~

MILITARY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

260

PETER THE GREAT'S

RMY 1: INFANTRY

.\:\"GCS KO:\"ST.HI

O.\\lD

RIC~\L\"

EDITOR: MARTIN WINDROW

mIlI:iIl1
MIUTARY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

260

PETER THE GREAT'S

ARMY 1: INFANTRY
Text by
ANGUS KONSTAM

Colour plates by
DAVID RICKMAN

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Acknowledgements
The author is indebled to se\eral people ror lheir
assistance in his rCSt.-arch: his especial thanls to Igor
Komaro. and Alexei Le'okin or the Kremlin o\rmoury,
Yuri Le,kin of the Stale Historic .\luseum, \tosco~, the
staff of the Ropl "rmounes, Francis Turner and Peter
Konstam for their translations, Peter Ilcrry and, of COUfsc,
\nlon '\hnmilch
Editor's Note:
A rull bibliography appears in Pelcr lhe Greal's
Army 2: Cavalr}.

PETER THE GREAT'S ARMY I

INTRODUCTION
The figure of Tsar Peter the Great dominated Russia
in the 181h ccntur~. On his accession, the country was
an in\lo3rd-looling fcudal state, resistant to change
and suspicious of outsiders. Within a fc" decades his
reforms, as "ell as his polic~ of increased repression
and territorial cxp:msion, had brought about changes
from \\hich no section of Russian life remained

immune. The

polic~

of 'Iooliog towards the Wcst',

"hich entailed opening up Russia 10 the \\ cstern

European countries, pa\cd the way for her
emergence as a major European power.
In no area "as Ihis morc c1earl) achic\cd than in
the arm~. ~1ilitar) expenditure dominated the
econom) , and Russia's increasing resources \\ere
harnessed to fulfil mililar~ needs. As Christopher
Duff) has put iI, hO\\c\cr, it \us inherend) easier to
he'" the forcsts, to dig, to smelt and fashion thc
metals than to crc3tc a po\\erful arm) of reliable
troops, led b) officers of courage and expertise.
Peter's successes and failures in these last respects
.... ere to be to a great extent the measure of Russia's
militar) performance in the 18th centur).
The French diplomat Dc C:tmprcdon summed
this achievement up succinctly in a letter to Louis XV
in 17l3: 'lie has regulated his peoples, making them
useful for the sen icc of his state. , , lie has worked to
drag his nobility up from the subhuman lassitude in
which the) had sunk, and qualify them ro serve in his
armies and na\ies, for \\hich they harboured an
in\'incible aversion until very recently", And so,
through inconcei\'able labour and patience, he has
managed to form some excellent milit3ry and naval
officers, a boo) of splendid soldiers, an arm) of more
than 100,000 regular troops, tlOd a lIeet of sixty
\'esscls, including t\loent) of the line, Russia, whose
\er) name \us scarcel) "no\\n, has no\\ become the
objC1:t of attention of the greater number of the
po\\ers of Europe, \\ ho solicit its friendship,'
This military de\elopmenl, impressi\e in times

Firs. Empcrorofl,lllhe

p.1i1ll1.."(/ b.1 Kndll..'r in 1fx}8.

"hl..'n l'clcr I isitecJ

Russins, The cnllrll> iflj[ i~

blued UpOIl" porlmil

rollcc:rian)

TSllr Pl'ler 1 (,67-l-172J).

Englilml. (lurJlQrs

of peace, took place during a long and billerl) fought

war against the S\\edcn of Charles X II. The Great
Northern War (1700-1721) \\as largely the result of
the conflicting territorial 31llbitions of Russia and
Sweden. Russia wanted a trading '\\indow ro the
West', and Sweden strovc to maintain the Baltic Sea
as 'a Swedish lake', An alliance formed b) Russia,
Poland-Saxon) and Ocnlllar" joined forces against
S\, eden. Their hopes of an cas) \iCIOT} \\cre dashed
as Charles XI I first "noded thc Oanes out of the \\ar,
lhen inflicted a disastrous and humiliating defeal on
lhe Russians at ~aT\'a (1700). The Russians \\cre
sa\'ed only b) the contempt \\ith "hich Charles XII
\ie.....ed them, as he turned his bac" on Russia and
began a length) campaign in Poland-Saxon}. This

six-year respite allowed Peter to rebuild and reorganise his army. Minor campaigns in the Eastern Baldc
were used to season his troops.
By the time Charles XII's army im'aded Russia in
1708---i), Peter's army was ready for them, Fighting a
skilful defensi\'e campaign, the Russians forced the
Swedes away from J\lloscow, and by the spring of
1709 were ready to face the Swedes in battle. At
Poltava (1709) Peter won a crushing victory, destroying the Swedish army and forcing Charles XII into
temporary exile. The remaining Swedish garrisons in
Finland and the Southern Baltic were gradually
overrun by the Russians and their re-emergent allies,
so that by 1716 the Swedes were reduced to defending their homeland. Charles XII tried to re\'italise his
country's defences and ailing economy, and defended
Sweden from invasion until his death in 1719. The
war-weary Swedes, now subjected to Russian raids
on the Swedish coast, sued for peace in 172 I.
By this treaty Russia supplanted Sweden as the
dominant power in the Baltic, and became a major
European power. Peter deservedly accepted the titles
of'the Great' and 'Emperor ofall the Russias'. On his
death in 1725, the man who greeted the birth of his
son with the exclamation 'another recruit' had forged
a Russian military power that would remain a
dominating influence on European military and
political thinking until the present day.

CHRONOLOGY
The Great Northern War
'7 00

Apr.
June

2sJune

18 Aug.

4- Del.
60cl.

Danish invasion of Schleswig (Sweden's

,II} ).
Polish-Saxon
invaSIOn of Swedish
Livonia. Augustus II of Poland besieges
Riga.
Swedish invasion of Zealand by Charles
X 11 threatens Copenhagen. Danes sue for
peace.
Treaty of Travendal. Danes drop out of
war. Russians invade Swedish Livonia
with 4-,000 men.
Tsar Peter I besieges Narva.
Charles XII lands in Pernau with 10,000
men.

RcpresclICflrioll Ofll
Strdtsi musketeerofrhc
l:1(e 17th cCllfllry. Note che
bardische, which couhl
sen'c both lIS tl wcapollllnd
11 musker res. The ellrled

26 Oct.
17 Nov.
18 Nov.
Nov.

20

po""der flllsk i ... depicted in

sen'ral nt.'llro.(.untenlpornry
iIIusrrarinns Qfthe Streltsi.
Engrnvilllt by Jellll
Baptistc lA.~ Prim:c. 1768.
(A uchor's collection)

Swedes advance on Narva.

Skirmish at Pyhajoggi Pass, Cossacks
retreat.
Tsar Peter returns to Moscow.
BailIe of NarvlI. Russians decisively defeated; remainder flee back over border.

171
'7 June
8 Jul)

Charles XII marches to relie\'e Riga.

BaUlt ofRiga. Polish-Saxon-Russian force
of 28,000 under General Steinau defeated
b) 18,000 Swedes under Charles XII after
S\\edes perform assauh ri\'er crossing of
the D\ina. Riga relie\"Cd.
Investment of Dunamunde fortress in
9 )ul~
Li\onia.
S\\edes innde and annex Courland. RusAug.
sians raid Swedish Li\"Onia with 8,000 men.
16 Sept. Sl..irmish at Sagnitz. Russian raid
repulsed.
Charles XII enters winter quarters in
Ocl.
Courland.
Dec.
Dunamunde capitulates.

172

2)an.
9)an.
~tar.

q ,\la)'
19 "lay

3' )ul)
Aug.
Ocr.
21 Oct.

Russian General Sheremelev iO\'ades

Livonia with 12,000 men.
Bault of Errsrftr. Swedish army of 7,000
under Genenl Shlippenbach defeated.
Charles XII ad\'ances on Warsaw.
\\ al'S2\\ occupied by Swedes.
BaUlt of Klu::.orP. 13,000 Swedes defeat
28,000 Poles-Saxons north of Cncow.
BaUlt ofHummdshof Sheremete\' defeats
remains ofShlippenbach's S\\edish army.
Swedes storm Cracow.
S\\edish Livonia ra\'aged by Cossacks.
Peter I campaigns in the Neva valley.
Russians capture Swedish Noteborg fortress guarding Ne\'a River.

I! It

s, ..

.......

""""',

i'\m.

J\ loum of ;\c\-a ck'3red of S\\cdish troops.

Russia gains access to the Baltic.

17 0 J

.\lar.
21

Apr.

Charles XII launches ne.... IJolish

camp.ugn.
Skinnish :II IJulutsk. Charles XII .... ith
2,000 ca\ :llr} routs 3,500 Polish ca\tllry.
Charles XII besiegcs Thorn.
Pcter I founds St. Pctersburg on Neva
Ri\cr.
Thorn capitulates. S\\cdes enter wintcr
quarters.

IJcter I besieges Dorpal.

Charles X II places Stanislas Leszcz) nski
on IJolish Ihrone as ri\al to Augustus I I.
Dorpat capilulates.
BolI/~ ofJacolmodt. Swedes under Lewanhaupt defeat Lithuanian rebel arm) and
Russian contingcnt in Lithuania.
Charles
XI I assaults Lemberg.
27 Aug.
26 Scpt. :":arva capitulates.
7 No\'. Bailie of PI/llitz. Charles XII defeats an
Allied force ncar the Saxon bordcr.
175

q.jan.
170~

.\pr.
1

junc

Russians under Peter I imadc S\\cdish

Li\onia; :\ana besieged again.
S.... edes ad\ance on Lemberg in S. Poland.

