Special privileged units of the Russian army created by Peter. Amusing regiments of Peter the Great - the basis of the Russian army

Guard(ital. guardia guards, guards) - a select privileged part of the troops.

The guards were traditionally called the selected, privileged, best trained and equipped part of the troops. It was the core of the army, armed detachments that were directly attached to the monarch, often performing the functions of his personal guard.

The first mention of the Russian guards units is given in the historical chronicle Russian army in connection with the military campaigns of the Petrine troops near Azov and Narva.

Base

The guard was established at the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great from the regiments of Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky.

In the archives of the Semyonovsky regiment there is information that already in 1698 it was called the Semyonov Life Guards. In 1700, during the Narva embarrassment, two guards regiments held back the onslaught of the Swedes for three hours, for which the chief officers of these regiments were awarded a distinction (the oldest in Russia, still preserved) with the inscription: "1700, November 19".

Under Peter I

In the reign of Peter I, the guard was replenished mainly by nobles; only after significant losses in battles did they begin to allow transfers from the army and the reception of recruits in it.

Every nobleman enrolled in military service, before becoming an officer of the army, he had to enter a private in one of the guards regiments and serve in this rank until the sovereign approves his ballot for an officer, on which production in ranks was based at that time.

Until 1722, the guards did not have any advantages in ranks, but on January 22 of this year, the table of ranks was approved, according to which the officers of the guards regiments received seniority of two ranks against the army.

In order to train officers in the army cavalry regiments, in 1721 the Kronshlot Dragoon Regiment was formed, which was ordered to consist of only nobles and be called the Life Regiment. This regiment, although it served as the basis for the Life Guards cavalry, but under Peter the Great did not have the rights and advantages that the regiments of the guard enjoyed.

Under Catherine I

Under Catherine I, a cavalry guard was established, and, in addition, the Life Guards battalion, located in Moscow and made up of guards regiments incapable of service, was added to the guards.

Under Anna Ioannovna

Under Anna Ioannovna, the life regiment was renamed the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, and a guards infantry regiment named Izmailovsky was formed.

A special guard detachment participated in the campaign against the Turks in 1737-39.

Under Elizabeth

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna herself accepted the rank of colonel of all guards regiments, and expelled the grenadier company of the Preobrazhenians, which contributed to her accession to the throne, from the regiment and called the life campaign.

Under Peter III

Under Peter III, the life campaign was abolished.

Under Catherine II

Under Catherine II, the Moscow Life Guards Battalion was disbanded, instead of which an invalid team was established in Murom, called the Murom Life Guards (1764).

The guard took an active part in the Swedish war.

Under Paul I

Emperor Paul I strengthened the guards regiments, including in their composition parts of the troops that were with him in Gatchina (Gatchina troops) before his accession to the throne; The Life Guards artillery battalion, the Life Guards Jaeger battalion and regiments were also formed: the Life Guards Hussars (1796) and the Life Guards Cossacks (1798), and the Life Guards garrison battalion was made up of the lower ranks of the Guards, who were incapable of field service.

Under Alexander I

Under Emperor Alexander I, the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment was formed from the Life Guards Jaeger Battalion; in 1806, a battalion of the imperial militia was formed from the specific peasants of the estates closest to St. Petersburg, which received the rights of the guard for distinction in the war of 1808; in 1811, the Finnish Life Guards Regiment was formed from it. In the same year, 1 battalion was separated from the Preobrazhensky Regiment to form the Life Guards of the Lithuanian Regiment, renamed in 1817 into the Life Guards of Moscow, in the same 1817, the regiments of the Life Guards of Lithuania and the Life Guards of the Volynsky Regiment were formed in Warsaw.

In 1810, the Guards crew was established, and in 1812, the Sapper Life Guards Battalion.

Separate Guards Corps (1812-1864) - On April 3, 1812, the Guards Corps was formed, in December 1829 it was renamed the Separate Guards Corps. From February 3, 1844 to 1856, the Grenadier Corps was also subordinate to the commander of the Separate Guards Corps, the Corps Headquarters was reorganized into the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and Grenadier Corps, from 1849 - the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and Grenadier Corps. In 1856, the Headquarters of the Separate Guards Corps was restored. There were commissions at the Corps Headquarters: "Guards barracks" in 1820-1836 and "For the repair of cavalry" (1843-1860). The corps was abolished in August 1864 with the introduction of a provision on the military district administration (Milyutin's reform). The headquarters of the corps was transformed into the Headquarters of the troops of the guards and the St. Petersburg military district.

In 1813, the Life Grenadier and Pavlovsky regiments were attached to the guard for distinction, and their officers were given the advantage of one rank over the army; these regiments formed a new one, or young guard, in contrast to which the former regiments were called old guard.

In 1809, the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment and the Life Guards Ulansky Regiment were formed, and in 1814 the Life Guards Horse Regiment.

In Warsaw, in 1817, the Life Guards Podolsky Cuirassier Regiment and the Life Guards Ulansky Regiment of His Highness Tsesarevich were formed, and in 1824 (as a young guard) - the Life Guards Grodno Hussars. In addition, the Guards Gendarme Half-Squadron (1815), the Guards Horse-Pioneer Squadron (1819) and the Life Guards Invalid Brigade (1824) were formed.

For the distinctions rendered in the war with the French, the Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment of His Majesty was added to the Young Guard (1813). In 1805, the Life Guards Horse Artillery was formed, in 1811 - the Life Guards Artillery Brigade in 1816, divided into the 1st and 2nd brigades.

In 1817, a guards battery company was formed in Warsaw, which in 1821 became part of the consolidated guards and grenadier artillery brigade.

The guard took part in all the wars waged during the reign of Alexander I, except for the Turkish and Persian.

