Sergei Fyodorovich Platonov

Full course of lectures on Russian history

Essay on Russian historiography

Overview of the sources of Russian history

PART ONE

Preliminary historical information The most ancient history of our country The Russian Slavs and their neighbors The initial life of the Russian Slavs Kievan Rus Formation of the Kievan principality General remarks about the early times of the Kievan principality Baptism of Rus Consequences of the adoption of Christianity by Rus Kievan Rus in the XI-XII centuries specific Russia Specific life of Suzdal-Vladimir Rus Novgorod Pskov Lithuania Moscow principality until the middle of the 15th century Time of Grand Duke Ivan III

PART TWO

Time of Ivan the Terrible Muscovy before the Troubles Political contradiction in Moscow life in the 16th century Social contradiction in Moscow life in the 16th century Troubles in the Muscovite state Fedorovich (1613-1645) The time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676) The internal activities of the government of Alexei Mikhailovich Church affairs under Alexei Mikhailovich A cultural turning point under Alexei Mikhailovich The personality of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich The main moments in the history of Southern and Western Russia in the 16th-17th centuries The time of Tsar Fedor Alekseevich (1676-1682)

PART THREE

The views of science and Russian society on Peter the Great The state of Moscow politics and life at the end of the 17th century The time of Peter the Great Childhood and adolescence of Peter (1672-1689) Years 1689-1699 Peter's foreign policy since 1700 Peter's internal activities since 1700 The attitude of contemporaries to Peter's activities Peter's family relations The historical significance of Peter's activities The time from the death of Peter the Great to the accession to the throne of Elizabeth (1725-1741) Palace events from 1725 to 1741 Management and politics from 1725 to 1741 The time of Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1761) The management and politics of Elizabeth's time Peter III and the coup of 1762 The time of Catherine II (1762-1796) The legislative activity of Catherine II The foreign policy of Catherine II The historical significance of the activities of Catherine II The time of Paul I (1796-1801) The time of Alexander I (1801-1825) The time of Nicholas I (1825-1855 ) A brief overview of the time of Emperor Alexander II and the great reforms

These "Lectures" owe their first appearance in print to the energy and labor of my listeners at the Military Law Academy, I. A. Blinov and R. R. von Raupach. They collected and put in order all those "lithographed notes" that were published by students in different years of my teaching. Although some parts of these "notes" were compiled according to the texts I submitted, however, in general, the first editions of the "Lectures" did not differ in either internal integrity or external decoration, representing a collection of different time and different quality educational records. Through the work of I. A. Blinov, the fourth edition of the Lectures acquired a much more serviceable form, and for the next editions the text of the Lectures was also revised by me personally. In particular, in the eighth edition, the revision mainly touched upon those parts of the book that are devoted to the history of the Moscow principality in the 14th-15th centuries. and the history of the reigns of Nicholas I and Alexander II. In order to strengthen the factual side of the exposition in these parts of the course, I drew on some excerpts from my "Textbook of Russian History" with the corresponding changes in the text, just as in previous editions inserts were made from there into the department of the history of Kievan Rus until the XII century. In addition, in the eighth edition, the characteristics of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich were re-stated. In the ninth edition, the necessary, generally minor, corrections have been made. For the tenth edition, the text has been revised. Nevertheless, in its present form, the "Lectures" are still far from the desired serviceability. Live teaching and scientific work have a continuous influence on the lecturer, changing not only the particulars, but sometimes the very type of his presentation. In the "Lectures" you can see only the factual material on which the author's courses are usually built. Of course, some oversights and errors still remain in the printed transmission of this material; likewise, the construction of the presentation in the "Lectures" very often does not correspond to the structure of the oral presentation, which I have been following in recent years. It is only with these reservations that I make up my mind to publish the present edition of the Lectures.

S. Platonov

Introduction (Summary)

It would be appropriate to begin our studies of Russian history by defining what exactly should be understood by the words historical knowledge, historical science.

Having understood for ourselves how history is understood in general, we will understand what we should understand by the history of any one people, and we will consciously begin to study Russian history.

History existed in ancient times, although at that time it was not considered a science.

Acquaintance with ancient historians, Herodotus and Thucydides, for example, will show you that the Greeks were right in their own way, referring history to the realm of the arts. By history they understood an artistic story about memorable events and persons. The task of the historian was for them to convey to listeners and readers, along with aesthetic pleasure, a number of moral edifications. Art pursued the same goals.

