THE RUSPOLI REGIMENT
This is a painting by Alessandro Piazza, commissioned by Francesco Maria Ruspoli and completed in 1710, depicting the Ruspoli Regiment being presented before its departure for the Ferrara campaign, in connection with the papal blessing in Piazza Santi Apostoli in Rome.
The historical scene represented is believed to be that of 9 September 1708: Ruspoli’s troops are presented before their departure, and the painting, executed shortly afterwards, also includes members of the Ruspoli circle. A source devoted to Handel suggests that George Frideric Handel himself is also depicted among the spectators, wearing a richly gold-decorated coat.
In fact, on the advice of his uncle, Cardinal Galeazzo Marescotti, in 1707 he armed a brigantine at his own expense and presented it to the Pope. The vessel was formally handed over at Civitavecchia, and for the occasion Handel composed a choral work for treble voices. His aim of securing the elevation of the Marquisate of Cerveteri to the rank of a principality, however, was not yet achieved.
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| Marquis, later Prince, Francesco Maria Ruspoli |
So in 1708 he raised the Ruspoli Regiment at his own expense. Originally established at a strength of about 550 men, the regiment was subsequently expanded to approximately 1,000 men. In January 1709 it was employed against the Austrians at Ferrara, where it succeeded in driving them back, thanks in particular to its superiority in artillery.
As a reward, on 3 February 1709 Pope Clement XI elevated the Marquisate of Cerveteri to a principality, final aim for the levy of this regiment.
Through the use of artificial intelligence, the painting has been sharpened in order to make its uniformological details more clearly visible. The first thing that immediately stands out is that, contrary to several later representations of the regiment, its supposedly “yellow” uniform was in fact of a distinctly yellow-orange shade, as can be seen from the coats, while the so-called light blue was actually a rather subdued medium blue, rather than a bright or intense blue.
From this deduction, I produced the first reconstruction figure which, for the first time, presents the uniform of this unit in a historically accurate form.
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| Rgt. Ruspoli 1708 - Private |
At the beginning of July 1708, probably on 3 or 4 July, Marquis Francesco Maria Capizucchi Ruspoli submitted a proposal to the Pope requesting permission to raise, at his own expense, a regiment of 500 men and 50 officers. The proposal also laid down the conditions under which the regiment was to be formed, including the appointment of his eleven-year-old son Bartolomeo as Colonel.
The main points of the proposal were as follows:
- a strength of 500 men, organised into companies of no more than 100 men each;
- the right to select both the soldiers and the officers;
- the rank of Colonel for his eleven-year-old son Bartolomeo, who would answer either to the Commander-in-Chief or to the Commissary General of Arms;
- the regiment was to remain stationed in Rome;
- the regiment was to remain independent and was not to be amalgamated with any other regiment;
- the right to adopt its own uniform;
- precedence over the other regiments, together with the privilege of being the last to be disbanded.
The Pope’s approval was communicated to the Marquis on 7 July 1708. On the same day, Count Mario Capizucchi, Francesco Maria’s stepbrother, was appointed Captain-Lieutenant of the Colonel’s Company.
It should be noted that, under the approved regulations, the Colonel’s Company was to remain permanently stationed in Rome. In the days that followed, preparations for the levy began immediately. The regiment’s Regulations were finalised and agreed with the Military Congregation. One significant change was introduced in comparison with the original proposal: the regiment could, if necessary, be employed outside Rome, with the sole exception of the Colonel’s Company, the First Company, which was to remain in the city. This provision effectively ensured that the Marquis’s young son would not be required to take part in actual campaigning.
At the same time, the first instructions concerning clothing and armament were issued, probably under Francesco Maria’s direct supervision. Significantly, from the very beginning the soldiers’ uniform was prescribed as yellow with blue facings.
The Marquis also placed particular emphasis on the careful selection of officers and non-commissioned officers. Sergeants were expected to be experienced men, while quartermasters, clerks and corporals were required to be able to write.
