Everyday life and everyday life of officers of the Russian army. Life and customs in the Russian army at the beginning of the 19th century. Digression from topic

Service always began with the lower ranks. Officer candidates entered as privates into one of the guards regiments - Preobrazhensky or Semenovsky. There, after serving for five or six years, or more (depending on ability), they received the rank of guard corporal or sergeant and were transferred to army regiments, enlisted in the army as warrant officers or second lieutenants. Both guards regiment were kept in a double set compared to the others (4 battalions instead of 2) and were a nursery for officers for the entire army, a kind of military schools that gave their students not only combat training, but also excellent combat training. For a hundred years, all those who created passed through their ranks. great Russia eighteenth century...

In the cavalry, the role of a military school was played by the life regiment, where youngsters signed up as dragoons. At first, during the era of the Northern War, it was the St. Petersburg Dragoon, and from the beginning of the 20s it was the Kronshlot Dragoon, named the Horse Guards in 1730.

The role of the Guard officers, these first-born chicks of Petrov’s nest, and their importance in the country were very great. They performed not only military (and sometimes naval service), but often received important assignments for other departments, for example, diplomatic ones, royal couriers, auditors, etc. Thus, the duties of chief officers of the Guard included attending meetings as fiscal officers Governing Senate and ensuring that gentlemen senators do not engage in extraneous matters. In general, Peter's officer, the guards in particular, was a jack of all trades, like his great Sovereign, whose example was before everyone's eyes.

Peter the Great understood the importance of an officer in the country and tried in every possible way to give him a privileged position. In the table of ranks, with equality of ranks, the military had an advantage over civilians and courtiers. There were 14 ranks:

I rank – field marshal general, admiral general, chancellor;

II - general of the branch of arms (chief), admiral, actual privy councilor;

III – Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral, Privy Councilor;

IV – major general, rear admiral, actual state councilor;

V – brigadier, schoutbenacht, state councilor;

VI – colonel, captain 1st rank, collegiate adviser;

VII – lieutenant colonel, captain 2nd rank, court adviser;

VIII – major, lieutenant commander, collegiate assessor;

IX – captain, lieutenant, titular adviser;

X – staff captain, collegiate secretary;

XI - lieutenant, ship's secretary;

XII – second lieutenant, midshipman, provincial secretary;

XIII – ensign, provincial secretary;

XIV – collegiate registrar.

In the artillery, the rank of ensign corresponded to the rank of bayonet-cadet, and between the lieutenant and the captain there was the rank of captain-lieutenant. The promotion of chief officers to staff officers and from staff officers to generals was determined by voting, and this order, which, of course, had its benefits, but also great inconveniences, was preserved until Peter’s death. Foreigners, entering Russian service, were seconded to generals and staff officers, under whom they carried out ordinary duties, taking a closer look at the service and mastering the language. At the end of this experience, they received production and enlisted in the service. The salaries of foreigners were on average double, as befits mercenaries. By the end of the reign of Peter I, there were about a third of the total number of general and staff officer ranks at the top (in 1726, in an army of 5 chiefs - 2 foreigners, of 19 lieutenant generals and major generals - 8, of 22 brigadiers - 5, of 115 colonels - 82).

For special merits, the orders of St. Andrew the First-Called (first and for a long time the only Russian order, founded in 1698), and at the end of the reign of St. Alexander Nevsky (founded in 1722).

Troop control in Peaceful time was concentrated in the hands of a military collegium, established in 1719 and which initially had 3 departments (expeditions) - army, garrison and artillery, which were in charge of field, garrison and material forces, respectively.

Higher tactical formations, brigades (2–3 regiments) and divisions (2–4 brigades) were formed only in wartime. In peacetime, the highest administrative unit was the regiment.

