Russian Imperial Army

Banners and standards of the Russian Imperial Army

The banner has always been the most important symbol of the unit of any army. The idea of ​​a battle banner is purely rational. The banner was supposed to serve as a guide in the thick of hand-to-hand combat, where friend and foe were mixed. The fluttering banner over the field showed where his own people were fighting, where a warrior who had lost sight of his comrades should make his way. Naturally, each side sought to deprive the enemy of his landmarks and “cut” the enemy’s banners. This was not easy to do: precisely because the soldiers rallied around the banner, and the attackers could only get to it by destroying everyone standing in the way. “The Russian people,” noted military historian F. F. Orlov, “have long had a veneration of military banners as shrines. When meeting with the banner of any regiment, many take off their hats, “the sign of the cross Orthodox people“... What it means to stand or die for the banner, everyone here knows and understands very well, even those who have not been in military service.” The strength of folk tradition is understandable, since the foundation of ideas about high value The battle flag in Rus' was laid down long before Peter the Great created a regular army.

The banners became symbols of heroism and valor. A banner nailed to the staff, which cannot be thrown away, no matter how difficult it is, and which must be followed to the end, will always remind the warrior of duty, honor, and the sanctity of the bonds of comradeship. Emperor Peter the Great understood this very well. The “Land Military Charter” of 1716 read: “Whoever, standing before the enemy or in action, goes away and does not defend their banner or standard to the last drop of blood, they will be defamed; and when they are caught, they will be killed; or, if possible, they are transferred to a company or regiment and there without trial, on the first tree that lands on the moon, they will be hanged.” It is curious that the inconsistency of Peter’s reforms is also manifested in relation to the banners. The role of banners and standards was relegated to the quartermaster's property, along with boilers, tents and other things. These shrines, which every soldier, according to Peter the Great’s “Land Military Regulations,” had to defend “without sparing his life,” were replaced with new ones after a certain period of time and in fact served only as landmarks on the battlefield.

Each new emperor or empress, upon coming to power, removed from the army the regalia granted by his predecessor. Emperor Paul destroyed this glaring contradiction between the letter and spirit of the law, establishing on April 30, 1797 “from now on, banners and standards will serve indefinitely.” No one could have imagined that these words would literally come true: four regiments of the Russian army (198th Alexander Nevsky Infantry, 328th Novouzensky Infantry, 7th and 13th Turkestan Rifle Regiments) went to the war of 1914-1918. with banners granted to their predecessors by Paul I.

The high significance of the banner was also confirmed by military rituals. Through the concept of “banner,” the essence of military duty was expressed in the text of the military oath: “From the company and the banner, where I belong ... - every soldier swore, - never leave, but for it, while I am alive, without fail, voluntarily and faithfully, in a way that pleases me My honor and my belly, I will follow.” The swearer, starting in 1797, had to hold the banner with his hand, as late XIX centuries, young soldiers being sworn in, in addition to the Gospel and the cross, also kissed the banner.

In the 19th century, new rituals appeared. For example, the ritual of nailing the cloth of a newly granted banner or standard to the pole had deep meaning. The eldest in rank among those present (as a rule, the commander of a district or corps, and often the emperor himself or one of the members of the imperial family) finished hammering the top of the baited nails, then the hammer was passed to the next in seniority; The last nail was hammered in by a private. The banner symbolically united everyone - from general to private. It complained forever - and was beaten once and for all. Even for repairing the shaft, if it entailed the need to reupholster the panel, since 1883 (by order of the Minister of War) it was necessary to seek the Highest permission.

When saluting the “sacred banners,” all military personnel stood at the front. The banners and standards themselves “bowed” only to the emperor, empress and foreign monarchs with the title of “Majesty”.

“... A piece of matter, ... the preservation of which cost the lives of hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people who were part of the regiment during its centuries-long existence, ... such a piece of matter is a shrine - not a conventional military shrine only, but a shrine in the direct and immediate meaning of this words,” wrote the famous Russian military theorist Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov in 1868.

The colors of banners and standards were also important, since from them the soldier recognized the uniform system and applied colors of various regiments of the Russian army. This was precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some units that did not have “their” regimental colors on the banners and standards: in the Grenadier regiments - yellow, in the Alexandrian Hussars and Order Dragoons - black, in the Akhtyrsky Hussars - brown.

Russian banners and standards consisted of mandatory elements and optional ones (accessories). The mandatory ones included: a panel, a pommel, a bracket, a shaft, a thread, nails and screws, a cover and a lanyard. The optional ones included wide St. George and anniversary ribbons (given to the regiment as a reward or in honor of the regimental anniversary, respectively). In addition, accessories include a pantaler - a special sling for carrying a banner or standard.

The cloth was made from silk fabric of the highest quality (rep, faile, grodenaple or banner fabric, less commonly grodetur or camlot). The cloth was the most important part of the banner and standard.

The pommel is a brass gilded or silvered (nickel silver - in the guard) decoration on the top (hence the name) of the shaft. The following types of pommels were used in Russia.

Sample of 1783 - in the form of a gilded ball topped with an eight-pointed Orthodox cross. On the St. George regalia, the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, is tied to the pommel tube.

Model 1857 (Guards) gilded or silvered according to the device, it represents a double-headed eagle.

Model 1867 (St. George Army) installed on November 9, 1867: a spear with the St. George Cross, covered with enamel, in a full wreath.

Model 1875 (St. George Guards), granted at the same time for all the St. George Guard regalia available at that time (with the exception of the banner of the Company of Palace Grenadiers, which retained the pommel of the 1830 model). The top was a double-headed eagle standing on Perun, resting on a wreath, in the middle of which was placed the St. George Cross, covered with enamel.

The bracket is a gilded copper plate 6.7 cm wide, put on the shaft below the panel on the banners and standards of all existing units. The inscriptions were engraved on the bracket: in the top line - the monogram of the Sovereign - the founder of the unit, the year of foundation and the original name of the unit, in the middle - the monogram of the Sovereign (or Sovereigns) who granted the distinction (if the banner is St. George or for distinction) and the inscription of the distinction. The bottom line contained the monogram of the Sovereign who bestowed the banner, the year of the award and the name of the unit at that moment.

The shaft was made of birch, oak, ash or maple (in the Life Guards engineer battalion - from cherry wood). The color of the shaft and its dimensions were established in 1857 and were used until 1917. Colors: 1st regiment in a division - yellow, 3rd regiment - white, 2nd and 4th regiments in divisions, rifle regiments, engineering units - black.

In cavalry, the shaft is dark green, with gilded or silvered (according to the device) grooves along the entire length of the shaft.

Podtok is a gilded copper “glass” of a cone shape, placed on the lower end of the shaft to protect it from rotting and damage.

Covers for banners and standards were made of black leather. At the same time, special covers were installed for cuirassier standards, in the form of an envelope slightly larger than the standard itself, with two flaps fastened with straps over the crossbar and capturing part of the shaft.

By imperial decree, it was established that anniversary ribbons should be granted to the banners and standards of units that had existed for a hundred years or more, anniversary ribbons, for the guard - St. Andrew's - the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called (blue), for the army - Alexander - Order of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky (red).

Wide St. George ribbons. An order to the military department for regiments “that already have all the insignia established as a reward for military exploits” established “a new highest distinction - St. George ribbons on banners and standards with inscriptions of distinctions for which the ribbons were awarded.”

The ribbons were installed in the same size as the anniversary ribbons described above. The inscription of distinction was embroidered on the upper side of the upper half of the ribbon, and the name of the unit was embroidered on the upper side of the lower half. At the ends of the ribbon were placed the monograms of the Sovereign who bestowed the distinction, below them - on the upper half - the cross of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, and on the lower half - the four-pointed star of the order. Only two regiments in the Russian army - the 17th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon and the 18th Seversky Dragoon - were awarded these distinctions.

St. George ribbons

On St. George's banners and standards, a bow from the St. George's ribbon was tied to the top tube, with the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.

In the ranks of units of the Russian Imperial Army in 1914 - 1917. there were banners of six reigns - a total of 11 samples (or 13 modifications). Banners decorated the tops of 12 samples. The units contained banners granted back in 1800, banners and standards soaked in the gunpowder fumes of all the wars that Russia waged in 1805 - 1905. One regiment had the banner of the 1797 model - in 1914 - the 328th Novouzensky Infantry Regiment.

The 198th Alexander Nevsky Infantry Regiment, the 7th Turkestan Rifle Regiment, and the 13th Turkestan Rifle Regiment had banners of the 1800 model.

The 84th Shirvan Infantry Regiment and the 7th Finnish Infantry Regiment had banners of the 1803 model.

The banners of the 1813 model (guards) were: Company of Palace Grenadiers (1830), Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment (1850). Life Guards Grenadier Regiment (1856), Life Guards 1st Rifle Regiment and Life Guards 2nd Rifle Tsarskoye Selo Regiment (1856).

Other regiments of the Russian army (before the reign Alexandra III) the banners of the 1816, 1857, 1871, 1876 and 1880 models had approximately equal proportions.

Standards of the Russian Army

The standard was a reduced infantry banner with a pommel and no fringe.

In the ranks of the Imperial Cavalry at the beginning of the war of 1914 - 1918. there were standards of 6 samples (or 13 modifications) with finials of 8 samples.

Only three regiments of the Guards Cavalry (Life Guards Cavalry, Life Guards Horse-Grenadier and Life Guards Uhlan of Her Majesty) had standards of the 1817 model.