With such a view of history as an artistic story about memorable events, ancient historians also adhered to the corresponding methods of presentation. In their narration, they strove for truth and accuracy, but they did not have a strict objective measure of truth. The deeply truthful Herodotus, for example, has many fables (about Egypt, about the Scythians, etc.); he believes in some, because he does not know the limits of the natural, while others, and not believing in them, he brings into his story, because they seduce him with their artistic interest. Moreover, the ancient historian, true to his artistic tasks, considered it possible to decorate the narrative with conscious fiction. Thucydides, whose veracity we have no doubt, puts speeches composed by himself into the mouths of his heroes, but he considers himself right because he faithfully conveys in an invented form the real intentions and thoughts of historical persons.

Thus, the desire for accuracy and truth in history has been to some extent limited by the desire for artistry and entertainment, not to mention other conditions that have prevented historians from successfully distinguishing truth from fable. Despite this, the desire for accurate knowledge already in antiquity requires pragmatism from the historian. Already in Herodotus we observe the manifestation of this pragmatism, that is, the desire to link facts by causality, not only to tell them, but also to explain their origin from the past.

Tables of ranks of the Russian Army

Russian Guard 1884-1917

The table shows the ranks of the ranks of the guard from 1884 to 1917. These are the years of the reign of Alexander III (1881-1894), Emperor Nicholas II (1894-1917).

During the period under review, the ranks in the guards were one class higher than in the army, i.e. "old" and "young" guards are equalized in ranks.

In 1891, the Cossack ranks were established in the Life Guards Cossack and the Life Guards Ataman Regiment (until that time, these regiments had general cavalry ranks).

With the outbreak of the First World War, the entire guard went to the front, leaving in St. Petersburg (renamed after the start of the war to Petrograd) only their reserve battalions. The personnel of the guard melted away in battles already in the campaign of 1914-15, and in the future, the difference between the guards and the army regiments consisted only in the name. We can say that the Russian guard died in the fire of the World War. The company of the Palace Grenadiers was disbanded in the summer of 1917.

In 1942, the word "Guard" will return to our army, but already as a collective award, to regiments, divisions, corps and armies that distinguished themselves in battle. The units awarded this honorary title will differ from the rest of the army units by a somewhat reinforced staff (in the state guards regiment there is a battalion of submachine gunners instead of a separate company of submachine gunners, in regimental artillery instead of 76mm regimental guns there will be 76mm divisional guns ZIS-3), yes in the period war with a one and a half salary of a monetary content.

Footguards

The code*	Category	Rank class	Name of rank
1	lower ranks		Life Guard Private
2			Corporal of the Life Guards
3	non-commissioned officers		Life Guards junior non-commissioned officer
4a			Life Guards senior non-commissioned officer
4b			Life Guards Sergeant Major
5a			Life Guard ensign
5 B		XIV	Life Guards Ensign
7	Chief officers	XIII	Life Guard Ensign
8a		X	Life Guards Second Lieutenant
8b		IX	Life Guard Lieutenant
9a		VIII	Life Guard Staff Captain
9b		VII	Life Guard Captain
12	Headquarters officers	V	Life Guard Colonel

* Read more about rank encoding.

Guards Cavalry

The code*	Category	Rank class	Name of rank
1	lower ranks	.	Life Guard Private
2			Corporal of the Life Guards
3	non-commissioned officers		Life Guard junior non-commissioned officer
4a			Life Guards senior non-commissioned officer
4b			Life Guard Wahmister
7	Chief officers	XI	Life Guard Cornet
8		IX	Life Guard Lieutenant
9a		VIII	Life Guards Headquarters Captain
9b		VII	Life Guards Captain
12	Headquarters officers	V	Life Guard Colonel

Guards Cossacks

The code*	Category	Rank class	Name of rank
1	lower ranks		Life Guards Cossack
2			Life Guard order
3	non-commissioned officers		Life Guards Junior Sergeant
4a			Life Guards Senior Sergeant
4b			Life Guard Wahmister
5		XIV	Life Guards cadet
7	Chief officers	XI	Leb-guard cornet
8		IX	Life Guards centurion
9a		VIII	Life Guards podesaul
9b		VII	Life Guard Yesaul
12	Headquarters officers	V	Life Guard Colonel

Company of Palace Grenadiers

The code*	Category	Rank class	Name of rank
1	lower ranks		Grenadier 2nd class
2			Grenadier 1st class
3	non-commissioned officers	XIV	non-commissioned officer
5		XII	Feldwebel
7	Chief officers	XI	Ensign
8a		IX	Second Lieutenant
8b		VIII	lieutenant
8c		VI	Captain
9	Headquarters officers	III	Colonel

The word "guard" comes from the Old Germanic or Scandinavian word Warda or Garda - to guard, protect.
Since ancient times, kings and generals had with them detachments of bodyguards, whose duties included exclusively the protection of the ruler.
Bodyguards gradually began to unite in special units, formations, and later - in selected troops.