By the end of the reign of Peter I, the army consisted of infantry: 2 guards, 2 grenadiers and 42 infantry regiments (of which 9 were lower corps in Persia), a total of 70,000 bayonets with 200 guns of regimental artillery; cavalry: 33 dragoon regiments - 37,850 people, 100 pieces of horse artillery; artillery: 1 guards, 4 army cannon companies - 4190 people with 21 regimental and 160 siege guns; sapper: 2 companies - engineering and mineral. In total, the active troops have 112,000 combat troops with 480 guns. The cavalry thus made up a third of the field troops, and for every thousand fighters there were an average of 3 cannons (not counting siege ones). In addition, there were 68,000 garrison troops (50 infantry and 4 dragoon regiments), 10,000 land militia (4 infantry and 16 cavalry regiments) and 35,000 Cossacks.

A total of 225,000, and including the fleet personnel, there are 250,000 lifelong professionals.

The infantry regiments were in 2 battalions and consisted of 1 grenadier and 7 fuselier companies. We only had battalions in 1698. Before that, regiments were divided directly into companies. Both guards regiments had 4 battalions. Many army regiments during various periods of the Northern War also had 4 or 3 battalions. Each regiment had two 3-pound cannons, on the carriage of which two 6-pound mortars could be fitted, if necessary. The gunners wore regimental uniforms and were subordinate to the regimental infantry command. The escort guns of the Peter the Great era weighed 20 pounds and were transported by a pair of horses. The staff of the infantry regiment was 1200 combatants. Until 1708, regiments were named after colonels.

Each infantry and dragoon company had its own banner. The banner of the 1st company was considered regimental and was white, the color of the rest was at the colonel's choice (most often black). The service life of the banners was 5 years and they were considered ammunition items, although their loss was already considered shameful and units could be deprived of their banners in court. (Standards were first introduced during the formation of the cuirassiers in 1733.)

All cavalry were dragoons. The dragoon regiment consisted of 5 squadrons of 2 companies each, in all 10 companies there were 1200 combat troops (the first companies were considered, like in the infantry, grenadiers). Each regiment was also given two 3-pound cannons, and in addition one 20-pound howitzer, weighing less than 30 pounds.

The fighter's weapons were in the infantry: a fusee (gun) and a sword for everyone. The fusée weighed 14 pounds, the bayonet (baguinet) was inserted into the barrel, so it was impossible to shoot with the bayonet attached. The grenadiers had, in addition to only 2 grenade bags (one 6-pound grenade in each). Non-commissioned officers had tall halberds instead of fusees. The shortage of guns forced Peter to reintroduce pikes (half-pikes, so-called protazans) into infantry service in 1707. Pikemen (at one time over a quarter of the entire infantry) formed the rear 4 ranks and were assigned primarily to provide cover for the artillery. The dragoons had a fusee, pistols and a broadsword. Fusées were worn on the shoulder of the infantry; among the dragoons they were attached to the saddle (there were no belts).

The uniform consisted of a long single-breasted caftan of green color (from the time of Peter until the beginning of the 20th century, for two hundred years, green color was the traditional color of the uniform of Russian troops), a camisole, short pants to the knees, green stockings and low shoes, boots on the march and on guard, and jackboots for the dragoons. In winter, they wore an epancha - a type of cloak.

The satisfaction was excellent. The daily ration consisted of a pound of meat, two pounds of bread, two glasses of wine and a garnz (quart) of beer. One and a half garnets of cereal and two pounds of salt were issued monthly. The Tsar himself tested this ration on himself for a month, before approving it. The soldier was entitled to a salary of 24 rubles per year, of which, however, half was deducted for uniforms.

There were no barracks and the troops were billeted among the inhabitants. When allocating apartments to troops, the Military Charter required one bed for three people, on the basis that two would sleep on it, and the third would be occupied by guards. We can be convinced from this that the dispatch of guard duty in those days absorbed a third of the available troops.