The St. George standards of the 1827 model had four regiments of army cavalry (4th Ulan Kharkov, 1st Hussars Sumsky, 11th Hussars Izyum and 12th Hussars Akhtyrsky). The 15th Uhlan Tatar and 15th Hussar Ukrainian regiments had special standards of 1827 for the Lithuanian Corps.

Cossack Banners

Model 1883

Since 1883, the Cossack units began to receive only standards that fully corresponded in size and image to cavalry standards, while the panel was made according to the color of the army’s uniform, and the border was made according to the color of the instrument cloth.

Flags of the Imperial House(as of 1914)

Imperial standard. Used by the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II. Yellow rectangular panel with the image of Maly State emblem Russia. It existed in two versions - land (with coats of arms on the wings of an eagle) and naval (with charters - maps of the seas and without coats of arms on the wings).

Flag of Her Majesty the Empress. Used by Her Majesty the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Her Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Similar to the Imperial Standard, but with braids (in the form of a weather vane).

Flag of His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsarevich. Used by His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (in 1881-1894 - Nikolai Alexandrovich, in 1894 - 1904 - Mikhail Alexandrovich). Kaiser flag with the Imperial Standard superimposed on its center.

Flag of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Viceroy or Commander-in-Chief. Used by His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich when he was Supreme Commander-in-Chief (1914-1915) and Viceroy in the Caucasus (1915-1917). St. Andrew's flag, on the center of which the Grand Ducal flag is superimposed.

Flag of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. The Kaiser flag, on the center of which is superimposed a round yellow medallion of the design of the Imperial Standard. In 1914-1917 16 people had the title of Grand Duke. The following persons of the Imperial House used this flag:

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich

His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich

Staff flags

Staff flags designated the locations of headquarters, company, squadron and battery yards. On both sides of the flags, the number and initial letters of the name of the corps, division or separate brigade were sewn in black, similar to the headquarters code.

Army Headquarters- 5 orange, 5 black stripes. The same flag was used by the commanders-in-chief of the armies of the fronts.

Corps headquarters- orange cloth with green border.

Infantry Division Headquarters- green cloth with a scarlet border.

Headquarters of a rifle division or separate brigade- green cloth with a crimson border.

Cavalry Division Headquarters- orange cloth with a scarlet border.

Cossack division headquarters- blue cloth with a scarlet border.

The sizes of staff flags for the headquarters of infantry regiments, cavalry and Cossack troops, artillery brigades and engineer battalions were somewhat smaller. A rhombus was sewn onto the flag, with its vertices resting on the middle of the sides of the flag.

In the Guards Regiment, all officers had to say “YOU” to each other, regardless of the difference in rank and years. All officers of the Guards Cavalry traditionally greeted each other and, in addition, shook hands when they met, regardless of whether they knew each other or not.

From that time on, honor should also be given to officers of foreign armies.

Flags of the Cossack regiments

The Cossack regiments, in turn, had both flags and centenary badges. If the staff flag, as a rule, did not leave the regiment’s quarters (temporary or permanent), then the regimental flag indicated the location of the regiment commander in battle and was worn at the peak. The flags were square. Their colors were the same as the army cloth, and when repeating the colors, the younger Cossack army had an oblique cross sewn onto the cloth. In the center of the flag was sewn a scarlet or yellow regimental code, similar to the code on the shoulder straps.

Hundred badges were worn on pikes in mounted Cossack regiments. They looked like cavalry weather vanes and consisted of two halves with braids. The upper half was the color of the army, however, if several Cossack troops had the same colors, then in the younger troops a longitudinal strip was sewn up to half the length. The color of the lower half corresponded to the hundred number: 1st hundred - scarlet, 2nd hundred - light blue, 3rd hundred - white, 4th hundred - green, 5th hundred - yellow and 6th hundred - brown .

The flags were installed for all regiments of the Guards cavalry and were squares with a braid in the form of a triangle. They were worn on white or yellow shafts, according to the instrument metal of the regiment.

1. Chamber-page of the front company of the Corps of Pages with the corps banner (salute). Dressed in court uniform. Anniversary banner of the 1900 model.

2. Banner of the Life Guards Kexholm Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Banner of the 1900 model, awarded in 1910. The banner is decorated with ribbons granted by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1888 in memory of the 40th anniversary of the Patronage. With the outbreak of the First World War, these ribbons were removed from the banner.

3. Banner of His Imperial Majesty's Own Consolidated Infantry Regiment. A simple banner of the 1900 model, awarded in 1908.

4. Banner of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Banner of 1883, awarded in the same year. Unlike other regiments, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments received 4 banners in 1883 (1 per battalion). The banner of the 1st Battalion of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment in 1950 was transferred by the surviving ranks of the regiment for storage to its sister regiment: the Colstream Regiment of the English Royal Guard. The banners of the remaining battalions are now in the State Hermitage.

5. Banner of the Life Guards Sapper Battalion. St. George's Jubilee Banner of the 1900 model, awarded in 1912. Now located in the Museum of Artillery and Engineering Troops in St. Petersburg.

6. Banner of the Life Guards Pavlovsk Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Banner of the 1883 model, awarded in 1890.

1. Estandart cadet of the Cavalry Regiment with a standard. St. George's Jubilee Standard of 1884, granted in 1899. Traditionally, the standards of the guards cuirassier regiments were attached to the staff using a special crossbar, like a banner. After the First World War, the standard of the Cavalry Guard Regiment was taken to France, where it was kept in the family of the last commander of the regiment, Colonel V.N. Zvegintsov, and then in the Army Museum in Paris.

2. Standard of the 7th Olviopol Uhlan Regiment. Anniversary standard “for distinction” of the 1900 model, awarded in 1912. The only standard “for distinction” awarded during the period described. In 1917 it was transferred to the custody of the chief of the regiment, the Spanish King Alfonso XIII, and in 1921 it was transferred from Spain to the Belgrade Temple. In 1945, it was taken to the USSR and is now in the Hermitage.

3. Standard of the Guards Reserve Cavalry Regiment. Simple standard of the 1900 model, granted in 1902.

4. Standard of the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Standard of 1900.

5. Standard of the 13th Dragoon Military Order Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Standard of the 1900 model, granted in 1909. When the instrument panel was made of black cloth, the border was placed in orange, as an exception to the rule. On the standard are ribbons granted by German Emperor Wilhelm I in 1874.

6. Standard of the 1st Life Dragoons Moscow Regiment. St. George's Jubilee Standard of 1884, granted in 1900. The inscription was originally: “For the rapid advance and capture of Adrianople in 1878”

1. Sub-horseman of the Turkmen cavalry division with the divisional banner (position “on guard” on foot). A simple banner of the 1884 model, awarded in 1897. The banner was taken abroad after the revolution, kept in the Belgrade Church, and in 1945 taken to the USSR and later transferred to the Hermitage. Type of banner for non-Christian units - instead of an icon - State Emblem.

2. Sub-ensign of the foot squads of the State Militia with a banner (position “on the shoulder”). Dressed in the old guards uniform, which the militia could wear while serving within the Empire, right up to the moment they were sent to the front. Militia banner of the 1855/1914 model.

3. Standard of the 1st Border Zaamur Cavalry Regiment. The St. George standard of the 1900 model, granted in 1907, is the first standard of the border units.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, on the eve of the First World War, in the armies of the continental European countries(excluding the fleet, and therefore excluding England) approximately 70% of the soldiers were infantry, 15% were artillery, 8% were cavalry, the remaining 7% were aviation, communications, engineering and automobile troops. The same ratio was in the Russian army.

The main combat unit was the regiment, and in the Russian army it was like one big family. Russian infantry and cavalry regiments, in addition to numbers, had names based on cities. The name indicated the birthplace of the regiment or was symbolic. The cities “patronized” “their” regiments, maintained contacts, and sent gifts. Cossack regiments were named after the place of formation, and the number indicated the order of conscription.

The regiments had very strong military traditions. Of the 350 Russian infantry regiments that participated in the Great War, 140 existed from 60 to 230 years, that is, they were personnel, of which 16 were guards regiments. Every officer and soldier knew the history of his unit in such detail, as if they were talking about their own ancestors. Collective distinctions earned by the regiments for the exploits of past wars were very prestigious - these could be award banners, an addition to the name, silver pipes, special badges or deviations in the uniform (for example, the Absheron Regiment received red lapels on its boots in memory of the fact that The regiment survived the Battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years' War "knee-deep in blood").

Memorial sign in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Absheron Regiment
listing the battles in which he took part

The concept of officer honor was placed very highly. But the concept of soldier’s honor was also given great importance. The charter stated: “Soldier is a common, famous name; every military servant from the general to the last private bears the name of a soldier.”

Non-commissioned officers played the most important role. They were professionals the highest level, the backbone of any regiment, the “fathers” of the soldiers are their direct teachers and mentors.

The army was brought up in strict spirituality; the priest in the regiment was far from the last person. At the same time, wide religious tolerance was allowed - Muslims, Catholics, Lutherans, even pagans from the peoples of the Volga region and Siberia were allowed to perform their rituals, everyone took the oath according to the customs of their faith.