Under Nicholas I

Moscow detachment of the Guards Corps (March-November 1826) Formed in March 1826 to participate in the coronation of Nicholas I. It consisted of two infantry brigades formed from battalions of guards regiments, a special cavalry detachment, three battery companies and a platoon of gendarmes. The commander of the detachment, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, the chief of staff of the detachment, Major General A.K. Gerua. Disbanded in November 1826.

Under Emperor Nicholas I, in 1829, the Finnish training rifle battalion was added to the composition of the young guards with the renaming of the Life Guards Finnish rifle battalion. He, as well as the regiments of the Life Guards Grenadier and Pavlovsky, were granted in 1831 the rights of the Old Guard for distinction in the Polish campaign. At the same time, the grenadier regiments of the St. Petersburg King Frederick William III and the Kexholm Emperor of Austria were ordered to be attached to the Guards Corps.

In 1827, the Life Guards Crimean Tatar Squadron and the Life Guards Caucasian Mountain Squadron were formed.

In 1831, His Majesty's Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment was merged with the Podolsk Cuirassier Life Guards under the general name of His Majesty's Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment and with the rights of the Old Guard. At the same time, rights were granted: to the old guard - to the regiments of the Life Guards Horse-Jäger and Grodno Hussars, and the young guard - to the Ataman Cossack. The Life Guards Dragoon Regiment was renamed the Life Guards Horse-Grenadier, and the Life Guards Horse-Chasseurs - the Life Guards Dragoon.

In 1830, the Life Guards Don Horse Artillery Company was formed, and in 1833 all artillery companies were renamed batteries. In the same year, 1833, the Guard was divided into two corps: Guards Infantry (from infantry and foot artillery) and Guards Reserve Cavalry (from cavalry and horse artillery).

During the reign of Nicholas I, the guard participated in the Turkish and Polish wars.

Under Alexander II

Under Emperor Alexander II in 1856, rifle companies were formed in all guards infantry regiments, one per battalion, and at the same time the Life Guards First and Second Rifle Battalions were re-formed. The first of them in 1858 was named the Life Guards 1st Infantry Battalion of His Majesty.

In 1856, the Life Guards rifle battalion of the Imperial Family, formed during the Eastern War of 1853-1856 from specific peasants, was added to the composition of the guard (as the Young Guard). In 1870, these battalions were combined with the Life Guards Finnish Rifle Battalion into one Guards Rifle Brigade.

The Guards Invalid Brigade was disbanded in 1859. From the Life Guards of the Garrison Battalion in 1873, a personnel battalion of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment was formed.

In 1856, Her Majesty's Life Guard Cuirassier Regiment was granted the rights of the Young Guard; for His Majesty's Own Convoy, 3 Life Guards Cossack squadrons were formed (1 - in the service, 2 - on privilege), and the Life Guards Crimean Tatar squadron was disbanded.

Under Emperor Alexander II, the guard took part in the campaign to suppress the Polish rebellion of 1863 and in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. At the end of this war, on April 17, 1878, the Life Guards of the Ataman Heir to the Tsesarevich Regiment were granted the rights of the Old Guard, and in 1884 the Life Guards Her Majesty's Cuirassier Regiment and the Life Guards 4th Infantry Imperial Family Battalion received the same rights.

From 1864 to 1874, the guards did not constitute corps or corps, in 1874 the guards corps was restored.

Guards Detachment of His Majesty's Honorary Escort (1877-1878) Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878. After his departure from the army in December 1877, the detachment was attached to the Commander-in-Chief of the Active Army. The detachment included two companies of infantry, a half-squadron of cavalry, a half-company of sappers and foot artillerymen from the guards and army units sponsored by the emperor. The detachment was commanded by the adjutant wing P. S. Ozerov, K. A. Runov, P. P. von Enden. The detachment was disbanded on November 29, 1878.

Russian Imperial Guard by 1917

1st Guards Infantry Division

1st Guards Infantry Brigade,

Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment
Life Guards Semyonovsky Regiment

2nd Guards Infantry Brigade, dislocation - St. Petersburg. (02.1913)

Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment
Life Guard Jaeger Regiment

2nd Guards Infantry Division

3rd Guards Infantry Brigade, dislocation - St. Petersburg. (02.1913)

Life Guards Moscow Regiment
Life Guard Grenadier Regiment

4th Guards Infantry Brigade, dislocation - St. Petersburg. (02.1913)

Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment of His Majesty
Life Guards Finnish Regiment

3rd Guards Infantry Division

5th Guards Infantry Brigade,

Life Guards Lithuanian Regiment
Life Guards Kexholm Emperor of the Austrian Regiment

6th Guards Infantry Brigade, dislocation - Warsaw (02.1913)

Life Guards St. Petersburg King Friedrich Wilhelm III Regiment
Life Guards Volyn His Majesty's Regiment

Guards rifle brigade , 02/17/1915 - the brigade was deployed into a division

Life Guards 1st Infantry Regiment of His Majesty
Life Guards 2nd Infantry Regiment Tsarskoye Selo
Life Guards 3rd Infantry Regiment of His Majesty
Life Guards 4th Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Family

1st Guards Cavalry Division

1st Guards Cavalry Brigade,

Cavalry Guards of Her Majesty the Empress Maria Feodorovna Regiment
Life Guards Cavalry Regiment

2nd Guards Cavalry Brigade, brigade headquarters - St. Petersburg. (02.1913)

Life Guard Cuirassier Regiment of His Majesty
Life Guard Cuirassier Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna Regiment

3rd Guards Cavalry Brigade, brigade headquarters - St. Petersburg. (02.1913)