The discipline of Peter's army was harsh: people were put under arrest in chains, corporal punishment was frequent, but not particularly cruel. Demotion (in severe cases with defamation and without seniority) was widely practiced. Officers, sometimes senior generals, like Repnin, signed up to be soldiers, while lower ranks signed up to become cab drivers (i.e., wagon drivers). Military units could also be subject to disgrace. This is what Peter wrote in one of his military articles: Regiments or companies that flee from the battlefield are judged in the general military court, and if it is found that the commanders are the reason for this, then defame them and, having broken the sword over them through the executioner, hang them. If the culprits are officers and privates, then the first should be executed as stated, and of the last, by lot, the tenth, or as ordered, should also be hanged; the rest should be punished with spitzrutens and, moreover, without banners, they should stand outside the convoy until they atone for the crime with brave deeds. Whoever proves his innocence will be spared. Peter I thus introduced the principle of Roman decimation (execution of the tenth) into the troops. If we remember that the Military Charter sets the small army of Julius Caesar as a model, then we can argue that when organizing the regiments of the Third Rome, the Tsar took an example from the legions of the First. It must be added to the credit of the Russian army that it was not necessary to resort to this kind of punishment. Nevertheless, this formidable maxim has served its purpose, guiding more than one timid heart onto the true path.

The short article of 1706 introduced the punishment of spitzrutens, which until then had been applied (as a foreign punishment) only to foreigners who served with us. Spitzrutens were appointed exclusively by court and the culprit was driven through the gauntlet ( greatest number spitzrutenov - driving a regiment through the ranks, assigned for repeated robbery). Punishment with batogs (rods) was imposed as a disciplinary measure.

With all this, corporal punishment in the Russian army of the 18th century was not as frequent and not as cruel as in foreign armies.

The few surviving tales of Peter the Great's regiments - combat reports, reports of all kinds, reports and correspondence - allow us to judge the life of the troops. Looking at these tales, we are first of all struck by the extent of desertion. For example, in the Butyrsky regiment, considered one of the best in the army, 361 people fled from 1712 to 1721, i.e., over a quarter of the regular staff in ten years. This phenomenon is explained by the novelty for the Russian people of the harsh and heavy conscription service, which was also lifelong. Called under the banners of the Danes, at first he could not get used to the idea that he would never again see his own family, his native village, his native fields. This is where most of the escapes come from. Often the fugitives took away ammunition and weapons - fuses, swords, sometimes even halberds. All this did not at all serve to ensure peace on the highways. It is characteristic that of the total number of escapes indicated in the Butyrsky regiment, 361 over ten years, only one took place before the enemy (for which the culprit was executed by death - shot). This circumstance serves as a kind of indicator High Quality troops.

Little by little, the forced professional became accustomed to his fate, his share of the cut-off slice. Every year, the abandoned loved ones became more and more distant, the regiment, which was hated at first, became increasingly closer... The soldier transferred all his affection to him, his second and last family, and for camaraderie, soldierhood. So little by little, gradually, from generation to generation, the immortal type of Russian soldier, Peter the Great and Elizabethan fuselier, Catherine’s miracle hero, Nicholas’s campaigner was created...

The territorial recruiting system introduced by Peter (in which fellow countrymen were assigned to the same regiment) then provided a tremendous service to the Russian army: recruitment was easier to bear - no matter what, the young regiments soon acquired the necessary cohesion.

The regiments accepted from their recruiting district, on average, 80,100 recruits annually in years when there were no significant losses, for example, in the last period of the Northern War, i.e. they completely changed their composition in 10–12 years. The recruit lists did not indicate their age or physical data (height, chest size, etc.). We know that they were accepted without examination. Only literacy was noted; from tales, for example, the Butyrsky Regiment (which had a capital recruiting district, Butyrskaya Sloboda in Moscow) it is clear that there were 2-3 literate people per hundred, in other regiments there were even fewer.

Taking into account the heavy losses in the battles and campaigns of the first half of the Northern War, we can say that during this entire twenty-five-year struggle, the Russian army completely changed its composition three times. Our losses are estimated at approximately 300,000; who can count exactly how many of them fell into Finnish swamps, into Polish clay, into German sand? How many were crowned with blood for piety in the fields of Livonia, Ingria, Poland, Germany, Little Russia... And how many died there from various ulcers and fevers, from all kinds of superhuman labors and inhuman deprivations?