On September 18, 1941, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army introduced the concept of "guards unit".
This decision was made a few days after the Soviet troops successfully liquidated the so-called Yelnin ledge during World War II.
The Yelninskaya operation is an army offensive operation of the Red Army, which was the first actual defeat of the Wehrmacht during the war. It began on August 30, 1941 with the offensive of two armies (24th and 43rd) of the Soviet Reserve Front (commander - General of the Army G.K. Zhukov), and ended on September 6 with the liberation of the city of Yelnya and the liquidation of the Yelny ledge. In accordance with Soviet historiography, it is part of the Smolensk battle.


On September 18, 1941, by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR of September 18, 1941 No. 308, four rifle divisions of the USSR - the 100th, 127th, 153rd and 161st - "for military exploits, for organization, discipline and exemplary order" were given the honorary titles "guards", and they were renamed and transformed into the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th guards, respectively.


On June 19, 1942, the Guards Naval Flag was established, and on July 31, 1942, the Regulations on the Guards of the USSR Fleet were put into effect.
Later, in the course of the war, many battle-hardened units and formations of the Red Army were transformed into guards. There were guards regiments, divisions, corps and armies.


The military ranks of servicemen serving in the guards units and formations have the prefix "guards" - for example, "guards cadet", "guards major-engineer", "guards colonel-general". During the war years in the Navy, the words “guards” (for aviation and coastal defense) were added to the military ranks of military personnel serving in guards units - for example, “guards captain”, as well as “guards crew” (for sailors) - for example, “ guards crew captain of the first rank.


By the end of the war, the Soviet guard included 11 armies and 6 tank armies; 40 rifle, 7 cavalry, 12 tank, 9 mechanized and 14 aviation corps; 215 divisions; 18 warships and a large number of units of various types of the Armed Forces and branches of service.


In peacetime, formations, formations, units and ships were not converted into guards ones. However, in order to preserve combat traditions, the names of the guards belonging to units, ships, formations and associations, when they were disbanded, could be transferred to other associations, formations, units and ships.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, guard units, formations and associations were preserved in such post-Soviet countries as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

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

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

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

The 2nd Moscow elective soldier regiment was also formed in 1642 by decree of the same Mikhail Fedorovich, consisting of 52 companies of 100 people. Better known as the Butyrsky Regiment (at the place of deployment - Butyrskaya Sloboda in Moscow) and the Gordon Regiment (after one of the commanders - Patrick Gordon). Since March 9, 1914 - the 13th Life Grenadier Erivan Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Regiment. Disbanded at the beginning of 1918.

The 3rd Moscow elective soldier's regiment was formed in 1692.

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

1698–1702. From left to right: fusilier of the Semyonovsky regiment in a winter caftan, chief officer of Preobrazhensky
regiment, fusilier of the Butyrsky regiment in a summer caftan, grenadier of the Preobrazhensky regiment
Source: O. Leonov, I. Ulyanov "Regular Infantry 1698-1801"

Patrick Gordon - military teacher of Peter I. For a long time he commanded the 2nd Moscow
elected soldier regiment
Source: http://catholicurch.ru/index.php/gallery/member/4-drogon/

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

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

4. The Life Guards regiments were conceived by Peter I as a kind of personnel reserve. Initially, all guardsmen had an advantage of two ranks over military personnel of army units. Later, this advantage was reserved only for officers, and then, as the size of the guard grew, it was divided into the "old" guard (with an advantage of two ranks) and the "young" (with an advantage of one rank). By the beginning of the 20th century, all guards officers had an advantage of one rank. In the guard hierarchy of the early twentieth century, there was no rank of lieutenant colonel, so the captain of the guards was promoted immediately to colonel.

