Let's start with the myth that Peter the Great allegedly created a regular army in Russia. But this is completely untrue. The creation of a regular army in Russia began in Time of Troubles and completed in 1679–1681. In 1621, just 8 years after Mikhail Fedorovich’s accession to the throne, Anisim Mikhailov’s son Radishevsky, clerk of the Pushkarsky order, wrote the “Charter of military, cannon and other matters relating to military science" - the first military regulations in Russia. The charter of Anisim Radishevsky began to be written back in 1607; it generalized the experience of the Time of Troubles and contained translations of many foreign books. On the basis of almost 663 articles of the new Charter, the regular army of the Romanov era began to form. Half a century before the birth of Peter.
According to the Charter, the Streltsy troops and noble militia were retained in the army, but in parallel with them, “regiments of a foreign system” were introduced: soldiers, (infantry); dragoons (horseback); Reitarsky (mixed). According to this Charter, the ranks are “voivodship” and “general”. A well-ordered hierarchy of lieutenants, captains, colonels, topped by generals, helps control troops and psychologically facilitates rapprochement with Europe. The charter determined who they are, colonels and lieutenants, and what place they occupy in the hierarchy, and foreign words I used them only when it was difficult to do without them.
In 1630, the army consisted of the following groups of troops:
Noble cavalry - 27,433
Sagittarius - 28,130
Cossacks - 11,192
Pushkari - 4136
Tatars -10 208
Volga peoples - 8493
Foreigners - 2783
Total 92,500 people
The composition of the army is traditional irregular troops, except for mercenary foreigners. The government, preparing for the war for Smolensk, intends to change this tradition, and in April 1630, an order was sent to all districts to recruit homeless nobles and boyar children into the military service, and then everyone who wanted it. This gave an excellent result, and soon 6 regiments of soldiers were created - 1,600 privates and 176 commanders. The regiment was divided into 8 companies. Average command staff:
1. Colonel
2. Lieutenant Colonel (large regimental lieutenant)
3. Maeor (watchman or okolnichy)
4. 5 captains
Each company had:
1. Lieutenant
2. Ensign
3. 3 sergeants (Pentecostal)
4. Quartermaster (officer)
5. Kaptenarmus (watchman under arms)
6. 6 corporals (esauls)
7. Doctor
8. Clerk
9. 2 interpreters
10. 3 drummers
11. 120 musketeers and 80 spearmen
In December 1632, there was already a Reitar regiment of 2000 people, in which there were 12 companies of 176 people each under the command of captains, and there was a dragoon company of 400 people. By 1682, when Peter was 4 years old, the formation of foreign regiments as the basis of the Russian army was completed.
And Peter allegedly destroyed the completely medieval noble militia and the useless archers.
But the noble militia has not been medieval for a long time, since 1676. Peter, indeed, began to disband the Streltsy troops after the Azov campaigns. But after Narva, having become convinced of the qualities of the Streltsy army, he interrupted the disbandment. Streltsy participated in both the Northern War and Prut campaign 1711. Until the 1720s, there was, in the words of an authoritative reference book, “a gradual absorption of the Streltsy by regular troops.”
But this is part of the regular central army. And until the end of the 18th century, service people of the old services survived, and among them were city archers. As they carried out police service, they carried out the entire 18th century.
Some are also convinced that Peter invented the baguette bayonet and shooting with plutongs. (Any innovation in Russia that occurred during the Petrine era is immediately attributed to Peter)
Shooting with plutongs was invented in 1707 by Marquis Sebastian le Pierre Vau Ban, Marshal of France, famous Marshal of Louis XIV.
Previously, one line would come forward, shoot, and leave. The 2nd rank advanced, etc... Now one rank lay on the ground, the 2nd knelt, and the 3rd fired while standing. The intensity of the fire attack increased sharply, and such shooting began to be adopted by all armies. Russian too.
It would be more correct to call a baguette a bayonet. It was invented in the city of Bayonne, in the French Pyrenees. Locals, professional smugglers, needed protection from French and Spanish border guards. Well, they came up with a bayonet that, after firing, can be inserted into the barrel of a gun. Considering that several minutes passed between shots, the advantage was given to the one who could instantly turn his gun into a spear.
Peter actually used the bayonet under the Russian pseudonym baginet, and the only army reform that he actually carried out is connected with this. It is surprising why supporters of Peter and the reforms he carried out do not use this example. After all, after the terrible defeat of the Russian army from the Swedes in Grodno in 1706, Peter, indeed, reformed the army.
Then, in January 1706, Charles XII, having lost 3,000 soldiers frostbitten and sick, with a sudden rush surrounded and blocked the Russian army in Grodno. It was possible to withdraw the army from complete defeat only in the spring, taking advantage of the ice drift and throwing more than a hundred cannons into the river. Because of the ice drift, Karl could not cross to the other side of the Dvina and pursue the fleeing Russians.
Until this time, the army created by Fyodor Alekseevich and his generals in 1679–1681 fought. The Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments were formed according to all the rules of this army: the same uniforms, the same metal helmets, the same 20 or 30% of the available personnel - spearmen, without firearms. Now Peter completely removed the spearmen, replacing them all with musketeers, introducing the bayonet-baginet. And he introduced soft cocked hats instead of helmets, green uniforms, which the guards were proud of even under Catherine: they say, our uniform was introduced by Peter the Great!
Some military historians believe that here, too, Peter did not act independently. In all European armies of that time, the helmet disappeared as an unnecessary detail, and the baguette was introduced everywhere. Peter only in once again played pranks from Europe.
Not only did the Naryshkins’ reign turn out to be like a steamroller for the army: the nobles who supported the Naryshkins sought “relaxations” and, according to Prince Ya.F. Dolgorukov, “unthinking, they ruined everything established by the previous tsars.” Peter, if he wanted to fight, had to start a lot all over again. And accustom the local cavalry to the order introduced in 1681, and create new “regiments of foreign order.”
It was possible, of course, to call up those who had already served in such regiments, but Peter took a different path. In 1698–1699, he began to enroll freed slaves, peasants, and even serfs into the regiments without the consent of the owners. Such an army, according to the Austrian Korb, was “a rabble of the worst soldiers recruited from the poorest mob.” For more kind words Brunswick envoy Weber, “the most sorrowful people.”
