Royal military ranks. The system of military ranks in the Russian imperial army

The shoulder straps of the tsarist army of 1914 are rarely mentioned in feature films and historical books. Meanwhile, this is an interesting object of study: in the imperial age, during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, uniforms were an object of art. Before the start of the First World War, the distinctive signs of the Russian army differed significantly from those that are used now.

They were brighter and contained more information, but at the same time they did not have functionality: they were easily visible both in the field environment and in the forest or in the snow. For this reason, with the beginning of major hostilities, the insignia were re-formed.

The ranks in the tsarist army were also different until 1917, which changed with the advent of the revolution. About what the ranks of the tsarist army of Russia were, what the shoulder straps of the old tsarist army looked like, we will tell in detail right now.

The main differences between shoulder straps and ranks

In pre-revolutionary years in Russia, instead of ranks, there were ranks - both for civilians and for military persons. They were introduced by the decree of Peter the Great in 1722, who created the "Table of Ranks". The lower ranks were followed by non-commissioned officers, then chief and staff officers. The ranks of generals were considered the highest. Read more about the ranks in the tsarist army of Russia in ascending order with shoulder straps, see below.

The first difference is in the name. Instead of a title - a rank. The second difference is in the specific names of the ranks. If now such words as corporal, private are used, then then there were scorer, volunteer.

The third difference lies in the information that is applied to shoulder straps. Now they can find information about the height of the military rank. At the same time, Greek numbers were applied large, almost in full size, on shoulder straps. They denoted the regiment to which the soldier or officer belonged. The shoulder straps also had Roman numerals and letters, they already served to separate the "height" of the position.

The fact is that in the old days there were a lot of variations of shoulder straps, but despite this, they “intersected” between different ranks. An officer's shoulder straps could be the same as a private's (in color, regiment number). Therefore, Roman numerals were additionally used, which helped to distinguish an officer from a subordinate. For the same purpose, cockades were used - small metal plaques that are attached to the front of the cap. For soldiers, they were of the same shape and color, for higher structures, they were different.

The color system is also different. Now the shoulder straps of the military differ in color depending on the type of troops. For sailors - blue, for infantry - red-yellow, at the same time the colors could vary even within the same division. So, each brigade had its own color of shoulder straps inside it, and if there was another division inside the brigade, into regiments, then each regiment had its own color of caps or a picture on the cockade. Now caps do not differ in color, only among sailors the highest ranks wear white hats.

Previously, epaulettes and monograms on them were used, but now the system in which the main thing is a beautiful and noble picture has been canceled in favor of the functional qualities of uniforms.

Why did the designation change?

From 1914 to 1917, several modifications were quickly introduced regarding ranks and distinguishing features in the army. First of all, with the beginning of the First World War, the color coating of shoulder straps was removed, which was noticeable at any time of the year and even in the off-season in November-April. They became a protective khaki color, which at that time was called "peas".

As can be seen from the above, before the revolution, the Russian army preferred beautiful uniforms, and a lot of attention was paid to the design component. With the beginning of serious hostilities, the military leaders came to the conclusion that the colored elements of the uniform were not functional. They betray the soldier and make him an easy target for the opponent. Therefore, even before the revolution, colors were abolished.

The next change was associated with the coming to power of new faces. Tsarism was overthrown, and with it the government wished to consign to oblivion the Table of Ranks, as well as the titles that had been introduced by Paul in the manner of the Prussian army. Therefore, many ranks were renamed. At the same time, shoulder straps and cockades went out of service. Again, they returned to the army only in 1943, and this gesture shows that not all developments of past years were failures.

In general, the change in ranks and appearance of uniforms was due to their failure in the conditions of hostilities. The constant confusion in ranks and epaulettes was a strong disadvantage of the uniform design of that time.

Compliance of old ranks with modern ranks

One hundred years have passed since the First World War, but during this time the structure of the army has not changed much. The niches of soldiers, officers, generals have been preserved in it. However, the old ranks received new, more convenient and common names.