.\lay
Jull

Russian force under Ogih-) besieged b~

Charles XII al Grodno.
Ogih-y 's force slips away 10 East.
Swedes pursue f\Ugustus I I around E.
Poland.

T.tOar Peter I and hisnaffar

rhe si~(' ofA:iOl, 16,6.
.\or(' rh(' combination of
traditional Russian and
11llc-lith-a:nturJ lIC'Slern
mi/itslry'dress. The
Turlish.hcJd cit)
surrounded b) Russian
sit.'geworks is clepicu:d in
fhe background. (Prinue
co/ketion)

Sept.

Augustus 11 escapes Swedish forces, and

seeks sanctuary in Saxony.

1706
Augustus II launches campaign from Saxony to recover Poland. Charles sends
Rehnskold with 10,000 men to halt him.
13 Feb. Bul/lt of Fraustudl. Rhenskold's Swedes
inflict a crushing defeat on the 18,000strong Saxons and Russian army under
Schulenburg.
Aug.
Swedes invade Saxony, Saxons sue for
peace.
Russian force under Menshikov enters E.
Sept.
Poland and joins Poles loyal to Augustus
II. Swedish force under Mardefclt sent Lo
stop him.
14 Sept. Treaty of Allanstadt. Augustus II abdicates; Saxons and Poles make peace with
Sweden; Russia alone remains at war with
Sweden.
Charles XII winters his 20,000 men m
Oct.
Saxony.
19 Oct. Baffle of Kulisz. J"lcnshikov defeats
Mardefelt's Swedes, then garrisons
Warsaw.

Jan.

177

27 Aug.

Oct.
Dec.

1708
22 Jan.
Mar.
Apr.

June

JJuly

Charles XII begins campaign against Russia; Swedes march cast from Saxony with
32,000 men.
Charles XII bypasses Menshikov's defences along the ViSlula River.
Second line along the Niemen River also
bypassed by Swedes. Peter I joins Russian
army.

Ot'piCfion of" I:He17IhCCtlf urI' R us.~illll

itlfjlJlt~vm'ltl on:1

!ioldier ",e:lrs II uniform

combining Russi:m Ilnd
Western rC"llIrt'$. (SfJl/e

prcsen;atiotl s" oro

j111l... el1nls orfhe J1loscow

proouced in Tu/n durill!!

tile e"rly 18th cenwry. The

Kremlin)

Aug.

3' Aug.
Skirmish at Grodno. Peter I almost captured; Russians continue to retreat.
'3 Sept.
Swedes advance on J\olinsk.
5,000 Russians gather west of the Dniepr
River.
29 Sept.
Swedes resume advance. Lewanhaupt
with small army and supply con\'oy
ordered to join Charles XII from Livonia.
BUI/le of j-IolouJc:::yn. 35,000 Russians un- Oct.
der Shcrcmcticy and Repnin forced out of

strong POSItion by Swedish assault. Russian retreat continues, and a scorched earth
policy is adopted.
Charles XII crosses Dniepr and advances
on Mosl:Ow.
Skirmish at Dobroc. Russian attack
repulsed.
Swedes reach Tatarsk (on Russian border). Scorched earth policy forces Charles
Xl I to turn south, away from Moscow.
Bal/le ofLesflaya. Peter I with '5,000 men
decisi\'c1y defeats Lewanhaupt's 10,000
reinforl:ements for Charles XII, and captures Swedish supply train.
Revolt by Cossacks under Mazeppa gives
Sweden an ally in the Ukraine. Charles
7

The execution ofrhe

Strr:ltsi, t6q8. Sote tM
mixrurr: ofU'cslan
uniforms Morn by the
Guard regiments rmd the
mon: trnditional Russian
dress worn hy the
nwskereers ofthe 'foreign'
regiment.<; olLefort and
8outyrs/..i. Engro ving from
Baron Korb s Diar, ofan
\ustrian Sccn-tal"), ,BdJ.
(PrinHC collec:cion)

;\'0\ .

3 No,.
Dee.

'709
7Jan.
Feb.
9 Feb.
Mar.
2May
17 June
23June
28 June

l July

XII forced to march there in search of

supplies and winter quarters.
\lenshikO\ crushes Cossack revoh.
S\\edish army enters the Ukraine.
BOIh armies cmer winter quarters in
Ukraine; worst winter in living memory.

Costl) Swedish assault on Russian garrison at Veprik.

S\\ edes resume offensh c.
Cavalry skirmish at Krasnokutsk: Swedish
victory.
Bad weather delays Swedish advance.
Charles XI I besieges Poltava in attempt to
bring Peler I to batde.
Charles XI I wounded.
Peler l's arm) approach Polrava and construct field defences.
lJarrtt oj Pofrava. Swedes wacked with
16,000 mcn, leaving 5,000 to screen Polta\'a. The attack was disrupted by a series
of redoubts supportcd b) cavalry. After a
force of 5,000 Swedes under Roos were cuI
off and deslrO) cd, the remainder of Peter's
~o,ooo men deployed facing the Swedes.
The subsequent Swedish attack was annihilatcd, and the survivors fled.
Lewanhaupt and l5,OOO Swedes surrender
after being trapped against the Dniepr
Ri'er. Ch:ules XI I escapes and seeks
asylum in Turkey.

THE RUSSIAN
ARMY IN THE I690s
Faced with threats from the Swedes and Poles to the
north and the Turks to the south, the .\luscovite state
needed:1 large army to defend its interests. Unfortunately, the army inherited b) Peter "as a slothful and
badl) led mass, incapable of performing its dudes
adequately.
When Peter won control of Russia in 1689 the
army available lO him consisted of noble cavalr),
irregular Cossack cavalry, thc Streltsi, and 'foreign'
style foot regiments of dubious quality. The returns
of that year list 80,000 regular foot and 32,000 ca\-alr}
(both noble and Cossack). This force, the army of
Prince Golits) n, was ignominiously defeated b) the
Crimean Tartars. In 1716 Peter I wrote thai 'the
army proved incapable of standing nm just against
ci\'ilised nations, but even against barbarians'.
The Streltsi
The nearest Russia had to a standing arm) in the
16Qos were the 'Streltsi' (musketeers). Founded in
1550, this 45,ooo-strong corps was grouped into 22
Regiments, 16 of which were based in Moscow, "ith
three each in Novgorod and Psko\'. They regarded
themselves almost as a 'pr:letorian' elite, but by the
I:lte 17th century their military commitment was
often deemed less important than their ancillary
ci\ilian trades, and imohement in Kremlin in-

trigues. While their peacetime dUlies included firefighting and the enforcement of law and order, their
wartime performance failed to live up to the expectalions of the Tsar.
Both officers and men were nativc Russians,
resistanl to religious and political change, which
brought them into connict with Peter I and his
programme of reforms. Following the Strehsi revolt
(16g8) the Moscow regiments were disbanded and
the provincial regiments gradually amalgamated into
Peter's new army. These provided a stiffening of
experienced troops amongst the new le\'ies. The six
Psko\' and Novgorod Streltsi regiments participated
in the ;\I"arva campaign.
The Strcltsi were dressed in thc traditional
Russian long coat (kaftan) in regimental colours, with
matching fur-trimmed hats. Their normal armament
was either a pike, or both a matchlock musket and a
bardiche (used as a musket rest). The pike-to-musket
ratio Vias approximately I: 3.

'Foreign' Regiments
Although Tsar Alexis (Peter's father) had raised a
force of 80,000 conscripted infantry organised in the
'foreign' style, only two regiments existed in 1695:
those of Francis Lefort (First Moscow) ami Patrick
Gordon (Boutyrsk). The other 61 regiments were
disbanded between 1689 and ,695. It was recorded
that this horde of conscripts lacked any military
discipline: 'They have neither stomach for great
things, nor do they achieve them' (Korb).

Sergc; lJukh~'osrol'
(16jfj-17Z8), '/he firsf
Russiall soldier' "lid e;lr/l'
pOlcshnyi. I-Ic is dn'sscd ill
Ihe uniform 0(;1 mt.joro(

;lrfiJIery(". 'i10-j).
P;li/!tccl by;m unknown
cO/!tempomry lIrti.~f. (The
Russian All/sCllnT,
Sf. Pefersburg)

Irregular Infantry
Peter I occasionally made usc of irregular foot during
the 16I}0S. 120,000 conscript militia were raised for
the Azov campaign of 1695, partly from disbanded
'foreign' regiments. This militia was also partly
mobilised during the Strelcsi revolt (1698). Of little
military value, they have been described as 'a mob of
the lowest and most uncouth ragamuffins' (Korb).
These trOOps appear to have had no issued uniform,
RuMian IrOop!>' a/ fhe !>'icgc

of -bOI, 1696. This highly

iualXurnfe porrrayal nOf
onl) includes rcgu/ur
Dragoons, who were not
formed until 170'; thc
Guard infantry also l4'cur

the post'7:l0 pattern

uniform. Narc che !>'fyli!>'oo
depiction ofthe Turkish
(/efenders. Waterc%ur
(rom Krckshnin'sJ-listury
orTsar Petcr I. (Tlrc Lcnill
Library, Moscow)
9

and so probably wore the traditional JWftl1ll and furtrimmed hat.

