The Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria" (2nd) () is a cavalry unit of the Italian Army based in Villa Opicina in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment is the reconnaissance unit of the Alpine Brigade "Julia".
In 1692, Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy ordered to form two cavalry regiments for service in the Nine Years' War. One of the two new regiments was named Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" (). From 1701 to 1713, regiment fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. Between 1733 and 1735, the regiment fought in the War of the Polish Succession, and from 1741 to 1748 in the War of the Austrian Succession. From 1792 to 1796, the regiment fought in the War of the First Coalition against the French Republic. In November 1798, during the War of the Second Coalition, French forces occupied Piedmont, forced King Charles Emmanuel IV into exile, and formed the Piedmontese Republic, a French client-state. In spring 1799, the regiment fought on the French side against the Austrians, which disbanded the Piedmontese Republic and its military units after their victorious campaign in Italy.
In May 1814, King Victor Emmanuel I returned from exile in Sardinia and in July of the same year the King ordered to reform the regiment. In 1849, during the First Italian War of Independence, the regiment distinguished itself in the battles of Sforzesca and Novara, for which the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. In 1859, the regiment participated in the Second Italian War of Independence. In 1860-1861, the regiment fought in the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy, during which it distinguished itself in the Battle of Garigliano, for which the regiment was awarded its second Silver Medal of Military Valor. In 1866, the regiment participated in the Third Italian War of Independence. During World War I the regiment fought on the Italian Front. In World War II the regiment participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and served afterwards in Croatia on anti-partisan duty. In November 1942, the regiment participated in the occupation of Vichy France. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded by invading German forces.
In November 1946, the Italian Army formed the 2nd Cavaliers Reconnaissance Group, which received the regiment's traditions and scarlet gorget patches. In 1949, the group was expanded to 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria". In 1957, the regiment moved to Meran, where it joined the IV Army Corps. In 1957, the regiment was assigned to the Cavalry Brigade, which in 1959 was renamed Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". In 1975, the regiment was disbanded and its I Squadrons Group became an autonomous unit and was renamed 2nd Mechanized Squadrons Group "Piemonte Cavalleria". The squadrons group was assigned to the newly formed Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto" and received the traditions and standard of the Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria" (2nd). In 1991, the squadrons group lost its autonomy and entered the 2nd Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria", which was assigned to the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". One year later, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria" (2nd). In 1993, the regiment was equipped with wheeled Centauro tank destroyers. In 2014, the regiment was transferred to the Alpine Brigade "Julia".
The regiment's anniversary falls on 21 March 1849, to commemorate the regiment's conduct during the Battle of Sforzesca, for which the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. As one of the two Italian Army heavy cavalry regiments, whose history dates back to the 17th century, the regiment's enlisted personnel is addressed as "Cavalier" ().
History Formation In June 1690, the Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy joined Grand Alliance, which required Savoy to enter the Nine Years' War against the Kingdom of France. Initially the Savoyard Army fielded only two cavalry regiments (Regiment "Dragoni di Sua Altezza Reale", Regiment "Dragoni del Génévois"), to which a third was added on 4 July 1690 (Regiment "Dragoni di Piemonte"). On 23 July 1692, the existing Piedmont Squadron, which had been formed upon Savoy's entry into the war and consisted of two brigades of mounted Gens d'Arme, was split and formed two regiments: one in Turin, which was initially named for its commander Regiment Cavaglià, the other in Valdengo, which was initially named for one of its company commanders Regiment None, and then for its commander Regiment Montbrison. Later in the same year the Regiment Cavaglià was given the name Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" (), while the Regiment Montbrison was given the name Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" (). The Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" was named for the Principality of Piedmont, while the Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" was named for the Duchy of Savoy. Both regiments consisted of a staff of 36 officers and nine companies of 50 cavaliers per company.
On 4 October 1693, all five Savoyard cavalry regiments fought in the Battle of Marsaglia. On 5 December 1696, the regiment was reduced from nine to eight companies. On 29 August 1696, France and Savoy signed the Treaty of Turin, which ended the latter's involvement in the war, followed on 20 September 1697, by the Peace of Ryswick, which ended the Nine Years' War. Consequently, the number of cavaliers per company in the Savoyard Army's two cavalry regiments were reduced 50 to 35 cavaliers. On 22 November 1699, the Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" was disbanded and its personnel and horses transferred to the Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" and Regiment "Dragoni di Sua Altezza Reale".
Cabinet Wars War of the Spanish Succession In March 1701, Duke Victor Amadeus II joined the War of the Spanish Succession on the French side and, consequently on 7 May of the same year, the Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" was reformed. At the time the Savoyard Army's cavalry regiments fielded a staff and eight companies, which were grouped in four squadrons. Each company fielded 60 cavaliers, while the regiment's staff consisted of 30 officers. On 15 August 1702, the regiments "Dragoni di Sua Altezza Reale", "Dragoni del Génévois", "Piemonte Reale" and "Savoia" fought in the Battle of Luzzara. In 1703, Victor Amadeus II entered secret negotiations with the anti-French Second Grand Alliance and in October of that year declared war on France. On 24 December of the same year, the Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" added a fifth squadron of two companies and then fielded some 700 men.