Ranks in the old tsarist army before 1917 with shoulder straps are given in accordance with the modern Russian rank system:

• Private, he is also a scorer, a Cossack, a volunteer, a sailor of the 2nd article, etc. The sailor of the second article was in the fleet, the Cossack belonged to the Cossack army, the scorer was ranked as a sapper infantry. Only in the cavalry, the lower ranks were called the same - private. A volunteer is an outdated concept that was used to refer to people who voluntarily went to work (an analogue of modern contract soldiers). They were distinguished by privileges in the service.
• Corporal. Previously, only cavalry employees were called corporals, which is where most of the modern names came from. A corporal in the fleet was called a sailor of the first article, among the Cossacks a higher rank was called "order". In the artillery army and sapper divisions there was no division into corporals and privates, everyone was called "bombardiers".

• Junior non-commissioned officer. This included Junior Fireworker, Jr. sergeant, quartermaster (in the navy).
• Senior non-commissioned officer. This is a boatswain in the fleet, a senior officer in the Life Guards and among the Cossacks, a senior fireworks officer among sappers.
• Feldwebel. This includes the sergeant major among the Cossacks and cavalry, the boatswain in the fleet.
• Ensign. The conductor in the naval forces, in the infantry, the name is the same as the modern one.
• Ensign. Podkhorunzhiy, ensign of the cavalry and the Life Guards are among the ranks associated with this rank.

Higher officer ranks

More serious officer recognition began with the receipt of the chief officer rank. Then the subordinates began to turn to the military "Your Honor." The officer's cockade on the cap, starting from this rank, is gold. Among the ranks (in ascending order) are ensign, second lieutenant, staff captain, captain, all these ranks were associated with the Table of Ranks.

The officer rank "ensign" was considered the 14th, lowest rank, the staff captain was already the 9th in honor. Due to the fact that the name "captain" was used before, confusion may arise in comparing modern and ancient military ranks. “Captain” ranks in the tsarist army until 1917 were considered such ranks as captain, Cossack captain, and only in the guards the captain was called the same as now. Therefore, answering the question "Captain - what is the title now?", You need to answer that the captain. The captain was almost equal to the staff officers, he wore eye-catching blue epaulettes.

"Elite" and general ranks

The last step, which preceded the catalog of generals, were staff officers, these are lieutenant colonels and colonels. In the Navy, they were called captains and captains of the 2nd rank. The next in rank in the army commander was already a general, and in the navy - an admiral.

Headquarters officers were called "high nobility", generals - "Your Excellency". There were divisions among the generals: major general, colonel general, engineer general, etc. The rank of general appointed the royal council. The generals were distinguished by the most elaborate military cockade, white gloves, and a large number of awards, which does not differ from the current state.

Military ranks in the tsarist army until 1917 and shoulder straps were very different from modern ones. This indicates a noticeable backwardness of the then system of names and uniforms. Now the uniform and ranks of those times can be used as a model of history, but one should not take as an example the old imperfect shoulder straps that caused confusion among the military themselves.

Very often in cinema and classical literature there is the title of lieutenant. Now there is no such rank in the Russian army, so many people are interested in the lieutenant, what is the rank in accordance with modern realities. To understand this, we need to look at history.

The history of the rank

Such a rank as a lieutenant still exists in the army of other states, but it does not exist in the army of the Russian Federation. It was first adopted in the 17th century in regiments brought to the European standard. Contrary to the misconception of many, "lieutenant" has nothing to do with the word "instruct", it has a completely different meaning.

The lieutenant, of course, had the authority to give orders, but only after agreement with the company commander. The main task of this soldier was to accompany the teams of privates, whom he took on bail, hence such a rank went.

His duties included escorting privates to a specific destination. The archery army under Ivan the Terrible did not include such ranks, there was a mutual guarantee. By status, such a rank was higher than a second lieutenant, but subordinate to the captain-lieutenant.

This rank was found in all ground forces, less often he was present in the guard. Since 1798, the rank of lieutenant was abolished in all branches of the military, but remained in the guard. According to historical information, a centurion had such powers in the Cossack troops, and a headquarters captain was introduced in the cavalry, instead of a lieutenant. In tsarist times, a midshipman held such a position in the navy.

The rank of lieutenant had a different degree of class, depending on the type of troops. The ranks of the guards were two classes higher than the ground forces of the Russian army and one higher than in the navy.

