BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - REGIMENT (BAVARIAN) BERTRAND AKA (FUTURE) ROYAL - BAVIERE

I’ve been going through some of the regiments listed in the complete French Order of Battle, looking for the most interesting ones. Among the units present during the siege, I came across one that immediately caught my attention. In Annales Sabaudiae, Vol. III, one of the besieging regiments is described as a Bavarian unit and is referred to as the Bertrand Regiment. 

My initial research into a Bavarian regiment called "Bertrand" produced no historical evidence or references whatsoever. My intuition was to investigate the history of the Royal-Bavière Regiment, founded in 1707, to see whether there might be a connection with this seemingly "phantom" regiment.

I am pleased to say that this approach proved successful. Not only did I find the missing link, but I also uncovered several very interesting historical details.

Kingdom of France - Regiment of Baviera "Beltrand" (1706) or Royal - Bavière (1707)

A (sort of Bavarian) regiment  was raised on 14 March 1706 in Italy by Brigadier Joseph de Saint-Jure, Chevalier de Mercy. It was initially formed from Bavarian prisoners of war, held in the prisons of Pavia, Cremona, and Alessandria that were set free when these towns fell under the controlo of the French. The regiment entered French service and pay, consisting of two battalions. By 26 June 1706, it already numbered 70 officers and 492 men. On 7 July, it was stationed at Asti, where it was preparing to march to Hungary. However, instead of being transferred, it fought at the Battle of Turin on 7 September 1706. Following the battle, its strength had been reduced to approximately 400 men. 

Kingdom of France - Regiment of Baviera "Beltrand" (1706) or Royal - Bavière (1707). Ufficiale

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706. THE TWO (FRENCH & SPANISH) LOUVIGNY REGIMENTS

 This post aims to clarify—and dispel the confusion surrounding—the participation of the Louvigny Regiment in the Battle of Turin and, before that, in the Siege of Turin. I felt it was necessary to write this post because I was initially confused myself, being unsure whether this regiment was Spanish or French.

In fact, two Louvigny Regiments took part in the Siege of Turin: one Spanish, consisting of two battalions, and one French, also consisting of two battalions.

Beginning with the Spanish Louvigny Regiment, it should be identified as a Walloon regiment, distinguished and famous by its rojas calzas, i.e. the trousers and sock in red. This was the characteristic of this elite unit. Its cockade was red, as was customary for Spanish regiments, while its buttons were silver. During the Battle of Turin, the regiment remained assigned to the siege forces and therefore did not take a direct part in the fighting. The zone of recruitement was the Low Countries of French speaking population, like some French.

The first battallion of this regiment fought on the Mincio river in 1705.

His colonel was (witt all evidence) Juan-Carlos Christian de Landas, Count of Louvigny at the service of the Kingdom of Spain, Gouverneur de Lleida (Catalogne), Maréchal de Camp of King Philippe V of Spain.

Kingdom of Spain 1706. Regiment Louvigny Private

Kingdom of Spain 1706. Regiment Louvigny Private

The Colonel's Colour was white, bearing the Royal Arms of the Spanish House of Bourbon at its centre, while the Ordnance Colour displayed the traditional Cross of Burgundy, with the coat of arms of the regiment's proprietary family in each of the four quarters formed by the cross.

Kingdom of Spain. Regiment Louvigny - Bandera Coronela

Kingdom of Spain. Regiment Louvigny - Bandera Sencilla

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The other regiment was the French Louvigny Regiment, formerly known as the Morangiès Regiment until 1705. At the time of the Battle of Turin the colonel - propertor was Luis-Antoine-Armand de Gramont, Duc de Louvigny

Unlike the Spanish Louvigny Regiment, this was a French line infantry regiment. It had a long and distinguished record in the Italian theatre before the Battle of Turin.

The 1st Battalion was sent to Italy in December 1700. It fought at Chiari (1701), took part in the capture of Luzzara and Borgoforte (1702), and participated in the 1703 campaign in South Tyrol, including the captures of Nago and Arco, as well as the Combat of Stradella.

The 2nd Battalion initially remained in Flanders as a garrison before joining the army in Italy in 1702, where it was stationed at Mantua.

From September 1703 onwards, the two battalions operated together. They distinguished themselves at Torbole, fought at Castelnuovo di Bormia in January 1704, and subsequently served during the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea, and Verrua.