Life Guards Cossack His Majesty's Regiment
Life Guards Ataman Regiment of His Imperial Highness the Heir-Tsesarevich
Life Guards Consolidated Cossack Regiment of His Majesty

1st Division of the Life Guards Horse Artillery

His Majesty's 1st Battery
4th Battery of His Imperial Highness the Heir-Tsesarevich
His Majesty's 6th Don Battery

2nd Guards Cavalry Division

4th Guards Cavalry Brigade

Life Guards Horse Grenadier Tsarevich Alexei Regiment
Life Guards Ulansky Her Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Regiment

5th Guards Cavalry Brigade

Life Guards Dragoon Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Regiment
Life Guards His Majesty's Hussar Regiment

2nd Division of the Life Guards Horse Artillery

2nd Feldzeugmeister General of the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich Battery
5th Battery of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich

Separate Guards Cavalry Brigade

Life Guards Lancers of His Majesty's Regiment
Life Guards Grodno Grand Duke Pavel Aleksandrovich Hussar Regiment
3rd Battery of the Life Guards Horse Artillery of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich

Guards Mortar Artillery Battalion

Life Guards Sapper Battalion

Guards naval crew

Guards Corps Aviation Detachment Russian Imperial Air Force.

1st Military Road Detachment of the Guard Troops

Guards Railway Regiment

Recruits-soldiers were selected for the guards by their appearance: in the Preobrazhensky regiment - the tallest and fair-haired, in Semenovsky - blonds, in Izmailovsky - brunettes, in the life huntsman - light build with any hair color. The Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment are red-haired, the Grenadier Regiment are brunettes, the Pavlovsky Regiment are red-haired and snub-nosed, the Finnish Regiment is like huntsmen.

The cavalry guard regiment - the tallest blonds, bay horses, the Life Guards equestrian - brunettes and black horses, His Majesty's Cuirassier - redheads on red horses, Her Majesty's Cuirassier - blondes on karak (dark bay) horses.

Russian guard in the White movement

In 1918, along with the disbandment of the Russian Imperial Army, guards units were also abolished. However, almost all of them were restored during civil war and took part in the fight against the Bolsheviks as part of the White armies. At the end of the Civil War in exile, the Guards Association and associations of regiments of the Russian Imperial Guard were created, which became part of the Russian General Military Union ..

Guards of modern Russia

Today, the Russian Armed Forces are:

Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division
Guards Motor Rifle Tamanskaya Division
Guards Motor Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Division
Guards Separate Motor Rifle Sevastopol Brigade
airborne line connections
Guards units and ships of the Navy
Guards units of the SV and Air Force (in particular, the 159th Guards Novorossiysk Red Banner Order of Suvorov III degree Fighter Aviation Regiment)

At all times, every significant ruler was obliged to have a personal guard - this was a necessary and prestigious attribute. The kings of Persia had "immortals", the praetorians served the Caesars, the Byzantine emperors hired the Varangians and Slavs, the Scottish kings had drabants, the dukes of Burgundy were guarded by "black Walloons", and their overlords Valois and Bourbons preferred mercenaries from Scotland and Switzerland.

Any monarch, assuming the throne, immediately began to carry out reforms. First of all, this concerned the personal guard, which was inherited from its predecessor. But the reform was even more thorough if not only the monarch was replaced, but also the dynasty itself.

The last dynasty of Russian autocrats was no exception. A well-known opinion ascribes merit in the founding of the Guards and Guards Infantry to Peter the Great. But this is not entirely true, because guards units began to be created back in pre-Petrine times. The first was Mikhail Fedorovich, who thoroughly shook up the personnel of the inherited guard, which was the stirrup streltsy regiment. Then the sovereign conceived the creation of a new personal guard.

The process of reform did not stop throughout the entire period of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, which lasted more than three centuries. It is worth dwelling on some interesting facts and important points.

1. The beginning of the guards units of the Romanovs was laid by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Moscow elective soldier regiments.

The first was formed on June 25, 1642. This happened during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich. The unit became known as the Lefort infantry regiment (after the commander of the Lefort regiment, commander of the guards since 1692). But on January 14, 1785, the regiment was renamed the Moscow Grenadier. After 6 years, the regiment was disbanded and became part of the Yekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment.

The formation of the second regiment also refers to 1642. It consisted of 52 companies, each of which had a hundred soldiers and was called Butyrsky. On March 9, 1914, he became the Life Grenadier Erivan Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Regiment. The disbandment of the guards unit took place in 1918.

The third division was created half a century after the formation of the first and second - in 1692.

2. The original design of such regiments assumed their existence as cadre units.

That is, in peacetime they were based on the "initial" people - from the foreman to the colonel. During the hostilities, the personnel were replenished with rank and file archers, which made it possible to deploy units of up to several regiments each.

Subsequently, the principle of framing was rejected, but the unusual division of regiments into shelves continued. Therefore, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd elective regiments consisted of five, six and two regiments respectively.

3. The first elected regiments participated in the Battle of Narva, which took place in 1700 and ended in failure for the Russian army.

One of the results of the battle was the receipt of the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments, which were part of the 3rd elected, the status of the Life Guards. It is generally accepted that Preobrazhensky is the oldest guards regiment. However, from the time of its foundation until 1706, along with the Semyonovsky regiment, it was part of the same military unit, and the command of the regiments was carried out by a single chief. At first, they were commanded by Major General A. M. Golovin, and from 1700, I. I. Chambers, who had the same military rank, became the head of the regiment.

