto, were armed as under Charles the Bold, with bow and two-handed sword (the latter being carried in a bowcase-cum-quiveron the right of the saddle), but the fact that the forequarters of their mounts were protected by a ‘clibano’ decorated with the royal monogram might indicate that they were cavalry rather than mounted infantry, and one might suspect that a lance would also be carried.
Firearm cavalry
Firearm cavalry or ‘escopeteros’ appeared early in the Spanish army, and were first organised into separate bodies in the very early 16th Century.
The two chief types of the 16th Century were the ‘Herreruelos’ and the ‘Herguletiers’ (mounted arquebusiers). From the later Italian wars, they replaced the Ginetes.
The Herreruelos were armed with pistols and fairly heavily armoured, corresponding to the hired German Reiters and othercuiras-sier types, while the arquebusiers were lighter, only about half of them wearing corselets, the rest leather, and were armed with a longer-range weapon. They also operated on foot as well as mounted. Mounted, both could play a similar role, operating on the front or flanks of men-at-arms or lancers, preparing and supporting attacks with theirfire, butthe herreruelos would be more likely to charge in themselves. Both types carried swords, and arquebusiers sometimes carried a pistol as well as the arquebus (while in the 17th Century both Cuirassiers and Caballos Corazas could have arquebusses or carbines).
Dragoons first appeared in Spanish ranks in the 1630s, and tended to replace mounted arquebusiers in the 1640s and later. They were similarly armed but carried, beside sword and arquebus, a mace and asmall pick which could be used to tetherthe horse while the rider operated dismounted. Their advantage as in other armies was cheapness; being mounted infantry ratherthan cavalry capable of acting dismounted, they could be worse-mounted than arquebusiers and required no armour. The early dragoons had a white slouch hat with a red feather, buff coat, calfskin gauntlets and boots, and breechesdecorated with red slashes and piping.
World History