Peter's first army in the Northern War was composed in a similar way: 29 new regiments of freemen and datochny, 1000 people each, were attached to 4 old regiments, 2 guards and 2 personnel. Narva discovered their fighting quality.
True, the “second army of Peter” was not recruited from the most the best people. Selecting and training the “best” takes time, and in just 10 years of war, recruitment pumped out about 300,000 recruits from a population of 14 million. If in 1701 the regular army complex was 40,000 people, then in 1708 it was 113,000 people.
By the end of Peter's reign, regular troops in Russian Empire there were already from 196 to 212 thousand, and 110 thousand Cossacks and foreigners who fought “in their own formation” - Bashkirs, Tatars and peoples of the Volga region. This horde of armed men in 1712 was commanded by two field marshals, Menshikov and Sheremetev, and 31 generals, of which only 14 were foreigners.
Huge recruitment packages were needed not only to replenish the army, but also to cover the colossal losses that Peter’s army suffered even in peacetime- from hunger and cold. Weber believed that for every one killed in battle, two or three died from cold and hunger, sometimes even at assembly points. Because, having captured a recruit, they put shackles on him and made a tattoo in the shape of a cross on his right hand. (All that remained was to assign numbers to the recruits instead of names)
And the recruits were kept “... in great crowds, in prisons and prisons, for a considerable time, and thus exhausted on the spot, they were sent, without considering, according to the number of people and the distance of the journey, with one unfit officer or nobleman, with insufficient food; Moreover, having missed a convenient time, they will lead to a cruel thaw, which is why many illnesses occur on the road, and they die untimely, while others flee and join the thieves' companies - neither peasants nor soldiers, but they become ruiners of the state. Others would willingly go into service, but when they first see such disorder among their brethren, they fall into great fear.”
This quote is not from the writings of Old Believers or disgraced nobles, it is from the report of the Military Collegium to the Senate in 1719. The report was required after in 1718 there were 45 thousand “unrecruited recruits” in the army and 20 thousand on the run.
He stands among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, generals and naval commanders of Russian and world history of the 18th century. His whole life's work was to strengthen Russia's military power and increase its role in the international arena.
According to the prominent Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky, “military reform was Peter’s first-priority transformative task, the longest and most difficult for both himself and the people. It is very important in our history; it is not just a question of state defense: reform had a profound effect both on the structure of society and on the further course of events.”
The military reform of Peter I included a set of government measures to reorganize the system of army recruitment and military administration, create a regular navy, improve weapons, develop and implement a new system of training and education of military personnel.
During the reforms, the previous military organization was abolished: the noble and streltsy army and the regiments of the “new system” (military units formed in the 17th century in Russia on the model of Western European armies). These regiments went to form the regular army and formed its core.
Peter I introduced a new system of recruiting the regular army. In 1699, conscription was introduced, legalized by decree of the emperor in 1705. Its essence was that the state forcibly annually recruited a certain number of recruits into the army and navy from the tax-paying classes, peasants and townspeople. From 20 households they took one single person between the ages of 15 and 20 (however, during the Northern War, these periods constantly changed due to a shortage of soldiers and sailors).
By the end of Peter's reign, the number of all regular troops, infantry and cavalry, ranged from 196 to 212 thousand people.
Along with the reorganization of the land army, Peter began to create a navy. By 1700, the Azov fleet consisted of more than 50 ships. During Northern War The Baltic Fleet was created, which by the end of the reign of Peter I consisted of 35 large linear ships, 10 frigates and about 200 galley (rowing) ships with 28 thousand sailors.
The army and navy received a uniform and harmonious organization, regiments, brigades and divisions appeared, in the navy - squadrons, divisions and detachments, a single dragoon type cavalry was created. To manage the active army, the position of commander-in-chief (field marshal general) was introduced, and in the navy - admiral general.
Military administration reform was carried out. Instead of Orders, Peter I established a military collegium in 1718, which was in charge of the field army, “garrison troops” and all “military affairs”. The final structure of the Military College was determined by a decree of 1719. The first president of the military college was Alexander Menshikov. The collegial system differed from the order system primarily in that one body dealt with all issues of a military nature. In wartime, the army was led by the Commander-in-Chief. Under him, a Military Council (as an advisory body) and a field headquarters headed by the Quartermaster General (assistant to the commander-in-chief) were created.
During the reform of the army, a unified system of military ranks was introduced, which was finally formalized in the Table of Ranks of 1722. The service ladder included 14 classes from field marshal and admiral general to warrant officer. The service and ranks of the Table of Ranks were based not on birth, but on personal abilities.
Paying much attention to the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, Peter I established the development and production of new types of ships, new types of artillery guns and ammunition. Under Peter I, the infantry began to arm itself with flintlock rifles, and a domestic-style bayonet was introduced.
The government of Peter I gave special meaning education of the national officer corps. At first, all young nobles were required to serve as soldiers in the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards regiments for 10 years, starting at the age of 15. Upon receiving their first officer rank, noble children were sent to army units, where they served for life. However, such a system of training officers could not fully satisfy the growing needs for new personnel, and Peter I established a number of special military schools. In 1701, an artillery school for 300 people was opened in Moscow, and in 1712 a second artillery school was opened in St. Petersburg. To train engineering personnel, two engineering schools were created (in 1708 and 1719).
To train naval personnel, Peter I opened a school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow in 1701, and a Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg in 1715.
Peter I forbade the promotion to officers of persons who had not received appropriate training at a military school. There were often cases when Peter I personally examined “minors” (children of the nobility). Those who failed the exam were sent to serve in the navy as privates without the right to be promoted to officer.
The reforms introduced a unified system of training and education of troops. Based on the experience of the Northern War, instructions and regulations were created: “Military Articles”, “Institution for Battle”, “For Field Battle Rules”, “Naval Regulations”, “Military Regulations of 1716”.
Taking care of the morale of the troops, Peter I awarded distinguished generals with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, established by him in 1698, and soldiers and officers with medals and promotions (soldiers also with money). At the same time, Peter I introduced severe discipline in the army with corporal punishment and the death penalty for serious military crimes.