Historically, the primacy of education was given to the Preobrazhenians and Semenovtsy. But the version of the “primogeniture” of the Preobrazhenians had strong arguments, backed up by facts from the history of the unit. The regiment was condemned by some influential historians for the "revolt" that took place in it on October 16, 1820. The commander of the regiment, Schwartz, forbade the military to engage in crafts, and, in response to this, the soldiers of the head company filed a petition to change the commander. The result of such actions was the disarmament of the regiment and the direction of all personnel to the Peter and Paul Fortress. But the Semyonovites were not treated kindly by Soviet historians either. They were guilty of suppressing the insurgent Moscow workers in 1905.

4. The regiments of the Life Guards were conceived by Peter I as an effective personnel reserve.

Initially, all guardsmen were placed above the military personnel of other units by two ranks. Subsequently, this advantage remained only with the officers, and later the guard was divided into "old" and "young". In the first, the former superiority was preserved, and in the second it amounted to only one rank.

By the beginning of the last century, all guards officers had just such an advantage. During this period, there was no rank of lieutenant colonel in the guard, which was convenient for captains, who immediately became colonels.

5. The beginning of the twentieth century was the culmination in the development of the Russian guards infantry.

Now it consisted of 12 infantry and 4 rifle regiments and another separate company. Of this number, 12 regiments (including Semyonovsky and Preobrazhensky) were originally created as guards, and the rest of the units were awarded a similar status for exceptional merits.

In 1914, three of these guards units were created. infantry divisions and one rifle brigade. The participation of the guards in the First World War was the most significant event in their history. The main operations in which she proved herself in the first year of the war were Lublin, Warsaw-Ivangorod, Czestochowa-Krakow. In 1915, the guards took part in the battles near Lomza, Kholm, Vilna, and in next year fought for Kovel, Vladimir-Volynsky and on the banks of Stokhoda. In 1917, the guards actively participated in the Galician operation.

Since the guards units were used as shock infantry, they suffered colossal losses. The first war year claimed the lives of 30% of the officers, and up to 80% of soldiers and non-commissioned officers died.

6. By the beginning of the last century, recruits to the guards were supplied mainly by the Great Russian provinces.

To get into the elite troops, it was necessary to obtain a certificate from the local police, which testified to the reliability of the applicant. And recruits were distributed into regiments according to their appearance.

Only tall blondes were suitable for Preobrazhensky, and in order to get into the 3rd and 5th companies, blondes had to have beards.
For Semyonovsky, tall brown-haired men were required.
Izmailovsky and Grenadier were completed with brunettes, and in the company of His Majesty brunettes with solid beards were required.
Tall blonds were selected for Lithuanian, smooth-shaven brown-haired women were selected for Kexholmsky, and only brunettes were accepted for St. Petersburg.
Jaeger, Volyn and Finland were considered the most democratic parts. People with any hair color, but with a light physique, could serve in them.
The personnel of the rifle regiments were selected according to the same principle. Blondes were required to serve in the first, brunettes in the second, and people with short noses were accepted in the fourth.

The military training of the army and guards units was carried out according to uniform standards and had specific disciplines.

Rifle. Soldiers were passing initial course, acquired the skills of field observations, learned to determine the distance to targets, conducted training and live firing.
Shooting training of commanders was carried out.
Engineering. Its goals are the development of self-digging, camouflage and the ability to build primitive engineering fortifications.
Conducting a bayonet fight.
Physical training. She came to the army units precisely from the troops of the guards. It included all kinds of exercises, field gymnastics, running, marches. Group exercises were also used, and since 1908 football appeared in them.

7. Changes in the name of the regiments took place exclusively during the reign of Paul I.

In the entire history of the Guards infantry units, only three of them changed their names. On August 24, 1914, due to the renaming of the capital, the St. Petersburg Regiment received the name of Petrogradsky.

On October 12, 1817, the Lithuanian regiment received the name of the Moscow one, but on the basis of its third company a new regiment was formed, which was given the former name.

In 1855, the Jaeger Regiment was given a new name - Gatchina, but 15 years later the name was restored. There is a legend explaining this fact. The restoration of the name of the regiment is associated with the resourcefulness of a certain wise general, whose prototype is Ivan Gavrilovich Chekmarev. When the emperor greeted him at the review with the words: "Hello, old huntsman!", He wittily replied: "I'm not an old huntsman, but a young Gatchina citizen!" All this is more like a historical anecdote, but so far no one has refuted it.

8. Traditionally, the location of the guards units was St. Petersburg. But for the 3rd Guards Division, Warsaw was chosen as the base. This division was created on the basis of the Guards Brigade of the Polish Corps and consisted of four regiments.

9. Even honored guardsmen could not do without a penal unit.

After the performance of the Decembrists, in 1826, the Life Guards Consolidated Regiment was organized. Soldiers from the lower ranks and officers who took an active part in the rebellion got into it. According to the bureaucratic canons of that time, they were considered "unwittingly fallen into misconduct." The regiment consisted of several battalions from the Grenadier, Moscow and Karabiner (training) regiments.

The created unit was hastily sent to the Caucasus, so that in the battles with the Persian troops, the penalized men would wash away the heavy guilt before the fatherland with their blood. In the next two years, the regiment was actively replenished with employees, who also stained themselves with participation in a significant December speech.

Only at the very end of 1828 did the guards unit return to the capital, and the battalions that made up it joined their native regiments.

10. For a long time there have been disputes not only about the seniority of the guards regiments, but also about which of them was the last to be disbanded.

Controversy is facilitated by the restoration of guard units during the Civil War. Historians tend to assign this title to the Company of the Palace Grenadiers ( image in header), formed on October 2, 1827. After the events of February 1917, it was named the St. George Grenadier, and on February 4, 1921, it was disbanded.