Recruitment began on 11 July 1708. The Marquis had originally envisaged a force of 500 men and 50 officers, which would most probably have meant five companies with ten officers assigned to each. Several aspects of the regiment’s formation were now proceeding simultaneously. Angelo Valeri, the steward of the Ruspoli household, began drawing up contracts with various craftsmen and merchants in Rome for uniforms, weapons, leather equipment and the many other items required by the regiment. At the same time, officers, captains and rank-and-file soldiers were being selected.
The surviving account books make the scale and speed of these preparations particularly striking. Within approximately two months, around 500 complete uniforms had been prepared, including hats, shoes and leather equipment, beginning with the purchase of the cloth itself. In September, uniforms for the grenadiers were added, together with approximately eighty grenadier caps and the necessary leather equipment.
Difficulties soon arose, however. The weapons ordered from Brescia — 500 flintlock muskets — were detained by the Venetian authorities. This delay made it impossible to hold the planned review of the regiment on 25 August. The weapons eventually issued to the troops, described in the sources as hunting arquebuses, were not distributed until 25 October, only a few days before the regiment’s departure.
Also in September, for reasons that are not explained by the surviving documentation, the Marquis decided to add a grenadier company to the existing infantry companies. Recruitment of the grenadiers began on 10 September.
On the following Sunday, 16 September, the regiment went to the church of Santi Lorenzo e Damaso, where Cardinal Ottoboni blessed its colours.
Preparations continued throughout the remainder of September and the whole of October. By 28 October 1708 the recruitment of the grenadiers had also been completed, and the regiment, armed with hunting arquebuses, went to receive the blessing of the Holy Father.
At the time of departure, the regiment consisted of:
- Lieutenant-Colonel Guisonel de Roux;
- Sergeant Major Filiberto de Torè, or Turè;
- six Captains;
- eight Lieutenants;
- eight Ensigns;
- one Adjutant Major and one Assistant Adjutant;
- sixteen Sergeants;
- eight Quartermasters;
- eight Clerks;
- one Chaplain;
- one Surgeon and one Assistant Surgeon;
- 560 soldiers;
- 123 horses.
This list provides particularly valuable information. When read together with the evidence discussed above, it shows that, at the time of departure, the Ruspoli Regiment consisted of eight infantry companies plus one Grenadier Company: the five original companies were supplemented by three additional companies, while the Grenadiers formed a separate company. Of the eight infantry companies, one was commanded by the Lieutenant-Colonel, one by the Sergeant Major, and six by Captains.
Each company had a Quartermaster and a Clerk. Each company was divided into two platoons, each commanded by a Sergeant. Other documents further show that each platoon was subdivided into four squads, rather than five, each under the command of a Corporal. During the course of the conflict, a further two companies were added.
One point remains uncertain: the number of drummers, which was probably ten.
If one assumes either one or two drummers per company, together with four corporals per company, the number of soldiers — including drummers and corporals — derived from the surviving account books fluctuates between 494 and 504 men. It therefore seems likely that the figure given in the official document was based upon a standard establishment of seventy soldiers per company, a strength which, for various reasons, was evidently never fully attained.
As already noted, the Colonel’s Company remained in Rome together with the Grenadier Company, at least during the initial phase. The five initial Captains belonged all to the Order of Knights of Malta and hence they bore the Cross of Malta on their uniforms.
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Rgt. Ruspoli 1708 - Grenadier  The regiment initially possessed, as can be seen in the painting, five colours: one white flag, known as the Colonel’s Colour, bearing the Pope’s coat of arms and four stars—also derived from the same arms—placed in the four corners. The remaining four companies each carried a blue colour with red tassels, as can likewise be observed in the painting. There does not appear to have been any red cord running around the edge of the flag, since no such feature is visible in the painting. They bore the Ruspoli’s coat of arms in the 4 corners. The grenadier company carried no colour; instead of an ensign, it had a second lieutenant.  For the Ruspoli coat of arms, a contemporary example was identified and reproduced in gold chiaroscuro, |
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| Original coat of arms of the Ruspoli House as it is preserved in the Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome |
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| Colours of the first 5 Companies Later, another five companies were added to the regiment. These new companies were also provided with colours, but this time the field was crimson red, in keeping with the practice followed by the other regiments. |
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| Rgt. Ruspoli 1708 - Captain |
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| Drunner |
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| Colours of the last 5 Companies |
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