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

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

6. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the acquisition of the guards infantry was carried out, as a rule, by recruits from the Great Russian provinces. A necessary condition was the presence of a certificate of trustworthiness, which was issued by the police at the place of residence of the recruit. The distribution of recruits among the regiments was carried out in accordance with their appearance. So, tall blondes were recruited into the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and in the 3rd and 5th companies - with beards; in Semenovsky - tall brown-haired; in Izmailovsky and Grenadier - brunettes (in the company of His Majesty - bearded); in Moscow - brunettes (in the 9th company), the highest - in the company of His Majesty; in Lithuanian - beardless tall blondes; in Kexholmsky - beardless tall brown-haired men; in St. Petersburg - brunettes; in Jaegersky, Finlyandsky and Volynsky - people of "light build" of any hair color. The 1st Rifle Regiment was equipped with blonds, the 2nd with brunettes, and the 4th with "short-nosed". The military training program of the guards units did not differ significantly from the army and included the following disciplines: shooting training (the training course included initial training, training in field observation and determining distances to the target, target shooting, shooting training for commanders and tactical exercises with combat shooting); engineering training (the course included self-digging, the construction of the simplest engineering structures and the basics of camouflage); bayonet fight. In the guards, earlier than in the army, gymnastic (physical) training was introduced. The system of gymnastic exercises included: free movements and exercises with guns and sticks; projectile exercises; walking, running and engaging in marches; field gymnastics; group exercises, games (in 1908 football was included in the list of recommended games); throwing spears and weights.

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

Any of the existing modern armies
has in its ranks a certain number of parts,
imbued with a special spirit of self-respect,
based on an outstanding historical past...
These parts ... should serve as a guarantee of the continuity of those traditions,
which form the foundation of every army...
These elite troops must...
serve as a practical school,
hotbed for personnel of other parts of the army.

A. Gerua. "Hordes", 1923

Tsar Peter Alekseevich, creator of the Russian guard.
Chromolithography on metal. 1909

Throughout the thousand-year history of the Russian state, our ancestors constantly had to repel numerous aggressions with weapons in their hands, to defend the independence and integrity of the state. That is why military service has always been the most honorable and respected in Russia. Guardsmen have always deservedly occupied a special place among the armed defenders of the Fatherland.

Company banner of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. 1700

In Russia, the guard (life guard) was created by Peter I from amusing troops. Until now, historians do not have unity on the date of the creation of the Russian Guard. So, in the diary of Peter I, when explaining the failure near Narva in 1700, it is indicated that “only two regiments of the guard were on two attacks near Azov,” but in the list of troops that marched near Azov in 1696, Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments were not named guards . The famous historian P.O. Bobrovsky took May 30 (June 10), 1700 - the birthday of its "founding sovereign" for the birthday of the guard. In one of the letters, dated June 11 (22) of the same year, Peter calls Prince Yu.Yu. Trubetskoy "guard captain". And, finally, in the "Journal of Peter the Great" under the date August 22 (September 2), 1700, for the first time, as is commonly believed, the regiments are officially called guards. This day - September 2 (August 22, old style) is set as a memorable day of the Russian Guard.

In the initial period of their formation, Tsar Peter I was personally involved in the recruitment of the guards regiments. “Every soldier who wanted to enter the guards regiment was enrolled only with the permission of the Sovereign himself, who put his own resolutions on their petitions.” This "choice" principle of staffing guard units with lower ranks, and even more so with officers, was subsequently preserved, although the criterion of the level of education and military professionalism was largely supplanted by Peter's successors by criteria of political interest, personal devotion, wealth, generosity, etc.

In the Petrine era, the guardsmen solved a triune task. Firstly, they were the political support of the tsarist government in carrying out reforms that were not always popular with the people. Not without reason, after the adoption of the imperial title in 1721, the guard units began to be called the "Russian Imperial Guard". Secondly, the guards regiments not only performed the functions of a military school that trained command personnel for the army, but were also a training ground where all sorts of innovations in reforming the army were tested. Finally, thirdly, the guard was also a combat unit, sometimes the last and decisive argument on the battlefield.

The Russian guard received its baptism of fire in the Northern War of 1700-1721. In the battle near Narva in November 1700, two guards regiments held back the attacks of the Swedes for three hours. Their steadfastness saved the Russian army from complete defeat. For this feat, the officers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments were awarded a badge of distinction with the inscription: "1700 November 19." The guards also participated in other battles with the Swedes: they took Noteburg (1702), won a victory near Narva (1704), distinguished themselves in battles near Lesnaya and Poltava (1709), etc.

For a long time, the guardsmen did not have any advantages in ranks with the rest of the troops. However, after the approval at the beginning of 1722 of the table of ranks, the officers of the guards regiments received the seniority of two ranks against the army.

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 (from 1730 - Horse Guards, from 1801 - Life Guards Horse Regiment). In September 1730, another guards regiment was formed, the Izmailovsky Life Guards.

In the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1739. a special guard detachment consisting of 3 infantry battalions from the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky and Izmailovsky regiments, 2 horse guard squadrons and 6 guns participated in the assault on Ochakov, the capture of Khotyn and in the battle of Stavuchany in 1739.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna had the rank of colonel of all guards regiments. The grenadier company of the Preobrazhensky stick, with the help of which she ascended the throne, as a reward for the services rendered, the empress separated from the regiment and named it a life company.

During the reign of Catherine II, the consolidated guard battalions took part in the Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790. and in two Russo-Turkish wars.

Cavalry guards in the reign of Emperor Paul I.
From a watercolor by A. Baldinger.

During the reign of Paul I, the numerical strength of the guard was significantly increased. Regiments were formed: the Life Guards Hussar (1796), the Life Guards Cossack (1798) and Cavalry Guards (1799), as well as the Life Guards Artillery and Jaeger battalions.

Under Emperor Alexander I, the Life Guards Jaeger (1806), Finnish (1811) and Lithuanian (1811) regiments were formed.

In 1805, the Life Guards Horse Artillery was formed, in 1811 - the Life Guards Artillery Brigade, in 1812 - the Life Guards Sapper Battalion.

During the reign of Alexander I, the guards participated in all the wars waged by Russia in the European theater of operations. In numerous battles, the guards covered themselves with unfading glory, giving an example of true service to the Fatherland.

The cavalry guards at the battle of Austerlitz fight with
Napoleon's cavalry.

The feat of self-sacrifice of the cavalry guards in the Battle of Austerlitz on November 20 (December 2), 1805, is inscribed in blood in the military history of the Fatherland, when they went to certain death, saving the bleeding Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments from the vastly superior forces of the French cavalry that fell upon them. In total, in that terrible cabin, the Cavalier Guard regiment lost 13 officers and 226 lower ranks. No less bravely fought the enemy in this battle, the cavalrymen of the Life Guards of the Cavalry and Hussar regiments. The Guards Cossacks of Colonel P.A. Chernozubov, who attacked the French in the vanguard of the second column of allied forces.

Miracles of stamina and courage were demonstrated by the guards in subsequent battles with the French. At Pultusk, on December 14 (26), 1806, the life cuirassiers of His Majesty's regiment (ranked in 1813 to the "Young" guard) participated in a bold raid of the Russian cavalry on the right flank of the enemy, which decided the outcome of the battle in our favor.

In the battle of Friedland on June 2 (14), 1807, the Hussar and Cossack Life Guards regiments distinguished themselves, fighting with dragoons from the division of General Pear, as well as the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, which scattered the Dutch cuirassiers with a bold attack. The Pavlovsky Grenadier Regiment, later assigned to the “Young” Guard, was awarded a special award for exceptional valor and stamina in battle: “he was ordered to leave his hats with him in the form in which he left the battlefield” (i.e. shot and hacked). During the battle, the regiment went to bayonets eleven times. Regiment chief, Major General N.N. Mazovsky, wounded in the arm and leg, and unable to sit in the saddle, ordered two grenadiers to carry themselves in front of the regiment in the last attack.

In the Patriotic War of 1812 and in the foreign campaign of the Russian army in 1813-1814. the guards confirmed the glory of Russian weapons. Polotsk and Smolensk, Borodino and Krasny, Kulm and Leipzig, Katsbach and Craon, La Rothiere and Fer-Champenoise - this is not a complete list of battlefields where the Russian guards distinguished themselves. And as a result - a solemn march in the defeated French capital: the Prussian guards cavalry walked in front, followed by the Russian light guards cavalry division guarding the monarchs, then the guards infantry of the allies. The 1st Cuirassier Division completed the solemn procession. The Russian emperor in a cavalry uniform with St. Andrew's ribbon over his shoulder rode a gray horse surrounded by his guards.

