The Army of Savoy 1700-1714

Some Notes by C A Sapherson

The state was made up of Savoy was made up of Savoy, Piedmont, Monferrato, Aosta and Nice, a total population in 1700 of about one and a half million. From 1701 to 1703 Savoy was allied to France and Spain. From 1703 to 1714 it sided with Austria and the Maritime Powers. As a result of the war it gained Sicily and more of Monfarrato. The units lost in 1703 were troops surrounded and captured by Imperial forces at San Benedetto.

THE REGIMENTS

Capital letters mean a permanent title, small case letters are colonels' name titles.

Cavalry

RAISED

Infantry

Unit strengths

Guardia del Corpo. 195 men in three companies. With officers, c200.

Other mounted troops. Four squadrons, each containing two companies of 60 men. With officers and staff, about 500 men per regiment.

Infantry. Each battalion had eight companies, each with a strength of about 50 officers and men. The company strength seem to have been increased to about 80 once the war began. The Footguards had three battalions, regiments No.1,2,3,4,7 and 9 nearly always were able to field two battalions, the rest were supposed to have two but were never able to recruit more than one except upon very rare occasions. In 1702, most battalions only had 400 men but this number was gradually increased to around 600.

There was an Artillery unit, the ARTIGLERIA, with eight companies of gunners, each with 107 men. There were also two small companies of miners for siege work, each only 20 men strong.

The Foreign Infantry. Most appear to have had two battalions. They usually had five companies of about 100 officers and men in each battalion. (In 1711, Schulenburg, for instance, had 1020 officers and men.

There was also a militia. About 10,200 men were called out in 1701.

There were 2 units from Turin and 1 each from Ivrea, Biella, Vercelli, Asti, Alba, Fossano, Saluzzo, Coli, Pinerolo and Susa. Each had two battalions of about 400 to 450 men.

Dress. The style was similar to all the other army uniforms of the period.

Guardia del Corpo. Buff leather coat, Red cuffs, waistcoat and breeches. Silver buttons and hat trim.
Altezza Reale Drag. Red coat, Blue cuffs, waistcoat and breech es. Silver buttons and hat trim.
Piemonte Drag. Yellow coat, Black cuffs. White waistcoat and red breeches. Yellow buttons and hat trim.
Genovese Drag. Green coat and waistcoat. Red breeches and cuffs. Silver buttons and hat trim.
Piemonte Reale Cav. All greyish white uniform with red cuffs. Yellow buttons and hat trim.
Savoia Cav. Greyish white coat and waistcoat, blue breeches. Blue cuffs, probably yellow buttons and hat trim.

The dragoons wore forage caps like those of the French regiments. The cockades on the hats were sky blue. The Guardia del Corpo wore a red lined steel cuirass. All leatherwork seems to have been natural buff. The cavalry saddle cloths were probably in the same colour as the coat cuffs. They may have had the Royal monogram in gold on the rear corners. (VA II, for Victor Amadeus). Cravats were white. Officers had a mixed yellow and gold sash.

The cavalry and dragoons were armed with a sword, carbine or musket and pistols.

Infantry

Regiment Coat Cuffs Waistcoat Breeches Stockings Buttons
and Hat Trim

Guardia Blue Red Blue Blue Red Silver

Savoia Whitish Sky Blue Whitish Whitish White Silver

Monferrato Whitish Blue Whitish Whitish Blue Silver

Piemonte Whitish Red Whitish Whitish White Gold

Saluzzo Whitish Red Whitish Whitish White Silver

Fucilieri Whitish Red Whitish Whitish White Silver

Nizza/Marina Red Green Green Green White Gold

Schulenburg Royal blue White Royal blue Royal blue White Gold

Reding Royal blue Scarlet Scarlet Scarlet White Gold

Artigliera Blue Blue Blue Blue Red Gold

Torino Mil. Red Yellow Red Red? White Silver.

The Artigliera had red cravats.

Button and hat trim silver means silver for officers, tin or pewter with white hat trim for the men. Gold means brass and yellow hat trim for the men, gold for the officers. Belts, pouches and other leatherwork was in natural buff. The Savoyards seem to have stopped using the pike by 1702-3, but of this I am uncertain.

The musicians seem to have worn reversed colours with lots of lace and braid.

The colours carried were red, with a white cross, rather like those of the French. The colonels' colour may have been plain white, as this follows the French pattern. The Swiss units seem to have had the typical 'flame' patterned colours of this period. I have no information on the colours carried by the other foreign infantry or the standards/guidons borne by the mounted troops.

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