Régiment de Périgord (1684–1715)
Origins and Early History (1684–1700)
The Régiment de Périgord was raised on 7 September 1684, taking its name from the historic French province of Périgord.
Its formation was part of an extensive military expansion ordered by Louis XIV in anticipation of renewed hostilities and the possible emergence of a European coalition against France. Between 1 and 30 September 1684, the King authorised the establishment of thirty new infantry regiments, each raised on a successive day. This unusual arrangement had the additional advantage of establishing a clear order of precedence among the newly created units, thereby avoiding disputes over seniority.
During its first years of service, the regiment was employed primarily on garrison duties in the fortified towns and strongholds of northern France.
In December 1700, as the political crisis surrounding the Spanish succession increasingly threatened to develop into a general European conflict, the regiment was ordered to Italy. This deployment marked the beginning of a prolonged period of active campaigning which would take its battalions across northern Italy, Spain, the French Alpine frontier and, eventually, the Rhine.
Originally consisting of a single battalion, the regiment was expanded to two battalions on 1 February 1701. Although belonging to the same regiment, these formations subsequently followed largely independent operational careers throughout most of the War of the Spanish Succession.
During the period under consideration, the regiment was commanded by:
2 February 1697 – 28 April 1711: Henri-François, Marquis de Lambert de Saint-Bris.
28 April 1711 – 6 March 1714: N. de Boisset de Geaix.
THE FIRST BATTALION
The Italian Campaigns (1701–1706)
The regiment's first battalion entered the War of the Spanish Succession as part of the French forces operating in northern Italy.
 |
| Drapeau d'Ordonnance |
On 1 September 1701, it participated in the Battle of Chiari, fought between the Franco-Spanish army and the Imperial forces commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy. During the engagement, the battalion was brigaded with the Régiment Royal-Vaisseaux and deployed in the second line of the French centre. The battle ended unsuccessfully for the Franco-Spanish army, whose attacks against the strongly defended Imperial positions were repulsed. On 15 August 1702, the first battalion fought at the Battle of Luzzara, one of the major engagements of the Italian campaign.
The battle formed part of the struggle for control of the Po valley, where the possession of fortified towns, river crossings and strategic communications was of considerable importance. Following the engagement, the battalion participated in operations which resulted in the capture of Luzzara, Guastalla and Borgoforte.These actions reflected the character of much of the Italian war, in which major pitched battles were interspersed with sieges, assaults against fortified positions and manoeuvres intended to secure communications along the principal waterways.
The year 1704 saw the first battalion engaged in an extensive series of operations across northern Italy. On 4 January, it participated in the assault against the entrenchments of Stradella, a strategically important position controlling communications between Lombardy and the western approaches to the Po valley. The battalion subsequently took part in the combat of Castelnuovo Bormida and in operations leading to the capture of Nago and Arco, as well as Asti and Villanova d'Asti. It was also employed during the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea and Verrua. These operations formed part of the systematic Franco-Spanish campaign to reduce the fortified positions of the Duke of Savoy and consolidate control over Piedmont. By the end of the year, the regiment had acquired considerable experience in siege warfare, including the assault of defensive works and the arduous duties associated with trench service.
In the early months of 1705, the first battalion remained actively engaged in the operations against Verrua, whose strong defensive position had become a major obstacle to French plans in Piedmont.
On 1 March, its grenadiers supported the assault against the Fort de l'Isle, one of the important defensive positions associated with the fortress.
The employment of the battalion's grenadiers in this operation illustrates the increasingly prominent role of such specialised troops in assaults against fortified works.
Later that year, in August, the battalion participated in the Battle of Cassano, fought between the Franco-Spanish forces and the Imperial army commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy.
The engagement was one of the bloodiest encounters of the Italian campaign and demonstrated the determination of both sides to secure control over the communications of Lombardy.
 |
| Drapeau Colonel |
1706: The Siege and Battle of Turin
The campaign of 1706 represented the most disastrous episode in the Italian service of the Régiment de Périgord. The first battalion participated in the French siege of Turin, one of the decisive operations of the War of the Spanish Succession. The French army sought to capture the capital of the Duchy of Savoy and thereby eliminate the last major centre of resistance to its domination of Piedmont. During the siege, the battalion was deployed on the southern sector of the French investment lines, in the area extending between the Dora Riparia and the Po.