In Russian history, there are three famous lieutenants that anyone knows.

1. The first is the famous lieutenant Rzhevsky, the hero of jokes. In the history of Russia, there really was a family of Rzhevskys, which included a family member serving in the tsarist army, but he did not take part in the war of 1812, since he was born later.
2. Another well-known personality is the eternally sad and discouraged Golitsyn, the hero of the song.
3. The third lieutenant is the poet Mikhail Lermontov, who died in a duel from the bullet of Major Martynov.

Lieutenant in the modern army

In the modern army, such a rank is found in Poland and the Czech Republic. The lieutenant has the authority to lead the rank and file and carry out the orders of senior officers.

Until 1917, such a rank was listed in the tsarist army and was a member of the chief officer corps. After the revolution, this rank was canceled. The Workers' and Peasants' Army rejected any manifestation of tsarism. Therefore, the officers were replaced by the ranks of commanders, but in 1943 the surviving officer ranks in the corresponding ranks were returned. The word "officer" with the corresponding shoulder straps returned to the lexicon again.

The system of insignia and ranks did not change until the collapse of the USSR. But even after the emergence of the Russian State, the system of ranks remains the same. Currently, this rank is equal to the rank of senior lieutenant. Such a rank in the modern Russian army is given to military personnel belonging to junior officers. If the service takes place as part of the guards troops, then the word "guards" is added to the rank. Depending on the specialty available, a senior lieutenant may be a lieutenant of justice or a medical service.

In order to obtain this title, you must have a higher military education and at least a year of service without penalties. A senior lieutenant is assigned after receiving the rank of lieutenant and having the appropriate education. You can reach this rank only with a specialized secondary education after graduating from a military school or receiving the rank of lieutenant after studying at a civilian university at a military department. After a year has been served, they can be awarded the rank of senior lieutenant.

Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union
- the highest military rank of the Navy of the USSR. Introduced by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of March 3, 1955 on the military rank of Admiral of the Fleet.
Corresponded to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Ataman
- leader, chief - the eldest in the family and the leader of the steppe peoples, the leader of the Cossacks or (obsolete) generally the eldest in business.
The word comes from the word "ata" - "father", "grandfather" among the Turkic peoples.

Bombardier
- a military rank established in 1682 for artillerymen of the "amusing" troops of Peter I.
From the end of the XVIII century. scorer - an ordinary artilleryman who served with "bombardier" guns (mortars, howitzers, unicorns). In the future (up to 1917), the bombardier (as well as the bombardier-gunner, bombardier-laborator and bombardier-observer) was the lower rank of the artillery units of the Russian army with advanced qualifications (corresponding to a corporal in the infantry).

Brigadier
- a military rank above a colonel and below a major general, which existed in the Russian Imperial Army in the 18th-19th centuries.
It was introduced by Peter I.
In the Navy, he corresponded to the military rank of captain-commander. In some modern armies, it corresponds to a brigadier general.

Wahmister
- (German Wachtmeister) - the military rank of non-commissioned officers of the cavalry and artillery in the Russian army (cavalry, and Cossack troops, as well as the Separate Corps of Gendarmes) until 1917.
The duty of the sergeant-major was to help the squadron commander in conducting drill training and organizing the economy and internal order; in the infantry, the sergeant-major corresponded to the sergeant major.
Until 1826, this rank was the highest for non-commissioned officers.

Midshipman
- (French garde-marine, "sea guard", "sea guard") - a rank in the Russian imperial fleet that existed from 1716 to 1917. From 1716 to 1752, and from 1860 to 1882, the rank of midshipman in the Russian imperial fleet existed as a drill rank, the rest of the time, pupils of naval educational institutions were called midshipmen.
On ships, midshipmen were listed in the position of "lower ranks", wore the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and, according to the naval charter, were "in battle, like soldiers, in motion, like sailors."
After practical voyages in the rank of junior and senior midshipman, they were promoted to officers.
For the duration of the battle, the midshipmen signed for the guns, where they helped the gunners.
The rest of the time they performed the duties of sailors, but 4 hours a day they had to master the duties of other ranks.
Of these, a navigator worked with them for an hour and a half a day, thirty minutes - a soldier officer (training in handling a musket), one hour - a constapel or an artillery officer (handling guns), one hour - a ship commander or one of the officers (ship control).
After the October Revolution, the rank of midshipman was abolished.