On September 2, Russia celebrates the Day of the Guard. This is a holiday for all soldiers and officers who serve in more than 100 guard formations of the Russian Armed Forces. Guards status, as a rule, received elite military units who distinguished themselves on the battlefield. The Guard of Imperial Russia was a forge commanders Russian army. Guards units were abolished in 1918, following the disbandment of the Russian Imperial Army. During the Great Patriotic War guards units were revived. IN modern Russia the honorary guards title symbolizes historical continuity and the connection of generations.

Servicemen of the Presidential Regiment during the rearing of the horse guard
RIA News
Kirill Kallinikov

Guards Day was established by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000. Since then, September 2 is a professional holiday celebrated by servicemen of the guards units of the Russian army. The presidential decree on the celebration of the Day of the Guards was signed in order to increase the prestige of military service.

Especially approximate

Guard is a word of Italian origin, which translates as "protection" or "protection". Historians believe that the guards were warriors close to the royal person. In ancient times, the duties of the guards included the protection of the first persons of the state and the performance of special combat missions.

For example, in ancient Persia, the guards were "immortals", whose number was about 10 thousand people. IN Ancient Rome the guards were considered to be cohorts of praetorians - the bodyguards of the emperor. In the early Middle Ages, the functions of the guards were performed by combatants - the army and personal guards of the prince.

With the advent of the regular army, the guards turned into elite formations, which were recruited at the expense of the privileged strata of society. As a rule, it was cavalry - a mobile strike group, which was used to make unexpected attacks and breakthroughs behind enemy lines.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the Life Guards - the military group closest to the monarch. The Life Guards guarded the ruler and participated in ceremonies, parades, ceremonial exits and processions. In modern Russia, part of the functions of the Life Guards is assigned to the Presidential Regiment.

military caste

The Russian guard originates from the amusing troops of Peter I - the Semyonovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, united in 1693 into the 3rd Moscow elective regiment. On September 2, 1700, both regiments became known as the Life Guards - this date became the day the Russian Guard appeared.

Sergei Leontievich Bukhvostov is considered the first Russian guardsman, who, faster than the rest of the soldiers, enlisted in the ranks of amusing regiments in 1683.

The baptism of fire of the Russian Guard took place in the battle against the Swedes near Narva in November 1700, literally two months after its foundation. Despite the fact that the battle was lost by the Russian army, two guards regiments showed extraordinary courage in holding back the onslaught of the enemy, covering the retreat of the rest of the army.

"Poltava victory"
RIA News

For this feat, Peter I granted the chief officers of both regiments who fought “knee-deep in blood” a badge with the inscription “1700, November 19” and palm branches, and the color of the stockings worn by the guards was changed from green to red. At the same time, Peter I established an increased salary for the guardsmen.

According to the Table of Ranks, established in 1722, the officers of the guards regiments received seniority of two ranks against the army.

The guards were recruited mainly by nobles. Only after heavy losses in battles was the recruitment of ordinary recruits or transfers from other parts of the armed forces allowed.

Under Peter I, the selection to the guards was made personally by the sovereign, guided by the criteria of education and military professionalism among those wishing to enter the guards service. The nobles who entered the service had to begin their careers with the rank of private.

Guardsmen were de facto a caste in Russian society. For example, marriages of guardsmen were strictly controlled: marriage to the daughters of merchants, bankers or stockbrokers was not allowed. Otherwise, the nobleman was forced to leave the service.

The successors of Peter I changed the approach to the service of the guards: the political interests of the monarch, the personal devotion of the officers and the generosity of the candidates came to the fore. The children of the nobility began to be enrolled in the guards regiments from infancy, so that they would not serve as ordinary and junior officers.

As a result, teenagers received officer ranks. In the guards of the middle of the 18th century there was a huge number of 20-22-year-old colonels, while the officers, who even started from the rank and file, did not receive a promotion. By the 19th century, guards regiments could have up to 75% of the officers listed on paper.

School of Commanders

Another feature of the recruitment to the guard was a kind of "exterior" tradition. So, they tried to recruit tall young men of strong physique into the guard.

Ordinary regiments of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky and Moscow, 1862
Pirate K.K.

Fair-haired people were recorded in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, blonds in the Semenovsky Regiment, brunettes in the Izmailovsky and Grenadiers, redheads in the Moscow Regiment, redheads and snub-nosed ones in the Pavlovsky Regiment. In the Jaeger divisions of the Life Guards, young people of thin build with any hair color served.

Proximity to the throne, privileged position and aristocratic composition led to the fact that in the history of the palace coups of the XVIII century, the Russian Imperial Guard played one of the key roles. The nobles-guards turned into the subject of political relations.

With the direct participation of guards officers, Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II came to power. Almost all the Decembrists were in the service of the Life Guards. In fact, the guard became the political school of the nobility, being the largest aristocratic association.

Despite the increased salary, it was impossible to serve in the guard without additional income. The guardsman had to have several sets of very expensive uniforms, a carriage, horses, participate in feasts and, in general, lead a rather active social life. The guards even had a saying: "His Majesty's cuirassiers are not afraid of wines of quantity."

However, the guardsmen were strong not only in matters of drinking and wooing ladies. Despite the recruitment problems, the guard performed its military duty during periods of war. In addition, the guard formations were a forge for the leading cadres of the Russian army. The detachment (transfer) of trained soldiers and officers from the guard continued until the First World War.

Battle of Leipzig
A. N. Sauerweid

Under Alexander I, the Russian Imperial Guard participated in all military campaigns and campaigns of their sovereign, especially distinguished themselves in the war of 1812. The regiments of the Petrovsky brigade (Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky) were awarded the St. George banners for courage and steadfastness in the battle of Kulm (August 1813).