The military system created by the government of Peter I turned out to be so stable that it lasted until the end of the 18th century without significant changes. In the decades following Peter I of the 18th century, the Russian armed forces developed under the influence of Peter's military reforms, and the principles and traditions of the regular army continued to improve. They found their continuation in the combat activities of Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov. The works of Rumyantsev “Rite of Service” and Suvorov “Regimental Establishment” and “Science of Victory” were an event in the life of the army and a great contribution to domestic military science.
The material was prepared by the editorial staff of RIA Novosti based on open sources
Army of Peter 1- a regular army created by the Russian Emperor Peter I on the basis of the so-called troops that began to appear in Russia during the reign of his father. foreign regiments, taking into account the latest European achievements in this area. Replaced the irregular local troops, which were a feudal relic, and the streltsy units, which opposed Peter I during the struggle for power and were then repressed by him. The army was staffed on the basis of conscription (compulsory service for nobles also remained until the mid-18th century).
Russian army before Peter
Russian state The 17th century was able to field more than 200 thousand people. But this army, huge at that time, was very heterogeneous in its composition and training. Basically, it consisted of a militia of service people who lived on land provided to them by the state “for service.” At the call of the government, they had to go on a campaign on horseback and with weapons, which, according to a special list, corresponded to the amount of land given to the serviceman.
The core of the Moscow army was actually a militia and did not at all resemble a regular army. This was a hereditary army. The son of a service man was supposed to become a service man with age. Each warrior went on a campaign and supported himself in the army at his own expense; This army did not have any training bearing and uniform weapons.
Since the 17th century, service people were settled especially densely on those outskirts of the state, which at that time were especially threatened by enemies - Crimean Tatars and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, that is, service people lived more along the southern and western borders of the state. In the 17th century, wars with Sweden began, and the northwestern border, less densely populated by service people, acquired particular importance. Thanks to this, the Russian army could not concentrate here quickly enough and therefore often suffered defeats.
The Moscow government was aware of all these shortcomings in the structure of its troops. Even in the early days of the Russian state, to assist the mounted service militia, the government began to establish detachments of infantry and artillery that constantly served and trained in their work - these were regiments of archers and detachments of gunners and fighters. The structure of the Streltsy army was, however, such that the Streltsy, living in peacetime in their settlements and engaged in crafts and small trade, were more like a settled militia than a regular army. In addition, the training of this army was very weak from a military point of view. When meeting with the better trained regular troops of the Swedes, the Russians, if not overwhelmed by numbers, were forced to retreat.
The Moscow government has already been Vasily III began to hire entire detachments of foreign infantry for service. At first, these detachments played only the role of an honorary escort for the sovereign, but since the Time of Troubles, detachments of hired foreign servicemen began to enter the Russian army. The government of Tsar Michael in 1631, expecting a war with Poland, sent Colonel Alexander Leslie to Sweden to recruit 5,000 infantry soldiers.
However, as happened in 1634 in the Russian-Polish war near Smolensk, it was possible for foreign mercenaries to go over to the enemy’s side. Therefore, several infantry and cavalry regiments were created, including from unplaced and small-scale service people who were trained by foreign officers. By the end of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, there were already 63 regiments of such an army numbering 90 thousand people.
Along with the organization of regiments of a foreign system, a change in the structure of the army of the Russian state was also planned, according to “new inventions in the field of war”, for which, under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, a commission was formed in 1681 of elected officials from all service ranks, chaired by Prince V.V. Golitsyn.
The introduction of troops of a foreign system changed the composition of the army: it ceased to be based on class. It was impossible to recruit only service people - landowners - into the soldier regiments. The soldiers were required to have constant service and constant exercise in military affairs; they could not be sent home in peacetime and convened only in wartime. Therefore, they began to recruit soldiers into foreign regiments in the same way as later recruits.
Peter's transformations in military affairs
Thus, Peter inherited from his predecessors an army that, if not satisfying all the requirements of the military science of that time, was already adapted for further restructuring in view of new requirements. In Moscow there were two “elected” regiments (Butyrsky and Lefortovo), which were headed by Peter’s teachers in military affairs: P. Gordon and F. Lefort.
In his “amusing” villages, Peter organized two new regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky - completely according to the foreign model. By 1692, these regiments were finally formed and trained. Preobrazhensky was headed by Colonel Yuri von Mengden, and Ivan Chambers was appointed colonel of Semyonovsky, “originally a Muscovite of the Shkot breed”.
The Kozhukhov maneuvers (1694) showed Peter the advantage of regiments of the “foreign” formation over the archers. The Azov campaigns, in which, along with the Streltsy army and irregular cavalry, four regular regiments (Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky, Lefortovo and Butyrsky regiments) participated, finally convinced Peter of the low suitability of the troops of the old organization. Therefore, in 1698, the old army was disbanded, except for 4 old regiments (their total number was 28 thousand people), which became the basis of the new army:
- Pervomoskovsky Regiment (Lefortovo)
- Butyrsky Regiment
- Preobrazhensky Regiment
- Semenovsky regiment.
In preparation for the war with Sweden, Peter ordered in 1699 to carry out a general recruitment and begin training of recruits according to the model established by the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovtsy. At the same time it was dialed large number foreign officers. This first recruitment yielded 25 new infantry regiments and 2 cavalry-dragoon regiments. The entire newly recruited army of 35-40 thousand people was divided into three “generalships” (divisions): A. M. Golovin, A. A. Weide and Prince A. I. Repnin.
The war was supposed to begin with the siege of Narva, so the main attention was paid to organizing the infantry. The operations of the field army were to be supported by local cavalry (only two dragoon regiments managed to be formed from the “new” cavalry). There was simply not enough time to create all the necessary military structures. There were legends about the tsar’s impatience; he was impatient to enter the war and test his army in action. Management, a combat support service, and a strong, well-equipped rear had yet to be created.
By the beginning of the Northern War, Peter's teachers, Generals P. Gordon and F. Lefort, as well as Generalissimo A.S. Shein, had died, so the new army was entrusted to F.A. Golovin, who received the rank of Field Marshal. However, Peter did not dare to entrust his army to an excellent administrator, but not a military leader, in a real battle against the Swedes. On the eve of the Battle of Narva, he and F.A. Golovin left the Russian army, and the main command was entrusted to the Saxon Field Marshal Duke de Croix.
