Borrowing foreign words is generally characteristic of the history of military terminology. It should be remembered that the creation of the army and navy on the European model began even under Peter 1. To designate new types of troops, ranks and awards in the native language were not enough. One of these military borrowing terms was the word "infantry." What kind of word this is, what kind of troops it refers to, and when it began to be used, we read below.
Etymology of the word
The origin of the word "infantry" leads to French or Spanish roots. The word "infantry" is still used in these languages. What is this term, and when it entered the vocabulary of the Russian military, you can learn from historical documents
In the 18th century, the first mention of such a form of troops as infantry appeared. The meaning of the word in Russian is infantry, a special kind of foot troops. Military reports during the Northern War mention the military infantry - infantry as an established unit of the regular army. A little later, already in the time of Paul 1 , a new military rank was mentioned - the general from infantry, that is, the general of the infantry troops. The word, as it was, remained foreign, and by the middle of the 19th century almost completely went out of use in Russian military documents.
Infantheria in ancient history
As a separate warhead, infantry existed in all the ancient empires of the world. The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians covered their chariots and cavalry with separate foot units - a prototype of that army, which later received the name infantry. That this combat unit was created for specific tasks is confirmed by information from archaeologists and fragmentary data from historians.
The most famous warrior from the infantry of the ancient age is the Roman legionnaire.
Infantry in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, infantry became an auxiliary force for the protection of forts, castles, cities and other fortified points. Following the example of the knights, the foot soldiers used chain mail, armor and a helmet. At the end of the Middle Ages, monarchies were strengthened. To do this, the kings needed strong troops, therefore, infantry again appears in the foreground. That this military unit was easier to recruit and arm was clear from the start.
The infantry was used as a throwing force, which was supposed to save more powerful warriors in the battle. After the invention of firearms, the role of infantry again increases. Infantry becomes an important combat unit, without which warfare is impossible.
Currently, the name "infantry" is used for infantry in Italy, France, Portugal, Germany.