Often regimental priests directly took part in the hostilities of their regiments, of course, without taking up arms, but fulfilling their pastoral duty to the end. There are a great many such examples; I will cite only one, described in "Bulletin of the Military and Naval Clergy" No. 1 for 1915 :
“It is reported about the regimental priest of the 5th Finnish Infantry Regiment, Fr. Mikhail Semenov, that on August 27, in the battle of the village of Nerovo, Fr. Mikhail, wearing an epitrachelion and having a monstrance with the Holy Gifts on his chest, was constantly at the forefront under brutal shrapnel and rifle fire. Here he personally bandaged the wounded, then sending them to the dressing station, calmly gave farewell and gave communion to the seriously wounded.At the end of the battle, Father Mikhail at night buried those killed in the battle here at the front lines.
On September 17, in a battle near the village of Orskaya. Mikhail was shell-shocked, but despite this, he personally carried the seriously wounded man out from under the fire and took him to the dressing station, where he gave communion to all the wounded, bid farewell to the dying and buried the dead.
On September 18, at 12 noon, the enemy began to strongly press the left flank of the entire combat position; At one o'clock in the afternoon, a battalion of one of the regiments, located on the extreme left, could not withstand the enemy's brutal shrapnel fire and began to hastily leave its position, threatening to carry away the units adjacent to it. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Fr. Mikhail, not paying attention to the continuous fire, put on the stole, rushed forward and stopped part of the retreating people."

In infantry training important still had bayonet fighting, it was taught thoroughly, there was a real art of fencing with bayonets. And the cavalry, accordingly, was taught to master checkers. At the beginning of the war, each cavalry and infantry regiment was assigned a machine gun team (8 machine guns and 80 men).

As the Great War progressed, the color of the cadre army was the first to emerge. Thus, in the guards regiments alone, by the end of 1914, 70% of the lower ranks (privates and non-commissioned officers) and 27% had left officers. And already in the second year of the war, the personnel of the Russian army was almost completely replaced by mobilized ones.

Personnel officer corps The Russian army suffered heavy losses during the First World War. In 1914, 2,400 cadets and pages became officers. At the graduation of the cadets in Tsarskoe Selo, Emperor Nicholas II said: “Remember also what I will tell you. I do not doubt your valor and courage at all, but I still need your life, since the needless loss of officer corps can lead to serious consequences. I am sure that, when necessary, each of you will sacrifice with your life. But decide on this if absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I ask you to take care of yourself."

Nicholas II conducts a review of cadets in Tsarskoe Selo:

But how could Russian officers protect themselves when it was written in the Russian Army Regulations that an officer, by his example, should lead soldiers into an attack. In the regulations of other armies, expediency was given preference over valor. Perhaps that is why during the first two years of the war, out of a 46,000-strong officer corps among junior officers, few remained in service.
Already in 1916, the officer corps consisted of 90% reserve officers or those who received officer rank at the front and were trained for a quick fix in cadet schools.

After this, is it any wonder that in the Civil War that broke out in Russia during the First World War, a significant part of the officers deliberately sided with the “reds”?

By the way, it should be noted that the reproaches addressed to representatives of the aristocracy regarding the fact that they allegedly sat in the rear in their palaces and estates while the common people shed their blood are not entirely fair.
Thus, even many members of the imperial family took an active part in the Great War. For example, he fought fearlessly, commanding the famous Caucasian “wild” division, consisting of mountaineers, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, brother of Tsar Nicholas II. Five sons of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov fought on the fronts of the Great War, and one of them, Oleg Konstantinovich, died a heroic death, laying down his head for the Fatherland.

To be continued...

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

Generality:
General's shoulder strap and:

-Field Marshal General* - crossed wands.
-general of infantry, cavalry, etc.(the so-called “full general”) - without asterisks,
- Lieutenant General- 3 stars
- Major General- 2 stars,

Staff officers:
Two gaps and:


-colonel- without stars.
- lieutenant colonel(since 1884 the Cossacks had a military foreman) - 3 stars
-major**(until 1884 the Cossacks had a military foreman) - 2 stars

Chief officers:
One gap and:


- captain(captain, esaul) - without asterisks.
-staff captain(headquarters captain, podesaul) - 4 stars
- lieutenant(centurion) - 3 stars
- second lieutenant(cornet, cornet) - 2 stars
- ensign*** - 1 star

Lower ranks


- mediocre - ensign- 1 galloon stripe along the shoulder strap with 1 star on the stripe
- second ensign- 1 braided stripe the length of the shoulder strap
- sergeant major(sergeant) - 1 wide transverse stripe
-st. non-commissioned officer(Art. fireworker, Art. sergeant) - 3 narrow transverse stripes
-ml. non-commissioned officer(junior fireworker, junior constable) - 2 narrow transverse stripes
-corporal(bombardier, clerk) - 1 narrow transverse stripe
-private(gunner, Cossack) - without stripes

*In 1912, the last Field Marshal General, Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin, who served as Minister of War from 1861 to 1881, dies. This rank was not assigned to anyone else, but nominally this rank was retained.
** The rank of major was abolished in 1884 and was never restored.
*** Since 1884, the rank of warrant officer was reserved only for wartime (assigned only during the war, and with its end, all warrant officers are subject to either retirement or the rank of second lieutenant).
P.S. Encryptions and monograms are not placed on shoulder straps.
Very often one hears the question “why does the junior rank in the category of staff officers and generals begin with two stars, and not with one like for chief officers?” When in 1827 stars on epaulettes appeared in the Russian army as insignia, the major general received two stars on his epaulette at once.
There is a version that one star was awarded to the brigadier - this rank had not been awarded since the time of Paul I, but by 1827 there were still
retired foremen who had the right to wear a uniform. True, retired military men were not entitled to epaulets. And it’s unlikely that many of them survived until 1827 (passed
It’s been about 30 years since the abolition of the brigadier rank). Most likely, the two general's stars were simply copied from the epaulette of the French brigadier general. There is nothing strange in this, because the epaulettes themselves came to Russia from France. Most likely, there never was one general’s star in the Russian Imperial Army. This version seems more plausible.

As for the major, he received two stars by analogy with the two stars of the Russian major general of that time.

The only exception was the insignia in hussar regiments in ceremonial and ordinary (everyday) uniforms, in which shoulder cords were worn instead of shoulder straps.
Shoulder cords.
Instead of epaulettes of the cavalry type, the hussars have on their dolmans and mentiks
Hussar shoulder cords. For all officers, the same gold or silver double soutache cord of the same color as the cords on the dolman for the lower ranks are shoulder cords made of double soutache cord in color -
orange for regiments with a metal color - gold or white for regiments with a metal color - silver.
These shoulder cords form a ring at the sleeve, and a loop at the collar, fastened with a uniform button sewn to the floor an inch from the seam of the collar.
To distinguish ranks, gombochki are put on the cords (a ring made of the same cold cord encircling the shoulder cord):
-y corporal- one, the same color as the cord;
-y non-commissioned officers three-color gombochki (white with St. George's thread), in number, like stripes on shoulder straps;
-y sergeant- gold or silver (like officers) on an orange or white cord (like lower ranks);
-y sub-ensign- a smooth officer's shoulder cord with a sergeant's gong;
Officers have gombochkas with stars on their officer cords (metal, like on shoulder straps) - in accordance with their rank.

Volunteers wear twisted cords of Romanov colors (white, black and yellow) around their cords.

The shoulder cords of chief officers and staff officers are in no way different.
Staff officers and generals have the following differences in their uniforms: on the collar, generals have a wide or gold braid up to 1 1/8 inches wide, while staff officers have a gold or silver braid of 5/8 inches, running the entire length.
hussar zigzags", and for chief officers the collar is trimmed with only cord or filigree.
In the 2nd and 5th regiments, the chief officers also have galloon along the upper edge of the collar, but 5/16 inches wide.
In addition, on the cuffs of the generals there is a galloon identical to that on the collar. The braid stripe extends from the sleeve slit at two ends and converges at the front above the toe.
Staff officers also have the same braid as the one on the collar. The length of the entire patch is up to 5 inches.
But chief officers are not entitled to braid.

Below are pictures of the shoulder cords

1. Officers and generals

2. Lower ranks

The shoulder cords of chief officers, staff officers and generals did not differ in any way from each other. For example, it was possible to distinguish a cornet from a major general only by the type and width of the braid on the cuffs and, in some regiments, on the collar.
Twisted cords were only reserved for adjutants and outhouse adjutants!

Shoulder cords of the aide-de-camp (left) and adjutant (right)

Officer's shoulder straps: lieutenant colonel of the aviation detachment of the 19th army corps and staff captain of the 3rd field aviation detachment. In the center - shoulder straps of Nikolaevsky cadets engineering school. On the right is the shoulder strap of a captain (most likely a dragoon or uhlan regiment)

The Russian army in its modern sense began to be created by Emperor Peter I at the end of the 18th century. System military ranks The Russian army was formed partly under the influence of European systems, partly under the influence of the historically developed purely Russian system of ranks. However, at that time there were no military ranks in the sense in which we are accustomed to understand. There were specific military units, there were also very specific positions and, accordingly, their names. There was no, for example, the rank of “captain”, there was the position of “captain”, i.e. company commander. By the way, in the civilian fleet even now, the person in charge of the crew of the ship is called “captain”, the person in charge of the seaport is called “port captain”. In the 18th century, many words existed in a slightly different meaning than they have now.
So "General" meant "chief", and not just "highest military leader";
"Major"- “senior” (senior among regimental officers);
"Lieutenant"- "assistant"
"Outbuilding"- "Jr".