For heroism in the same battle, the Izmailovsky and Jaeger Guards regiments were awarded St. George's trumpets. The same award for the Battle of Leipzig (October 1813) was received by the Life Guards Lithuanian Regiment. For the rescue of Emperor Alexander I from captivity during the Battle of Leipzig, silver pipes were awarded to the Life Guards Cossack Regiment and His Majesty's Own convoy.

Guards took part in Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 and the First World War of 1914-1018.

The Russian Imperial Guard formally ceased to exist in 1918. On February 23, 1918, the Bolsheviks created the Red Army, which opposed the White movement. The command of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Republic denied the military traditions of the tsarist regime and abandoned the practice of conferring guards ranks.

Reborn in battle

The Guard received its second birth during the Great Patriotic War. The rank of guards was received by the formations of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), which distinguished themselves in battles with the Nazi invaders. The return of imperial traditions was intended to inspire the retreating Soviet troops.

On September 18, 1941, by order No. 308 of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Joseph Stalin, four rifle divisions were transformed into guards for courage and heroism in the battles near Yelnya. This was the beginning of the Soviet guard.

The Soviet Guard made a significant contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. In the spring of 1945, the Red Army included 11 combined arms and six tank armies, 40 rifle, seven cavalry, 12 tank corps, nine mechanized and 14 aviation corps, about 200 divisions and brigades.

In addition, one fortified area, 18 combat surface ships, 16 submarines, a number of other units and subunits of various branches of the armed forces became guards.

After the Great Patriotic War, the banner of the guards and the badge were approved, which were evidence of the courage and valor of the unit that was awarded the honorary title of guards. The presentation of the banner and badge was usually carried out in a solemn atmosphere. All this contributed to the growth of the authority of the Soviet guard.

Despite the fact that in peacetime the transformation of units into guards did not occur, in order to continue the military traditions, when the unit was reorganized or a new one was created, the rank of guards was preserved. For example, many formations of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) became Guards, having received this title from artillery units that distinguished themselves during the war years.

Keeping traditions

The modern guard, like the Soviet one after 1945, exists in peacetime. The guards rank symbolizes loyalty to the traditions of military glory.

In 2009, the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division, the 5th Separate Guards Tank Tatsinsky Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Brigade were formed.

In 2013 in armed forces Russia received the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Order October revolution Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division. In November 2014, the 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army was recreated on the western borders of Russia.

In our time, guards are four tank and seven motorized rifle divisions, all formations of the Airborne Forces, one division of missile boats, a number of units of the Ground Forces, units of the Air Force, ships and units of the Navy, as well as missile divisions of the Strategic Missile Forces.

Servicemen at the solemn ceremony of taking the military oath of the Guards airborne assault brigade of the Airborne Forces in Ussuriysk
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But historical continuity does not mean that the guards have ceased to perform feats. The most striking example of heroism was demonstrated by the Pskov paratroopers during the Second Chechen campaign (1999-2000).

On February 29, 2000, the 6th company of the 76th Guards Airborne Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin was surrounded by militants. The Pskov paratroopers held the defense against the many times superior enemy forces.

After the death of Yevtyukhin, Captain Viktor Romanov took command of the unit. Seeing the inevitable breakthrough of militants from the Argun Gorge, the officer decided to call fire on himself. Of the 99 fighters, 84 were killed. 22 paratroopers of the 6th company were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

In an interview with RT, Oleg Rzheshevsky, a member of the Scientific and Historical Council of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), noted that the guards rank of modern parts of the Russian army reminds posterity of the grandiose feats on the fields of the Great Patriotic War.

“I believe that in our time it makes sense to continue the good military tradition by awarding guard ranks to units and ships. This inspires the younger generation of military personnel to serve for the glory of their heroic predecessors. However, I do not exclude that the formations of the army will become guards for feats in the battles that are still going on today, ”said Rzheshevsky.

By virtue of their privileged position and proximity to the emperor, they played a decisive role in the palace coups of the 18th century; the main force of the coup that brought Elizabeth I to power was the grenadier company of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Catherine II - the Izmailovsky and Semyonovsky regiments, and most of the participants in the conspiracy that ended in the assassination of Paul I were guards officers or lower ranks (in particular, the conspiracy involved commanders of the Semyonovsky, Cavalier Guard and Preobrazhensky regiments).

Since 1800, the system of regiment chiefs (honorary commanders) has been established in the guard. The emperor, the empress and the grand dukes were appointed chiefs of a number of guard regiments. So, the emperor was listed as the chief of the regiments of the Preobrazhensky, Jaeger, Pavlovsky, 1st and 4th rifle, His Majesty's Cuirassier and Horse Guards regiments, the empress was the chief of the cavalry guards and Her Majesty's Cuirassier regiment, and so on. The chiefs of the regiments received the privilege to wear the uniform of the regiment "subordinate" to them, and special uniforms were made for empresses, princesses.

With the increase in the number of formations in the guard in 1813, it was divided into "old" and "young".

The guard was a separate formation and, accordingly, had a privileged position compared to the army units of the Russian Imperial Army, the fleet, and so on, according to the possibility of length of service: in 1883, an army officer needed more than 30 years to rise to the rank of colonel, guards - from 15 to 18 years, while in the three most privileged guards regiments - 10 years.

Under Peter I

The amusing troops of Peter I, who were trained in the "foreign system", became the forerunner of the Russian guard. Sergei Leontievich Bukhvostov is considered the first Russian guardsman, the first to enroll in amusing in 1683.

Manning the Guard

In the reign of Peter I, the guard was replenished mainly by nobles; only after significant losses in battles did they begin to allow transfers from the army and the reception of recruits in it.

Each nobleman who entered the military service, before becoming an officer of the army, had to enter a private in one of the guards regiments and serve in this lower rank until the sovereign approved his ballot for an officer, on which the production in ranks was based at that time. .