Let us remember what a great fate befell at least the soldiers of the Ostrovsky and Tolbukhin regiments, the first settlers of Kotlin and the Peter and Paul fortress! In the distant Finnish wilds, with a gun in one hand and an ax in the other, they cleared a windfall on the site of the future Neva prospect under wolf howl and shots from Swedish partisans. And the bones of these first pioneers, who laid down their heads in that distant, unsightly land, became the piles of St. Petersburg, the foundation of Russian great power... Let us remember the same Butyrtsevs, great-grandfathers in the direct line of Gavrila Sidorov, who carried ships from White Sea to Lake Onega... And this whole Peter’s army, suffering hardships, but cheerful in spirit, directed with an iron hand to new exploits, making thousand-mile marches in the mud and cold - from Poltava to Riga, from Riga to Iasi, from Iasi to Copenhagen - was not Is it the army of a great people, the army of a great King?

The Russian soldier of Peter the Great's time, who said goodbye to his family forever in the name of serving Russia, was an example of perseverance and patience, loyalty and self-denial, which other peoples do not know. And grateful Russia will keep his image in its heart forever.

Petrovsky regiments:

Life Guards Preobrazhensky (1683);

Life Guards Semenovsky (1683);

2nd Grenadier Rostov (1700 - infantry Gulitsa, from 1708 Rostov);

5th Grenadier Kyiv (1700 - infantry Vilima von Delden, from 1708 - Kyiv);

9th Grenadier Siberian (1700 - infantry Irika von Werden, from 1708 - Siberian);

12th Astrakhan Grenadier (1700 – Bruss Infantry, from 1790 Astrakhan). From 1708 to 1790 this regiment was called Vologda. Since 1708, the name Astrakhan was borne by the regiment of Alexander Gordon, formed in 1700, which in 1790 went to staff the Georgian Grenadiers, which received its status.

11th Pskov Infantry (1700 - Mevsa Infantry, from 1708 - Pskov);

15th Shlisselburg Infantry (1700 - Infantry von Treiden, from 1708 - Shlisselburg);

17th Infantry Archangel City (1700 - Infantry Krota, from 1708 Arkhangelsk);

19th Kostroma Infantry (1700 - infantry of Nicholas von Werden, from 1805 - Kostroma);

22nd Nizhny Novgorod Infantry (1700 - Pohlmann's Infantry, from 1708 Nizhny Novgorod);

25th Infantry Smolensky (1700 - Infantry Bilsa, from 1708 Smolensky);

29th Infantry Chernigov (1700 - infantry von Schweden, since 1708 Chernigov);

45th Azov Infantry (1700 - Bush Infantry, since 1708 - Azov);

61st Vladimir Infantry (1700 - Junger Infantry, from 1708 Vladimirsky);

64th Kazan Infantry (1700 - infantry von Delden, from 1708 Kazan);

65th Moscow Infantry (1700 - Ivanitsky Infantry, from 1708 Moscow);

85th Vyborg Infantry (1700 - Kuloma Infantry, from 1708 Vyborgsky) - Founded in 1700, the glorious Vyborg Regiment was disbanded in 1833 and went to form Finnish line battalions (we began to value the old regiments only from the second half of the 19th century century). In 1863, infantry regiments of the 22nd division were formed from Finnish line battalions, and the 85th was named Vyborg, although the battalions formed from the former Vyborg regiment went to form the 88th Petrovsky infantry regiment, which thus had more reason to be called Vyborg - The old Velikolutsk regiment was converted into a huntsman in 1810, and in 1833, with the abolition of the rangers, it was disbanded. In 1835, an infantry regiment was again formed, called Velikolupkiy. Emperor Alexander III in 1884 ordered the preservation of the names of the two oldest regiments in Russia - Velikolutsk and Vyborg, their seniority as an exception from general rule assign the 12th Velikolutsk infantry and 85th Vyborg infantry regiments. In the table below, we therefore include these shelves as an exception.