For military feats - honorary awards. All military awards granted for the Patriotic War had one common inscription: "For distinction in the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia in 1812." The regiments of the Petrovsky brigade (Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky) were awarded the St. George banners for courage and steadfastness in the battle of Kulm. For heroism in the same battle, the Izmailovsky and Jaeger Guards regiments were awarded St. George's trumpets. The Life Guards Lithuanian Regiment received the same award for Leipzig. For the rescue of Emperor Alexander from captivity during the Battle of Leipzig, the Silver Pipes were awarded to the Life Guards Cossack Regiment and His Majesty's Own Convoy. St. George's standards were awarded to the regiments of the Guards Cuirassier Brigade - Cavalry Guards and Horse Guards. The Life Guards Dragoon Regiment in 1813 was awarded the St. George standard, and for the battle at Fer-Champenoise in 1814 - St. George's pipes. Silver trumpets were awarded to the 1st and 2nd Guards Artillery Brigades, as well as all Guards Cavalry Batteries.

In 1813, in addition to the Old Guard, the Young Guard was established in Russia. This name was originally given to two grenadier and one cuirassier regiments for military distinctions in the Patriotic War of 1812. In 1829, the Finnish Rifle Battalion was added to the Young Guard. He, like the regiments of the Life Guards Grenadier and Pavlovsky, was granted in 1831 the rights of the Old Guard for differences in the war with Poland.

Staff officer and bombardier of the 6th battery of the 3rd Guards and
Grenadier Artillery Brigade.

In 1814, in commemoration of the merits of the quartermaster unit and in memory of its "extremely zealous and useful activity for the troops in the era of the Napoleonic wars", a special institution was created as part of the retinue of His Imperial Majesty for the quartermaster unit called the "Guards General Staff ” with the rights of the “Old” guard. It was made up of the most excellent staff and chief officers of the quartermaster unit (at first 24 officers of the Retinue), who were awarded a special distinction on their uniforms. These officers were not intended to serve exclusively in the guards, but were distributed on an equal basis with other ranks of the Retinue among all troops and teams that performed topographic surveys. It was a personal honorific given to particularly distinguished officers of the Quartermaster Unit, wherever they served.

In 1830, the Life Guards Don Horse Artillery Company was formed. In 1833, the guard was divided into two corps - Guards Infantry (from infantry and foot artillery) and Guards Reserve Cavalry (from cavalry and horse artillery).

In 1856, rifle companies were formed in all guards infantry regiments, one per battalion, and at the same time the guards 1st and 2nd rifle battalions were formed again. In the same 1856. The Life Guards Infantry Battalion of the Imperial Family was added to the composition of the guard (as the Young Guard).

In subsequent years, the number of units that were part of the Young Guard continued to increase. In wartime, the guards took part in all the wars waged by Russia. With their stamina and courage, the guardsmen earned fame not only in their own country, but also the rave reviews of the allies,

In peacetime, the guard carried out internal service, participated in the protection of the royal family, guards, parades, campaigns within Russia, in camps and carried out various assignments,

The officers of the guard consisted mainly of representatives of the higher nobility. The soldiers in the guard were selected from physically strong people, politically reliable.

The appearance of the guards units was distinguished by the youthfulness of the soldiers, their bearing, the ability of officers to behave with dignity, uniforms.

Case near the village of Telishe in 1877.
Artist V.V. Mazurovsky.

In the second half of the XIX century. The Russian Imperial Guard participated in almost all military enterprises of Tsarist Russia. Particularly distinguished parts of the guard during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. in the battles for Gorny Dubnyak and Palishch, Dalny Dubnyak and the Shindarin position, at Tashkisen and Philippopolis.

At the same time, along with participation in hostilities, the guard continued to be used as a school for training military personnel in army units. The detachment of trained soldiers and officers from the guard continued until the First World War.

Life Guards Engineer Battalion. 1853
Artist A. I. Gebens.

By the beginning of the 20th century, 23.6% of regimental commanders and 28.8% of division commanders were transferred to the army from the guard. From the Semenovsky regiment, which was considered exemplary, they made a practical school for future army officers. The Life Guards Sapper Battalion served as a school for non-commissioned officers for sapper units. In artillery, this was the Life Guards Artillery Battalion,

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by Russia's participation in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China. In 1900-1901. As part of the expeditionary corps in the Chinese campaign, the Life Guards Rifle Artillery Division, which participated in the operations of Russian troops in Manchuria and northern China, took part.

In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. the Guards Naval crew took part. Many guard officers participated in the war as volunteers, staffing units and formations of Russian troops in the Far Eastern theater of operations with command staff.