Dismounted Cossacks "ere also employed during
the assault on AZQ\ (16<)6), \\here their performance
was praised b} foreign obseners.
The 'Poteshnyi'
In 1682, the ten-}ear-old Tsar Peter and his mother
mmed to the ro}allodge at Preobrazhenskoc, away
from the dangcrs of thc Krcmlin. Once there he
gradually formed a mini:lturc army, ostensibly to
teach himself the militar) arts. The original' PowkNyi' (from po/(shna-amuscment) ,",crc fcllo,", children as ,",cll as sernnLS and rctaincrs. The first to join

was a 25-year-old groom, Sergei Dul.hvosto\, recorded in 1683 as 'the first Russian soldicr'. (He dicd in
1728 as a Major of Artiller}.) ~lilitar) equipmem,
po\\der, and supplics ,",ere prO'idcd from the
Krcmlin Arsenal, including two artillery pieces.
These 'pla} soldicrs' were first organiscd as a 100strong compan) ofBombardicrs, ,\ hich latcr becamc
a titlc of honour in the nc" army; Peter himself was
enrolled as 'thc First Bombardicr'. (The original
Bombardiers latcr becamc a form of militar) 'inner
circle' who, \\ hcn decmed cxperienced enough, \\ere
gi,"cn proper militar) commands.) The powhnyl
regular!) fought \\argamcs near Prcobrazhenskoe,
and as Peter bcc:.1me older their numbers grew.
By 1685 the) numbered 300, quartered in speciall) built barrads near Prcobrazhenskoe, :md as their
ranks increased a similar!) sized group was quartercd
in barracks in thc nearb) ,illage of Sem)ono\-skoe.
B) this time Pcter had begun to srudy the art of
fortification, so a small fort \\as built ncar Prcobrazhenskoc, \\hich was bombarded b) the gro\\ing
pOlnhnJ" artillcr) train. As the w2Tgamcs increased in
complexity professional militar) ad\ice "as sought,
and foreign officers li\ ing in Russia were hired as
temporar) instructors. These foreigners e\emually
became thc permanent officer corps of the po/(shny.,
and thus e,cmually of the Russian army.
Further drafts of Strehsi \"oluntecrs in 1687
raised the number of pOll'shnj'J to 600, who were then
organised into the Prl'obrazhl'nsJn and Sl'mmo1Jsk.
companies, soon to bccome the first and second
regiments of the Russian Imperial Guard. At this
stage, both units included artiller) and cavalry
attachments.
When the Regent Sophia attempted a coup in
1689, the pOles/myi, most of the Streltsi and the
leading BOYf/rJ (nobles) backed Tsar Peter, forcing
Sophia into exile. Despite his assumption of political
power, he left the running of the country to his
mother and her a,1l isors "hile he continued his
military games at Preobrazhenskoc. The only difference \\as that no\\ lhere was no limit to the resources
he could call upon. The pOfl'shnyl wargames conThe return of Tsar P,ter f
to the Kremlin from his
'[(reat CmbilSS) 'to Western
t:tJroPC .I5 ItJg-ust 16t}8.
The soldiers lin.'

incorrccr(\ sho"n "caring

10

the posr'7zo p-.lttern

uniform. lI'utcrcolour

from Krdshnin's History

orTsar Peter I. (rhe Lenin
Librnry, JIOSCQw)

tinued for a further five ~e:lrs under the supenision

ofGenerall)atrid: Gordon, a Catholic Scot \\ho had
scncd in Russia since 1661.
These increasingl)
large and comple:\.
manocuncs were also dangerous: the Tsar himself
'us ,",ounded b~ a grenade in 16t)o. and in the
follo\\ing )car the bo)aT Dolgorukov \\as Lilled. The
largcst manocune was staged from September to
October 169~ ncar Koshucho\o. when six regiments
of Strehsi and 920 'old troops' including c:lvalr)
defended a fonification against the (\\0 pOles/lily;
regiments, the regiments of Gordon and Lefort, and a
further conscript regiment under a Col. Scharf. In
all, 15.000 men were iO\olved in the exercise, which
resulted in victor)' for the pOluhny, and a not
inconsiderable list of casualtics.
The pOI~s"nJ" had prO\ed their \\orth, and Tsar
Peter was now read} to commit them to battle in
carncst.
The Guard Regiments
The 1\\0 POUShlt)'1 companies were expanded, and
officiall) became the Pr~QbrQ::./unski and Semetlol'ski
Regiments oflhe Guard all 25 April 1695. Officially
referred to as Life Guard Regiments. these became
the firSl and second regiments respecti\c1) of the
Russian Guard. The Guard became the Imperial
Guard in 1721. This date \\as carried on the
'Ale'\:andr ~e\s"'-i' ribbon on their standards
throughout their histor~. Indeed, an earl~ colonel of
the Preobrazhenslr.i Regiment was Tsar Peter I
himself, and subsequentl) it became the rule for
C\'cr) Russian monarch until 1917 to hold the title of
'First Colonel' of the regiment. (Peter ani) accepted
this honour in 1704. after holding the rank of
Bombardier since 16<)5.)
Thc) were initially organised into 12 companies,
each of approximately 100 men, grouped into three
battalions. In addition, from I()(n, there was a
separate Bombardier Compan) of the Preobrazhenski Gu;ud, formed principally from the ranLs of the
original Bombardiers, \\ hieh was used as a special
field artillery (puJhl:arr) ballcr)" comprising si\: mortars and four field guns.
This organisation \\as changed in 1700, \\hen the
Prcobrazhenski Regiment \\as reorganised into four
battalions, and thc Semenm'ski into three. The
combined strength of both regiments at the Gatde of

Fus;!icruf!he

Prcobr.n.hensAi GUOlro
rr:,:imcm. 'itJO-:lO. An
earl) p:lllern plug bayonet
il>' being fi'too to 11 'BIII/ielocI.:' mUI>J.l"t. The
Fusilier's armament and
fhe cit'pie'ion of,"arnJ in

rlu: bllclpvund indirute

Ihur 'he MJldier is from

Peters first arnl\ of

t6w-'iOO. Enp;,ing from
,'islQ\"IlfOl'S Rossis"oi
hnpcrators"oi \rOlii
(St. Pererlibul'K. JIJ.U-56).

Narva (1]00) was recorded as 2,936 men, with each

battalion organised into four companies of tOO men
each, e'\:cIuding officers, senior i\COS and drummers.
In thc cstablishment of 1704 a Grenadier Compan)
was added 10 each regiment, \\hich unlike the Line
Grenadiers \\ere never brigaded inlO combined
Grenadier Regiments.
\\ hen the 1\\0 regimeOls \\ere officiall) formed
the majoril) of senior commissions \\ere filled by
foreigners, although some officers came from the
ranks of the original Bombardiers. The only execption to Ihis was the appointment of members of the

"

Pil.:cman or,hc
Prcob,..~hC'm.J.iGuard

rrg'inlC'IIl, 'iOD-JD. ."orc

thc ornamenral pil.e head,
probabl.\ iucd only to
Guards rC'f(imenrs. The

pennon is black M";,h sib'cor

rails, and embroidered in
PJld. Engrn\ in, from
"isiourtQ\ 's Rossiskoi
lrnpenilOrsLoi Annii
(St. Pcursbut"K. 18.u-J6).

Russian nobility. Alrhough promotion in the Petrine

arm) was based upon merit r.uher than rank, an
exception "as made for boyars who alread) had a
degree of military experience. For example, Prince
Repnin was appointed LieutenanH:olonel of the
Preobrazhenski Guard, and the Boyar Golovin was
promoted to General and the Commander of the
Guard,
I)elcr I always saw the role of the Guard as much
in political as in military terms. The two regiments
were used as a training school for young nobles who,
once the) pro\ed themseh'es, could be gi\'en a
commission, either in the Guards or in a Line
regiment. These youngsters "'auld initially join at 16,
sen ing first in the ranks as pri\'ate soldiers, Russian
noblemen officers, having accepted the direction of
the Petrine reforms, could then he sent on missions to
ensure that the reforms were carried OUI, he they in
the militar), administrative or economic fields.
12

The military C:lreer of the Preobrazhenski and

Semeno\Ski Guard Regiments reflccted their dual
politiC:l1 and military role. They both formed the core
of Peter's arm) during the Azov campaigns of 1695
and 16q6 against the Turks, which "as their first
experience of combat. Commanded b) General
Gordon, the) suprcssed the TC\-oh of the Strehsi in
1698, Ihus safeguarding the Tsar's poliliC:l1 intereslS.
At the Battle of :"arva, 1700, the) pro\cd the only
stead) troops on the field, together "ith Lefon's
regiment, and helped stop the Russian rout becoming
a massacre. Follo\\ing i\'ar\-a the) "ere used as a
central rcsen'c stationcd in ~1osco\\ (and latcr in St.
Petcrsburg), taking part in only three C:lmpaigns.
Both regiments were instrumcntal in the clearing of
thc Neva valley~ in particular the amphibious assault
of the NOleborg (Schlusselburg) in 1707.. They were
also awarded a mcdal for Peter's firSl naval action,
when guardsmen in small boats captured Swedish
vcssels anchored in the Neva Delta. They partici...
pated in thc assault on Narva, 1704; and the
guardsmen \\ere also called upon during Charles
XII's im'asion of Russia, when both regimenlS
participated in the BanleofPo!ta\a, 170C).

THE NEW MODEL

ARMY OF 1700
Following the Srrcltsi revolt of 1698, the only
standing army existing in Russia consisted of the
Preobrazhenski and SemenO\'ski Guards, the 'old
regimenrs' of Lefort (First Moscow) and Gordon
(Buryrski), and the remaining provincial Strelrsi
regiments. One of the most important features of
PCler's vision for his new slate was a modern army,
modelled along Western lines.
A proclamation was published in NO\'emher
16<)9, calling for \olunteers. 'Concerning the enlistment of willing men into service as soldiers. Whoever
\\anrs to enlist is to have himselfenroUed at Prcobrazhenskoe, at the "soldier's hut". Such men \\iU be
gi\en 11 roubles per year, and will be engaged as
soldicrs in the Moscow regiments. When on His
Majcst) 's scn-icc, and where,-cr thel mOl) be, the)
\\-ilI recche rations of flour, fodder and wine on the

same basis as lhe soldiers of lhe Preobrazhenski and

SemenO\sli regimems.' This plea for \olunleers
.... ould resuh in lhe release of peasants from their
serfdom, and "ould therefore pro\e alluring; bUI in
order to raise the number of troops required conscripts as well as \olunteers "ould have to be
enrolled. In the same month, the Tsar ordered the
conscriplion of serfs from throughom his empire.
Each district of the Orthodox Church was ordered to
produce 25 men, and secular landowners owning 30
to 50 farms had to prmide 30 to 50 men each. This
method of conscriplion was a throwback to the old
feudal system of recruitment, and gave the almost
exclushe1y serfarm) its character.
By the end of January qoo the recruits had
mustered at Preobrazhenskoc, \~here the Tsar inspected them, and the men were allocated into
regiments. Within three months a training programme '~as under way, "hen numbers had been
s"c1led to 32,000 by the influx of conscripts. This
mass of lroopS "ere dh-ided into 27 foot regiments
each of between 953 and 1,322 men. These in turn
'Acre formed into thrcc di"isions, under the command of General Golovin. General Weide and Prince
Repnin. Two mustered at Preobrazhenskoc, while
Prince Repnin's Dh'ision gathered on the lower
Volga.
Training "as organised b) the largely foreign
regimental commanders, based upon the drill laid
down in Golo\in's 'VoinJkl~ ArJlkuly' (J\lilitar)
Articles) of 1700. Organisation of the new lev) army
was lefl in lhe hands of Adam Weide, "hose
'R~!ulaJlOnJ' of 16)8 were partl) based upon the
Auslrian model. Tsar Peter took an active intcrest in
the promulgation of the 'R~gula(lOnJ', and rna) cvcn
h:l\e edited parts of thc work. The introductory
declaration certainly reflected his meritocratic philosoph): 'Soldi~r is defined as e"eryone \\ ho belongs to
the army, from the highest general to [he lowest man.'
The ne" system of military ranks introduced
corresponded to those in \\'estern armies, and for the
first time attempted to induce some form of professionalism into the Russian officer corps. In prac-

r~;menf!>', '7~:lo.

Fusiliers orLine infilntrJ'

No/icc
fhe I'Ilric,y of iSSIU'd
longflrms and

figures IITt' "earing the

karlu:l:. t:llgru\ ing rrom

Sflllllls"ords. Two o(the

Vido\'tl/ol''s Rossiskoi
Impernlorskoi Armii
(St. Pctcn.burg, '8.I~-S6).

ticc, this did not preyenl problems with foreign

officers. Apart from the ine\ itable problems of
language and the intrinsic Russian suspicion of
outSiders, man) of those officers appointed turned
out to be adventurers with little experience of. and
only a half-hearted interest in, their profession. Man)
were discharged and replaced on Peter's orders, and
the proportion of nati\ e Russians in the officer corps
was increased, although mainly at fairly junior levels.
This was lhe army with which Russia entered the
Great :":orthern War; two Guards regiments, 27 Line
regiments, two dragoon regiments, and a train of
artillery. In addition, the remaining pro\incial
Strcltsi regiments and the Cossad.s could be called
upon (0 aid the ne"-modelled arm). This hastil)
prepared force \\ould have to face the baltichardened Swedish army before the end of the ) car. 'It
is only the 'eteran soldier who has becn broken in by
many years of training that is \Iorthy of the glory of
real \\arfare' (Korb): ))eter'sarmy had months rather
than )C3rs in which to train.
The debacle at :"an-a exposed the shortcomings
of the Russian ann); in Peter's 'lords; 'There was
onl) one \eteran regimenl, that of Lefort. The two
Guards regiments had been in 1\\0 attacks on Nana

Il

(O\\n, but thcy had ne\cr fought a banle in the open

field, lct alone against a rcgular army. In thc rest of
the regiments, :1 few Colonels excepted, officcrs and
men alike v.ere Ihe merest rccruits.' The Russian
distrust of foreigners cxhibitcd itself after the battle,
whcn the survi\ors blamed thcir performance on
their foreign officers. Se\cral \\ ere murdered, v. hile
Ihe army commander al Nan'a, the Duc du Croi,
apparent!) escaped only by surrendering 10 the
S\\cdes. The Russians srill had :I long way [0 go.
Posl-~an'a

reforms

Follov.ing 'ana the Tsar \\as faced v.ith Ihe task of

rebuilding his arm). The 23,000 sun imrs together
\\ ith the 10,000 men ofl)rince Repnin's Dj\ isjon ga\e
him the basis from Yo hieh to work. As Duft~, has put
it: 'The defcal certainly had the ncg:ati\'e ad\'antage of
e1C2ring thc ground for rebuilding on ne\\ foundations.' Fortunatel) for I)eter. Charles XII turncd his
back: on thc Russians and began his six-year campaign in Poland, thus gi\ ing the Tsar the respite he
needcd. O\cr the ne),t feYo years Peter's policy was to
husband and retrain his troops. lie \\as, howe\'er,
bound b) his alliance v. ith Augustus of Poland. Thus
in '701, and again from '704 to '706, a Russian
di\'ision was len! to Ihe Polish-Saxon :urn)', and
participated in the string of Allied defeats. Despite
these setbacks, this \\as a period of improvement in
fighting cxperience and morale.

~linor camp3igns in Li\onia and Ingria (1701-4)

produced o;e\ eral small \ ictories which hclped thc
arm) regain its confidence. After I-1ummelsdorf
(1702), !)ctcr \HOtc: 'At long last \\c ha\c beatcn the
S\\'cdes Yo ith superior slrcngth. In a fcv. ) ears Yoe rna)
defeal them \\ hen our strengths are equal.' This
'equal' \'ictor) at Kalisz (1706) marked a ruming
point in the 3rnl) 's self-image. The arm) expanded
rapid I) hemecn 1701 and '70"", so that by '75 the
establishment stood at: t\\O regiments of Guards, 47
regiments of Line infantry, fi\c regimcnts of Grcna-

, , )

. . -

Abo\C The Battleo{

Killin, /9 Oc.lobcr 1706:
Russia's first 1 iewry 01 er
thc S\l'~'dt'S w'ith roughl)
cqwll rarces. (I)Swt:Clish
rom; (1J, C) 511 edish horse;
(D) Russian root;()
Russiull llOr.~ej (F) Polish
horSt. E/I/;rllI ill/; hJ ZIlOOI
rrom The 1loQk or ~Iars,
17/J. (Stllte llislOric
,Hw,'Cllm, .Hf).~cow)

C:/ptl/rc or,he Swedish

(Orfrcti.~ or,\ofeborg. ZI

Ocrobcr '70:1; rhe rortra!!i

gllarded the eastern end or
IheRilcr,\el"H. The
umphibious:IS.'illlllt b) the
GUllrd rcgimenL~ WliS
supported b.1 II prolonged
urriller) bombardment.
ngrd\ingb.1 Zubol {rom
The BooL. or\lars, lilJ.
(State IJisrorie .Hu..... um.
\loscow)

diers, 33 regiments of Dragoons. and one regiment of

\rriller). When Chark-s XII advanccd on Russia in
1707, arm) expansion slowed as the cmphasis
changed to replacing losses in existing regimcnts.
The \-iclOr~" at Poha\a (1709) justified Peter's
militar) reforms, The highest praise came from his
enemies, When the Tsar proposed a toaSt to the
captured Swedish generals, calling them 'my
tcachers', ,\larshal Rchnskold replied: 'the pupils
hne dcli,'cred a good return LO their masters'. The
reform process continued more gradually after 1'01ta\a, Garrison regiments 'Iere created, and army
administration improved, The final '.'Iilirar) Code'
of 1716 consolidated the process, and remained in usc
largel~ unchanged until 1900. By Peter's dcath in
17:15 the last trace of the feudal host he inhcrited had
gone, replaced b~ a I)()\\crful regular arm) organised
on European lines.