General-in-chief
- (fr. general en chef) - military rank in the armed forces.
The title was introduced by Peter I in 1698.
According to the Military Regulations of Peter I, adopted in 1716, the General-in-Chief is the commander-in-chief, equal to the field marshal (although in practice he was lower than him), who headed the "council" of generals.
After the ranks of cavalry general and infantry general ceased to be used in the Russian army by the end of the reign of Peter I, the rank and rank of general-in-chief began to denote a full general, who was below the rank of field marshal.

General of artillery
- The highest general rank in the artillery of the Russian army. It was provided for by the "Table of Ranks" of 1722, but until the end of the 18th century it was replaced by the general rank of General-in-Chief.
The post of head of the Russian artillery was called Feldzeugmeister General.
An artillery general could ex officio be an inspector general of artillery, commander of the troops of a military district, lead large military formations (corps) and associations (army, front).

General of Infantry
- a military rank younger than a field marshal and higher than a lieutenant general. The title was introduced by Peter I in 1699.
The rank corresponded to the ranks of admiral and actual privy councilor.
An infantry general could ex officio be an inspector general of an infantry or a rifle unit in the troops, commander of a military district, lead large military formations (corps) and formations (army, front).
The rank was abolished on December 16, 1917.
In the modern sense - Colonel-General.

General of the cavalry
- military rank and rank in the Russian Empire.
Introduced by Peter I as the highest general rank in the cavalry, as a branch of the Russian army.

The general from the cavalry could be the inspector general of the cavalry, the commander of the troops of the military district, lead a large military formation (corps) or association (army, front).
The rank was abolished on December 16, 1917.
In the modern sense - Colonel-General.

general from fortification
- In connection with the special position of the artillery and engineering troops, where competent and knowledgeable officers were required, in the 1st third of the 18th century there was a rank major general from fortification with the same rights and duties as an army major general. After 1730, the clarification "from fortification" was not used.

Major General - military rank and rank in the Russian Empire in 1698-1917.
In the Russian Imperial Army, a major general usually commanded a brigade or division, but almost never an army corps or army, he could also be the commander of a guards regiment (at the same time, in the guards regiments, the post of regiment commander was higher than the position of regiment commander, who were, as a rule, members of the Imperial House Romanovs, and in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky, Semyonovsky and Horse regiments - the reigning emperor.

Major General - the primary military rank of senior officers, located between the colonel or brigadier general and lieutenant general. A major general usually commands a division (about 15,000 personnel).
In the Navy (Navy), the rank of major general corresponds to the rank of rear admiral.

lieutenant general
- military rank and rank in the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
At the same time (practically as a synonym) they used the rank of lieutenant general. In the second half of the Northern War, the rank of lieutenant general replaced the rank of lieutenant general.
(Great Northern War, Twenty Years' War- the war between the coalition of northern states and Sweden for the Baltic lands in 1700-1721, which lasted more than 20 years and ended with the defeat of Sweden).

Field Marshal General
- the highest military rank in the ground forces of the German, Austrian and Russian armies. Introduced in Russia in 1699 by Peter I.
Military rank 1st class, equal to general-admiral in the navy, chancellor and real privy councilor 1st class in the civil service.
The insignia was the field marshal's baton, from the 19th century crossed batons were also depicted on shoulder straps and in the buttonholes of field marshals.

The image of the marshal's baton has been present on the Emblem of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since 2009.

Generalissimo
- the highest military rank in the Holy Roman Empire, later also in the Russian Empire, the USSR and other countries.
Historically, this title was assigned to commanders who commanded several, more often allied, armies during the war, and in some cases to statesmen or persons from families of reigning dynasties as an honorary title.
The highest rank, standing outside the system of officer ranks.

