Editing Regiment (section)

== Historical origin ==
The French term ''régiment'' is considered to have entered military usage in Europe at the end of the 16th century, when armies evolved from collections of [[retinue]]s who followed [[knight]]s, to  formally organised, permanent military forces. At that time, regiments were usually named after their commanding colonels, and disbanded at the end of the campaign or war; the colonel and his regiment might recruit from and serve several [[monarch]]s or countries. Later, it was customary to name the regiment by its precedence in the [[British Army Order of Precedence|line of battle]], and to recruit from specific places, called [[canton (country subdivision)|cantons]]. The oldest regiments which still exist, and their dates of establishment, include the French [[1st Infantry Regiment (France)|1st Infantry Regiment]] (1479), the [[Spain|Spanish]] [[9th Infantry Regiment “Soria”]] (1505; originally called ''[[Tercio]] de Nápoles''),<ref>{{cite news |last=VILLATORO|first=MANUEL P.|title=El regiment más antiguo de Europa empezó siendo un tercio español y combatió contra Napoleón">El regiment más antiguo de Europa empezó siendo un tercio español y combatió contra Napoleón|url=https://www.abc.es/historia-militar/20140609/abci-regimiento-soria-antiguo-europa-201406061727.html |access-date=24 July 2014 |publisher=ABC |date=23 July 2014 }}</ref> the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[Svea Life Guards|Life Guards]] (1521), the British [[Honourable Artillery Company]] (1537) and the [[1st King's Immemorial Infantry Regiment of AHQ|King's Own Immemorial Regiment]] of Spain, first established in 1248 during the conquest of [[Seville]] by King [[Ferdinand III of Castile|Ferdinand the Saint]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contenido - Ejército de tierra |url=https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/unidades/Madrid/rinf1/Historial/index.html |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=ejercito.defensa.gob.es}}</ref>

In the 17th century, brigades were formed as [[combined arms|units combining infantry, cavalry, and artillery]] that were more effective than the older, single-arms regiments; in many armies, brigades replaced regiments. Organisation and numbers did not follow any standardised pattern between or within armies during this period, with the only common factor being that each regiment had a single commander.<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition, page 39 Vol. 23</ref>

By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, each under the command of a colonel. When at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 [[Company (military unit)|companies]]. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a '''demi-regiment'''.<ref>p. 72 Westcote, Thomas ''A View of Devonshire in MDCXXX: With a Pedigree of Most of Its Gentry'' W. Roberts, 1845 – Devon (England) –</ref> A cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity.<ref>Christopher Duffy, pages 110 & 121 ''The Military Experience in the Age of Reason'', {{ISBN|1-85326-690-6}}</ref> On campaign, these numbers were soon reduced by casualties and detachments and it was sometimes necessary to amalgamate regiments or to withdraw them to a depot while recruits were obtained and trained.

With the widespread adoption of [[conscription]] in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, an infantry regiment in the French, German, Russian, and other smaller armies would comprise four battalions, each with a full strength on mobilization of about 1,000 men. As far as possible, the separate battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized and campaign as a 4,000 strong linked group of sub-units. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up a single entity of up to 1,000 troopers. A notable exception to this practice was the British line infantry system where the two regular battalions constituting a regiment alternated between "home" and "foreign" service and seldom came together as a single unit.