ORGANISATION
In the past, T.sar Peter I has been credited with the
first complete remodelling of the old, semi-feudal
.\lusco\ite army. In fact, much of the ground\\ork for
his reforms had been laid b) his father, Tsar Alexis
~Iichaclovich, assisted b) foreign advisers, the principal being Genenll Alexander Gordon,
The army at the start of the Tartar campaign of
16&) consisted of 63 foreign regiments, -H Streltsi
regiments, 8,000 noble cavalrymen, about 2,000
gunners and engineers, and around 10,000 Cossad,s:
a total of over 150,000 men. The proportion of
ca\'alr) in the army was much lower than that found
in Western European armies ofthc samc period,
Although regimental organisations appeared to
change according to the \\hims of each succcssi\e
senior foreign ad\iscr, a basic structure could be
determined for the Russian army of the 1 68os---()os,
The 'foreign' regiments comprised an 2\erage of
1,200 men in eight companies of 150 men each, Each
compan) consisted of both pikemen and musketccrs,
in the ratio of 1:3. StreItsi regiments were larger, \\ ith
an establishment of 2,000 men, divided into 10
'Sotn/(u' (companies) of 200 men. The usc of pikes in
the same ratio as in the foreign regiments was a

Gcncr:. f-Iicltl-. \ I:mmal

I!"IIS otJe ofP~'ler'sulJJC'/f

fJoris Shcn'mel('\

gencmls. I-Ie was /Ibm

imurunwntal in reforming
Ihe arnl)" after ,VlIrnl.
(S,ale Ilistoric J/useum,
Hascall)

(,65:1-1;'9); CfJmmander of

the arm.\ during tht'

Li\"oni:m Cflmpaigns and

ofrhe foot:1f Poltanl_ hc

Western imposition \\ hich reflected the lack of

ca\alr) in the army.
The new Petrine arm) "as organised for the most
parl along con'cntional Western lines, The organisational impetus for this eame from a series of militar}
regulations, often written b) foreign officers but
edited and sometimes altered b) Peter himself. Each
new regulation was the result of military experience.
In other \\ords, the organisation of lhe arm} was
directl} influenced b) military experience acquired
during the great Xorthern War or the Turkish
campaign of 1711.
Rt'gullJII01lS of 16(}8
Each infantry regiment (polk) consisled of twO
battalions, each offi\e companies,
The e:\ceptions to this ,\ere the Prcobrazhenski
Guard regiment, which had four battalions, and the
IS

basic company organisation remained thc samc, \\ ith

the addition of two sergeants, two corporals and 31
other ranls (lo/dnil!.).
R~forml of I 708
Although no complctc set of military regulations \\as
produccd, a number of rcforms were introduced. On
10 March 1708 an edict from Peter stated that
henceforth regiments would be named after provinces and {Owns rather [han after their colonel. This
increased regimental pride and allowed traditions 10
continue when the colonel changed. From 1708. the
Grenadier companies anached to each regiment were
split from their parent unit and used to form fhe
'comerged' Grenadier regiments. Only the [\\0
Guards regiments and the IngermanlandsL.i and
Astrakhanski Line regiments retaincd their Grenadier companies.

GCllcr:I/Ficld.lIllrshlll "I.
GoUI!n ('6;5-'7)0); liS /I
di\ isionl.1 romIJJlflltler he
led lhe RUSS;lInatrad' lit
Dobroc (IUKUSt '708). and

(."Qmmandcd II,,: Guards tit

Poltlln. POrlrtlil hJ an
IInl.II01."1I rontempon.r.'
arlisl. (S.:lle l-iislOrie
,Hu~um. HosaJM)

Semeno\ski Guard regiment and ~losco\sL.i. Kie\"sL.i, Nanski and Ingermanlandski Line rcgiments,
\\, hieh each consisted of three battalions. Each regiment \I as commanded by a colonel, almost invariably
a foreigner, while a lieutenant-colonel or major
commanded the remaining battalion(s). In addition,
a banery of two 3-pdr. guns was attached to each
regiment. (See Tables A & n.)
R~gll/(JtlOnrof 1704
Thc nc\\, 'cstablishment' created by General OgiiY)'
\\ hilst C<lmpaigning in Limnia was based on the
experiences of the :'\ana and :'\C\":l campaigns. Thc
'enlarged' regiments retained their extra battalions,
and all regiments lept their regimental artillery
bauery. Each infantry battalion \\as to consist offour
companies of Fusiliers, \\ hile in addition each regiIllenr recei\'ed a furrher company of Grenadiers. The

16

Rtforml of 17'2
The ukase of 19 February 1712 laid do\\n a ne\\
standard regimental establishment of 1,487 men in
two banalions, each or four Fusilier companies and
an attached battery of two regimental guns. This was
brolen do\\,-n as foIlO\\s: 3 senior officers; 34 junior
officers; 32 sergeants; 48 corporals; 16 drummers; 9
musicians; 1,120 soldiers; 29 non-combatants; 24
artisans; 86 dri\ers; and 86 sen'ants (tlmrhlkll).
CotltOf l 7 6
On 30 .\larch 1716 Peter published the '~lilitl.l'}
Codc of the Year 1716' (Us/aO) Voin!I!OI I i.6 Koda),
a militar) manual that remained in usc largel~ unaltered until 1900. Under the new organisation, the
Guards regiments and the Ingermanlandski regiment
consifited or three battalions, the remaining 35 Line
rcgimcnt.s ha\'ing two battalions. Regimental
strength remained largely Ihe same as laid down in
the ulase of 1711, apart from the attached tltnr!ul!ll,
\I ho "erc reduced from 86 to 54.
All these military organisations reflected me
official strength of a unit. Losses from stanation,
disease, desertion and, to a lesser extent, from combat
would reduce these strengths markedly.

Army organisation

During Ihe entire reign or Peter the Great there was

no permanent military organisation in the Russian

_
...
,,-

Organisation of a 1\No Battalion Russian Regiment, 1700

~,

........
,

'-"

..-_._

........

1-'---...

~A~II~1

Strength of a Russian Company, 1700

Company
1 Captain
1 Lieutenant
1 Ensign
1 NCO Ensign
1 Captain of Arms (Armourer)
1 Doctor
1 Adjutant
1 Clerk
4 Corporals
2 Drummers
18 Pikemen
84 Fusiliers

,,-,,-..
'u-..

'-"

'-"

'-"

'-"

'-"

it was also used as all administrative fonn:ttiOI1 for a

number of regimcnts billeted in the S:Jme province.
The 'brigadc' was simply defined as a formation
which comprised two, three or more regiments. This
allowed the composition of ad !toe formations, such as
the special force commanded by Peter III the Battle of
Lcsnaya in 1708. In the Code of 1716, it was
described as: '.. kon:olan (flying corps) ... of between
si.~ and sc\'cn thousand men.... For these purposes
.....e employ not only the ca\'aJry, but also the infantry,
:lIrmed with light guns, according to the circumsunccs of time :lind place'.

RECRUITMENT &
MANPOWER
The officers

army abo\"c the rcgimcntallc"cl. The arllly of 1700

was organised inlo three 'di"jsions' each of nine
regiments, which in lOrn were sub-divided into three

or four 'brigades' of two or three regiments each.

This reflected the situation which existed in the
majoril) of COnlcmporary Western :mnics.
The Code of 1716 also emphasised thai higher
formations could be formed :md reformed during a
campaign. The 'di\ision' was defined as ':m arm}'
formation, in which sc\"cral brigades come logether
under the direction of a single general'. In peacetime

Thc majority of the officers appointcd to Peter's first

army were foreigners, principally Saxons. These
proved of variable quality, the best available officers
no doubt alreldy serving in the Saxon army of
Augustus II. The English ambassador in Russia,
Charles Whitworth, wrote in January t707= 'they
have a great W:lnt of experienced officers ... the most
they ha\'e :lire Saxon men of little rcpuution, and it is
a question whether they will keep their companies
and not faU into some gross disorder on the approach
of the enemy'. General M:lInstein, writing of his
military obserntions during Peter's reign, describes
17

these foreign officers as being 'the most useless

thro.... -outs from Ihe rest of Europe'.
For this reason Ihe Tsar allemprcd to increasc the
number of nativc Russian officcrs in thc arm), largely
but not c:\c1usi\cl) rccruited from the ....mks of the
nobilit). Thc autocratic nafure of Peter's Russia was
such that the social system could be modified to sene
the needs of the State. Thus for the nobility, social
stalUS \\ as incxtriClhl) linked [0 state service. t-:obles
were recruiled into Slatc sen ice at the agc of 16, into
cither the army. n3\) or the ci\ il sen icc. Connections

ensured enrolment as a common soldier into the

Guard regiments, whose ranks rapidly became filled
wirh porential officers serving a period in the ranks
while gaining kno\\ ledge of their profession.
A Perrine edict of 1714 attempted to introduce a
programme of militar) education ro increase pr~
fcssionalism. This avoided the situation where young
officers .... ere: 'either ignoranl of the fundamentals of
soldiering, or ifthc) had sen cd in the army, ha\e one
so only for show and for a marter of\\eeks or months'
(Bcskromri). Other inOuenccs were exerted on these
potential roung officers. I lundreds were sent abroad
in '700 and '705, and colleges teaching military skills
.... ere opened. This led tOa stead) impro\emenl in the
standard of nati\e Russian officers.
Military "links in the Weslem st)le .... ere inrr~
duced, and in 1722 the Table ofRan\;.s equated these
10 similar na\'al and ciYiI ranks, ensuring a guar:mteed
le\e1 of status and par. One of the ad\anrages of the
Petrine syslcm .... as the emphasis on promotion b)merit, where commoners could be made officers, and
thus achieve ennoblement. The ranks used throughout the Petrine period were as follows:
Gm~ra"!Smus
Gm~ral F~/dmQrshal
G~nuQ/sh~f
G~nual