This sector formed part of the extensive network of siege positions and defensive works constructed around Turin. On 7 September 1706, the allied relief army, commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy and Duke Victor Amadeus II, attacked and defeated the French forces besieging the city. The defeat resulted in the collapse of the French siege and the withdrawal of the army from Piedmont. The first battalion of Périgord suffered particularly severe losses. According to the regimental account, its strength was reduced to only 142 men.
Such a dramatic reduction illustrates the devastating consequences of the campaign, although the figure should be understood as the battalion's reported remaining strength rather than necessarily the number of casualties sustained during the battle alone. The defeat at Turin effectively brought the regiment's Italian campaign to an end.
The Spanish Campaigns (1707–1710)
Following the French withdrawal from Italy, the first battalion was transferred to Spain in 1707. It initially joined the forces operating in Navarre under M. de Legall, before being reassigned to the army commanded by the Duc d'Orléans. In October, the battalion participated in the operations which resulted in the capture of the city and castle of Lérida. These successes contributed to the consolidation of Bourbon control in northeastern Spain.
In 1708, the first battalion continued to serve under the Duc d'Orléans. On 1 June, it was detached from the camp of Ginestar as part of a force ordered to dislodge enemy troops occupying Falcete. According to the contemporary account, the enemy position was defended by approximately 2,400 infantrymen, including Catalan migueletes, supported by 400 cavalry. The French troops reached Falcete at approximately five o'clock on the morning of 2 June and immediately launched their attack. The operation resulted in a substantial defeat for the defenders. The reported losses included 500 killed and 600 prisoners, among them 33 officers, while the French also captured the enemy baggage. Following this action, the battalion joined the army engaged in the siege of Tortosa. During the siege, Périgord was frequently assigned to trench duty alongside the Régiments de Normandie and de La Couronne. In September, the battalion was again detached from the camp of Agramont to operate against Catalan migueletes, whose irregular warfare continued to threaten French movements and communications. In October, it participated in the capture of Ager. These operations demonstrate the versatility demanded of infantry units in Catalonia, where conventional siege warfare was accompanied by repeated expeditions against irregular forces operating in difficult terrain.
During 1709, the first battalion continued campaigning in Catalonia under the command of the Maréchal de Bezons. The surviving regimental summary provides few details regarding its specific engagements during this year, but confirms its continued service in the Bourbon army operating in northeastern Spain.
In 1710, the battalion was temporarily transferred to Dauphiné, where French forces were required to protect the Alpine approaches against possible enemy operations. Before the end of the year, however, it returned to Spain and participated in the siege and capture of Girona. The operation formed part of the continuing Bourbon effort to reduce the remaining allied strongholds in Catalonia.
1711–1712: Defence of the Alpine Frontier
During 1711 and 1712, the first battalion served once again in Dauphiné. It was stationed at the camp of Sault-d'Oulx, an important position for the defence of the Alpine communications between France and Piedmont. Its presence there reflected the continued strategic importance of the Alpine frontier following the loss of French control over northern Italy.
1713: The Rhine Campaign
In 1713, the first battalion was transferred to the Rhine. There it was reunited with the regiment's second battalion, which had spent much of the preceding war on garrison duties in northern and eastern France. Operating together once again, the two battalions participated in the sieges of Landau and Freiburg. These operations formed part of the final French offensives on the Rhine before the conclusion of the principal peace settlements of the war.
THE SECOND BATTALION
The second battalion, established on 1 February 1701, followed a markedly different operational history from that of the first. While the latter was heavily engaged in the campaigns of Italy and Spain, the second battalion remained primarily assigned to garrison duties in Flanders and Alsace. Between 1701 and 1713, it served in various fortified towns and military positions, contributing to the defence of France's northern and eastern frontiers. Its most notable recorded engagement occurred in 1708, when it participated in the unsuccessful defence of Lille. The siege of Lille, conducted by the allied armies under the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, was one of the most important operations of the war in the Low Countries. The capture of the fortress represented a major success for the Allies and demonstrated the increasing pressure exerted upon the French defensive system in Flanders. In 1713, the second battalion finally rejoined the first on the Rhine. The reunited regiment subsequently took part in the sieges of Landau and Freiburg. Following the end of the war and the reduction of the French army to a peacetime establishment, the second battalion was disbanded in 1715. Its remaining personnel were incorporated into the first battalion, restoring the Régiment de Périgord to a single-battalion organisation.
 |
| Regiment Perigord 1706 Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