“The table of ranks of all military, civil and court ranks, in which class the ranks are acquired” was put into effect by Decree of Emperor Peter I on January 24, 1722 and existed until December 16, 1917. The word "officer" came into Russian from German. But in German, as in English, the word has a much broader meaning. When applied to the army, this term refers to all military leaders in general. In a narrower translation, it means “employee”, “clerk”, “employee”. Therefore, it is quite natural that “non-commissioned officers” are junior commanders, “chief officers” are senior commanders, “staff officers” are staff employees, “generals” are the main ones. Non-commissioned officer ranks also in those days were not ranks, but positions. Ordinary soldiers were then named according to their military specialties - musketeer, pikeman, dragoon, etc. There was no name “private”, and “soldier”, as Peter I wrote, means all military personnel “... from the highest general to the last musketeer, horseman or foot...” Therefore, soldier and non-commissioned officer ranks were not included in the Table. The well-known names “second lieutenant” and “lieutenant” existed in the list of ranks of the Russian army long before the formation of the regular army by Peter I to designate military personnel who were assistant captains, that is, company commanders; and continued to be used within the framework of the Table, as Russian-language synonyms for the positions of “non-commissioned lieutenant” and “lieutenant”, that is, “assistant” and “assistant”. Well, or if you want, “assistant officer for assignments” and “officer for assignments.” The name "ensign" as more understandable (carrying a banner, ensign), quickly replaced the obscure "fendrik", which meant "candidate for an officer position. Over time, there was a process of separation of the concepts of "position" and "rank". After the beginning of the 19th century, these concepts were already divided quite clearly. With the development of means of warfare, the advent of technology, when the army became large enough and when it was necessary to compare the official status of a fairly large set of job titles. It was here that the concept of “rank” often began to be obscured, to be relegated to the background “ job title".

However, even in the modern army, position, so to speak, is more important than rank. According to the charter, seniority is determined by position and only in case of equal positions is the one with the higher rank considered senior.

According to the “Table of Ranks” the following ranks were introduced: civilian, military infantry and cavalry, military artillery and engineering troops, military guards, military navy.

In the period from 1722-1731, in relation to the army, the system of military ranks looked like this (the corresponding position is in brackets)

Lower ranks (private)

Specialty (grenadier. Fuseler...)

Non-commissioned officers

Corporal(part-commander)

Fourier(deputy platoon commander)

Captainarmus

Sub-ensign(sergeant major of company, battalion)

Sergeant

Sergeant Major

Ensign(Fendrik), bayonet-cadet (art) (platoon commander)

Second Lieutenant

Lieutenant(deputy company commander)

Captain-lieutenant(company commander)

Captain

Major(deputy battalion commander)

Lieutenant colonel(battalion commander)

Colonel(regiment commander)

Brigadier(brigade commander)

Generals

Major General(division commander)

Lieutenant General(corps commander)

General-in-chief (General-feldtsehmeister)– (army commander)

Field Marshal General(Commander-in-Chief, honorary title)

In the Life Guards the ranks were two classes higher than in the army. In the army artillery and engineering troops, the ranks are one class higher than in the infantry and cavalry. During the period 1731-1765 the concepts of “rank” and “position” begin to separate. Thus, in the staff of a field infantry regiment of 1732, when indicating staff ranks, it is no longer just the rank of “quartermaster” that is written, but a position indicating the rank: “quartermaster (lieutenant rank).” In relation to company-level officers, the separation of the concepts of “position” and “rank” is not yet observed. In the army "fendrick" is replaced by " ensign", in the cavalry - "cornet". Ranks are being introduced "sec-major" And "prime major" During the reign of Empress Catherine II (1765-1798) ranks are introduced in the army infantry and cavalry junior and senior sergeant, sergeant major disappears. Since 1796 in Cossack units, the names of ranks are established the same as the ranks of army cavalry and are equated to them, although Cossack units continue to be listed as irregular cavalry (not part of the army). There is no rank of second lieutenant in the cavalry, but captain corresponds to the captain. During the reign of Emperor Paul I (1796-1801) The concepts of “rank” and “position” during this period were already separated quite clearly. The ranks in the infantry and artillery are compared. Paul I did a lot of useful things to strengthen the army and discipline in it. He forbade the enrollment of young noble children into the regiments. All those enrolled in the regiments were required to actually serve. He introduced disciplinary and criminal liability of officers for soldiers (preservation of life and health, training, clothing, living conditions) and prohibited the use of soldiers as labor on the estates of officers and generals; introduced the awarding of soldiers with insignia of the Order of St. Anne and the Order of Malta; introduced an advantage in the promotion of officers who graduated from military educational institutions; ordered promotion in ranks only based on business qualities and ability to command; introduced leaves for soldiers; limited the duration of officers' vacations to one month per year; discharged from the army a large number of generals who did not meet the requirements of military service (old age, illiteracy, disability, absence from service for a long time, etc.). In the lower ranks, ranks are introduced junior and senior privates. In the cavalry - sergeant(company sergeant) For Emperor Alexander I (1801-1825) since 1802, all non-commissioned officers of the noble class are called "cadet". Since 1811, the rank of “major” was abolished in the artillery and engineering troops and the rank of “ensign” was returned. During the reign of Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855) , who did a lot to streamline the army, Alexander II (1855-1881) and the beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander III (1881-1894) Since 1828, army Cossacks have been given ranks different from the army cavalry (In the Life Guards Cossack and Life Guards Ataman regiments, ranks are the same as those of the entire Guards cavalry). The Cossack units themselves are transferred from the category of irregular cavalry to the army. The concepts of “rank” and “position” during this period are already completely separated. Under Nicholas I, the discrepancy in the names of non-commissioned officer ranks disappeared. Since 1884, the rank of warrant officer was reserved only for wartime (assigned only during the war, and with its end, all warrant officers are subject to either retirement or the rank of second lieutenant). The rank of cornet in the cavalry is retained as the first officer rank. He is a grade lower than an infantry second lieutenant, but in the cavalry there is no rank of second lieutenant. This equalizes the ranks of infantry and cavalry. In Cossack units, officer classes are equal to cavalry classes, but have their own names. In this regard, the rank of military sergeant major, previously equal to a major, now becomes equal to a lieutenant colonel

“In 1912, the last Field Marshal General, Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin, who served as Minister of War from 1861 to 1881, dies. This rank was not awarded to anyone else, but nominally this rank was retained.”

In 1910, the rank of Russian field marshal was awarded to King Nicholas I of Montenegro, and in 1912 to King Carol I of Romania.

P.S. After October revolution 1917 By the Decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars (the Bolshevik government) of December 16, 1917, all military ranks were abolished...

Officer's shoulder straps of the tsarist army were designed completely differently than modern ones. First of all, the gaps were not part of the braid, as it has been done here since 1943. In the engineering troops, two belt braids or one belt braid and two headquarters braids were simply sewn onto the shoulder straps. For each branch of the military, the type of braid was determined specifically. For example, in the hussar regiments, the “hussar zig-zag” braid was used on officer’s shoulder straps. On the shoulder straps of military officials, "civilian" braid was used. Thus, the gaps of the officer's shoulder straps were always the same color as the field of the soldiers' shoulder straps. If the shoulder straps in this part did not have a colored edging (piping), as, say, it was in the engineering troops, then the piping had the same color as the gaps. But if in part the shoulder straps had colored piping, then it was visible around the officer’s shoulder straps. The shoulder strap was silver-colored without edges with an embossed double-headed eagle sitting on crossed axes. The stars were embroidered with gold thread on the shoulder straps, and the encryption was metal gilded applied numbers and letters or silver monograms (as appropriate). At the same time, it was widespread to wear gilded forged metal stars, which were supposed to be worn only on epaulettes.

The placement of asterisks was not strictly established and was determined by the size of the encryption. Two stars were supposed to be placed around the encryption, and if it filled the entire width of the shoulder strap, then above it. The third asterisk had to be placed so as to form an equilateral triangle with the two lower ones, and the fourth asterisk was slightly higher. If there is one sprocket on the shoulder strap (for an ensign), then it was placed where the third sprocket is usually attached. Special signs also had gilded metal overlays, although they could often be found embroidered with gold thread. The exception was special aviation insignia, which were oxidized and had a silver color with a patina.

1. Epaulet staff captain 20th engineer battalion

2. Epaulet for lower ranks Ulan 2nd Life Ulan Kurland Regiment 1910

3. Epaulet full general from the retinue cavalry His Imperial Majesty Nicholas II. The silver device of the epaulette indicates the high military rank of the owner (only the marshal was higher)

About stars on uniform

For the first time, forged five-pointed stars appeared on the epaulettes of Russian officers and generals in January 1827 (back in the time of Pushkin). One golden star began to be worn by warrant officers and cornets, two by second lieutenants and major generals, and three by lieutenants and lieutenant generals. four are staff captains and staff captains.

And with April 1854 Russian officers began to wear sewn stars on newly established shoulder straps. For the same purpose, the German army used diamonds, the British used knots, and the Austrian used six-pointed stars.

Although the designation of military rank on shoulder straps is characteristic feature namely the Russian army and the German one.

Among the Austrians and the British, shoulder straps had a purely functional role: they were sewn from the same material as the jacket so that the shoulder straps did not slip. And the rank was indicated on the sleeve. The five-pointed star, pentagram is a universal symbol of protection and security, one of the most ancient. IN Ancient Greece it could be found on coins, on the doors of houses, stables and even on cradles. Among the Druids of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, the five-pointed star (Druid cross) was a symbol of protection from external evil forces. And it can still be seen on the window panes of medieval Gothic buildings. The Great French Revolution revived five-pointed stars as a symbol of the ancient god of war, Mars. They denoted the rank of commanders of the French army - on hats, epaulettes, scarves, and on uniform coattails.

The military reforms of Nicholas I copied the appearance of the French army - this is how the stars “rolled” from the French horizon to the Russian one.

