The Spanish Tercio and the Birth of Modern Warfare

In this episode of The Story of Spain, Lucas and Luna dive into the military revolution that changed Europe forever: the rise of the Spanish tercio. They explore how Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Great Captain, forged a new kind of infantry that combined pike and arquebus, beating the Swiss and French at Cerignola and Garigliano. The conversation moves to the legendary tercios of the 16th century—the blue-uniformed veterans who dominated battlefields from Pavia to Rocroi. Lucas explains the tactical formation, the brutal life of a soldier, and the Spanish Road that kept them supplied. Luna asks about the famous mutinies, the 'Spanish Fury' at Antwerp, and the elusive 'soldier's pay.' The episode also touches on the tercio's decline, the lessons learned by the Dutch and Swedes, and the ghost of the tercio in later Spanish military tradition. A behind-the-scenes moment reveals how listener support via Buy Me a Coffee keeps the show ad-free. #SpanishTercio #MilitaryHistory #GonzaloFernandezdeCordoba #Cerignola #Garigliano #Pavia #Rocroi #PikeAndShot #SpanishRoad #ArmyOfFlanders #EightyYearsWar #TercioViejo #RenaissanceWarfare #Infantry #History #FexingoHistory #Spain #Europe Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo