Under Peter 1, the army was formed on the basis of recruitment. History of the Army of the Russian State

As you know, many transformations were made in our country by the great emperor Peter Alekseevich. Historians can list the innovations of the tsar-reformer for hours, and they will note that under Peter 1 the army was formed on the basis of a set of recruits.

Peter conducted a very serious military reform that strengthened the Russian empire and contributed to the fact that our country and its army proved to be stronger than the army of the Swedish conqueror Charles the Great who kept in fear all of Europe at that time.

But first things first.

Why there was a need to carry out army reform?

When Peter Alekseevich was crowned in the kingdom with his brother John Alekseevich, the army in Russia was the following:

1. Of the regular parts - streletskie regiments, Cossack formations and foreign mercenaries.
2. Of the temporary formations in the event of a military threat - the local troops, which were assembled from peasants and artisans by major feudal lords.

During the turbulent XVII century, our country experienced many military upheavals, as a result, it was rescued from the Time of Troubles not only by the courage of regular units, but also by the forces of the people's militia.

Were there attempts to create a regular army before Peter the Great?

About the regular army, in which the recruit's service was present, the father of Peter, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, also thought. However, the sudden death did not allow him to implement all his military plans, although the tsar tried to partially implement them.

His eldest son and heir was seriously ill, he could hardly manage the state, he died shortly after the death of his father.

Sister Peter and John - heirs of the throne - the princess Sophia Alekseevna, who in fact appropriated the power of her young brothers, relied on the streltsy. It was through the teachings of the faithful Sophia people that she received virtually royal power.

However, the archers demanded from her privileges, and Sophia did not stint on them. About her service her faithful helpers thought little, so the army of the Russian state at that time was relatively weak compared with the armies of other European states.

What did Peter do?

As you know, Peter the Great's way to power was very difficult, he was prevented by his sister, wanting his death. As a result, the young tsar managed to win a battle with Sophia, brutally suppressing her supporters of the streltsy.

The young sovereign dreamed of military victories, but where were they to take in a country that did not actually have a regular army?

Peter with his usual fervor zealously got down to business.

So, under Peter 1 the army was formed on the basis of completely new principles.

The tsar began with the fact that his two "amusing regiments" - Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky - were equipped according to the European pattern. They were commanded by foreign mercenaries. The regiments showed themselves in the best part during the Azov battle, so already in 1698 the old troops were completely dissolved.

In return, the king commanded to recruit new military men. From now on, every settlement of the country was recruited. It was necessary to provide a certain number of young strong men physically for their service to the tsar and the Fatherland.

Military Transformation

As a result, it was possible to collect about 40,000 people, who were divided into 25 infantry regiments and 2 cavalry regiments. Commanders were mostly foreign officers. The training of soldiers was carried out very strictly and according to the European pattern.

Peter was eager to go with his new army into battle. However, his first military campaign ended in defeat at Narva.

But the king did not give up. Under Peter 1, the army was formed on the basis of recruitment, and this became a condition for its success. In 1705, the king issued an order, according to which such a set should become regular.

What was such a service?

The service for the soldiers was long and heavy. The service life was 25 years. And for the courage shown in battle, a simple soldier could be promoted to an officer. Peter generally did not like lazy offspring from wealthy families, so if he noticed that some discharged young nobleman shirked from his duties in the service, he did not spare him.

Particular importance was given to the military training of the nobility, which had to perform military service for 25 years. In exchange for this service the nobles received from the state land allotments with peasants.

What changed?

Despite the fact that the population reacted negatively to the heavy recruit service, trying in every possible way to avoid it (young people were sent to monasteries, attributed to other estates, etc.), the army of Peter I grew. At the time when the Swedish King Charles decided to defeat our country, Peter already had 32 infantry regiments, 2 regiments of guardsmen and 4 regiments of grenadiers. In addition, there were 32 special dragoon regiments. It was about 60 thousand well-trained soldiers under the command of experienced officers.

Such an army was a huge force, which provided the Russian sovereign with his military victories in the near future.

Results of Peter's reform

As a result, to his death in 1725 the king created a whole military machine, which differed in its power and efficiency in military affairs. Of course, the creation of the army by Peter the Great is a great achievement of the Tsar. In addition, the tsar created special economic institutions, providing his army with the possibility of existence, created the rules of service, recruit service, etc.

Representatives of all classes, including the clergy, were obliged to serve in this army (the priests performed their immediate functions in it).

Thus, we can say with confidence that under Peter 1 the army was formed on the basis of a universal recruitment set. It was a strict and strong military system, co-ordinated by a social mechanism ensuring its main task - protecting the country from external threats during that turbulent time.

Seeing such an army, the Western powers simply lost the desire to fight with Russia, which provided our country a relatively successful development in subsequent centuries. In general, the army created by Peter, in its basic features existed until 1917, when it was destroyed under the onslaught of well-known revolutionary events in our country.