Poruch,k

J\1ajor-C~nual

STlgadir
Polk01.:nil
Major (lSI)
AJajor (2nd)
Kapi/(111
PfJrllChik
POllporllc!,ik
Prtlporsl"hik

(supreme commander)
(field-marshal)
(general)
(I ieu tenant-general)
(major-general)
(brigadier)
(colonel)
(major lSI class)
(major 2nd class)
(captain)
(lieutenant)
(2nd lieutenant)
(ensign)

The last four were deemed 'under-officer' ranks, the

rest classified as being 'o\'er-officers'. Guard officers
wcre graded two ranks higher than their given rank.
Military rank meant responsibilil)' as well as
pri\ilege. The edici of 1 716 staled: As the officers arc
Full-drf'5S uniform oftl
colom:1 ofthe
Prrobraif.henski GWlrd
~;ment. e. '7:1&-5. This
example bc.longcc1 to T~r
10

Peter I. Thc sash colours

arc red o~ er blue o~cr
~ hire. (State llistoric
Muscum, Uoscuw)

Detailof:m t'ngNI n'ng of

the Bart/c ofPoJta "a, ~a
June '709, b.I Nif.:ola!l de
Lamu~ssin. Tht'

R IIssi:m

regiments on the 1f:f, nrc

deployw in tli 0 lint.'"$, the
battalions interspersed
~-ith rqrimenraJ guns.
(St:lte Hermirage \luseum,
St. Petersburg)

The Order ofS,..Indrc'l,

'lith lIS!iOCiatw light bf~
Slnh.lnstitutw b., Peter I.
the order 'IllS 1I'1"1Jrdcd 10
senioroHicn$ for
oUlslOmding IIch;e' CnJClIl
on bchslifofthesrate.
R~ipiollsincludw
SherClnete' \lcnshiJ.o'
.00 the tsar hjm~/r. (Slate
.\lUK'Umsofthe \lOSC'Q'I'

KlTmljn)

to the soldiers as fathers are to children, so they must

aet in a paternal fashion and as the children without
question obe} their fathers, and la) all their hopes
with them, the~ in turn should look after maintenance, instruction, nourishment and all that is required.' This relationship between officers and men
was a world removed from that found in Western
armies; these paternal responsibilities and increasing
professionalism were, of course, embraced more
eagerly by somc than others. A later 18th-cemury
Western officer noted that: 'There can exist ...
striking differences between individual officers of me
same regiment' (Masson).
The impro\'ement in the quality and number of
nati\'e Russian officers was a gradual process but, by
1725, .:f.2 out of 65 officers ranked major-general or
above were Russian, as were mOSt undcr-officers.
The men
Peter's first army was a mixture of volunteers and
conscripts, but after Narva the need for soldiers
outweighed any considerations of free will. A national
levy in 170 I was followed by a system of compulsory
military scn'ice in 1705, which continued throughout
Peter's reign. Any \'olunrary scheme of enrolment
was abandoned largely because it undermined the
tight control of serfs by the Russian landowning
classes.
Conscription meant th:u in theory all classes were
obliged to pcrfornl military service. In practice,

"

Officer of. Line inf.nlT}'

rqriment, 1]00-):1. ,\'o
standard uniform "'..s
issued ro commissioned
officers. This CAptain
we.rsa grccn coat faced
red, Ii .rush in thenlltionRI

colours, and a triCQ~

trimmed v.-ilh gold
fcathers. EngNlI'ing from
Vislo~7iIrovs Rrn;\iiskoi
Imperntorlikoi Armii

(St. Petersburg, ,a..f-S6).

conscripts were chosen by landowners or village

councils, later replaced by district authorities (t'oroo"as). Naturally, the least productive members of
society were chosen: 'If amongst his peasants or
servants there is an incorrigible thief, then he will
send him. In the absence ofa thief, he "ill disp:Hch a
drunkard or an idler' (Langeron).
Military service W;lS for life, later reduced to a
period of 25 years. The high attrition rate due to
sickness, starvation or fatigue meant that most
conscripts would never return to their homes. From
'75 to 17'5 an average of 4,000 men were
20

conscripted each ~ear, most aged bel\\een 16 and 20.

Desertion was rife, despite a mO'"e in '712 10 brand
conscripts. and those "ho suryh'ed long enough to
join their regiments found conditions extrcmel~
punishing.
Discipline \US harsh. The initial disciplinar~
codes dated from the reign of Tsar Alexis, but Peter
revised these in 1716. Both codes were characterised
by their se\'erity, and were based on the ci\ilian
system of deterrents. The penalty for minor offences
was hanging, while more serious capital ofrcnces were
punished by decapitation, breaking on thew heel, or
burning. l\lore minor punishments included piercing
the tongue with a red-hot iron, sa\'age beatings \lith
the knout, or, after Ijt6, the S\ledish punishments of
sitting on a "ooden horse or running the g;luntlet. On
occasion, units which had been routed were subjected
to a loltery \I hich chose one man in ten to be shot,
while his colleagues weTC simply' beaten. Although
the more seriou.s punishments were se\erer than
those normal in many Western armies of the period,
they mirrored the Russian ci\'il codes. A later Russian
officer commented: 'Foreign armies are composed of
frecmen, and ours of serfs. The first kind of person
muSI be treated with some circumspection, whereas
our men arc long-enduring and docile' (Orlov).
Rations took the form or an issue of flour and
water, from which the soldiers baked bread or
sulthorr, a type of biscuit. When nailable Ihis diet
\las supplememed by cabbage, used to make s}uh"
and washed do"-n with hos, a "eak beer produced
rrom r)e bread. Meat, \lhen available, had to be
purchased by the soldiers themsehes, or the arIel-a
group of about 25 men messing together.
Training was the responsibility of the individual
regiment, based upon the successive Military Codes.
Drills for firing and manoeuvring were laid dow n for
the whole arm), but it was nOl until 'j16 thai a
standardised schedule of training was introduced.
One of the problems "ith Peter's army was the lad: or
suitable NCOs, all being serfs promoted from the
ranks. Therefore, in 1j21, a soldiers' school was
founded in each g;lrrison to"n, \lhose aim was to
increase the number of~COs, scribes and anisans in
the army.
Although the lot or the Petrine soldier \las hard
and his chances ofsurvival slim, the stoic altitude and
tolerance of appalling conditions resulting from

I ;thk ( : IIlEtlltr~

Rl..~illll..1l1s 'jUU-Z::;

'!MG..-,J

, PreobrazMMlI
, ""'<n"""

"

19 lXstl'O) ed 1707

u..
~ud wfwt

t699.-

L<f~

Bul\nI;,

(Lefon) Fine
\lod.O\ui from
17 U
(BUI}T5h)

bUt"'699:
3- RlIIIiIO\A;1
l Kir.sli

5rbtnmsLI

\uIot:dskr
P>.l.o.sli
8 Schlussclbullski
Archangc1ski

..,.

l'i~htgorod~ki

II, Smolcnski
u. TJ(."llcrnrgo.~li
'J \so.-sLi
'l \ ladlmlrslr
Kannsll

'.
'.
"

"
,s

.,
"
"

.,..
,

lXstro} NI 707

\I06hISLi
'o>pod,li
\oronahslr
LuzlsL

lllTOlib,..L1
P......
\ ~-alsLl
T.mLi
B~'eloKnLl

.uuaLhanA;1
TT'OIui
Il1Ih.

(Caspar Galz)
(Wilhelm n.1l
Dcldcn)
(Fncdrich "on
\\ crden)
(Roman Orval
(Col. Mcwes)
(Manhias Tricdcn)
(Aln Dcydut)
(Col. Bohlmann)
(Elias Bils)
(Col. \"01'1 Sch"Ncn)
(h'an Busch)
(CAl. Jungor)
UoIwan.-on
Delden)
(Col.l ..... l'1Itsk))
('rlbll5 Balk)
(Thcodor Balk)

(Srlbus
'mlm)

~on

Uohamn Trcidcn}
(1'-'11 AnJkr)
(Paul Bcmcr)
(Col.~)

Disbanded 17/1
Uohann Bcmcr)
Garmon RJI. from
17 12
(AJcnnder Gordon)
(Col. l-1iurk)
Uohann Culom}
Yibotplii from
r7 1l

(7..u ....rias Crow)

Dems Blls from

'"''

(Pcler \"On
BlI1oo.'dm)
Lc_ison from 170 I

R.,w I. t;oZ -J:

J"

l~nhndili

(Aluandr

,," ,

Mm5hiko~)

J'
J' Koporinehsli

JJ Tobolsli
Jl RruansL
Jl 'c"di

(Pnnct Rcpmn)

(Col Lall(t)
(Col. Kuliko.') i"oc

,,06

5t Pcterbourgski

J7. Kargop<llski

,"
'"

.'