3rd Narvsky Infantry (1703 - Schoenbeck Infantry, from 1708 - Narvsky);

9th Infantry Staro-Ingermanlandsky (1703 - Menshikov’s infantry, from 1704 - Staro-Ingermanlandsky);

27th Vitebsk Infantry (1703 – Skripitsyn’s Infantry, from 1784 Vitebsk);

38th Infantry Tobolsk (1703 - infantry of Prince Repnin, from 1708 Tobolsk);

69th Ryazan Infantry (1703 - Lang Infantry, from 1708 - Ryazan);

1st Infantry Nevsky (1706 - Kulikov Infantry, from 1711 - Nevsky);

62nd Suzdal Infantry (1707 - Renzel Infantry, from 1727 Suzdal) see note. 13th Infantry Belozersky (1708 - Grenadier Repnin, from 1727 - Belozersky);

16th Ladoga Infantry (1708 - Bush Grenadier, from 1727 Ladoga);

21st Infantry Muromsky (1708 - Grenadier Engberg, from 1721 Muromsky);

63rd Infantry Uglitsky (1708 - Grenadier Bilsa, from 1727 Uglitsky);

Life Guards Kexholmsky (1710 - Grenadier Prince Baryatinsky, from 1727 - Kexholmsky - formed as the Second Grenadier);

8th Estland Infantry (1711 – Estland garrison);

12th Velikolutsky Infantry (1711 – Azov garrison, from 1835 Velikolutsky);

193rd Infantry Sviyazhsky (1711 - Kazan garrison, from 1891 Sviyazhsky);

81st Absheron Infantry (1722 - Astrabad Infantry, from 1732 Ashperon);

84th Shirvan Infantry (1724);

1st Life Dragoon Moscow (1700 – Dragoon Gulipa, from 1708 Moscow);

17th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoons (1701 – Morelia Dragoons, from 1708 Nizhny Novgorod);

12th Uhlan Belgorod (1701 – Dragoon Dev-gerina, from 1826 Belgorod);

13th Ulan Vladimir (1701 – Zhdanova’s dragoon, from 1708 Vladimir);

Life Guards Cuirassier of His Majesty (1702 - Dragoon of Prince Volkonsky, since 1796 - Cuirassier of His Majesty);

Life Guards Cuirassier of Her Majesty (1704 - Dragoon Portes, since 1796 - Cuirassier of Her Majesty);

10th Hussars of Ingria (1704);

13th Narvsky Hussars (1705 – Pestov’s Dragoons, from 1708 Narvsky);

5th Dragoons of Kargopol (1707);

1st Uhlan St. Petersburg (1707 – Geshov Dragoon Life Regiment, from 1721 – St. Petersburg);

4th Dragoon Novotroitsko-Ekaterinoslavsky (1708 - Dragoon Kropotov, from 1708 - Novotroitsky, from 1783 - Novotroitsko-Ekaterinoslavsky);

3rd Ulan Smolensky (1708 - Roslavsky Dragoon, from 1765 Smolensky);

11th Dragoons of Riga (1709 - grenadier of Prince Kropotkin, from 1727 - Riga);

13th Dragoons of the Military Order (1709 - Grenadier von der Roop, since 1774 - Dragoons of the Military Order);

Life Guards Cavalry (1721 – Dragoon Kronshlotsky, from 1730 Cavalry);

Life Guards artillery brigade (1683 - bombardment company, since 1796 - Life Guards artillery brigade);

Guards Crew (1710).

Note. The Suzdal regiment was formed from the remnants of seven regiments of the Vostromirsky division, which were completely defeated at Fraustadt. The tables include only shelves that have never been disbanded. The first date is the founding of the regiment, the second is the granting of the present name to the regiment. Many regiments changed their names several times. We can note that in the 16th Infantry Division of the old Imperial Army, all four regiments were founded by Peter (and, moreover, even before the Battle of Poltava).

The 14th Gruzinsky Grenadier should be counted among the Petrovsky regiments: it was formed in 1700, called the Alexander Gordon Infantry, in 1708 the Astrakhan Infantry and in 1785 renamed the Caucasian.

Officers in Tsarist Russia have always been a special “caste”, different from both soldiers and civilians. Detachment from society was explained, in particular, by the fact that officers did not have the right to join political parties, but had to be guided throughout their lives only by the principles of duty and honor. Where are the officers late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, they spent time when they could get married and how they defended their honor, Ekaterina Astafieva will tell.

Don't play around

In 1904, captain Valentin Kulchitsky compiled a unique set of rules “Advice to a young officer.” Based on his notes, the “Code of Honor of the Russian Officer” was created, which spelled out the basic rules of life - both personal and public. For example, officers were advised to “behave simply, with dignity, without foppery,” but at the same time not to forget the difference between “dignified politeness” and “adulation.”