On October 28, 1799, A. V. Suvorov received the rank of generalissimo in full accordance with the Military Charter, as he was the prince of the Sardinian kingdom, the prince of the Russian Empire, the count of the Holy Roman Empire and the commander-in-chief of the Russian, Austrian and Sardinian troops.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
(1729, Moscow - 1800, St. Petersburg)
Cavalier of all Russian orders of his time.
National Hero of Russia,
great Russian commander,
undefeated
in his military career
(more than 60 battles),
one of the founders of Russian military art.

Currently, in the Russian Federation, this military rank is not provided for by law.

Generalissimo of the Soviet Union
- After the Great Patriotic War, on June 26, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the highest military rank "Generalissimo of the Soviet Union" was introduced and June 27, 1945 was awarded to I. V. Stalin., in commemoration of exceptional merits in the Great Patriotic War.
In addition, Iosif Vissarionovich was awarded the Order of Victory, and he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the issue of conferring the title of Generalissimo was discussed several times, but Stalin invariably rejected this proposal. And only after the intervention of Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky gave his consent when the latter declared: “Comrade Stalin, you are a marshal and I am a marshal, you cannot punish me!”

Chief Marshal of the Armed Forces
(Rank introduced October 9, 1943)
- a group of military ranks in the Armed Forces of the USSR:

• Chief Marshal of Artillery,
• Air Chief Marshal,
• Chief Marshal of the Armored Troops,
• Chief Marshal of the Engineering Troops,
• Chief Marshal of the Signal Corps.

They stood with a rank higher than the ranks of "marshal of the armed forces."
The title was introduced on October 9, 1943.
For the entire time of its existence, the title of "Chief Marshal" was received by 4 artillerymen, 7 military pilots and 2 representatives of the armored forces. In the engineering and signal troops, these ranks formally existed, but were never assigned.
In 1984, only the ranks of "Chief Marshal of Artillery" and "Chief Marshal of Air" were retained.
On March 25, 1993, the ranks of Chief Marshals were excluded from the list of military ranks of the Russian Armed Forces.

Esaul
- chief officer rank in Russia in the Cossack troops.
Yesaul - the name of the assistant commander, his deputy.
Esauls were:

• general,
• military,
• regimental,
• hundreds,
• stanitsa,
• hiking,
• artillery.

Cadet
- from July 29, 1731 in pre-revolutionary Russia - the title of pupils of the cadet corps (secondary military schools for children of nobles and officers, with a 7-year course)
- in the 80s. 20th century - informal naming of cadets of military educational institutions.

Captain Commander
- rank in 1707-1732 and in 1751-1827. in the Russian navy. Introduced in 1707, included in the Table of Ranks in 1722, belonged to class V, while it was considered lower than a rear admiral, but higher than a captain of a ship (since 1713, higher than a captain of the first rank). In the army, the captain-commander corresponded to the rank of brigadier, as well as a state adviser in civil (state) ranks. Appeal - "Your highness."
The duties of the captain-commander included the command of small detachments of ships, as well as the temporary replacement of the rear admiral.

Corporal
- team leader - military rank of junior command staff and the lowest non-commissioned officer (sergeant) rank.
It appeared in Russia in 1647 and was officially introduced by the “Military Regulations” of Peter I.
In the first half of the XIX century. replaced by the rank of non-commissioned officer.
In the modern Russian Armed Forces, a corporal corresponds to the rank of "junior sergeant".

Conductor
- (lat. conductor "employer, entrepreneur, contractor") - a military rank in the Russian fleet, assigned to non-commissioned officers who have served the prescribed period and passed the exam.
The conductors were the closest assistants to the officers, they were responsible for training the lower ranks of the specialty. The senior boatswain was in charge of the ship's conductors. In the fleet, the conductors enjoyed privileges: they had a separate wardroom, received an increased allowance for raising children, enjoyed free treatment, had leave with pay, etc.
The term of service in the rank of conductor was 25 years.
After 1917, the title was abolished.

Cornet
- (from Italian corno - horn, battle pipe) - a military rank in the armies of a number of countries, mainly in the cavalry. The name comes from the position of a trumpeter under the commander, who, by order of the commander, transmitted signals to the troops during the battle.
Cornets are listed in the same class as army lieutenants and wear the same shoulder straps, while there is no rank of second lieutenant in the cavalry.