U~liugski

U)'c1gorodsli
Yamburgski
Dau~ycd 1707

(Go-'crnor ApTllxin)
~amc ChangN in
qra
(5tchlo.')
Disbanded 171 a
(Col. Osero")
Disbanded '711
(Col. Auguslo,')
(CAl Wesl)
Disbanded 171l
(CAl Romano"li)
Old SlreltJil RCJI

"

lJ Dalro)"cd 1707

De:suo}cd

1]<l'7

55 Dalro,-ed'm

.'

OIonctzsli

57 Gahtsehski

..

R~rui,.,

.'.'

Osuo.--w

f),sj;",ik' .. 1112 (fUll' t'f_IM {UTtI ..rIM

G.rn_ Irifutry ,tf,.'W."j:
Ka'!QPOl5ki

"'''''''''"

Simbin;ki
T.crsl..i
Oustioncyski
Yambourgski
h'angorodslr.i
Pereslndi
Iklo;<cn;ki

R'''ud '''I7,n. (A""y .flllt LD"," C.,p,u)-

'''Sf .....
59,
60.
61.
61.
6J.

6.t.

R.Uti /./;04Oatro}'cd 1707

(Col.
Kal'1lschudlC") Old
Smltsi RCJI
(Col DanilO\) Old
Strelu.1 RCJI.
(Col ~c1idooJ Old
Suclm RCJI
(Col Gubtz) Old
S""ltJii RCJI
(CAl. Schuf)
(CAl. Stubcnsl)

1106-7'

h-angoroddi
-49 Renczcl

t]08.-

(Col Schonbcd)

(Col. Slnpl:)'n)

fuU) TlIrKd unlll

"

R~'uJ

50, \"On FichlCnMlDl

Scttne..cru:
S,mbirski
53 PcrUs1lI'-SD
$-t- SoIo.-ski
55 Tolbuchin
;6. Frucr
57.
58 Schmidt

(CAl, BoLan)
(CuI Remzcl)'

II:'... J ,II. Nizevoi Dorpous',

ASlcrabadski
BuLulSki
Uyrkanski
Schin'UlSki
SimiliW
Masmdcranski

65. Dcrbentski
R)"uhuehki

"

6].

Dag~

GrtuJl<f"n' :
Pnna:: Rcpnin',

(blcrT.}Ior'1., Ibm

Ltay'.)

(bIer Wtide.. tbm

Hallan',)
(laler Du 8011., then
J Ensbcrg',
KamJl(llhauwn'a)
(laler Hagen',)
Uiclu
Prince Bar)'1tinski', (laler S)'lov'a)
BUKh's

'Ole' The namt in bnckets i~ the l"C'girnentaln~meUM:U beforc '708, ..-hcn, follo"-ing thc Tsar'allhs, almosr III r"'BirneOl...ere named .fter I town 01"
pr\l,incc. The number gi.cn refers 10 M:niorit) only; no r"'Bimem ""IS gi,'cn a Ttgimemal number, as ..-as thc caM: in some Westcrn armiCli.
(I) formed from rhe lurvinll"s oflhc Battle ofFnustadt (Rtgimenls lisrN as 16--7, -41 5).
(1) Rq:imcnrs 59 67 "tr. trntcd to guard lite ncw RUSliiall ttrrirorics acquired dur'ng ,be Caspian c:lmpaign. The)' ..cre fonned from uiscing
TClUTlCnIJ. al follo..s: four c:ornpanics each came from the Grenadier Regimcnts 5)ko" and Kampcnhauscn. and lite Line RClimcntJi L...ui,
Schluw:lburpli, ,\zonL'. Kazansli, Rrazaru:k', NisltegorodsLi, .\losko.sLi, St PClcnburpLi. Viborgsli, Gilitishski, Troiaki, Sibirsli,
Kopor)'cxhsli. Archangclsli. Psko,ski. \oronczskr, Tobolski Ind VoIogdsLi. The Dagoollnski Rtgiment had no Grenadier Company.
(J) The lim foor rompc.;iIC Grvudirr Rtglmcnla _cre formed 11'1 '708. the I;u{-namal in '710 from ,he Gre""dier Campania of LiM Rqimcnts.
,\ftC!' 1;oIl onl.. the Guard RcpncnlS and ,he '''I""",,nlandski and AslTakhanski Rq:imcnu rcu,ncd lheir Gn:nadicT Compames.

serfdom enabled him to endure arm) life, This into a new kind of lifelong serfdom.
tendenc) was rcinforced by increasing nalional pride
Ahhough the serf nature of thc army meant thai
and a normall) fervcnt Orthodox religious belief. initiati\e and skillcd training were Jacking comparcd
Tht: old Russian soul, c\'cn when c10lhed in a uniform with other European annies, thc syslcm did hnc its
of Western CUI, remained the same; \\hen the soldier aduntagcs. Throughout the 18th ccnrur)' Russian
"as freed from his former master he simply mO\'cd soldiers displa)ed, when adequately lcd, a le\'el of

"

Foot
Guard Rrgimtms
Prcobrazhcnski
Semeno\'ski
Grtnadirr Rrgimrnu
Bieltz
Busch
Du Bois
Prince Repnin
Lint Rrg"ntnts
Apraxin
Azo,'ski
IngcrmanJandski
YarosJayski
Kic\"ski
Lefon

Moskovski
Narvski
Nischin-Noygorodski
t'-:o\"gorodski

PskO\'ski
Schlusselburgski

Troitski
Siberienski

Vologdski
von Rcnrzel
GarrISon RrglmtnlS
Brelgorodski
Narrac\'ski
Xd:ludo\'sk.i

Horse
~ loskovski
Cornlry Esrorl
The Life squadron
Nan'ski
~Ienshil:.o\"s squadron
Ncvski
Horsr C,tnaJ,rr Rrgmunu Nischnin-~o\'gorodski
Kropoto\'
Nm'gorodski
Roschncv
\'an der Roop

Dragoon Regiments
Archangelski
Azovski
Ingcrmanlandski
Yaroslavski
Kicvski
Artillery
TQ[al of72 guns
In redoubts (Augustov):
t light banery
2 medium batteries
Main rrain (Bruce):

Nm'otroirski
PeTmski
Riazanski
Sibirienski
Tverski
Viarski
Vladimirski
Vologdski

t light battery
medium batteries
2 heavy batteries
2 mortar batteries
2

endurance and stoic courage which was unusual in

other armies. ' ... Taken as indi\'iduals the Russians
are gentle, even timorous. But massed in battalions
they manifest a herd-like cohesion which makes them
redoubtable, and sometimes unbeatable' (~lasson).

DetajJ from the 'lJaftleof

Poltant' mQSrlic: b.,

JlithSljJ Lomonosol. 1756.

The Russian soldier

dcspatc:hin~ the Sli ede

is

itlCQrtTC'lh' dl'~ in the

posr.li~Opatternuniform
oflhe Pt-robnubensJ.i
Gwu-ds. (The At:2idern.l of
Sciences, Sr. Perersbl1lT)

UNIFORMS
& EQUIPMENT
L'niforms
From their inception Tsar Peterdresscd his powhnJ'~
in uniforms of a Western cut, completing the
Wcsternisation of dress begun b} the 'foreign regiments' of Tsar Ale),is. When the ne\\ ann) was
formed in the \Iinter of 16<)9-t7OO these Western
styles were adopted b) the \Ihole arm), sa\c elements
of the noble or irregular C3valr). With the exception
of a few particularly Russian features such as the
karlll::' the army now resembled its Western
counterparts, at least in dress. The basic features of
the Petrine uniforms were similar for Guard, Grenadier and Line regiments alike, with each regiment
having a uniform colour chosen b) the regimental
commander.
As the Russian textile industry was in its infancy.
the majorir) of material for early Petrine uniforms
was imported from England and I Tolland. The
materials used \\ ere coarse, and quality \'aried almost
as widell as regimental coot colours. The cost of
clothing I\as deducted from the soldiers' pal.
:'\0 dress code \\as imposed for officers, and they
usually wore finer qualiry versions of the soldiers'
coats, embellished with gold trim. This freedom

meant that officers' coats need not have been of the

same colour as the regiment to w!)ich they belonged.
The uniform coat (i'afton) was of a 'German cut',
knee length .... ith no collar. The sleeves were folded
back into substantial cuffs, exposing the lining. Both
the cuffs and the bUll on-hole linings were normaJlyof
a different colour from the iaftan. The pocket flaps
....-ere cut wilh a serrated flap secured by four tin
buttons, while a funher Ihree buttons held each cuff
in place. Theltaftan was faSlened by 13 to 16 plain tin
bUllons, depending on the length oflhe coal. In 1720
a ne.... pattern ofcoat \\3S introduced; this was similar,
bUI Viith 2 .... ide coll2r and less decor-ned pockets,
secured b) three bunons. A cord on the left shoulder
helped secure Ihe cartridge box in place.
The coats of regimental musicians (fifers, drummers and oboists) .... ere identical ro the normal
soldiers' coats .... ith rhe addition ofa 'swallow's nest'
or epaulette on the right shoulder. This was of the
same colour as Ihe Coal and .... as piped in the national
colours (Vihite, blue 2nd red) .... ith lace trim.
A Viaislcoat (ltam::.ol) .... as worn underneath the
iafian; ofa similar design, il was shoner, had no cuffs
and was of a closer cut. The front was fastened b) 18
buttons, 'l hile the slce\'es and pockels were secured
by three and four bunons respecti\"e1}. The 1720
pattern kam::.o/ differed ani) in Ihe shape of the
poclels, reflecling the ne\\ kaftan. Officers and
Guard soldiers' waistcoats were edged with gold
lrim.
Cloth breeches (punta/om) \\ere worn to jusl
belo\\ Ihe knee, and secured at each side by six lin
bUllons. The front was O:lpped in the slyle of sailor's
trousers. Woollen stockings (cJllI/kiJ) reached above
the knee and were secured by a small black leather
strap and buckled garter. Although they were normally worn under the breeches, some illustrations
depicl soldiers in ban!c wearing them over the top.
Shoes \\ere of a 'German pattern', in stiff black
leather \\ilh a pronounced tongue, a round brass
buckle and square toes. Neckerchiefs \\ere worn by
all troops, frequentl} made from fine black cloth and
knotted at the front, the ends left to hang o\er the \'est
Yon~mm;S$;oncd