In 1904, the “Code of Honor of the Russian Officer” was created

One of the points of the code read: “Don’t play around - you can’t prove your daring, but you will compromise yourself.” True, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in “War and Peace” very colorfully depicted the revelry of the color of the nation and, for example, the Semyonovsky officer Dolokhov, drinking a bottle of rum on a dare, sitting on the third floor window with his legs down. In general, a real officer had to be able to do everything in moderation: if he did drink, then not get drunk, and if he played cards, then never get into debt.

Bashilov “Dolokhov’s Wager”, 1866

Money down the drain

Nevertheless, they often got into debt: this is not surprising, because officer salaries were generally low. Paying off a gambling debt was considered a matter of honor (remember how, in the same Tolstoy novel, Nikolai Rostov wanted to commit suicide because of a debt that he was unable to repay). The officer had to purchase uniforms at his own expense, and the prices, to put it mildly, were steep: on average, a uniform cost about 45 rubles, a frock coat - 32, a cap - 7, boots - 10, a sword belt - 2.6 rubles. Mandatory expenses also included membership in the officers' meeting, an officer's library, and borrowed capital. It was especially expensive to serve in the guards infantry, because regiments were often located in the capital. The biggest spenders served in the Guards cavalry. They lived in grand style, regularly hosting luxurious dinners, which the officer could not refuse to attend. The cavalrymen considered it beneath their dignity to sit in the theater not in the first row of the stalls or in the box; they refused the government horses that everyone was entitled to and bought their own, the most expensive ones.

Lieutenant of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment with a lady

Life as prescribed

There were also official instructions on how not to lose your dignity. For example, an officer could not afford to visit hotels and restaurants of the lower ranks, taverns, tea houses and pubs, as well as 3rd class buffets on railway stations. The officer could not carry bags and packages himself, but was obliged to pay for the delivery of goods to his home. It was considered important not to skimp on tips, although not everyone’s salary allowed them to waste money.

The officer could not carry bags and packages himself

On the propriety of marriage

Officers were also limited in matters of marriage. In 1866, rules were approved according to which an officer had no right to marry before the age of 23. Until 28, the officer had to ask for permission to marry from his superiors, providing property security. The bride had to be chosen in accordance with the concepts of decency. The future wife had to be distinguished by “good morals and good manners,” and the girl’s social status was also taken into account. Officers were prohibited from marrying artists and divorcees who took the blame for the divorce. Getting married without permission could easily get you fired.

The officer had to ask his superiors for permission to marry

Thursdays and Tuesdays

The officers did not have to choose entertainment. Mandatory attendance at the officers' meeting was interspersed with home evenings in the officers' families. It was considered good form to host “Thursdays” or “Tuesdays,” to which colleagues and their relatives were invited. Those who served in the capital were luckier, because they could go out into the world at regularly organized balls and dinner parties. IN rural areas Some landowners, wanting to prove that their society was no worse than in the cities, also liked to invite officers to evenings. The lack of theaters in the outback was compensated for by home concerts and amateur performances. The Code of Honor of the Russian Officer noted, however, that it is not customary for military personnel to dance at public masquerades.

Non-commissioned officers of the Russian army before being sent to the First world war, 1914

To the barrier!

The officer's honor did not give him any privileges; rather, on the contrary, it made him even more vulnerable. Considerable courage was required by the willingness to risk one's life so as not to be dishonored. It was considered a sign of bad taste to show offence, but not do anything to sort things out with the offender. The price of words was increased by the threat of a mortal duel - a public insult inevitably entailed a duel. Duels in Russia were fought with all their might, but no imperial decrees could prohibit officers from demanding satisfaction from their offenders. An officer who endured an insult and did not challenge his enemy to a duel was considered forever disgraced. Interestingly, in 1894, special rules were issued that in some way legalized duels.