Red Army man
- (fighter) - military rank and position of a private soldier of the Armed Forces of the USSR / USSR Armed Forces / (Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army / Red Army /) since February 1918, a soldier (the word "soldier" in Soviet Russia was abandoned as "counter-revolutionary ".
As a personal military rank, it was introduced in 1935.
In the Navy in 1918-1946. the rank of a Red Army soldier corresponded to the title of a Red Navy.
In 1946, the rank of Red Army soldier was replaced by the rank of private, in connection with the renaming of the Red Army into the Soviet Army of the USSR Armed Forces.
In 1924, a new uniform was introduced in the Red Army.
Chest flaps and sleeve insignia were abolished, sewn on overcoats and tunics
buttonholes:

• infantry - from raspberry cloth with black edging;
• cavalry - from blue cloth with black edging;
• artillery and armored troops - from black cloth with scarlet edging;
• technical troops and communications - from black cloth with blue edging;
• aviation (Air Force) - from blue cloth with a red edging;
• administrative staff - dark green with red edging;

The numbers of the regiments were indicated on the buttonholes of the Red Army men.

Not only historical documents, but also works of art that take us back to the pre-revolutionary past are filled with examples of the relationship between servicemen of different ranks. The lack of understanding of a single gradation does not prevent the reader from isolating the main theme of the work, however, sooner or later, one has to think about the difference between the addresses “Your Honor” and “Your Excellency”.

Few people notice that in the army of the USSR the appeal was not abolished, it was only replaced by a uniform form for all ranks. Even in the modern Russian army, “Comrade” is added to any rank, although in civilian life this term has long lost its relevance, the appeal “Mr.” is increasingly heard.

Military ranks in the tsarist army determined the hierarchy of relations, but the system of their distribution can only be slightly compared with the model that was adopted after the well-known events of 1917. Only the White Guards remained true to the established traditions. Until the end of the civil war, the White Guard used the Table of Ranks, maintained by Peter the Great. The rank, determined by the Report Card, indicated the position not only in the army service, but also in civilian life. For your information, there were several Tables of Ranks, they were military, civil and courtiers.

The history of military ranks

For some reason, the most interesting issue is the distribution of officer powers in Russia at the very turn of the turning point in 1917. At that time, the ranks in the White Army were a complete analogue of the aforementioned Report Card with the latest changes that were relevant at the end of the era of the Russian Empire. But we will have to delve into the times of Peter the Great, since all the terminology originates there.

The Table of Ranks introduced by Emperor Peter I contained 262 job titles, this is the total figure for civil and military ranks. However, not all titles reached the beginning of the 20th century. Many of them were abolished in the XVIII century. An example would be the titles of State Councilor or Collegiate Assessor. The law introduced by the Table into force assigned a stimulating function to it. So, according to the king himself, promotion is possible only for people who are standing, and the road to higher ranks was closed to parasites and impudent people.

The division of ranks involved the assignment of chief officer ranks, staff officers or generals. In accordance with the class, the appeal was also established. It was necessary to address the chief officers: "Your Honor." To the staff officers - "Your Excellency", and to the generals - "Your Excellency".

Distribution by type of troops

The understanding that the entire contingent of the army must be divided into branches of service came long before the reign of Peter. A similar approach can be traced in the modern Russian army. On the threshold of the First World War, the Russian Empire, according to many historians, was at the peak of its economic recovery. Therefore, some indicators are compared with this period. On the issue of military branches, a static picture has developed. You can single out the infantry, consider separately the artillery, the now abolished cavalry, the Cossack army, which was in the ranks of the regular army, guards units and the fleet.

It is noteworthy that in the tsarist army of pre-revolutionary Russia, military ranks could differ, depending on the military unit or clan. Despite this, the ranks in the tsarist army of Russia were listed in ascending order in a strictly defined order to maintain unity of control.

Military ranks in infantry divisions

For all branches of the military, the lower ranks had a distinctive feature; they wore smooth epaulettes with the depicted regiment number. The color of the shoulder strap depended on the type of troops. Infantry troops used red epaulettes of a hexagonal shape. There was also a division by color depending on the regiment or division, but such a gradation complicated the recognition process. In addition, on the threshold of World War I, a decision was made to unify the color, establishing a protective shade as the norm.