By 1706, France had occupied most of the territories of Victor Amadeus II, leaving only his capital Turin in his possession. On 2 June 1706, a French army led by Louis de la Feuillade began to besiege Turin. Victor Amadeus II left the Austrian general Philipp von Daun in command of defences of Turin and escaped from the city on 17 June with 7,000 Austrian and Savoyard cavalry. Two days later the French closed the siege ring around the city. Meanwhile, further East, a French field army under Philippe II, Duke of Orléans maneuvered to prevent an Imperial army led by Austrian field marshal Prince Eugene of Savoy from coming to the relief of Turin. Attempting to buy time for Prince Eugene, Victor Amadeus II spent the next two months attacking French supply lines with his cavalry. On 15 August, Prince Eugene began his advance on Turin, easily evading Orléans' covering force. On 29 August, he reached Carmagnola south of Turin, where he was joined by Victor Amadeus II. Aware of Prince Eugene's approach, Orléans joined La Feuillade, and their combined force made three assaults on Turin between 27 August and 3 September. On 5 September, the Savoyard-Imperial army concentrated at Collegno, between the Dora Riparia and the Stura di Lanzo rivers near a weak spot in the French lines. On 7 September, Prince Eugene divided his force into eight columns and ordered an all out attack on the French forces. Victor Amadeus II personally led his cavalry regiments into the fray, charged the Duke of Orléans and his entourage, which led to the Duke of Orléans being wounded and forced to retreated from the battlefield. Afterwards Victor Amadeus II led the regiments "Dragoni di Sua Altezza Reale" and "Dragoni del Génévois" to the bridges over the Po river to block the French's route of escape.
In 1707, the regiment fought in the Sayorard campaign to free the County of Nice from French occupation and the following Siege of Toulon. In August 1708, the regiment fought in the Siege of Fenestrelle and the campaign to liberate the Duchy of Savoy. On 12 September 1712, the regiments "Piemonte Reale" and "Savoia" defeated a French column at Villanovetta and forced the French to retreat back through the Val Varaita into France. On 14 March 1713, France and Savoy signed a truce, while the other belligerents signed the first of the treaties of the Peace of Utrecht, which transferred the Kingdom of Sicily and parts of the Duchy of Milan to Savoy and confirmed the 1708 transfer of the Duchy of Montferrat to the House of Savoy. On 27 March of the same year, the Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Reale" was reduced to eight companies, which were grouped into two squadrons.
War of the Polish Succession On 3 September 1730, Victor Amadeus II abdicated the throne and his son ascended the throne as King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who had been the commanding officer of the Regiment "Dragoni di Piemonte" from 1722 to 1729. On 1 February 1733, King Augustus II of Poland died and King Louis XV of France supported his father-in-laws Stanisław Leszczyński's claim to the throne, which was opposed by Austria, Prussia, Saxony and Russia. Throughout summer of 1733, the French prepared for the war and after secret negotiations with Charles Emmanuel III the Treaty of Turin was signed, which allowed the French to move their armies through Sardinian territory and promised the Duchy of Milan to Charles Emmanuel III. On 10 October 1733, the War of the Polish Succession began and Charles Emmanuel III immediately invaded the Duchy of Milan with 50,000 French-Spanish and Sardinian troops and on 3 November Milan, albeit not the city's fortress, surrendered to Charles Emmanuel III. In December 1733, the five Sardinian cavalry regiments were increased from eight to ten companies of 50 men per company.
On 29 June 1734, the French-Sardinian armies, which included the regiments "Dragoni di Piemonte", "Piemonte Reale" and "Savoia", clashed with Austrian forces in the Battle of San Pietro near Parma. On 19 September 1734, Charles Emmanuel III was personally present when the French-Sardinian army, including all five Sardinian cavalry regiments, defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Guastalla. In October 1735, the war ended with a preliminary peace agreement, which was ratified in the Treaty of Vienna in November 1738. Although Charles Emmanuel III did not receive the Duchy of Milan, he was compensated with the Milanese territories West of the Ticino river, including Novara and Tortona.
On 23 November 1736, the Royal Sardinian Army formed a sixth cavalry regiment with men and horses drawn from the existing five cavalry regiments. The core of the new regiment consisted of a Hussars company, which had been formed on 20 July 1734 with Hungarian exiles, who wished to fight against Austria. The new regiment, which consisted, like all other Sardinian cavalry regiments, of ten companies was given the name Regiment "Dragoni della Regina" (Regiment "Dragoons of the Queen").
In 1737, each dragoon and cavalry company was issued five rifled carabines, which had greater accuracy than the standard firearms provided to the Sardinian cavalry. In the four dragoon regiments, the men equipped with these carabiners were given the name "Granatieri" (Grenadiers), while in the two cavalry regiments they were given the name "Carabinieri" (Carabiniers). If needed, each regiment could unite these men in a company of 50 men.