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A regiment is a title used by some military units. The size of a regiment varies markedly, depending on the country and the arm of service. Originally the term "regiment" simply denoted a large body of men under a single leader.〔 Page39, Vol XXIII, Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition〕 Historically, in the 17th century, a full-strength regiment was hypothetically a thousand men commanded by a colonel. Today, there is no set size for a unit calling itself a "regiment", which may be: *Less than a battalion-equivalent, e.g. Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment *A battalion-equivalent, e.g. 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment *A number of battalions, e.g. Royal Regiment of Scotland, 2nd Infantry Regiment (United States) *An entire arm of service; in several Commonwealth countries, the entire artillery arm is often titled "regiment" (e.g. the Regiment of Artillery), and may then be sub-divided into "field regiments". *Several battalions grouped together with or without combat support and/or combat service support units similar to a brigade == 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 retinues who followed knights, 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 monarchs or countries. Later, it was customary to name the regiment by its precedence in the line of battle, and to recruit from specific places, called cantons. The oldest regiments which still exist, and their dates of establishment, include the Spanish 9th Light Infantry Regiment “Soria” (originally the ''Tercio de Nápoles'') (1505), Swedish Life Guards (1521), the British Honourable Artillery Company (1537) and the King's Own Immemorial Regiment of Spain, first established in 1248 during the conquest of Seville by King Ferdinand the Saint.〔Historia del Regimiento Inmemorial del Rey no 1 http://www.ejercito.mde.es/unidades/Madrid/rinf1/Historial/index.html〕 In the 17th century, brigades were formed as units combining infantry, cavalry, and artillery that were more effective than the older, single-arms regiments; in many armies, brigades replaced regiments. 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 companies. In some armies an independent regiment with a smaller amount of companies was labelled a demi-regiment.〔p. 72 Westcote, Thomas ''A View of Devonshire in MDCXXX: With a Pedigree of Most of Its Gentry'' W. Roberts, 1845 - Devon (England) -〕 A cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity.〔Christopher Duffy, pages 110 & 121 ''The Military Experience in the Age of Reason'', ISBN 1-85326-690-6〕 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Regiment」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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