As for the British army, even during the Boer War, stars began to migrate to shoulder straps. This is about officers. For lower ranks and warrant officers, the insignia remained on the sleeves.
In Russian, German, Danish, Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian, American, Swedish and Turkish armies shoulder straps served as insignia. In the Russian army, there were shoulder insignia for both lower ranks and officers. Also in the Bulgarian and Romanian armies, as well as in the Swedish. In the French, Spanish and Italian armies, rank insignia was placed on the sleeves. In the Greek army, it was on officers' shoulder straps and on the sleeves of lower ranks. In the Austro-Hungarian army, the insignia of officers and lower ranks were on the collar, those on the lapels. In the German army, only officers had shoulder straps, while the lower ranks were distinguished by the braid on the cuffs and collar, as well as the uniform button on the collar. The exception was the Kolonial truppe, where as additional (and in a number of colonies the main) insignia of the lower ranks there were chevrons made of silver galloon sewn on the left sleeve of a-la gefreiter 30-45 years.

It is interesting to note that in peacetime service and field uniforms, that is, with a tunic of the 1907 model, officers of the hussar regiments wore shoulder straps that were also somewhat different from the shoulder straps of the rest of the Russian army. For hussar shoulder straps, galloon with the so-called “hussar zigzag” was used
The only part where shoulder straps with the same zigzag were worn, besides the hussar regiments, was the 4th battalion (since 1910 regiment) of the Imperial Family riflemen. Here is a sample: shoulder straps of the captain of the 9th Kyiv Hussar Regiment.

Unlike the German hussars, who wore uniforms of the same design, differing only in the color of the fabric. With the introduction of khaki-colored shoulder straps, the zigzags also disappeared; membership in the hussars was indicated by encryption on the shoulder straps. For example, "6 G", that is, the 6th Hussar.
In general, the field uniform of the hussars was of the dragoon type, they were combined arms. The only difference indicating belonging to the hussars was the boots with a rosette in front. However, the hussar regiments were allowed to wear chakchirs with their field uniform, but not all regiments, but only the 5th and 11th. The wearing of chakchirs by the rest of the regiments was a kind of “hazing”. But during the war, this happened, as well as the wearing by some officers of a saber, instead of the standard dragon saber, which was required for field equipment.

The photograph shows the captain of the 11th Izyum Hussar Regiment K.K. von Rosenschild-Paulin (sitting) and cadet of the Nikolaev Cavalry School K.N. von Rosenchild-Paulin (also later an officer in the Izyum Regiment). Captain in summer dress or dress uniform, i.e. in a tunic of the 1907 model, with galloon shoulder straps and the number 11 (note, on the officer's shoulder straps of peacetime valery regiments there are only numbers, without the letters "G", "D" or "U"), and blue chakchirs worn by officers of this regiment for all forms of clothing.
Regarding “hazing,” during the World War it was apparently also common for hussar officers to wear galloon shoulder straps in peacetime.

on galloon officer's shoulder straps of cavalry regiments, only numbers were affixed, and there were no letters. which is confirmed by photographs.

Ordinary ensign- from 1907 to 1917 in the Russian army the highest military rank for non-commissioned officers. The insignia for ordinary ensigns was the shoulder straps of a lieutenant officer with a large (larger than an officer's) asterisk in the upper third of the shoulder strap on the line of symmetry. The rank was awarded to the most experienced long-term non-commissioned officers; with the beginning of the First World War, it began to be assigned to ensigns as an incentive, often immediately before the assignment of the first chief officer rank (ensign or cornet).

From Brockhaus and Efron:
Ordinary ensign, military During mobilization, if there were a shortage of persons meeting the conditions for promotion to the officer rank, there was no one. non-commissioned officers are awarded the rank of warrant officer; correcting the duties of junior officers, Z. great. restricted in the rights to move in the service.

Interesting history of the rank sub-ensign. During the period 1880-1903. this rank was awarded to graduates of cadet schools (not to be confused with military schools). In the cavalry he corresponded to the rank of estandart cadet, in the Cossack troops - sergeant. Those. it turned out that this was some kind of intermediate rank between the lower ranks and officers. Sub-ensigns who graduated from the Junkers College in the 1st category were promoted to officers no earlier than September of their graduation year, but outside of vacancies. Those who graduated in the 2nd category were promoted to officers no earlier than the beginning of the next year, but only for vacancies, and it turned out that some waited several years for promotion. According to order No. 197 of 1901, with the production of the last ensigns, estandard cadets and sub-warrants in 1903, these ranks were abolished. This was due to the beginning of the transformation of cadet schools into military ones.
Since 1906, the rank of ensign in the infantry and cavalry and sub-ensign in the Cossack troops began to be awarded to long-term non-commissioned officers who graduated from a special school. Thus, this rank became the maximum for lower ranks.

Sub-ensign, estandard cadet and sub-ensign, 1886:

Shoulder straps of the staff captain of the Cavalry Regiment and shoulder straps of the staff captain of the Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment.

The first shoulder strap is declared as the shoulder strap of an officer (captain) of the 17th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. But Nizhny Novgorod residents should have dark green piping along the edge of the shoulder strap, and the monogram should be a applied color. And the second shoulder strap is presented as the shoulder strap of a second lieutenant of the Guards artillery (with such a monogram in the Guards artillery there were shoulder straps for officers of only two batteries: the 1st battery of the Life Guards of the 2nd Artillery Brigade and the 2nd battery of the Guards Horse Artillery), but the shoulder strap button should not Is it possible to have an eagle with guns in this case?

Major(Spanish mayor - bigger, stronger, more significant) - the first rank of senior officers.
The title originated in the 16th century. The major was responsible for the guard and food of the regiment. When regiments were divided into battalions, the battalion commander usually became a major.
In the Russian army, the rank of major was introduced by Peter I in 1698 and abolished in 1884.
Prime major is a staff officer rank in the Russian imperial army of the 18th century. Belonged to class VIII of the Table of Ranks.
According to the charter of 1716, majors were divided into prime majors and second majors.
The prime major was in charge of the regiment's combat and inspection units. He commanded the 1st battalion, and in the absence of the regiment commander, the regiment.
The division into prime and second majors was abolished in 1797."

"Appeared in Russia as a rank and position (deputy regiment commander) in the Streltsy army at the end of the 15th - early 16th centuries. In Streltsy regiments, as a rule, lieutenant colonels (often of “vile” origin) performed all administrative functions for the Streltsy head, appointed from among the nobles or boyars In the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, the rank (rank) and position were referred to as half-colonel due to the fact that the lieutenant colonel usually, in addition to his other duties, commanded the second “half” of the regiment - the back ranks in the formation and the reserve (before the introduction of battalion formation of regular soldier regiments) From the moment the Table of Ranks was introduced until its abolition in 1917, the rank (rank) of lieutenant colonel belonged to the VII class of the Table and gave the right to hereditary nobility until 1856. In 1884, after the abolition of the rank of major in the Russian army, all majors (with the exception of dismissed or those who have stained themselves with unseemly misconduct) are promoted to lieutenant colonel."

INSIGNIA OF CIVIL OFFICERS OF THE WAR MINISTRY (here are military topographers)

Officers of the Imperial Military Medical Academy

Chevrons of combatant lower ranks of long-term service according to “Regulations on the lower ranks of non-commissioned officers who remain voluntarily on long-term active service” from 1890.

From left to right: Up to 2 years, Over 2 to 4 years, Over 4 to 6 years, Over 6 years

To be precise, the article from which these drawings were borrowed says the following: “... the awarding of chevrons to long-term servicemen of the lower ranks holding the positions of sergeant majors (sergeant majors) and platoon non-commissioned officers (fireworks officers) of combat companies, squadrons, and batteries was carried out:
– Upon admission to long-term service - a narrow silver chevron
– At the end of the second year of extended service - a silver wide chevron
– At the end of the fourth year of extended service - a narrow gold chevron
- At the end of the sixth year of extended service - a wide gold chevron"

In army infantry regiments to designate the ranks of corporal, ml. and senior non-commissioned officers used army white braid.

1. The rank of WARRANT OFFICER has existed in the army since 1991 only in wartime.
With the beginning of the Great War, ensigns are graduated from military schools and ensign schools.
2. Rank WARRANT OFFICER, reserve, in Peaceful time on the ensign's shoulder straps he wears a braided stripe against the device at the lower rib.
3. The rank of WARRANT OFFICER, to this rank in wartime, when military units are mobilized and there is a shortage of junior officers, lower ranks are renamed from non-commissioned officers with an educational qualification, or from sergeant majors without
educational qualification. From 1891 to 1907, ordinary warrant officers on ensign's shoulder straps also wore stripes of the ranks from which they were renamed.
4. The title of ENTERPRISE-WRITTEN OFFICER (since 1907). Shoulder straps of a lieutenant officer with an officer's star and a transverse badge for the position. On the sleeve there is a 5/8 inch chevron, angled upward. Officer's shoulder straps were retained only by those who were renamed Z-Pr. during Russo-Japanese War and remained in the army, for example, as a sergeant major.
5.The title of WARRANT OFFICER-ZAURYAD of the State Militia. This rank was renamed to non-commissioned officers of the reserve, or, if they had an educational qualification, who served for at least 2 months as a non-commissioned officer of the State Militia and appointed to the position of junior officer of the squad. Ordinary warrant officers wore shoulder straps of an active-duty warrant officer with an instrument-colored galloon patch sewn into the lower part of the shoulder strap.

Cossack ranks and titles

At the lowest rung of the service ladder stood an ordinary Cossack, corresponding to an infantry private. Next came the clerk, who had one stripe and corresponded to a corporal in the infantry. The next step in the career ladder is junior sergeant and senior sergeant, corresponding to junior non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned officer and senior non-commissioned officer and with the number of badges characteristic of modern non-commissioned officers. This was followed by the rank of sergeant, who was not only in the Cossacks, but also in the non-commissioned officers of the cavalry and horse artillery.