Since 1894, the court could officially rule on the necessity of a duel

According to the greatest commandment, all cases of officer quarrels were sent to the court of the society of officers, which could already decide the need for a duel. Real bratism was widespread in the first half of the 19th century. Ryleev, for example, was ready to challenge him to a duel with or without reason, and the sun of Russian poetry, Pushkin, before the infamous duel, went to the barrier at least 30 times, without, however, injuring anyone.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was an avid duelist

The era of Peter the Great is famous for the scale and strength of the latest reforms. They completely changed the lives of all segments of the population, starting with statesmen and ending with serfs. The most significant are military reforms - this is the reorganization and radical change of the army Russian state in the period from the XIIV to the XVIII centuries.

Peter I is the last Tsar and first Emperor of Russia. Born in the village of Kolomenskoye on June 9, 1672. Came to power at the age of 10, albeit nominally. He spent the entire time of his reign after the overthrow of Princess Sophia on campaigns, which allowed him to bring the country to a new world level. Peter the creator of the Russian fleet and regiments, founder new capital– St. Petersburg, reformer. He is the first ruler of Russia to travel abroad on a Grand Embassy. He mastered many professions while traveling throughout Europe. Peter I - the winner in Northern War, a hero and tormentor for his people. He died of illness at the age of 52, leaving no heir to his great empire.

The essence of the reforms

Peter I became interested in military affairs as a child. Amusing regiments were created especially for him, and then an amusing fleet and artillery. Games, after a decade, have become a reality. It is on this experience that the strongest army in Europe. Army reforms were necessary for Russia during the reign of Peter the Great. They radically changed the structure, system and content of the army.

Basic principles:

• New recruitment method (recruit kits);
• Creation of a unified troop control system;
• Creation of a fleet;
• Organization of independent military production;
• Organization of the army according to the European model;
• Opening of special educational institutions.

Reasons for reforms and their purpose

The young king understood the importance of reforms, because there were enough reasons:

• The existing army consisted of militia and streltsy ranks, which did not inspire confidence in the king due to frequent riots.
• The army was incapacitated and unorganized, this was proven by the Azov campaigns;
• Proximity of war with Sweden.

The main goal: the creation of a trained and permanent army capable of leading Russia to victory in the Northern War.

This is interesting! The War with Sweden or the Northern War (1700-1721) is a conflict between Sweden and the Northern Alliance. The latter was organized by Peter I during the Great Embassy. The goal of the war is to gain access to the Baltic Sea and raise the international authority of the Russian state.

Stages of reform

The foundation for army reforms had already been laid by Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter’s father. The changes did not bring full results, and the army remained ineffective. There was no strict system of its organization. So the Streltsy army was recruited from the willing urban population. The Sagittarius, in addition to military affairs, were also engaged in crafts. There was no complete management system. Different orders controlled different parts of the army, without communicating with each other.

The military reform was multifaceted, extensive and covered more than one sphere of society. These transformations took a long time. The following directions can be roughly distinguished:

• Acquisition
• Control
• Structure
• Armament
• Education

Progress of reforms

In addition to all of the above, Peter also thought about rearmament of the army. This is how new guns and grenades were obtained. Foreign masters and teachers were invited. Reforms came one after another. There have been cases when changes did not achieve their goal because they were too drastic and thoughtless.

Pros and cons of military reforms

What Peter I had in mind was fully realized. Now no one in the world doubted the strength Russian weapons, because the most powerful army in Europe was defeated. However, the changes had both positive and negative results:

Pros of military reform:

• Victory in the Northern War brought not only access to the Baltic Sea, but also the status of an empire for the Russian state;
• The creation of a full-fledged and permanent army, which was capable of not only leading fighting, but also to win with valor;
• Creation of our own military production, namely, independent provision of the army with weapons, uniforms, artillery, etc.;
• A strong fleet, which as such has never existed in the Russian state;
• Development of education, namely the opening of new schools and special institutions for mastering modern crafts.

Disadvantages of military reform:

• Service became mandatory for the nobility and was initially intended to be lifelong, and later 25 years;
• Complete enslavement of peasants in production;
• Strong material costs that had a detrimental effect on the lives of ordinary people.

Historical significance of military reforms

Military reforms allowed Russia to remain the most powerful and powerful power in Europe for a long time. Thanks to these fundamental changes, Russia received the status of an empire, which completely changed the course of its history.