The lowest ranks include the most popular ranks that are well known to the modern soldier. We are talking about private and corporal. Everyone who tries to study the hierarchy in the army of the Russian Empire involuntarily compares the structure with modernity. These titles have survived to this day.

The line of ranks, which indicates belonging to a group of sergeant status, is positioned by the tsarist army of Russia as non-commissioned officer ranks. Here the matching pattern looks like this:

• a junior non-commissioned officer is, in our opinion, a junior sergeant;
• senior non-commissioned officer - corresponds to a sergeant;
• sergeant major - placed on the same level as the senior sergeant;
• ensign - foreman;
• ensign - ensign.

Junior officers begin with the rank of senior lieutenant. The holder of the chief officer rank has the right to apply for a command position. In the infantry, in ascending order, this group is represented by ensigns, second lieutenants, lieutenants, as well as staff captains and captains.

One feature is noticeable, it lies in the fact that the rank of major, which in our time is assigned to the group of senior officers, in the imperial army corresponds to the chief officer rank. This discrepancy is further compensated, and the general order of the hierarchy steps is not violated.

Staff officers with the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel today have consonant regalia. It is believed that this group belongs to the senior officers. The highest composition is represented by general ranks. In ascending order, the officers of the Imperial Russian Army are divided into major generals, lieutenant generals, generals from infantry. As you know, the existing scheme assumes the presence of the rank of colonel-general. Marshal corresponds to the rank of Field Marshal, but this is a theoretical rank, which was awarded only to D.A. Milyutin, being Minister of War until 1881.

In artillery

Following the example of the infantry structure, the difference in ranks for artillery can be represented schematically, highlighting five groups of ranks.

• The lower ones include gunners and bombardiers, these ranks ceased to exist after the defeat of the white units. Even in 1943, the titles were not restored.
• Artillery non-commissioned officers receive the status of junior and senior fireworks, and then ensign or ensign.
• The composition of officers (in our case, chief officers), as well as senior officers (here, headquarters officers) is no different from infantry troops. The vertical begins with the rank of warrant officer and ends with a colonel.
• The senior officers, who have the ranks of the highest group, are designated by three ranks. Major General, Lieutenant General, and Felzekhmeister General.

With all this, there is a preservation of a single structure, so without difficulty everyone will be able to draw up a visual table of correspondence by type of troops or correspondence with the modern military classification.

The army Cossacks

The main distinguishing feature of the imperial army at the beginning of the 20th century is the fact that the legendary Cossack army served in regular units. Acting as a separate branch of the armed forces, the Russian Cossacks fit into the table of ranks with. Now it is possible to bring all the ranks into line by presenting them in a cross section of the same five groups of ranks. But there are no general ranks in the Cossack army, so the number of groups was reduced to four.

1. The Cossack and the clerk are considered representatives of the lower ranks.
2. The next step consists of officers and a sergeant major.
3. The officers are represented by a cornet, a centurion, a podaul and a captain.
4. Senior officers or Headquarters officers include a military foreman and a colonel.

Other ranks

Almost all issues were considered, but there are some terms that were not mentioned in the article. Note that if you had to describe all the ranks indicated in the Table of Ranks, then for several hundred years of the existence of the imperial army, you would have to draw up a fairly weighty document. If there is a fairly popular rank that has not been discussed above, then one should recall the state report card, as well as the ranks of the gendarmerie. In addition, some have been abolished.

The ranks in the cavalry have a similar structure, only the group of officers is represented by cornets, and legendary lieutenants. Senior in rank was the captain. The guards regiments were awarded the prefix "life guards", which means that the private of the guards regiment will be listed as the private of the life guards. Similarly, this prefix complements all ranks in the five groups of ranks.

Separately, we should consider the ranks that apply to employees in the navy. A sailor of the 2nd article and a sailor of the first article form a group of lower ranks. Followed by: quartermaster, boatswain and conductor. Until 1917, before the boatswain, the title of boatswain was supposed. A group of officers began with midshipmen, and the headquarters officer ranks consisted of captain and kaperang. The admiral was vested with the highest command authority.