In the Russian army and gendarmerie, the sergeant was the closest assistant to the commander of a hundred, squadron, battery for drill training, internal order and economic affairs. The rank of sergeant corresponded to the rank of sergeant major in the infantry. According to the regulations of 1884, introduced by Alexander III, the next rank in the Cossack troops, but only for wartime, was sub-short, an intermediate rank between ensign and warrant officer in the infantry, also introduced in wartime. In peacetime, except for the Cossack troops, these ranks existed only for reserve officers. The next grade in the chief officer ranks is cornet, corresponding to second lieutenant in the infantry and cornet in the regular cavalry.

According to his official position, he corresponded to a junior lieutenant in the modern army, but wore shoulder straps with a blue clearance on a silver field (the applied color of the Don Army) with two stars. In the old army, compared to the Soviet army, the number of stars was one more. Next came the centurion - a chief officer rank in the Cossack troops, corresponding to a lieutenant in the regular army. The centurion wore shoulder straps of the same design, but with three stars, corresponding in his position to a modern lieutenant. A higher step is podesaul.

This rank was introduced in 1884. In the regular troops it corresponded to the rank of staff captain and staff captain.

Podesaul was the assistant or deputy of the captain and in his absence commanded the Cossack hundred.
Shoulder straps of the same design, but with four stars.
In terms of service position he corresponds to a modern senior lieutenant. And the highest rank of chief officer is esaul. It is worth talking about this rank in particular, since from a purely historical perspective, the people who wore it held positions in both the civil and military departments. In various Cossack troops, this position included various service prerogatives.

The word comes from the Turkic “yasaul” - chief.
It was first mentioned in the Cossack troops in 1576 and was used in the Ukrainian Cossack army.

Yesauls were general, military, regimental, hundred, village, marching and artillery. General Captain (two per Army) - highest rank after the hetman. In peacetime, general esauls performed inspector functions; in war they commanded several regiments, and in the absence of the hetman, the entire Army. But this is typical only for Ukrainian Cossacks. Military esauls were elected on the Military Circle (in Donskoy and most others - two per Army, in Volzhsky and Orenburg - one each). We were engaged in administrative matters. Since 1835, they were appointed as adjutants to the military ataman. Regimental esauls (initially two per regiment) performed the duties of staff officers and were the closest assistants to the regiment commander.

Hundred esauls (one per hundred) commanded hundreds. This link did not take root in the Don Army after the first centuries of the existence of the Cossacks.

The village esauls were characteristic only of the Don Army. They were elected at village gatherings and were assistants to the village atamans. Marching esauls (usually two per Army) were selected when setting out on a campaign. They served as assistants to the marching ataman; in the 16th-17th centuries, in his absence, they commanded the army; later they were executors of the marching ataman’s orders. The artillery esaul (one per Army) was subordinate to the chief of artillery and carried out his orders. General, regimental, village and other esauls were gradually abolished

Only the military esaul was preserved under the military ataman of the Don Cossack army. In 1798 - 1800. The rank of esaul was equal to the rank of captain in the cavalry. Esaul, as a rule, commanded a Cossack hundred. His official position corresponded to that of a modern captain. He wore shoulder straps with a blue gap on a silver field without stars. Next come the headquarters officer ranks. In fact, after the reform of Alexander III in 1884, the rank of esaul entered this rank, due to which the rank of major was removed from the staff officer ranks, as a result of which a serviceman from captains immediately became a lieutenant colonel. Next on the Cossack career ladder is a military foreman. The name of this rank comes from the ancient name of the executive body of power among the Cossacks. In the second half of the 18th century, this name, in a modified form, extended to individuals who commanded individual branches of the Cossack army. Since 1754, a military foreman was equivalent to a major, and with the abolition of this rank in 1884, to a lieutenant colonel. He wore shoulder straps with two blue gaps on a silver field and three large stars.

Well, then comes the colonel, the shoulder straps are the same as those of a military sergeant major, but without stars. Starting from this rank, the service ladder is unified with the general army one, since the purely Cossack names of ranks disappear. The official position of a Cossack general fully corresponds to the general ranks of the Russian Army.

The “Immortals” of the Persian kings, the Praetorians of the Roman Caesars, the Varangian and Slavic mercenaries of the Byzantine emperors, the Drabants of the Scottish kings, the “Black Walloons” of the Burgundian dukes, the Scottish Guard of the French Valois, the Swiss Guard of the French Bourbons... The personal guard was an integral attribute of any self-respecting autocrat. As soon as he ascended the throne, the monarch began reforming the guard inherited from his predecessors, but even greater reforms awaited the guard in the event of a change in the ruling dynasty. The dynasty of Russian tsars, the Romanovs, was no exception. Traditionally, the creation of the guard in general and the guards infantry in particular is attributed to Peter I, but in fact this process began under his predecessors. Having ascended the throne, the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, carried out a thorough purge of the personnel of the guard inherited from his predecessors (the Stirrup Streletsky Regiment) and thought about creating a new guard of his own. The process of reforming the guard regiments lasted for the entire 300-odd years of the dynasty's reign. Here are some facts from the history of the guards infantry of the Romanov tsars.

1. The first guards infantry units of the Romanovs were the Moscow elected soldier guards regiments:

The 1st Moscow elective soldiers' regiment was formed on June 25, 1642 (during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich) and is better known as the Lefort infantry regiment (named after Franz Lefort, who was appointed its commander in 1692). On January 14, 1785, it was named the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, and on September 8, 1791, it was disbanded by joining the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment.

The 2nd Moscow elective soldiers' regiment was also formed in 1642 by decree of the same Mikhail Fedorovich, consisting of 52 companies of 100 people each. Better known as the Butyrsky Regiment (based on the Butyrskaya Sloboda in Moscow) and the Gordon Regiment (named after one of the commanders, Patrick Gordon). From March 9, 1914 – 13th Life Grenadier Erivan Regiment of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Disbanded early 1918.

The 3rd Moscow Elective Soldiers' Regiment was formed in 1692.

2. Initially, elective soldier regiments were conceived as cadre units: in peacetime they consisted of “initial” people from foreman to colonel, and in wartime they were replenished with ordinary riflemen and deployed into several regiments each. Later, the principle of framing was abandoned, but the somewhat unusual division of regiments into regiments remained. Thus, the 1st Moscow elective soldiers' regiment consisted of 5 regiments, the 2nd Moscow elective soldiers' regiment - of 6 regiments, and the 3rd Moscow elective soldiers' regiment - of 2 regiments.

1698–1702. From left to right: fusilier of the Semenovsky regiment in a winter caftan, chief officer of the Preobrazhensky regiment
regiment, fusilier of the Butyrsky regiment in a summer caftan, grenadier of the Preobrazhensky regiment
Source: O. Leonov, I. Ulyanov “Regular infantry 1698–1801”

Patrick Gordon - military teacher of Peter I. Long time commanded the 2nd Moscow
elected soldiers' regiment
Source: http://catholichurch.ru/index.php/gallery/member/4-drogon/

3. All three Moscow elective regiments took part in the Battle of Narva in 1700, which was unsuccessful for the Russian army. As a result of this battle, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards regiments (at that time part of the 3rd Moscow elective soldiers' regiment) received the status of Life Guards. There is an opinion in the literature that the Preobrazhensky Regiment is the oldest guard regiment. This statement is quite controversial in light of the fact that from the moment of its creation until 1706, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards regiments were divisions of the same military unit and had a common regimental commander (at first it was Major General A. M. Golovin, and from 1700 - General -Major I.I. Chambers). The official history of the Russian Imperial Army established the seniority of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments from 1683. The reason for the birth of the version of the “birthright” of the Preobrazhensky Regiment was some subjective facts from the history of the Semenovsky Regiment. Court historians condemned this regiment for its “rebellion” (October 16, 1820, the head company of the Semenovsky regiment, dissatisfied with the ban of the new regimental commander Schwartz on soldiers engaging in crafts, submitted a request to change the regimental commander. The regiment was disarmed and sent in full force to the Peter and Paul Fortress), and the Soviets disliked him for his participation in the suppression of the Moscow uprising in 1905.

Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment
Source: http://russiahistory.ru/lejb-gvardii-semenovskij-polk/

4. Life Guards regiments were conceived by Peter I as a unique personnel reserve. Initially, all guardsmen had an advantage of two ranks over military personnel of army units. Later, this advantage was retained only for officers, and then, as the number of the guard grew, it was divided into the “old” guard (with an advantage of two ranks) and the “young” guard (with an advantage of one rank). By the beginning of the twentieth century, all guards officers had an advantage of one rank. In the guards hierarchy of the early twentieth century, there was no rank of lieutenant colonel, so the guards captain was immediately promoted to colonel.