The defeat at Narva showed that everything had to start virtually all over again. The appeal of the Swedish king Charles XII against the Saxon elector and the Polish king Augustus II gave Peter time to carry out the necessary changes. The campaigns of 1701–04 in Ingria and Livonia made it possible to provide combat experience to the emerging Russian units. Peter I entrusted general military-administrative orders to the boyar T. N. Streshnev.
In 1705, Peter I introduced regular recruitment. In the same year, despite many objections, Peter introduced separate command of the infantry and cavalry: the infantry was headed by Field Marshal-Lieutenant General G. B. Ogilvi, the cavalry by Field Marshal General B. P. Sheremetev (thus the concept of the Big Regiment ceased to exist) . G. B. Ogilvy introduced brigades of 4 regiments and divisions of 2–3 brigades. In the fall of 1706, G. B. Ogilvy entered the service of the Saxon Elector; after that, the Russian infantry was led by B.P. Sheremetev, and the cavalry by Prince A.D. Menshikov.
By the beginning of Charles XII's campaign against Russia (summer of 1708), the infantry of the Russian field army consisted of 32 infantry regiments, 4 grenadier regiments and 2 guards regiments (57,000 people in total). The Russian cavalry in 1709 consisted of 3 horse grenadier, 30 dragoon regiments and three separate squadrons (Menshikov General, Kozlovsky and B.P. Sheremetev’s Home). The Russian army also included garrison infantry regiments and land militia units. In addition, the Streltsy regiments existed until the second half of the 18th century: in 1708 there were 14 of them, in 1713 there were at least 4.
As a result, during the Northern War of 1700-1721, a new Russian army was created, built on conscription. It became permanent and regular; all people of the Russian state (except for residents of some of the national outskirts) were obliged to serve in it, without distinction of class. Simultaneously with the creation of the army itself, the management of this military force of the country was developed, institutions were created that were in charge of the economy of the troops, combat training of soldiers and officers, uniforms and equipment. By the end of Peter's reign, these functions were transferred to the Military Collegium with departments subordinate to it, headed by: General Provision Master, General Kriegskommissar (chief military judge), General Feldzeichmeister (chief of artillery, engineers and sapper unit) and Generalitat (General Staff) .
Infantry Regiment under Peter I
The infantry regiment of Peter the Great's times consisted of two battalions, with some exceptions: the Preobrazhensky Life Guards regiment had 4 battalions, the Semenovsky Life Guards regiment, as well as the Ingermanland and Kiev infantry regiments - three each.
Each battalion had four companies, the companies were divided into four plutongs. At the head of the company was a captain. He had to “educate” his company militarily and for this everything « military formations be sensible". In addition to the commander, the company had three more officers - a lieutenant, a second lieutenant and an ensign. the lieutenant was an assistant to the company commander and had to “report in detail on everything” to the latter about everything. The second lieutenant helped the lieutenant, while the ensign was obliged to carry the banner in the ranks; besides he had to “to visit the weak all day long” and intercede for the lower ranks "When they fall into punishment".
Among the commanders from the lower ranks, the first place in the company was occupied by two sergeants, who had “a lot to do in the company”; The ensign had the task of replacing the ensign at the banner, the captain was in charge of weapons and ammunition, and the corporals commanded the plutongs.
At the head of the regiment was a colonel; According to the regulations, he must “as a captain in his company, have the same and even greater first respect for his regiment.” The lieutenant colonel assisted the regiment commander, the prime major commanded one battalion, the second major commanded another; Moreover, the first major was considered older than the second major and, in addition to command, had the responsibility to take care “whether the regiment is in good condition, both in the number of soldiers and in their weapons, ammunition and uniform.”
Cavalry
The various cavalry of the beginning of Peter's reign (reiters, spearmen, hussars) in Peter's army were replaced by dragoon regiments.
The dragoon (horse-grenadier) regiment consisted of 5 squadrons (2 companies each) and numbered 1,200 people. In the dragoon regiment, 9 companies were fusiliers and one was grenadier. A separate squadron consisted of 5 companies (600 people). According to the states of 1711, the regiment included 38 staff and chief officers, 80 non-commissioned officers, 920 privates, and 290 non-combatants. The company consisted of 3 chief officers, 8 non-commissioned officers, and 92 private dragoons.
Artillery
The artillery of Peter the Great's time consisted of 12-, 8-, 6- and 3-pound guns (a pound is equal to a cast iron cannonball with a diameter of 2 English inches (5.08 cm); the weight of a pound is exceeded by 20 spools (85.32 kg) , one-pound and half-pound howitzers, one-pound and 6-pound mortars (a pound is equal to 16.38 kg). This was inconvenient artillery for transportation: a 12-pound gun, for example, weighed 150 pounds with a carriage and limber; it was carried by 15 horses. Three-pound guns. made up the regimental artillery; at first there were two such guns per battalion, and from 1723 they were limited to two per regiment. These regimental guns weighed about 28 pounds (459 kg) The range of the guns of those times was very small - about 150 fathoms (320 m) on average. - and depended on the caliber of the gun.
In 1700, Peter ordered the formation of a special artillery regiment from the gunners and grenadiers of former times, and schools were established for the training of artillerymen: engineering and navigation in Moscow and engineering in St. Petersburg. Arms factories in Okhta and Tula, organized by Peter, produced artillery and guns for the army.
Garrison troops
Garrison troops in the Russian Imperial Army they were intended for garrison service in cities and fortresses in wartime. Created by Peter I in 1702 from city archers, soldiers, reiters and others. In 1720, the garrison troops consisted of 80 infantry and 4 dragoon regiments. In the 2nd half of the 19th century, they were transformed into local troops (garrison artillery - into fortress artillery).
Weapons and uniforms
The armament of each soldier consisted of a sword with a sword belt and a fusée. Fusee - a gun that weighed about 14 pounds; his bullet weighed 8 spools; the fusee castle was made of flint; In the necessary cases, a baguette - a five- or eight-inch triangular bayonet - was mounted on the fusee. The cartridges were placed in leather bags attached to a sling, to which a horny powder with gunpowder was also tied. Captains and sergeants, instead of fusees, were armed with halberds - axes on a three-arch shaft.