In 1705, the regiment took part in the assault on Fort de l'Isle at Verrua, the siege of Mirandola, the siege of Chivasso, where Colonel de Morangiès was mortally wounded, and finally the Battle of Cassano.

On 19 April 1706, the regiment fought at the Battle of Calcinato. It subsequently participated in both the Siege of Turin and the Battle of Turin, remaining with the French field army until its retreat across the Alps after the defeat of 7 September 1706.

After the Italian campaign, the regiment was transferred to Flanders, where it continued to distinguish itself during the remainder of the War of the Spanish Succession, fighting at Oudenarde (1708), Malplaquet (1709), Beuvrage (1712), and in the sieges of Douai, Le Quesnoy, Bouchain, Landau, and Freiburg.

Kingdom of France. Regiment Louvigny - Dreapeau d'Ordonnance

Kingdom of France. Regiment Louvigny - Dreapeau Colonel

Kingdom of France - Regiment Louvigny - Private

It is interesting to note how efforts were made to distinguish one regiment from another. In this case, as many regiments had red facings, the double vertical pockets with six buttons on each and the black neck stock made this uniform immediately distinctive and unique.

Kingdom of France - Regiment Louvigny Officer

In blue, on the hill sector, the position of the French Louvigny Regiment is shown. In yellow, within the main siege lines, the deployment of the Spanish Louvigny Regiment is indicated.

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706. MAP OF THE HILLSIDE SECTOR

 As surprising as it may seem, this is the first map showing the deployment of the troops around the Turin hill. It depicts the situation after De Muret had already led two battalions towards the fighting in front of Turin, while command of the sector remained in the hands of Albergotti, who failed to move in support of the main army, thereby condemning it to defeat.

Map - extended version

Below is a detailed view of the hilly sector. It is an area I know extremely well. The entire position is dominated by Monte dei Cappuccini, which is still clearly visible today and was, in all likelihood, occupied by the Fusiliers de Montagne, as it was—and still is—the highest point in that sector.

Extended Version

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - MAP OF THE FARMSTEADS AND CHURCHES AROUND TURIN

Further research led me to identify the location of the various farmsteads, farm buildings, and churches around the city of Turin. Some of these names have now become the names of Turin districts, such as La Crocetta — from where I am writing — San Salvario, and Madonna di Campagna, all now within central Turin. Likewise, where the Cascina La Molinetta once stood, there is now the enormous hospital complex — the second largest in Italy — which is called, precisely, Le Molinette.

Bigger version

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706. MAP OF THE LAST STANDING OF THE FRENCH ARMY - Part 1

The ultimate goal is to produce a book on the Battle of Turin 1706, bringing together all the information I have collected over the years. An important part of this work will consist of a series of maps.

In this case, I have sought to reconstruct the French defensive line as it stood at approximately 1.00 p.m. on 7 September 1706. The map also serves to illustrate the actual positions of the Troops of the Duchy of Monferrat—namely one battalion of the Gardes du Duc de Mantoue and one battalion of the Beltrambi Regiment.

Moreover, for the first time, it identifies the French and Spanish units that did not take a direct part in the Battle of Turin itself but were instead assigned to garrison the line of circumvallation.

As I will show later, although these troops were not directly engaged in the main battle, some of them—particularly the infantry units—ultimately sacrificed themselves to ensure the survival of the French army. Their conduct displayed a remarkable degree of courage and determination, one that, in my opinion, should lead to a reassessment of the commonly held view of the Monferrat troops (including that presented on Kronoskaf by my friend Richard).

By bringing together a wide range of information, supported by several illustrative maps, and through a careful reading, re-reading and interpretation of the available sources, I have been able to reconstruct the defensive deployment of de Muret's troops. These forces formed the final barrier against the Imperial army which, having broken through the initial entrenched line, poured onto the retreating Bourbon army while it was simultaneously caught in a pincer movement by the garrison of the City of Turin, which seized the opportunity to launch a sortie against its rear.

This therefore represents another episode of the famous battle, distinct from the one I have already examined concerning the assault on the Castle of Lucento. It sheds further light on the final stages of the Battle of Turin and on the crucial role played by the troops covering the French retreat.

complete map

Map with the rearguard troops.

WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION: ARMY OF THE DUCHY OF MANTUA - MILIZIA TROOPS

The Duchy of Mantua-Montferrat also raised local militia units in the Montferrat region, whose members were particularly hostile towards the Piedmontese. These formations were primarily employed for patrol duties and garrison service, engaging in a form of low-intensity warfare. They nevertheless became involved in several incidents of friction with the local population of the Duchy of Savoy, earning a particularly poor reputation among its inhabitants.