Colonel, battalion commander of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment in full dress uniform
Source: http://maxpark.com/community/129/content/1797108

5. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the Russian Guards Infantry had reached its maximum development and included 12 infantry and 4 rifle regiments, as well as one separate company. Twelve of the sixteen guards infantry regiments (Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky, Izmailovsky, Jaeger, Moscow, Finland, Lithuanian, Volynsky, 1st Infantry of His Majesty, 2nd Infantry of Tsarskoye Selo, 3rd Infantry of His Majesty, 4th Infantry of the Imperial Family) were initially formed as guards, and four (Grenadier, Pavlovsky, Kexholm of the Austrian Emperor and Petrograd King Frederick William III) were transferred to the guard for special military merits. Organizationally, by 1914, the guards infantry units were consolidated into three guards infantry divisions and a guards rifle brigade (the 1st, 2nd divisions and the rifle brigade made up the guards infantry corps, and the 3rd division was part of the 22nd army corps). The Guards Infantry took an active part in the First World War and was involved in the Lublin (1914), Warsaw-Ivangorod (1914), Czestochowa-Krakow (1914) operations, positional battles near Lomza (1915), and military operations in the city area Kholm (1915), Vilna (1915), Kovel (1916), Vladimir-Volyn (1916) operations, positional battles on the Stokhod River (1916), Galician operation (1917). Guards units were used as shock infantry, which led to large losses in personnel. The losses of the Guards infantry in the first year of the war alone are estimated at 30% of officers and 80% of lower ranks.

6. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the guards infantry was recruited, as a rule, by recruits from the Great Russian provinces. A necessary condition was the presence of a certificate of trustworthiness, which was issued by the police at the recruit’s place of residence. The distribution of recruits among regiments was carried out in accordance with their appearance. So, tall blond men were recruited into the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and in the 3rd and 5th companies - with beards; in Semenovsky - tall brown-haired men; in Izmailovsky and Grenadiersky - brunettes (in His Majesty's company - bearded); in Moscow - brunettes (in the 9th company), the tallest - in the company of His Majesty; in Lithuanian - beardless, tall blonds; in Kexholmsky - beardless, tall brown-haired men; in St. Petersburg - brunettes; in Yegersky, Finlyandsky and Volynsky - people of “light build” of any hair color. 1st Rifle Regiment was completed with blondes, the 2nd with brunettes, the 4th with “short-nosed”. Program military training guards units had no significant differences from the army and included the following disciplines: rifle training (the training course included initial training, training in observing the field and determining distances to the target, training shooting, shooting training for commanders and tactical training with live shooting); engineering training (the course included self-digging, construction of simple engineering structures and the basics of camouflage); bayonet fight. In the guards units, gymnastic (physical) training was introduced earlier than in the army units. The system of gymnastic exercises included: freestyle movements and exercises with guns and sticks; exercises on apparatus; walking, running and marching; field gymnastics; group exercises, games (in 1908, football was included in the list of recommended games); throwing spears and weights.

7. In the Russian Imperial Army, with the exception of the reign of Paul I, they tried not to change the names of the regiments. In the history of the Russian Guards Infantry, only three regiments changed their name. The Life Guards St. Petersburg Regiment was renamed the Life Guards Petrograd Regiment on August 24, 1914 (in connection with the renaming of St. Petersburg to Petrograd). On October 12, 1817, the Lithuanian Life Guards Regiment was renamed Moscow, and on the basis of its 3rd battalion a new Lithuanian Life Guards Regiment was formed in Warsaw. In 1855, the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment was renamed the Life Guards Gatchina, but on August 17, 1870, on the day of the regimental holiday, the regiment was returned to its former name. According to legend, the old name of the regiment was returned thanks to the wit of an elderly honored general (some history buffs attribute the wit to Lieutenant General Ivan Gavrilovich Chekmarev, which seems doubtful, and, most likely, the story is still anecdotal in nature), who responded to the emperor’s greeting: “Hello, old huntsman” - “I’m not an old huntsman, but a young Gatchina resident!”

P.V. SHAVENKOV

NAMES OF REGULAR REGIMENTS OF THE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN ARMY AT THE END OF THE 17TH – BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURIES. (using the example of cavalry regiments)

“November 27.
Holiday of Nizhny Novgorod residents! Where are they and what’s wrong with them?”
From the diary of Nicholas II.