In order to train officers for army cavalry regiments, the Kronshlot Dragoon Regiment was formed in 1721, which was ordered to consist of only nobles and be called the Life Regiment. This regiment, although it served as the basis for the Life Guards Cavalry, but under Peter the Great did not have the rights and advantages that the regiments of the guard enjoyed.

Under Peter I, the nobles were obliged to serve in the guard as privates before receiving the officer rank. Over time, many nobles begin to avoid it en masse, signing up for fictitious rank and file positions as children. In some cases, a nobleman was “recorded” as a private in the guard even before his birth, when it was still unknown whether a boy or a girl would be born. Back in 1744, Elizabeth indicated that the noble undergrowths who had estates should be painted on the regiments of the guard from the age of 12, allowing them to stay with their parents for three years for infancy, subject to teaching the sciences and the system at home. The memoirist Count A.F. Lanzheron wrote that nobles or persons enjoying patronage almost never served in the ranks of chief officers: already on their birthday they were recorded as sergeants in the guard; at the age of 15-16 they are officers, but live at home; if they are in St. Petersburg, then they are hardly engaged in the service; finally, "having risen" to the rank of captain, they retire as brigadiers or into the army as colonels. Guards regiments had from 3 to 4 thousand supernumerary sergeants who never served.

On April 3, 1812, the Guards Corps was formed, in December 1829 it was renamed the Separate Guards Corps. From February 3, 1844 to 1856, the Grenadier Corps was also subordinate to the commander of the Separate Guards Corps, the Corps Headquarters was reorganized into the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and Grenadier Corps, from 1849 - the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and Grenadier Corps. In 1856, the Headquarters of the Separate Guards Corps was restored. There were commissions under the Corps Headquarters: Guards Barracks Commission(1820-1836) and Cavalry Repair Commission(1843-1860). The corps was abolished in August 1864 with the introduction of a provision on the military district administration (Milyutin's reform). The headquarters of the corps was transformed into the Headquarters of the Guard Troops and the Petersburg Military District.

Under Alexander II

The deployment of the guard at the beginning of the 20th century

In the guard, recruit soldiers were selected for their appearance. In the Preobrazhensky Regiment - the tallest and fair-haired, in Semenovsky - blonds, in Izmailovsky - brunettes, in the life huntsman - light build with any hair color. The Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment are red-haired, the Grenadier Regiment are brunettes, the Pavlovsky Regiment are red-haired and snub-nosed, the Finnish Regiment is like huntsmen.

The Cavalier Guard Regiment - the tallest blonds, bay horses, the Life Guards Equestrian - brunettes and black horses, His Majesty's Cuirassier Regiment - redheads on red horses, Her Majesty's Cuirassier - blondes on carac (dark bay) horses.

A. A. Ignatiev, who participated in the "breakdown" of recruits in the Mikhailovsky Manege, described it in his memoirs:

At the entrance to the arena, a dozen recruits of the “1st grade” were built, that is, guys eleven inches tall and above. As a welcome treat, they were examined by the commanders and adjutants of the guards regiments. However, the highest and most powerful went to the guards crew in order to represent the fleet with dignity on rowboats of royal yachts. Tall recruits with a coarser appearance fell into the Preobrazhenians, blue-eyed blonds - into the Semyonovites, brunettes with beards - into the Izmailovites, redheads - into the Muscovites. All of them went to replenish the first, so-called royal companies.

In the history of Russia in the 18th century there is a phenomenon that has no analogues in the life of European countries of the same period. This phenomenon is a special political role of the Russian. It is not possible to fully understand the period Russian history from Peter I to Paul I, and even to Nicholas II, without examining the political history of the guard. Meanwhile, this work has not yet been done. The social composition of the guard, the nature and dynamics of its change have not been studied with sufficient accuracy. And this lack of knowledge gives rise to historical myths.

We are talking specifically about political history, because after the Poltava victory and the Prut defeat for many decades of the 18th century, the guard did not take any active part in hostilities. The sphere of activity of the guards regiments was politics.

The decisive force in the palace coups turned out to be the guards, a privileged part of the regular army created by Peter (these are the famous Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, in the 1730s two new ones, Izmailovsky and Horse Guards, were added to them). Her participation decided the outcome of the case: on whose side the guard was, that group won. The guard was not only a privileged part of the Russian army, it was a representative of the whole class (nobles), from whose midst it was almost exclusively formed and whose interests it represented.

Creating the guard in 1692, Peter wanted to oppose it to the archers - the privileged infantry regiments of the Moscow tsars, who by the end of the 17th century began to interfere in politics. "Janissaries!" Peter called them so contemptuously. He had reasons for hatred - forever he, a ten-year-old boy, remembered the terrible Streltsy revolt of 1682, when his closest relatives died on the spears of the archers. The guard is the first and, perhaps, the most perfect creation of Peter. These two regiments - six thousand bayonets - could compete with the best regiments of Europe in combat training and military spirit. Guards for Peter was a support in the struggle for power and in the retention of power. According to contemporaries, Peter often said that among the guards there was not a single one to whom he would not dare to entrust his life. The guard for Peter was a "forge of personnel." Guards officers and sergeants carried out any orders of the king - from the organization of the mining industry to control over the actions of the highest generals. The Guard has always known its duty - it was brought up that way. It seemed to Peter that ideal model, focusing on which he dreamed of creating his own "regular" state - a clear, obedient, strong militarily, working smoothly and conscientiously. And the guards idolized their creator. And for good reason. It was not only about honors and privileges. Peter managed to inspire the Semenovites and Preobrazhenians with a sense of participation in the construction of a new state. The guardsman not only was, but also realized himself as a statesman. And this self-awareness, completely new for an ordinary Russian person, gave the Petrine guardsman extraordinary strength.