One of the companies in each regiment was called a grenadier, and a feature of its weapons were matchlock bombs, which the grenadier kept in a special bag; The grenadier's fuses were a little lighter and the soldiers could put their fuses on a belt behind their backs when throwing a bomb. The lower ranks of the artillery were armed with swords, pistols, and some with a special “mortar.” These "mortars" were something between a fusée and a small cannon attached to a fusée stock with a fusée lock; when firing from mortars, they had to be supported by a special halberd; The length of the mortar was 13 inches, and it fired a bomb the size of a pound cannonball. Each soldier was given a backpack for carrying things. Dragoons for foot combat were armed with a fusée, and for mounted combat - with a broadsword and a pistol.
Since 1700, a soldier's uniform consisted of a small flattened cocked hat, caftan, epancha, camisole and trousers. The hat was black, the brim was trimmed with braid, and a brass button was attached to the left side. When listening to orders from the elders, the younger ones took off their hat and held it under their left armpit. Soldiers and officers wore their hair long to the shoulder and powdered it with flour on ceremonial occasions.
The caftans of the infantrymen were made of green cloth, and those of the dragoons were made of blue, single-breasted, without a collar, with red cuffs. The caftan was knee-length and equipped with copper buttons; The cape for cavalry and infantry was made of red cloth and had two collars: it was a narrow cape that reached to the knees and provided poor protection from rain and snow; boots - long, with light bells - were worn only on guard duty and when marching, and ordinary shoes were stockings and blunt-toed greased heads with a copper buckle; Army soldiers had stockings green, and among the Preobrazhentsy and Semyonovtsy after the Narva defeat - red, according to legend, in memory of the day when the former “amusing” regiments did not flinch, despite the general “embarrassment” under the onslaught of Charles XII.
The grenadiers of the guard differed from the fuseliers only in their headdress: instead of a triangular hat, they wore leather helmets with an ostrich feather. The cut of the officer's uniform was the same as that of the soldiers, only trimmed along the edges and sides with gold braid, the buttons were also gilded, and the tie, instead of black cloth, like the soldiers', was white linen. A plume of white and red feathers was attached to the hat. In full dress uniform, officers were required to wear powdered wigs on their heads. What distinguished an officer from a private was a white-blue-red scarf with silver tassels, and for a staff officer - with gold tassels, which was worn high on the chest, near the collar. The officers were armed with a sword and also had a protazan in the ranks, or, in those days, a “partazan” - a type of spear on a three-arch shaft. Grenadier officers had a light fusee on a gold belt instead of a protazan.
By the end of Peter's reign, the regular army numbered in its ranks more than 200 thousand soldiers of all branches of the military and over 100 thousand irregular Cossack cavalry and Kalmyk cavalry. For the 13 million population of Peter's Russia, it was a heavy burden to support and feed such a large army. According to the estimate drawn up in 1710, a little more than three million rubles were spent on the maintenance of the field army, garrisons and fleet, on artillery and other military expenses, while the treasury spent only a little over 800 thousand on other needs: the army absorbed 78% of the total expenditure budget .
To resolve the issue of financing the army, Peter ordered, by decree of November 26, 1718, to count the number of the tax-paying population of Russia; all landowners, secular and church, were ordered to provide accurate information on how many male souls lived in their villages, including old people and infants. The information was then checked by special auditors. Then they accurately determined the number of soldiers in the army and calculated how many souls were counted in the census for each soldier. Then we calculated how much it costs per year full content soldier Then it became clear what tax should be imposed on every tax-paying soul in order to cover all the costs of maintaining the army. According to this calculation, for each tax-paying soul there were: 74 kopecks for the owning (serf) peasants, 1 ruble 14 kopecks for state peasants and single-lords; 1 ruble 20 kopecks per tradesman.
By decrees of January 10 and February 5, 1722, Peter outlined to the Senate the very method of feeding and maintaining the army, and proposed to “lay out the troops on the ground.” Military and foot regiments had to support them. In the newly conquered regions - Ingria, Karelia, Livonia and Estland - no census was carried out, and regiments had to be assigned to billet here, the feeding of which was entrusted to individual provinces that did not need constant military protection.
The Military Collegium compiled a list of regiments by locality, and for the cantonment itself, 5 generals, 1 brigadier and 4 colonels were sent - one to each province. Having received from the Senate for layout, and from the Military Collegium a list of regiments that were to be deployed in a given area, the sent headquarters officer, arriving in his district, had to convene the local nobility, announcing to them the rules of layout and inviting the layoutrs to assist. The regiments were distributed as follows: each company was assigned a rural district with such a population that there were 35 souls for each infantryman, and 50 souls of the male population for each horseman. The instructions ordered the dispatcher to insist on dispersing the regiments in special settlements, so as not to place them in peasant households and thereby not cause quarrels between the peasants and the inns. To this end, the planners had to persuade the nobles to build huts, one for each non-commissioned officer and one for every two soldiers. Each settlement had to accommodate at least a corporal and be located at such a distance from the other that a cavalry company would be deployed no further than 10 versts, a foot regiment no further than 5 versts, a cavalry regiment no further than 5 versts, a cavalry regiment no further than 100 versts, and a foot regiment no further than 50 versts. . In the middle of the company district, the nobility was ordered to build a company courtyard with two huts for the chief officers of the company and one for lower servants; In the center of the regiment's location, the nobles were obliged to build a courtyard for the regimental headquarters with 8 huts, a hospital and a barn.
Having positioned the company, the dispatcher handed over to the company commander a list of villages in which the company was located, indicating the number of households and the number of souls listed in each; The spreader handed another similar list to the landowners of those villages. In the same way, he compiled a list of villages in which the entire regiment was stationed, and handed it over to the regimental commander. The nobles of each province had to jointly take care of the maintenance of the regiments stationed in their area and for this purpose elect from among themselves a special commissar, who was entrusted with taking care of the timely collection of money for the maintenance of the regiments settled in a given area, and in general being responsible to the nobility as a clerk and intermediary of the class in relations with the military authorities. Since 1723, these elected zemstvo commissars have been given the exclusive right to collect poll taxes and arrears.
