Nizza Infantry
Hierarchical Path: War of the Spanish Succession (Main Page) >> Armies >> Savoyard Army >> Nizza Infantry
Origin and History
The regiment was raised in 1664.
At the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment counted one battalion.
Service during the War
At the end of 1704, after the capture of several Savoyard units at San Sebastiano the previous year (29 September 1703), the Duke of Savoy reconstituted and redeployed his army. The regiment was then stationed at Ivrea. It surrendered as prisoners of war at the end of the siege of Ivrea.
In 1707, the regiment was finally re-raised from men of the levy.
Uniform
From 1701 to 1709, the unit wore the model 1691 uniform described hereafter.
Privates

Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
Neck stock | white, wrapped several times around the collar of the shirt to keep it closed, and knotted with the ends hanging freely on to the breast (from 1714 the ends were fastened behind the neck and were not hanging freely) | ||||||||||||
Coat | grey-white with pewter buttons on the right side
| ||||||||||||
Waistcoat | grey-white with pewter buttons | ||||||||||||
Breeches | grey-white | ||||||||||||
Stockings | grey-white fastened under the knee with a natural leather strap | ||||||||||||
Gaiters | ??? | ||||||||||||
Leather Equipement |
|
Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet. Fusiliers carried a sword (brass hilt) while the grenadiers had a sabre. Grenadiers also carried a pistol.
NCOs
Uniforms of NCOs were almost identical to those of privates but had a silver lace edging each cuff.
NCOs carried a halberd.
Officers
Until 1750, officers didn’t have to wear any official uniform. In fact, they usually wore a uniform similar to the one of the troops but of better quality, probably decorated with golden lace on the edges of the coat and cuffs, and with gold buttons.
Officers always wore a blue sash around the waist.
Musicians
no information found yet
Colours
Colonella Colour (same for all line infantry regiments to the exception of the Guardie): blue field with a white cross; bordered with a wide blue frame; centre device consisting of the crowned cipher of Duke Victor Amadeus II.
Ordinanza Colour: blue cantons , each with 3 red flmes; a white cross; the arms of Nizza in the third canton (lower left canton).
References
Bona, Federico: Bandiere e Uniformi Sabaude
Cavalieri, Giorgio: Uniformi Piemontesi 1671- 1798, L'Arciere - 2004 - Riva di Chieri
Deputazione Sopra gli Studi di Storia Patria per le Antiche Provincie e la Lombardia: Le Campagne di Guerra in Piemonte (1703- 1708) e l'Assedio di Torino (1706), Vol. I, Torino Fratelli Bocca Librai di Sua Maestà
Fiorenti, Fabio: A me i miei dragoni, Gaspari Editore, Udine, 2006
Mola di Nomimaglio, Gustavo with Roberto Sandri Giachino, Giancarlo Melano, Piergiuseppe Menietti: L'esercito ducale sabaudo nel 1706. Organizzazione, uniformi, bandiere., Turin: Centro Studi Piemontesi, 2006
Acknowledgements
Michele Savasta Fiore for the initial version of this article