# Ultonia Regiment (Spain)

The Ultonia Regiment (Regimiento "Ultonia") was one of the three Irish regiments in the service of the Spanish crown during the 18th and 19th centuries, the others being the Irlanda Regiment and the Hibernia Regiment.

## Background

These three regiments, like other units before them, such as the Irish Tercio (Tercio de irlandeses), also known as the Irish Brigade, which was raised in 1605 by Henry O'Neill to be incorporated into Spain's Army of Flanders, were raised from among the thousands of young Irishmen who, due to the Penal Laws, left their homes to take service with France and Spain.

## History

The origins of the Ultonia Regiment were at Zaragoza where, on 1 November 1709, the Marquis of Castelar, acting on behalf of Phillip V, would authorise Colonel Demetrio MacAulif to raise the MacAulif Regiment, to be formed by one battalion. Originally numbering 408 men, the unit's first duties were to pursue the groups of "seditious" forces in Aragon.
By 1718, it had come to be known as the Ultonia Regiment. By 1811, it had been reduced to just one battalion, known as the Distinguished Ultonia Regiment (Regimiento de Distinguidos de Ultonia) and by 1815 it had returned to being called the Ultonia Regiment.

## Actions
### War of the Spanish Succession

Having been incorporated into the Bourbon-Spanish army of Phillip V in his withdrawal from Catalonia, the regiment's first battle, at Almenara (27 July 1709), to the north of Lleida, resulted in defeat against an Allied force of British, Portuguese, Dutch and Austrian troops supporting Archduke Charles. The following month, the regiment fought at Peñalba (Huesca) (11 August) and were again defeated at the Battle of Saragossa (20 August).
On 11 June 1715, 24 infantry battalions and 1,200 horse of the Ultonia Regiment, together with the corresponding artillery, set sail for Mallorca and Ibiza, accompanied by 18 warships and six galleys. Commanded by Lieutenant-general Asfeld, after capturing the fortress at Alcudia, the regiment laid siege to Palma, which capitulated on 2 June. Ibiza surrendered forthwith.

### War of the Quadruple Alliance

At the beginning of 1718, the regiment's name was officially established as Ultonia. The following July, 700 men of the regiment joined Marquis de Lede's expeditionary force sent to reconquer Sicily, where the regiment took the citadel at Messina.
On 20 June 1719, the commander-in-chief of the Ultonia Regiment, Colonel Tadeo Mac-Aulif, was killed at the Battle of Francavilla. The following year, the regiment landed at Alicante and, with Guillermo Lacy taking command, the Ultonia Regiment marched to garrison Valencia.
In 1722, the regiment was given the command of Aragon and the garrison at Zaragoza.

### Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729)

In 1727, the regiment marched to take part in the Siege of Gibraltar where they remained for the duration of the siege. From there, the regiment was sent to Barcelona where its two battalions were brought up to number and stationed at villages around the city, with orders to embark at a moment's notice.
In 1732 the whole regiment marched to Valencia, where nine of its companies, together with the general staff, were sent to Alicante to join the expedition to Africa, forming part of the division led by General René. That November they sailed for Oran, where they were to reinforce the units that had gained control of the fortress-city.

### Peninsular War

By 1808, that is, at the start of the War, these "Irish" regiments had only 1,900 men under arms between the three of them, instead of the customary 5,000. On the other hand, most of the troops were no longer Irishmen, but of all nationalities.
The Ultonia Regiment was garrisoned at Girona during the first (June 1808), second (24 July to 16 August 1808) and third sieges (1809) of that city. In time for the third siege, the regiment at Girona had seen its numbers raised from 200 to 800 bayonets, mainly made up of Catalan recruits. However, while on 6 May 1809 its three battalions numbered 800 men, the number that remained on 11 December, the day of surrender, had been reduced to 250.
The regiment provided a "skeleton battalion" of 150 men that formed part of the small core of regular troops of the garrison, under the command of the governor, Colonel Peter O'Daly, who had distinguished himself at Girona, at the Siege of Roses (November to 5 December 1808).
Troops from the Ultonia formed one of the five battalions of regular troops, plus the 3,000 miqueletes, garrisoned at Sant Ferran Castle under Brigadier General Juan Antonio Martínez, that had been holding out at the Siege of Figueras (10 April to 19 August 1811).

## Post-war

In 1815, the Regiment of Alpujarras (2,400 men in two battalions), that had been raised in Granada in 1808, became the 2nd Battalion of the Ultonia Regiment, and the Regiment of the Leales Manresanos (1,947 men), that had been raised in Catalonia in 1811, became the 3rd Battalion.

## Disbandment

The major reform of Spain's army carried out in 1818 led to the foreign regiments, as well as those with foreign names, including the three "Irish" regiments, be ng disbanded. The Ultonia Regiment was merged into other regiments as follows: the 1st Battalion was incorporated into the Burgos Regiment, the 2nd Battalion into the Castilla Volunteer Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion into the Granada Regiment.

## Colonels of the regiment

Following Demetrio MacAulif, other colonels of the regiment included the following:
* John Sherlock (Juan Sckerlock)
* Enrique O'Donnell, Conde de La Bisbal
* Pedro Sarsfield

## Officers and other ranks mentioned in the historiography

* William Nash, Spanish-Irish colonel at Girona (1809)
* Peter O'Daly, at Gerona and governor of the garrison at Rosas