The regiment settled in this area not only lived at the expense of the population that supported it, but also, according to Peter’s plan, was supposed to become an instrument of local government: in addition to drill exercises, the regiment was assigned many purely police duties. The colonel and his officers were obliged to pursue thieves and robbers in their district, that is, the location of the regiment, to keep the peasants of their district from escaping, to catch those who fled, to monitor fugitives coming to the district from the outside, to eradicate tavern and smuggling, to help forest guards in the pursuit of illegal forest felling, send their people with the officials who are sent to the provinces from the governors, so that these people do not allow the officials to ruin the district inhabitants, and help the officials cope with the willfulness of the inhabitants.
According to the instructions, the regimental authorities had to protect the rural population of the district “from all taxes and insults.” V. O. Klyuchevsky writes about this:
In fact, these authorities, even against their will, themselves laid a heavy tax and resentment on the local population and not only on the peasants, but also on the landowners. Officers and soldiers were forbidden to interfere in the economic orders of landowners and in peasant work, but the grazing of regimental horses and domestic officers' and soldiers' livestock on common pastures where landowners and peasants grazed their livestock, the right of the military authorities to demand in certain cases people for regimental work and carts for regimental parcels and, finally, the right of general supervision over order and security in the regimental district - all this was supposed to create constant misunderstandings between the military authorities and the inhabitants. |
Obliged to monitor the payers of the poll tax that fed the regiment, the regimental authorities carried out this supervision in the most inconvenient way for the average person: if a peasant wanted to go to work in another district, he had to receive a letter of leave from the landowner or parish priest. With this letter he went to the regimental yard, where the zemstvo commissar registered this letter of leave in the book. Instead of a letter, the peasant was given a special ticket signed and sealed by the colonel.
The supposed separate soldiers' settlements were not built anywhere, and those that were started were not completed, and the soldiers were housed in philistine courtyards. In one decree of 1727, introducing some changes in the collection of the poll tax, the government itself admitted all the harm from such placement of soldiers, it admitted that “The poor Russian peasants are going bankrupt and fleeing not only from the shortage of grain and the poll tax, but also from the disagreement of the officers with the zemstvo rulers, and the soldiers with the peasants”. Fights between soldiers and men were constant.
The burden of military billeting became heaviest during periods of collecting the poll tax, which was collected by zemstvo commissars with military teams assigned to them “for anstaltu,” that is, for order, headed by an officer. The tax was usually paid in thirds, and three times a year zemstvo commissars with military men traveled around villages and hamlets, making collections, collecting fines from defaulters, selling goods to the poor, feeding at the expense of the local population. “Each detour lasted two months: for six months a year, villages and hamlets lived in panic, under oppression or in anticipation of armed collectors. Poor men are afraid of the mere entry and passage of officers and soldiers, commissars and other commanders; There are not enough peasant belongings to pay taxes, and the peasants not only sell livestock and belongings, but also pawn their children, while others flee separately; commanders, often replaced, do not feel such ruin; none of them thinks about anything else other than taking the last tribute from the peasant and currying favor with this,” says the opinion of Menshikov and other high officials, presented to the Supreme Privy Council in 1726. The Senate in 1725 pointed out that “the zemstvo commissars and officers are so oppressed by the payment of per capita money that the peasants are not only forced to sell off their belongings and livestock, but many also give away the grain sown in the ground for next to nothing and therefore are necessarily forced to flee beyond other people’s borders.”.
The flight of peasants reached enormous proportions: in the Kazan province, in the area where one infantry regiment was settled, after less than two years of such military-financial management, the regiment was missing 13 thousand souls in its district, which was more than half of the revision souls obliged to support them.
Production to ranks and training
Promotion to ranks in Peter's army took place in strict gradual order. Each new vacancy was filled by the choice of officers of the regiment; the rank up to captain was approved by the commander of the “generalship”, that is, the corps - general-in-chief, and up to colonel - field marshal. Until 1724, patents for all ranks were issued under the signature of the sovereign himself. Promotion to the ranks of colonel and general depended on the sovereign. To prevent family ties, patronage, affection and friendship from leading people unfamiliar with military affairs into the officer ranks, Peter, by decree of 1714, decreed: “Since many are promoting their relatives and friends as officers from young people who do not know the basics of soldiering, for they did not serve in low ranks, and some served only for appearances for several weeks or months, therefore such people need a statement of how many such ranks there are since 1709, and henceforth a decree must be issued so that both noble breeds and others from outside should not be written down, which did not serve as soldiers in the guard." Peter often looked through the lists of persons promoted to rank himself.
In 1717, Peter demoted Lieutenant Colonel Myakishev “to the Preobrazhensky Regiment as a soldier in the bombardment company because he got that rank through intrigue and not through service.”
The Tsar made sure that the nobles who entered the guards regiments as soldiers received a well-known military education in them, “decent for officers.”
In special regimental schools, young nobles (up to 15 years of age) studied arithmetic, geometry, artillery, fortification, foreign languages. The officer's training did not stop after entering the service.
In the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Peter demanded that officers know “engineering.” For this purpose, in 1721, a special school was established at the regiment.
Having made the guards regiments like schools for studying everything that “a good officer should know,” the practice of studying abroad continued.
In 1716, the Military Regulations were published, which strictly defined the rights and obligations of the military during their service.
The results of Peter's reforms in the army
As a result of Peter's reforms, Russia received a permanent, regular, centrally supplied modern army, which subsequently for more than a century (until Crimean War) successfully fought, including with the armies of leading European powers (Seven Years' War, Patriotic War 1812). Also, the new army served as a means that allowed Russia to turn the tide of the fight against the Ottoman Empire, gain access to the Black Sea and spread its influence in the Balkans and Transcaucasia. However, the transformation of the army was part of the general course towards the absolutization of the power of the monarch and the infringement of the rights of the most diverse social strata Russian society. In particular, despite the abolition of the local system, the duty of service was not removed from the nobles, and the functioning of industry necessary for the technical equipment of the army was ensured through the use of serf labor along with civilian labor.
The period of the Russian army under the reign of Peter I deserves special attention, because at this moment the navy of the Russian Empire was created.
The beginning of the reform of the armed forces dates back to the second half of the 17th century. Even then, the first reiter and soldier regiments of the new system were created from datochny and “willing” people (i.e. volunteers). But there were still relatively few of them, and the basis of the armed forces was still made up of noble cavalry militia and streltsy regiments. Although the archers wore uniform uniforms and weapons, the monetary salary they received was insignificant. Basically, they served for the benefits provided to them for trade and crafts, and therefore were tied to permanent places of residence. The Streltsy regiments, neither in their social composition nor in their organization, could provide a reliable support for the noble government. They also could not seriously resist the regular troops Western countries, and, therefore, were not a sufficiently reliable tool for solving foreign policy problems.