After the war with Japan, there was an urgent need for military reforms in Russia. They also touched the guards. First of all, this was due to an increase in the numerical strength of the guards units.

The deployment of the guard was carried out by forming new units or by converting army units into guard units for combat distinctions. If at the beginning of the 20th century the guard consisted of 12 infantry, 4 rifle, 13 cavalry regiments, three artillery brigades, a sapper battalion and a naval crew, then the guard met the First World War as part of 13 infantry, 4 rifle and 14 cavalry regiments. She also had four artillery brigades. Sapper battalion, Navy crew and other units. In the Navy, in addition to the Guards Naval crew, the cruiser Oleg, two destroyers and the imperial yacht were also assigned to the guards. In total, by 1914, there were about 40 units and over 90 thousand people in the guard. The guards included, in addition, the Page Corps and the permanent staff of the Nikolaev Cavalry School (Officer Cavalry School). In peacetime, the Guard was subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and the St. Petersburg Military District.

The First World War was a serious test for the Russian guard. Guards units successfully operated in the Battle of Galicia, Warsaw-Ivangorad and Lodz operations. Part of the Guards (3rd Guards Infantry, 1st and 2nd Guards Cavalry Divisions) participated in the East Prussian operation of 1914. Unfortunately, the actions of the Guards units here were less successful than on the Southwestern Front, the Life Guards The Keksholm regiment and the 3rd Battery of the Life Guards of the 3rd Artillery Brigade shared the tragic fate of the two army corps of the 2nd Army in the area of ​​the Masurian Lakes.

In the summer of 1916, as part of a special army, the guard took part in the offensive of the Southwestern Front. In the battles on the Stohod River, she fought bloody battles with the enemy. Bloodless, having suffered heavy losses, the guards were withdrawn to the Headquarters reserve, where they remained until the end of the war.

In connection with the most serious losses in the personnel, representatives of the peasantry and the working class began to be called upon to replenish the guard. This seriously influenced the political mood among the guards. As a result, after the victory of the February Revolution of 1917 and the abdication of the king from the throne, the guards did not even make an attempt to intervene in the course of events, the Kornilov rebellion also left the guards indifferent. In February 1917, the soldiers of almost all the spare infantry units of the Petrograd garrison guard went over to the side of the rebels, which greatly contributed to the victory of the revolution.

The interim government retained the guard, abolishing the prefix "lab" and the name "Imperial". During the preparations for the October uprising, at a garrison meeting in Smolny on October 18 (31), representatives of almost all regimental committees of the guards reserve regiments (with the exception of Izmailovsky and Semenovsky) spoke in favor of armed action. They also took an active part in the course of the uprising itself. Thus, the Pavlovtsy and the Guards grenadiers participated in the storming of the Winter Palace, the reserve soldiers of the Finland Regiment established Soviet power on Vasilyevsky Island, etc.

The formal disappearance of the Guards was associated with the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty on March 3, 1918 by the Soviet government. However, already from the end of January, the demobilization of parts of the Petrograd garrison took place. At that time, it was recognized as necessary to get rid of the former military formations, including the guards, as soon as possible. The liquidation of the guards regiments was completed by April 1, 1918.

The Soviet Guard was born in the battles near Yelnya during the Battle of Smolensk, in the most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War. By decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command for mass heroism, courage of personnel, high military skill on September 18, 1941, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 308, four guards rifle divisions were transformed: 100th (commander Major General I.N. Russianov) into 1 -th Guards Rifle Division, 127th (commander Colonel A.Z. Akimenko) into the 2nd, 153rd (commander Colonel N.A. Hagen) into the 3rd and 161st (commander Colonel P.F. Moskvitin) to the 4th Guards Rifle Division. This was the beginning of the Soviet guard, which inherited the best traditions of the Russian guard from the time of Peter the Great, A.V. Suvorov, M.I. Kutuzov.

Guard formations took an active part in all the decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War and made a significant contribution to the victory. If in 1941 the Soviet Guards included nine rifle divisions, three cavalry corps, a tank brigade, a number of rocket artillery units and six aviation regiments, then in 1942 various formations of the Navy, the country's air defense, many types of artillery, as well as rifle, tank and mechanized corps, combined arms armies, 10 airborne guards divisions, and since 1943 - tank armies, air divisions and corps.