Sagittarius of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was also. But he stood for tradition, for the inviolability or slow evolution of the state life, merging for him with the life of the home, his ideal was the preservation of the life around him, its reference values. The Petrovsky Guardsman felt like a creator of something new and unprecedented. Unlike the archer, he was much less connected with everyday life. He was committed to the future. He lived with a feeling of constant impulse, movement, improvement. He was a man of reform as a life principle. It was this attitude and self-awareness, and not a shaved chin and a European uniform, that fundamentally distinguished the Peter's guardsman from the pre-Petrine soldier.
But before the founder and first colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment closed his eyes, his favorites in green uniforms turned into new Janissaries.
Perfectly equipped, exemplarily armed and trained guardsmen have always been the pride and support of the Russian throne. Their courage, steadfastness, selflessness many times decided the fate of battles, campaigns, entire wars in favor of Russian weapons.

But there is another, less heroic page in the annals of the imperial guard. The guards, these handsome men, duelists, red tape, spoiled by the attention of metropolitan and provincial ladies, constituted a special privileged military unit of the Russian army with their own traditions, customs, and psychology. The main duty of the guard was to protect the peace and security of the autocrat, the royal family and the court. Standing on the clock outside and inside the royal palace, they saw the wrong side of court life. Favorites sneaked past them into the royal bedrooms, they heard gossip and saw ugly quarrels, without which the court could not live. The guardsmen did not experience reverent awe of the courtiers sparkling with gold and diamonds, they missed the magnificent ceremonies - for them all this was familiar, and they had their own, often impartial, opinion about everything.
It is also important that the guardsmen had an exaggerated idea of their role in the life of the court, the capital, and Russia. Peter I created a force that throughout the 18th century acted as the main arbiter of the destinies of monarchs and pretenders to the throne. Guards regiments, noble in composition, were the closest support to the throne. They represented that real armed force at the court, which could contribute to both the enthronement and the deposition of kings. Therefore, the rulers tried in every possible way to enlist the support of the guard, showered her with signs of attention and favors. A special relationship was established between the guards and the monarch: the guards barracks and the royal palace were closely connected with each other. Service in the guard was not profitable - it required a lot of money, but it opened up good career prospects, the road to political ambition and adventurism, so typical of the 18th century with its dizzying ups and downs of "random" people.

Nevertheless, it often turned out that the "fierce Russian Janissaries" could be successfully controlled. With flattery, promises, money, clever court businessmen were able to direct the red-hot stream of the Guards in the right direction, so that the mustachioed handsome men did not even suspect their miserable role as puppets in the hands of intriguers and adventurers. However, like a double-edged sword, the guard was also dangerous for those who used its services. Emperors and the first nobles often became hostages of an unbridled and capricious armed crowd of guardsmen. And this ominous role in Russian history of the guards was shrewdly understood by the French envoy in St. Petersburg, Jean Campredon, who wrote to his master Louis XV immediately after the accession to the throne of Catherine I: “The decision of the guards is the law here.” And it was true, the 18th century entered Russian culture as "the century of palace coups." And all these coups were made by the hands of the guards.

On January 28, 1725, the guardsmen played their political role for the first time in the drama of Russian history, immediately after the death of the first emperor, they brought the widow of Peter the Great to the throne, bypassing other heirs. This was the first independent performance of the guard as a political force.
When Catherine I fell dangerously ill in May 1727, officials of the highest government institutions gathered to resolve the issue of a successor: the Supreme Privy Council, the Senate, the Synod, and the presidents of the collegiums. Majors of the guards appeared among them, as if the officers of the guards constituted a special political corporation, without whose assistance such an important issue could not be resolved. Unlike other guard corporations - Roman Praetorians, Turkish Janissaries - the Russian Guard turned into political sk corporation .

The historian Klyuchevsky, who did not specifically deal with this issue, sensed the essence of the phenomenon. Having given in a few sentences a cursory overview of the “epoch of palace coups”, he further formulates the fundamental provisions: “This participation of the guard in state affairs was of the utmost importance, having a powerful influence on its political mood. Initially an obedient tool in the hands of its leaders, it then becomes an independent mover of events, intervening in politics on its own initiative. The palace coups were a preparatory political school for her, they developed certain political tastes in her, instilled in her a certain political way of thinking, created a mood. The Guards barracks is a counterbalance and sometimes an open opponent of the Senate and the Supreme Privy Council.

This is a wise passage. However, there is something to object to here. Firstly, the guards went through a certain political school under Peter. By the era of palace coups, she came already as a "political corporation." Her claims to resolve issues within the competence of government institutions - the Senate and the Supreme Council, were based on memories of the role that Peter assigned to her in the last decade of his reign, the role of a controlling and regulating force, accountable only to the king.

Secondly, it is unlikely that in 1725 and 1727 the guard was an “obedient tool” in the hands of Menshikov and Buturlin. She was an "obedient instrument" - an ideal instrument - in the hands of her creator, and with his death immediately became a force in her own right. The guards followed Menshikov and Buturlin because their program at that moment was really organically close to the guards: Catherine seemed to the Preobrazhenians and Semenovites a guarantor of literally following the plans of the first emperor.

The guard chose not just a reigning person, she chose a principle. Moreover, the guard did not choose between Peter the Great and pre-Petrine Russia, but it made its choice in January 1725 between two trends in the country's political reform - a moderate but undoubted movement towards limiting autocracy and the inevitable increase in freedom in the country, on the one hand, and further development and strengthening the military-bureaucratic state based on total slavery, on the other.
Guards in 1725 chose the second option.

"History of mankind. Russia / graphic designer O. N. Ivanova.”: Folio; Kharkov; 2013

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