Therefore, Peter 1, having come to power in 1689, was faced with the need to carry out radical military reform and form a massive regular army.
The core of the military reform were two guards (formerly "amusing") regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. These regiments, staffed mainly by young nobles, simultaneously became a school for officers for the new army. Initially, the emphasis was placed on inviting foreign officers to Russian service. However, the behavior of foreigners in the battle of Narva in 1700, when they, led by commander-in-chief von Krui, went over to the side of the Swedes, forced them to abandon this practice. Officer positions began to be filled primarily by Russian nobles. In addition to training officers from soldiers and sergeants of the guards regiments, personnel were also trained in the bombardier school (1698), artillery schools (1701 and 1712), navigation classes (1698) and engineering schools (1709) and the Naval academy (1715). It was also practiced to send young nobles to study abroad. The rank and file was initially made up of “hunters” (volunteers) and datochny people (serfs who were taken from the landowners). By 1705, the procedure for recruiting recruits was finally established. They were recruited one from every 20 peasant and township households every 5 years or every year - one from 100 households. Thus, a new duty was established - conscription for the peasantry and townspeople. Although the upper classes of the settlement - merchants, factory owners, factory owners, as well as the children of the clergy - were exempt from conscription. After the introduction of the poll tax and the census of the male population of the tax-paying classes in 1723, the recruitment procedure was changed. Recruits began to be recruited not from the number of households, but from the number of male tax-paying souls. The armed forces were divided into a field army, which consisted of 52 infantry (including 5 grenadier) and 33 cavalry regiments, and garrison troops. The infantry and cavalry regiments included artillery.
The Russian fleet, created by Peter I, defeated the Swedes at Cape Gangut on August 7, 1714. (Northern War 1700-1721)
The regular army was maintained entirely at the expense of the state, was dressed in a uniform government uniform, armed with standard government weapons (before Peter 1, the militia nobles had weapons and horses, and the archers also had their own). The artillery guns were of the same standard caliber, which greatly facilitated the supply of ammunition. After all, earlier, in the 16th - 17th centuries, cannons were cast individually by cannon makers, who serviced them. The army was trained according to uniform Military regulations and instructions. The total number of the field army by 1725 was 130 thousand people; the garrison troops, called upon to ensure order within the country, numbered 68 thousand people. In addition, to protect the southern borders, a land militia was formed consisting of several irregular cavalry regiments with a total number of 30 thousand people. Finally, there were also irregular Cossack Ukrainian and Don regiments and national formations (Bashkir and Tatar) with a total number of 105-107 thousand people.
The military command system has changed radically. Instead of numerous orders, between which the military administration had previously been fragmented, Peter 1 established a military board and an admiralty board to lead the army and navy. Thus, military control was strictly centralized. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. under Empress Catherine II, a Military Council was created, which exercised general leadership of the war. In 1763, the General Staff was formed as a planning body for military operations. Direct control of troops in peacetime was carried out by division commanders. In the second half of the 18th century. the Russian army had 8 divisions and 2 border districts. The total number of troops by the end of the 18th century. increased to half a million people and they were fully provided with weapons, equipment and ammunition at the expense of domestic industry (it produced 25-30 thousand guns and several hundred artillery pieces per month).
In the second half of the 18th century. the army switched to barracks housing, i.e. Barracks began to be built on a massive scale, into which troops settled. After all, at the beginning of this century, only the guards regiments had barracks, and the bulk of the troops were located in the houses of ordinary people. Constant conscription was one of the most difficult for the tax-paying classes. The army, which was recruited through conscription, reflected the social structure of society. Soldiers, emerging from serfdom from the landowner, became serfs of the state, obligated to lifelong service, later reduced to 25 years. The officer corps was noble. Although the Russian army was feudal in nature, it was still a national army, which sharply differed from the armies of a number of Western states (Prussia, France, Austria), where the armies were staffed by mercenaries interested only in receiving payment and robbery. Before this battle, Peter 1 told his soldiers that they were fighting “not for Peter, but for the Fatherland entrusted to Peter.”
In conclusion, we can say that only under the reign of Peter I the army became a permanent unit of the state, capable of protecting the interests of the fatherland.
peter reform army navy
Creation of a regular Russian army
Historical background for the transformation of the Russian armed forces
Main directions of military reform
Difficulties and achievements in the process of forming a regular army
The impact of military transformations on other areas of Russian development
Table of ranks
Formation of the Russian fleet
Historical consequences of the reform
Conclusion
List of used literature
Reforms of Peter I, creation of a regular Russian army
Many domestic transformations and glorious dates in the history of Russia are associated with the name of Peter I. The regular army of our Fatherland began with him.
Before Peter I there was no army in Russia. When enemies attacked Rus', an army was urgently assembled, in some cases a people's militia was formed, governors and other military leaders were appointed. But even in these difficult conditions, the brave Russians more than once won remarkable victories. This was the case during the times of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky.
TO XVII century The Russian army was represented by local cavalry, city Cossacks and archers, who served on a permanent basis, but lived with their families. In peacetime, the archers were allowed to engage in crafts and trade. The local cavalry consisted of the noble militia and had a territorial organization. Tactical units were regiments that had names: large regiment, regiments of the right and left hand, advanced, guard, ambush... But they were formed only for the period of campaigns and military operations.
The core of the new Russian army was the “amusing” regiments created on the initiative of the young Tsar Peter I, from which the first regular regiments, Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky, were formed in 1691.
What is the essence of the military reforms of Peter I?
He introduced a unified army recruitment system - conscription. The conscription age was 20 - 30 years, and the term of military service was lifelong.
Peter I paid special attention to the formation of the officer corps. It was staffed primarily by nobles, military service which began at the age of 15. Moreover, before receiving officer rank, they had to serve a certain period of time in the regiment.
A unified system of military ranks is being introduced in the army and navy, a whole network is being created educational institutions for the training of naval, artillery, engineering and other military specialists. In January 1722, on the initiative of Peter I, the “Table of Ranks” was developed and came into force, which was in force until 1917. According to the “Table”, every person who entered service, both military and civilian, had a rank that determined his class, that is, his place on the hierarchical ladder of the state. There were 14 classes in total, of which the lowest was the fourteenth (army warrant officer, collegiate civil service registrar), and the highest was the first (field marshal general, chancellor). Moreover, the social benefits of military officials were significantly greater than those of civilians.
As a result of the successfully carried out military reform in Russia, a regular combat-ready army was created, the number of which by 1725 reached 220 thousand people. There were three types of troops: infantry, cavalry, artillery. The regiment became the main tactical unit in infantry and cavalry. During the period of hostilities, regiments were organized into brigades, and brigades into divisions. Brigades consisted of 2-3 regiments, divisions - of 2-3 brigades.
The main branch of the army was infantry. The cavalry accounted for 20-30 percent of the army. The role of artillery increased. The engineering troops were born.
The field army was led by the commander-in-chief with his general staff. Most important issues discussed at military councils. In 1719, the creation of a centralized system for managing military affairs was completed - the Military Collegium was formed, headed by Prince A.D. Menshikov.
Together with the regular army, a material base for the production of weapons and ammunition was created. IN short term Metallurgical, cannon, weapons and other factories were built, and uniform calibers for cannons and rifles were introduced. The supply of troops with equipment and food is being established, and a uniform uniform is being introduced.
The creation of a regular Russian army bore fruit. In July 1709, she won a brilliant victory near Poltava, defeating the army of the Swedish king Charles XII.
At the same time, a navy was created in Russia.
Peter I said that he would have both hands only when he had both a land army and a navy. Back in 1692, he began to form a flotilla on Lake Pereyaslavl, then on the White Sea. In the spring of 1696, several dozen ships took part in the second Azov campaign, which contributed to its success. In a letter to the Boyar Duma, Peter I raised the question of the need to create a large fleet. And on October 30 of the same year, the Duma decided: “There will be sea vessels!” This date became the birthday of the Russian Navy.
With the exit Russian troops Intensive construction of the Baltic Fleet began towards the Baltic. Already in October 1704, his first ships entered the Neva. The fleet was staffed with recruits specially selected to become sailors, and officers were trained in maritime schools and the maritime academy. The Marine Corps was created as part of the fleet. Fleet management was finally established in 1718, when the Admiralty Board was established, headed by Admiral General F.M. Apraksin.
The Russian fleet was gaining strength. In August 1714, in the naval battle of Cape Gangut under the command of Peter I, he won a complete victory over the Swedish squadron. And with the defeat of the Swedish fleet at Grengam in 1720, the Russian fleet became the most powerful in the Baltic. Russia became one of the strongest maritime powers.
Based on the experience of the Northern War (1700 - 1721), at the direction of Peter I, manuals, instructions and regulations were created: “Military Articles”, “Institutions in Battle”, “For Field Battle Rules”, “Naval Regulations”, “Military Regulations of 1716” ". These documents formulated the principles of training and education of soldiers. At the same time, the military oath was introduced.
Peter I also established the first Russian order - the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which was awarded for “extraordinary” services to the Fatherland. The first holder of this order was Peter’s associate, the future Field Marshal of Russia F.A. Golovin. The founder of the order himself is sixth in the list of St. Andrew's knights. He was awarded the order for a specific feat - after, at the head of a bombardment company, he captured two Swedish ships at the mouth of the Neva in 1703.
The creation of a regular Russian army by Peter the Great was of enormous historical significance and became the most important prerequisite for the formation of the Russian national school of military art.
The reign of Peter I is, of course, one of the most interesting eras in Russia. After all, it is at this moment that we can observe how ossified Russia fades into oblivion, and the formation of new Russia, namely the Russian Empire, which, thanks to its regular army and navy, is ready not only to defend its borders, but also to conquer new ones.
A great many studies, essays, as well as works of art are devoted to Peter I himself and his transformations. But if we look, we see that historians have not come to a consensus in assessing the significance of both the personality of Peter I and his reforms.
Already the contemporaries of Peter I were not unanimous in their assessments and were divided into supporters and opponents of his reforms. The dispute continues to this day. In the 18th century M.V. Lomonosov praised Peter I and admired his activities. A little later, the historian Karamzin accused Peter I of betraying the “true Russian” principles of life, and called his reforms a “brilliant mistake.”
As I already said, many Russian historians have studied the historical period of Peter I. Among the pre-revolutionary authors, this is V.O. Klyuchevsky and S.M. Soloviev. In their works, all the reforms of Peter I are considered as transformations on the path to the formation of Russia as a strong, economically independent state, i.e. they seemed to synthesize everything positive in their research.
As for modern authors, such as N.I. Pavlenko, E.V. Anisimov, V.I. Picheta and many others note the negative aspects in their research. One of which, first of all, is the cruelty of Peter I towards his people, when he refused to understand the reasons for the riots and mass escapes from the army, trying to correct this situation by force (executions by hanging and beheading).
In general, assessing the reforms of Peter I, contemporaries, except positive aspects transformations indicate his mistakes, and sometimes even very serious mistakes.
Regarding military reform directly, it should be said that here both pre-revolutionary researchers and modern authors in their works agree that the goal of reforming the Russian armed forces has been achieved:
Russia received convenient access to the sea;
the army became united, disciplined, well armed and morally ready for new victories;
a much-needed fleet appeared.
But in the writings of contemporaries, the question is increasingly heard that whether too much was sacrificed:
enormous loss of life;
impoverishment of the people;
breaking of traditions and crude imposition of foreignness.
Modern historians say in their works that if it were not for the cruel policies of Peter I, it is possible that Russia would have taken a less dramatic path in its development.
Having chosen the topic of transformation of the armed forces for my essay, I was, first of all, guided by my desire to choose a problem that was interesting to me. I believe that during the reign of Peter I this is the most important thing. But not because all his further reforms in other areas of the state were determined by changes in the army and aimed at their full support, but primarily because the formation of a strong, strong, skillful regular army and navy is taking place here. And since I am not alien to the feeling of patriotism, my heart is filled with pride for my country and, above all, for its army and navy during the reign of Peter I, just as now it aches from the consciousness that in our country in recent years made every effort to completely destroy our Russian army and reduce to zero all the undertakings of Peter I at sea.