As a result, by the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet guard was an invincible force. It consisted of 11 combined arms and 6 tank armies, one horse-mechanized group, 40 rifle, 7 cavalry, 12 tank, 9 mechanized and 14 aviation corps, 117 rifle, 9 airborne, 17 cavalry, 6 artillery, 53 aviation and 6 anti-aircraft -artillery divisions, 7 rocket artillery divisions; 13 motorized rifle, 3 airborne, 66 tank, 28 mechanized, 3 self-propelled artillery, 64 artillery, 1 mortar, 11 anti-tank, 40 rocket artillery brigades, 6 engineering and 1 railway brigades. 1 fortified area, 18 combat surface ships, 16 submarines, a number of other units and subunits of various branches of the armed forces, and a total of over four thousand military formations became Guards.

The recognition of their military prowess was the introduction of the Guards Banner (Flag), and for military personnel - guards ranks and the establishment of the badge "Guards". Badges of Guards Valor were established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 21, 1942. Thus, the military-political leadership of the country once again emphasized that it attaches particular importance to the guard formations in solving combat missions.

Breastplate "Guard", designed by the artist S.I. Dmitriev, is an oval framed with a laurel wreath, the upper part of which is covered with the Red Banner unfolded to the left of the staff. The banner is inscribed in golden letters: "Guard". In the middle of the wreath is a red five-pointed star on a white field. The banner and the star have a golden rim. The pole of the banner is intertwined with a ribbon: the tassels in the upper part of the pole hang down to the right side of the wreath. At the bottom of the wreath there is a shield with the inscription in raised letters: "USSR". The image of the guards sign was also placed on the guards banners awarded to the guards armies and corps. The only difference was that on the banner of the Guards Army the sign was depicted in a wreath of oak branches, and on the banner of the Guards Corps - without a wreath.

The presentation of the Banner (Flag) and the badge was usually carried out in a solemn atmosphere, which was of great educational importance. The honorary title obliged each warrior to become a master of his craft. All this contributed to the growth of the authority of the Soviet guard.

In the post-war years, the Soviet guards continued the glorious traditions of previous generations of guardsmen. And although in peacetime the formations were not transformed into guards, in order to preserve the combat traditions, the guards ranks of units, ships, formations and associations during the reorganization were transferred to new military units and formations with direct succession in terms of personnel. Thus, the Kantemirovskaya tank division was created on the basis of the famous 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Corps. The honorary title was retained and the corps guards banner was transferred to her. The same thing happened with the 5th Guards Mechanized Division, whose servicemen subsequently performed their military duty in Afghanistan with dignity. Similar reorganizations took place in the Air Force, landing troops and in the Navy. Newly formed units and formations of the Strategic Missile Forces, anti-aircraft missile units and formations of the country's Air Defense Forces were awarded the rank of artillery and mortar formations that distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War.

The Guards of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was the successor and continuer of the combat traditions of their predecessors. Guards motorized rifle Tamanskaya and guards tank Kantemirovskaya divisions; guard formations of the Airborne Troops... These names still evoke memory, inspire and oblige.

The guardsmen of the late twentieth century are true to the traditions of the guard, developed and consolidated by their predecessors. Will we ever forget about the feat of contemporaries, when on March 1, 2000, in the Argun Gorge, during a counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the Chechen Republic, the 6th paratrooper company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division took a fierce battle with many times superior forces terrorists. The paratroopers did not flinch, did not retreat, fulfilled their military duty to the end, at the cost of their lives blocked the path of the enemy, showing courage and heroism. This feat is inscribed like a golden line in the recent history of the Russian Armed Forces, in the centuries-old chronicle of its guards. It inspires good deeds for those who today carry out difficult military service under the banners of the Guards, helps to instill in soldiers a sense of pride in their army, their Fatherland.

See: Military Encyclopedia I.D. Sytin. S.201.

Bobrovsky P.O. History of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. St. Petersburg, 1900. T.I. P.376.; Valkovich A.M. My beloved children.//Rodina, 2000, No. 11. P.26.

Letters and papers of Emperor Peter the Great. SPb. 1887. T. I. C. 365.

Journal or Daily note of the blessed and eternally worthy memory of Emperor Peter the Great from 1698 to the conclusion of the Neustadt Peace. SPb., 1770, part I, p.12.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2006 No. 549 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

Dirin P.N. History of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment. T. 1. St. Petersburg, 1883. S. 158-161.

A Brief History of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment. SPb., 1830. S. 4

The material was prepared in
Military Research Institute
History of the Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation