The Ruspoli Regiment was an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment created in 1708 by Francesco Maria Ruspoli, Marquis of Cerveteri

Cerveteri

Cerveteri is a town and comune of the northern Lazio, in the province of Rome. Originally known as Caere , it is famous for a number of Etruscan necropolis that include some of the best Etruscan tombs anywhere....

, at his own expense. The regiment was in the service of the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

.

The recruitment took place in Vignanello

Vignanello

Vignanello is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Latium, located about 60 km northwest of Rome and about 14 km southeast of Viterbo...

. The Notification promised a payment of fair pay, and within a short time about one thousand men signed up. The good doctor Nicola Gamba put through medical and most of them were declared fit to serve. The recruits were given board and lodging; they were then trained to the use of weapons by drill-officers. . The young Bartolomeo Ruspoli

Bartolomeo Ruspoli

Cardinal Bartolomeo dei Principi Ruspoli - Biography :Born in Rome on October 25, 1697....

 was nominated Colonel.

Edict of July 6, 1708

Havendo la Santità di Nostro Signore Papa Clemente XI

Pope Clement XI

Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...

 gradita la leva fatta con molta generosità a proprie spese dal Sign. Marchese Francesco Maria Ruspoli d'un Reggimento di Fanteria et approvata la nomina fatta in persona di Lei Sign. Marchese Bartolomeo di lui figlio pro colonello; con tutti gl'onori pesi, facoltà et emolumenti stabili nella Congregazione Militare, ha comandato che se ne facci paricolare dichiarazione col presente viglietto. In Fede.

Datum in Roma questo dì 6 luglio 1708

Cardinal Bentivoglio Comm. Generale

Quintiliano Valenti Comm."

The actual command of the troops was delegated to a French officer, Guisnel de Roux, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The Battle of Ferrara

After defending the cities of Pesaro

Pesaro

Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....

 and Fano

Fano

Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...

 where before the arrival of the regiment "the Germans were raiding, sacking the country around Imola

Imola

thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...

, terrorising the inhabitants", the regiment assured the defence of the Gola del Furlo with cannons and artillery, preventing all enemy passage.

On January 2, 1709 the order from Rome was for the regiment to move to Ferrara

Ferrara

Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...

, which was in isolation but where a large arsenal was held. The regiment crossed region of Romagna

Romagna

Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...

 where the crowd rejoiced and welcomed the regiment as the Pope's army. In reality it was the Ruspoli Regiment alone, but reinforced by riflemen from the garrisons of Cesena

Cesena

Cesena is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, south of Ravenna and west of Rimini, on the Savio River, co-chief of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. It is at the foot of the Apennines, and about 15 km from the Adriatic Sea.-History:Cesena was originally an Umbrian...

, Forlì

Forlì

Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...

 and Faenza

Faenza

Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....

: all together no more than one thousand men, but enough to make some enemy troops retreat encountered along the way.

The Austrians, who acted undisturbed until then, regrouped around Comacchio

Comacchio

Comacchio is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, 48 km from the provincial capital Ferrara.-Geography:...

, but when they realized the papal army was heading straigh for Ferrara, decided to concentrate all reinforcements at Pontelagoscuro, south of the River Po and north of Ferrara.

On January 12, Farrara opened its gates to the Ruspoli Regiment. The House of Este had left Ferrara over a century before and the city had a pontifical governor and part of the d'Este Army. The enemy had regrouped a few miles north in Pontelagoscuro, and was two thousand strong and growing rapidly.

Though the Ruspoli Regiment had less men, they possessed strong artillery which the Austrian lacked. But they needed to act quickly before the enemy could fortify and organize itself.

With the help oh the d'Este Army the Ruspoli Regiment moved north with 16 cannons and assured a constant transportation of ammunition and started a continuous shelling from dawn 'til dusk. A few days later the Austrians retreated north of the Po river.

The States of the Church were freed from the invaders and the Ruspoli Regiment was covered in glory. On February 3, 1709 Pope Clement XI

Pope Clement XI

Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...

, full of gratitude, elevated Cerveteri to a Principality.

In the years that followed the Regiment was reduced in number and incorporated with the Guards of His Holiness still maintaining the Ruspoli coat of arms on the flag and drums.