Having begun to create new regular regiments at the very end of the 17th century, Peter I usually assigned them the names of regimental commanders (“Dragoon Morelia Regiment”) or chiefs (“Dragoon Field Marshal Sheremetev Regiment”). In this case, the tsar followed both the tradition of most European armies of that time and Russian custom (most of the previous rifle and soldier regiments were named after their commanders). The exception was a number of regiments, named after the villages and settlements near Moscow in which these regiments were quartered or formed: the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky “amusing” regiments, the Butyrsky elective soldiers’ regiment (existed from the mid-17th century) and the Preobrazhensky dragoon regiments ( the latter soon also began to be called colonels). In 1700, the former “amusing” regiments received the honorary name of the Life Guards regiments, i.e. literally translated as “bodyguards” of the monarch; Subsequently, this honorary prefix was an integral part of the names of most guards units of the Imperial Russian army. Even having subsequently changed their quarters, both first guards regiments, like the Butyrsky Infantry Regiment, retained their names - in memory of the places that became the cradle of new army.
However, the method of naming regiments by commander soon ceased to satisfy Peter, especially since the fairly frequent change of colonels during the war led to constant changes in regimental names and threatened confusion. Gradually, the main principle of naming regiments became “geographical”, i.e. naming by cities and territories. So, already from 1704, the soldier’s regiment of Alexander Menshikov began to be called Ingria, and from March 10, 1708 (according to other sources, as early as October 1706), most of the regular regiments received “geographical” names, which was clearly connected with the new administrative division of Russia into provinces and provinces. One of the pre-revolutionary military historians spoke about the reasons for this method of naming: “Peter the Great’s idea to name the regiments after the names of Russian lands and give them banners with the coats of arms of the provinces by which they were named was a deeply thought-out thought. Serving under these banners, the soldier considered himself to belong to a great state, the interests of which he defended” (Potto V.A. History of the 44th Dragoon Regiment of Nizhny Novgorod. T.2. St. Petersburg, 1893. P.41.). One can quite agree with this opinion, but I think the principle of choosing “geographical” regimental names should be considered in more detail.
The easiest way to determine the principle of naming garrison units is that they usually received the names of the cities and provinces in which they were located. Regarding field regiments, there is an opinion that in Peter’s time they received names according to the places of their military distinction, or according to the areas of deployment or recruitment. However, the study of regimental histories indicates the fallacy of this point of view.
For example, at the end of 1703 an infantry regiment was formed in Kazan, named Koporsky in 1708. As the history of the regiment testifies, it not only did not participate in the battles for Koporye, but also never, until its renaming in 1784 to Vitebsk, was stationed in the area of ​​​​this ancient fortress. In general, the opinion that in the Russian army many regiments received names after the places of battles in which they distinguished themselves should be considered a delusion. Thus, under Peter I, among the regular regiments there was not a single one called “Poltava”, although several dozen of them took part in this decisive battle of the Northern War. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, there really were Kagulsky, Rymniksky, Borodino and a number of other infantry regiments named in memory of the victories of Russian weapons, but all these regiments were formed after these battles (sometimes for 100 years or more) and, naturally, not could distinguish themselves in them.
Most regular field regiments at the beginning of the 18th century were named after cities European Russia, which, however, did not mean that they were formed or located precisely in the corresponding cities. The Nizhny Novgorod infantry regiment, for example, was formed in 1700 in Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow and over the next 100 years only in 1727 - 1729 and 1775 - 1777. lived in Nizhny Novgorod. The situation with the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment is even more indicative. It was formed in 1701 in the Novgorod region from local service people, and throughout its subsequent more than 200-year history it was never in Nizhny Novgorod (moreover, in the 19th century the regiment was constantly stationed in the Caucasus and was replenished mainly by recruits from Little Russian, Western and Polish provinces). The future Pskov Dragoon Regiment was formed in Moscow from service people of the Volga region; in 1701 – 1704 he, like the entire army of B.P. Sheremetev, was in winter quarters in Pskov, but never visited this city again. Many other regimental histories paint a similar picture.
By what principle then did field regiments receive “geographical” names in Peter’s time? Let us consider the “nomenclature” of such names that had developed by 1721. As already noted, most of the regiments bore the names of ancient Russian cities located in the center, in the north-west of the country and in the Volga region: Moscow Infantry and Dragoon, Vladimir Infantry and Dragoon, Novgorod Infantry and Dragoon, Arkhangelsk Infantry and Dragoon, Pskov infantry and dragoon, Vologda infantry and dragoon, Kazan infantry and dragoon, Astrakhan infantry and dragoon, Nizhny Novgorod infantry and dragoon, Rostov infantry and dragoon, Yaroslavl infantry and dragoon, Trinity infantry and dragoon, Ryazan infantry and dragoon, Vyatka infantry and dragoon , Perm infantry and dragoon, Velikoluksky, Smolensky, Belgorod, Belozersky, Voronezh, Galician infantry and Olonetsky, Kargopolsky, Lutsky (meaning Velikiye Luki), Tver, Novotroitsky dragoon regiments. It was these areas that were the main source of recruiting regular troops, since they bore the brunt of the recruitment drives of that time. It is characteristic that the largest cities at that time were represented in the ranks of the army by two regiments each - infantry and dragoons. However, it must be emphasized once again that all this did not mean at all that the regiments, called Moscow, Kazan, etc., were replenished precisely by Muscovites or Kazan residents. In 1711, it was decided that the regiments should receive reinforcements from the province to which they were assigned, but due to the constant movement of regiments during the Northern War, this system could not really take hold. At the end of the war, the overwhelming majority of regiments were stationed in provinces that did not coincide with their names; At the same time, recruits to the regiment came mainly from the area where it was located.
The second largest by 1721 was a group of regiments that received names from the places conquered from the Swedes in the first years of the war: St. Petersburg Infantry and Dragoons, Ingermanland Infantry and Dragoons, Neva Infantry and Dragoons, Narva Infantry and Dragoons. Sky, Vyborg, Koporsky, Shlisselburg infantry regiments and the Yamburg Dragoon Regiment. It seems that such attention to these geographical points was due to Peter’s desire (and he undoubtedly chose the names of the regiments himself) to demonstrate that these territories were an integral part of Russian state, as well as central areas countries. In this regard, attention is drawn to the fact that even after the loss of the Azov fortress as a result of the unsuccessful Prut campaign, the Azov infantry and dragoon regiments remained in the ranks of the army: apparently in this way the desire to return this important point was emphasized over time.
By 1721, territories that were almost not involved in the recruitment of regular troops at that time were represented to a lesser extent in the names of regiments. Thus, the entire Left Bank of Ukraine (recruitment was not carried out on its territory until the time of Catherine II) was represented in the ranks of the field troops only by the Kiev - infantry and dragoon - regiments and the Chernigov infantry regiment, and huge Asian Russia - by the Siberian infantry and dragoon and Tobol - infantry and dragoon regiments. By the way, the last four regiments during their entire existence were never in Siberia. Thus, as in previous cases, the choice of names for these regiments was dictated primarily by political considerations - the need to represent all regions of the country in the army. The frequency of mention of certain geographical objects in the names of regiments is an indicator of the degree of significance of the corresponding regions in government policy of that time.
So, the choice of “geographical” names of regular field regiments by Peter I was not accidental and was associated not so much with the areas of their location or recruitment, but with the desire to demonstrate the significance of the corresponding regions for the domestic and foreign policy of Russia.
It should be noted that even by the end of Peter’s life, not all regiments had “geographical” names. Grenadier (infantry and dragoon) and landmilitian regiments continued to be named after commanders or chiefs, apparently because they were considered temporary units. In addition, there was a dragoon Life Regiment (from the German “regiment” - regiment), which, according to the tsar, was supposed to play the same role for the cavalry as the guards regiments for the infantry.
In February 1727, at the insistence of A.D. Menshikov, who referred to the will of Peter the Great, all field regiments were renamed according to the provinces in which they were actually stationed, with the addition of a serial number if necessary. Thus, the Narvsky, Olonetsky and Novotroitsky dragoon regiments located in the Nizhny Novgorod province were called the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Nizhny Novgorod regiments, respectively (the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment was called the 2nd Shatsky). However, such a renaming could lead to the oblivion of the previous exploits of the regiments, and the possible redeployment of the regiments could cause confusion, so already in November of the same year, after the fall of Menshikov, the previous “geographical” names were returned to the regiments. At the same time, the regiments received “geographical” names, which continued to bear the names of their chiefs until 1727. Thus, in particular, the Vyborg, Revel and Riga dragoon regiments appeared, the names of which, apparently, were supposed to emphasize that even in the new conditions Russia would not give up the conquests of Peter I (hereinafter we consider the names of only regular cavalry regiments).
During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, regiments with names based on chiefs appeared again. They were regiments converted from dragoons to cuirassiers: Cuirassier Minikha (chief - the initiator of this transformation), Life Cuirassier (chief - Empress) and Bevernsky (then renamed Brunswick) cuirassier. The name of the latter is due to the fact that its boss was Prince Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern-Lunenburg (father of the infant Emperor Ivan Antonovich). It is interesting that after the arrest and exile of Field Marshal Minikhov under Empress Elizabeth, his regiment was called the “former Minikhov” and only a few years later was renamed the 3rd Cuirassier.
In 1741, regular hussar regiments appeared for the first time in the Russian army. They were recruited mainly from emigrants and received the corresponding names - Hungarian, Georgian, Moldavian and Serbian. The national names of hussar regiments (mainly based on the Balkan nationalities) existed for more than 40 years, until the light cavalry regiments began to be replenished on the same basis as all regular troops.
One can also note the existence in the 1750s - 1770s. The Black and Yellow Hussars, whose names corresponded to the colors of their uniforms.
Emperor Peter III tried again to rename all the regular regiments after the names of their chiefs, since this was the name of the regiments in the army of the Prussian king Frederick II, who was so revered by him. However, during his short reign, the emperor did not have time to complete this reform, which caused general discontent in the army, and Catherine II, who overthrew her husband, hastened to return the regiments to the names that they had by the end of Elizabeth’s reign.
During the reign of Catherine II, conscription was extended to the population of Little Russia, and the recruits recruited there were sent mainly to the cavalry. This led to a decrease in the number of cavalry regiments bearing the names of cities in the current territory of the Russian Federation, and the emergence of regiments whose names were associated with the Little Russian lands and the lands annexed as a result of the wars with Turkey (the latter were called Novorossiya). So, by 1796 there were Glukhovsky, Chernigovsky, Kievsky, Nezhinsky, Starodubsky, Seversky Carabinieri, Kinburnsky and Taganrog Dragoons, Elisavetgradsky, Kievsky, Pereyaslavsky, Tauride Horse Guards, Olviopolsky Hussars, Kharkovsky, Mariupolsky, Pavlogradsky, Alexandria, Akhtyrsky , Sumsky, Izyumsky, Kherson, Poltava, Ostrogozhsky and Ukrainian light horse regiments. The tendency to call most cavalry regiments with “geographical” names associated with the territory of modern Ukraine continued into the 19th century.
From the very first days of his reign, Paul I sought to eliminate the memory of his mother’s reign. He hastened to reduce the size of the army, and first of all, units whose names were reminiscent of the victories of Catherine’s time were disbanded (including the Kinburn Dragoon, Tauride Horse-Jager and Kherson Light Horse regiments that were disbanded). At the same time, the new sovereign, bowing like Peter III, before Frederick II, begins to replace the “geographical” names of the regiments with chief ones. Finally, in October 1798, everyone army regiments it is prescribed to be named after their chiefs. The majority of soldiers and officers reacted sharply negatively to this change: “Of all the innovations we borrowed from the Prussians, this was the most unpopular” (Potto V.A. Op. op. p. 42). The kaleidoscopic change of chiefs of most regiments (and therefore their names) only aggravated dissatisfaction with such a “reform.”
Particular attention should be paid to the name of the Cavalry Regiment, formed in 1800 and immediately taking first place among the Guards cavalry units. Sometimes in the literature one encounters the designation of this regiment as the “Life Guards of the Cavalry Guard,” which is completely incorrect. The Cavalry Regiment never had the prefix “Life Guards” in its name (although it enjoyed all the rights of the Old Guard), since the very word “Cavalry Guards” (from the French “cavalier garde”) means “horse guards”.
Alexander I, who reigned as a result of the death of his father, returned the “geographical” names to the regiments, and under him new regiments also received names according to this principle. At the same time, a tradition began, which was continued in the future, of assigning the names of previously disbanded regiments to newly created regiments in order to preserve the memory of their service. Thus, in 1783, the Nezhinsky Light Horse Regiment was created, which was disbanded, already a cuirassier, in 1800. In 1806, the Nezhinsky Dragoon Regiment was created, which existed (as a horse-jaeger regiment) until 1833. The Nezhinsky Dragoon Regiment appeared again in 1856 ., but already in 1860 it was abolished. Finally, in 1896, the Nezhin Dragoon Regiment was created again, to which the seniority of the Nezhin Light Horse Regiment formed in 1783 and the awards of the Nezhin Dragoon Regiment formed in 1806 were transferred.
In 1824, the Grodno Hussar Regiment was named Klyastitsky (in memory of the battle of Klyastitsy on July 19, 1812) - this is the only case in the entire history of pre-revolutionary regular cavalry of a regiment being renamed after the place of the battle in which it distinguished itself.
After the victory over Napoleon, a number of regiments again received names based on their chiefs. Unlike Pavlov’s time, when the boss in most cases directly supervised the sponsored part, in the 19th – early 20th centuries. patronage was only honorary title, which was awarded to members of Russian and foreign ruling houses and some Russian military leaders. Of the cavalry regiments, the first in this period to receive the patronage name was the Belarusian Hussar Regiment, named in 1816 as the Prince of Orange Hussar Regiment. Under Nicholas I, such renamings became widespread, and by 1855, of the 50 army cavalry regiments available at that time, 41 were named after their chiefs. In 1857, in connection with the national upsurge caused by the failure in Crimean War, the “geographical” names were returned to the regiments, with the name of the chief retained (for example, the Chuguevsky Uhlan general from the cavalry, Count Nikitin’s regiment).
In 1864, a serial number was added to the names of army regiments, and each branch of cavalry received a separate numbering; in 1882 – 1907 due to the transformation of all army lancer and hussar regiments into dragoon regiments, all army cavalry regiments had continuous numbering (except for the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment, which never had a number). In 1891, the names of “eternal chiefs” - outstanding Russian military leaders; Later, a number of regiments received “eternal chiefs” - heroes of the war with Napoleon.
By 1914, 56 cavalry regiments had “geographical” names (excluding the Crimean Cavalry Regiment, which was staffed by Crimean Tatars). Of these, the names of cities and regions modern territory The Russian Federation was called 18 (including 2 - associated with the Asian part of the country, of which the Irkutsk Hussar Regiment was never located in Siberia), Ukraine - 28 (including the Novorossiysk Dragoon - that was the name of the Northern Black Sea region ), Belarus - 3, Baltic states, including Finland - 7 (including the Tatar Uhlan, which inherited the name of a regiment formed from Lithuanian Tatars). It should be emphasized once again that this did not at all mean that the regiments were necessarily located on the corresponding territory or that they received reinforcements only from it. The main task of the “geographical” names, as before, was to represent all the lands of the Russian state in the ranks of the troops.