A total of 580 men were enlisted and distributed among several garrisons to maintain control of the territory, specifically as follows:

Their deployment was as follows:

- 60 men at Castel'Alfero;

- 60 at Bruzolo, 60 at Vercelli (after its occupation in 1704); 

- 200 at Avigliana (together with detachments from the Montferrat regiments); 

- 100 at Crescentino–Verrua (after Verrua was captured in 1705); 

- 100 at Trino Vercellese.

Their uniform essentially consisted of civilian clothing made of dark woollen cloth, without cuffs or turnbacks, and a hat of the late seventeenth-century style, with its brims not yet turned up into the fully developed tricorne. They wore the red-white cocarde with the Monferrato's colours. Instead of the standard haversack issued to the regular Montferrat regiments, they carried a simple cloth sack. Their footwear likewise consisted of sturdy boots of civilian origin, reflecting the fact that these men were primarily urban levies drawn from merchants and the lower artisan and labouring classes, with only limited means to equip themselves at their own expense. To distinguish themselves, they wore a red-and-white cockade, the traditional colours of Montferrat.

The Militia colours could simply have displayed the colours of the Monferrato coat of arms (rather than those of Mantua), making them both easy to produce and immediately identifiable as Monferrato troops. Given their simplicity, it is likely that each detachment carried one, and it is almost certain that the larger contingents possessed their own colours.

The black and yellow straps to celebrate the Gonzaga House.

WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION: ARMY OF THE DUCHY OF MANTUA - REGIMENT (MARCHESE DI) NATTA

 This regiment represented the third regiment raised by the Duchy of Mantua and Monferrato. It took its name from Marquis Giacomo Natta d'Alfiano. Like several other noble families of Monferrato, the Natta family attained noble status through wealth, their earliest ancestors having been prominent bankers in the region.

The ordonnance flag follows the traditional pattern of French regimental colours, while incorporating the colours of Monferrato both in the border and in the central field. These colours also echo those of the coat of arms of the Marquises Natta d'Alfiano, thereby emphasizing both the regiment's territorial identity and its connection with its proprietor.

Ordonnance

The fleurs-de-lis placed in the four corners of the flag are intended as a mark of reverence towards Louis XIV of France. It should be remembered that Marquis Giacomo Natta d'Alfiano originally served as Captain of the Duke's Personal Guards (not to be confused with the Guardes du Duc de Mantoue Regiment) of the Gonzaga-Nevers Duke.

The coat of arms depicted on the flag is an accurate reproduction of the original, which has been faithfully preserved to the present day (see the picture below).

Moreover, it was Louis XIV himself who entrusted the Marquis with the task of raising the Royal-Montferrat Regiment in 1688, the unit that was subsequently reorganised as the Guardes du Duc de Mantoue Regiment. To support this undertaking, the King of France granted the Marquis a special pension of 1,200 doubles per annum.

When the Guardes du Duc de Mantoue Regiment passed under the command of the Duke Gonzaga of Luzzara in 1702, the Marquis raised this new regiment. Like the other regiments of Monferrato, it was disbanded in 1707 following the fall of the Duchy of Mantua.

Like the other Monferrato regiments, it consisted of a single battalion, comprising twelve companies of fusiliers and one company of grenadiers.

The regiment remained under the command of Marquis Giacomo Natta d'Alfiano throughout its existence. His survival beyond 1707 is beyond doubt, as demonstrated by the title page of a book that he himself authored in his later years and published in 1713 (see below).

Colonnella

The uniform followed the standard pattern adopted by the other Mantuan regiments, but was distinguished by its red facings. The wealth and noble status of its proprietor—and consequently his attention to detail and willingness to bear additional expense—may well have enabled this regiment to be equipped with red breeches as well.

The regiment was principally engaged, together with the Beltrambi Regiment, during La Feuillade's campaign in southern Piedmont in 1705. During the summer of 1706, it was deployed in the Luserna Valley, where it was tasked with pursuing Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, and containing his incursions.

It was subsequently transferred to the garrison of Pinerolo, where it remained until the regiment was disbanded in 1707.

This regiment did not participate in the Battle of Turin, possibly because it was deliberately kept out of action in order to preserve it, in view of its proprietor's close relationship with the King of France.