oHic-ct"S orthe
Preobra~l15k;Guard
regiment,lioo-2o.lJoth
~e:ln15 C8Try'

halberds;
one corporal ;s armed ... ;'11

and shin. The \\ hite linen shirt itself \\as collarless,

with slight I) gathered slee\es and a drawstring neck.
In 1720 white neckerchiefs were issued, a colour
previously only \\orn b) some officers.
Dragoons and pikcmen \\ ere also issued wilh buff
leather glo\es, although supplies appear to have been
intermiltent. and their issue (Q the infantry was
stopped in '712. Officers' gimes \\ere of similar
material, but often embellished" itn decoration.
The main badge of rank for an officer was a silken
sash (sharf) in Ihe nalional colours (\\hite, blue and
red, in various combinations). On occasion other
colour combinations "ere used, such as green, gold or
siher. Sashes of senior officers \\ere interleaved with
sil\ er and gold threads ..-\11 sashes "ere finished with
a gold tassel.
Two t)pes ofhcadgcar 'lere \\orn b} the Guard
or Line infanrr). The first. and most common, "as the
tricorne hal (Utulo/ka) of standard European patlern, made of black felt or molesl..in. "ith a \\hite
edging trim for Line troops and a gold trim for
officers and the Guard. On occasion. officers' Irtta/It,
could be further embellished b) red and ....-hire

a '(usil', 'IIhile the orher

a1rr;(.'S a reg;mental
banner. Engt"adng rrom
"isJ,ol1uOVS Rossislmi
ImpcralOrskoi -\nnii
(St. l'etet"Sburg, 18.u-s6).
2J

CJ

ulrtridgt pouchts,
'700-10, The left hand
example is thaI ora Lim:
Fusilier. the right hund
Ixu' being Ille pattern
issued 10 Grenadiers. Esrly
ooxes If ere unJldorncd.
Those issued 10 Guard
regiments restmbled the
Grenlldier oo.\' bur omitted
the flaming grcn3de morif.
Engnn ing from

1'isl.on~lO\ Rossiskoi
Imptt'lilOrskoi Annii
(St. Petersburg. ,&.u-56).

Officer's gorget c., ;06-:10.

Ont ofscI'cral nuiants; the
dOrrllion is puinred onro

the brass .~urfaC'C. It It'aS

6uspcndtd from the necl
using crimson ribbons.
This example is npUfed to
ha \ e belonged to Tar
Pelul/(.lrrilJcry lIU5C'um,
St. Ptlcnburg)

feathers Iring inside the rurned-up brim. The front

left brim was secured by a single brass bunon. The
second type was a cloth bonnet (kartu.:). This was
worn by certain Line infantry and Dragoon regiments instead of the trtugo/ka. The lining was
frequently of a differenl colour from Ihe oUiside,
gi\'ing il a tWO-lOned appearance. As prOlccrion
againsl inclement weather Ihe cap could he pulled
down in a similar manner 10 a modern balaclava.
Grenadiers wore a mitre (grtnaduska)'Q lshapka),
the Guard version differing from that of the Line.
The mitre worn by Line infantry Grenadiers and
Horse Grenadiers consisled of a pointed cloth bag,
with turned-up fbps at the front or back, trimmed
with white piping, The point was surmounted by a
gold cord tassel. Guard grenadiers wore a black
leather spherical helmet fitted with a neck protector.
A brass platc fined to its front displayed a Russian
eagle, while a smallcr oval plate at the back carried the
monogram of Tsar Peler I. On occasion a red and
white striped ostrich plume could be attached 10 the
rear oflhe helmet,
A greatcoat (shmtl) compleled the issued attire,
This ankle-Ienglh woollen garment was fined with a
large collar and buttoned cuffs. A second outer collar
could be buttoned round the neck as prOlection from
the elements: this was usually made from a red

matcrial, although somc regimcnt's were issucd with

grey ovcrcoats, the colour uscd for those issued to
Garrison regiments.
Equipmcnt
All Fusiliers, Grenadicrs and front rank pikemen
carried a black lcather cartridge box (patronna s/lmka)
mcasuring 2OCOl by 12eOl, suspended from a buff
leathcr bandolier slung o\'er the left shoulder. The
bandolier was firted with brass O-rings 10 secure the
box and a brass buckle. Initially unadorned, in 1708 it
was decorated \\ ith a brass plate carrying Peter I's

Voronc:th, 1696:
1: Slrd[Si, 151 Mas<:ow Rcgt.
2. Solda[Ski, Lefort's Rcgt.
3: Ukrainian Cossack

Narva, 1700:
I: Fusilier, Scm novski Gd. Regt.
2: Drummer; P~obrnzhenskiGd. Rtgt.
J: Piktman, Prtobrazhtnski Gd. Rcgt.

Oorpat, 1700:
I: Fusilier, BUf}'rski Re!t.
2: Sgt., lngcnnanlandllki Regt.
3: Fusilier, PskovlIki Regt.

Polu".. 1109:
I: Fusili~r, Nat'\'S1ci Rqt.
2: Pl'1lpol'$hc:hlk., Nat'\'Ski Rqt.
l: Lin~ G~nadi~r, Princ~ Repnin's

R~Jl.

Poltava, 1709:
I: Tsar Peter I
2: Grenadier,
Prc:obnuhenski Gd. RtJl.

Rip, 1720:

1: Sat-, Rip Gamson Rt'rt_

2: FUliilier, Ukrainian Land Militia
J: FWiilief. Nekludovski Ga.tTiIon R~

Derbcnt, 17Z2:
1: G~nadier, Kampenhauscn's Rcgt..
2: Fusilier, Sl. PetersbourgsL:i Reg!.
]: Major, Simbir51ci Regt.

Colours:
I: Colonel's, Preobruhcnski, c.1701
2: Company, Preobrazhcnski, c.1706
3: Colonel'&, Semenovski, c1701

4: Company, Semc:noV5ki, c.1706

5: Colour panern, Line rep., 1700-1712
6: Colonel's, Line regu., 171225

cypher, which was in turn replaced by a Russian eagle

plate in 1720. Canridge boxes used by Guardsmen
and Grenadiers were similar, but decorated \\-ith
brass flaming grenades in Ihe four corners and a
Russian cagle respecli\el) from 1708.
In addition Grenadiers carried a second, smaller
bl:!eL: leather bo), slung from the fronl of their
waistbclts, and decorated \\ ith the Tsar's C) pher and
a flaming grenade. This \\ as I.no\\ n as a l)'tld/l/IJ:a, and
was used to hold fuzes and the soldier's grenades
Ctrmada). Slo\\malch (jilllt) is depictcd as being
looped around the \\aistbeh beside Ihe box.
The waist bell (portupqa) issued to Linc in fantr) men \\as made from bulfleathcr, sewn along both
edges. Those issued to Guardsmen \\cre simil:!r to
those worn by officers. being decorated \\ ith gold
trimming- along bolh edges. A leather sword or
ba)onet bell-hanger in 1\\0 loops was suspended
from the left rear sideoflhe portupqa. The portupqo
\\as fastened using a large O\al brnss budIe.
The drum carried b) regimenr-al musicians was
\\ooden. and a suni\ing e),ample in Ihe Kremlin
.\rmour) is painted a dad. green. 1'\\0 red cel1lral
fields on opposilesides ofthe drum \\ere pain led \\ ith
a design similar to that used on standards, \\ith an
armoured hand holding a sword poim dO\\I1\\ard
extended from a grcy cloud. The red o\al field was
surrounded b) a gold chain. The design on the
re\erse of the drum ponf3)cd a gold Russian cagle on
a red field. White straps sen-cd 10 keep the drum taut,
and Ihe upper and lo\\er drum bands 'lere painted
red. The drum \\as secured to the portupej'o by means
oft\\o hooks.
The Russian arm) uniform \\as standardised by
an edict ofFebruar) 1720, destro) ing one of the more
colourful aspects of the Petrine arm}. K(/rlll:::'1 were

discontinued and replaced b) the Irellg(Jlktl for all but

Grenadiers. The 1\\0 Guards regiments received
dark green coats \\ ith red linings and bUllon-holes;
the Prcobrazhenski \\ore red collars and the Semeno\'ski light blue. Both regiments \\ere issued \\ ith red
breeches and \eSIS, with \\ hite stockings and neckerchiefs and darl. green 0\ ercoats. The uniform for
Line regiments was standardised following the Preobrazhenski pallern of a green coat \\ ith red collar,
culflinings, bunon-holes and \CSI, \\ ith \\hite stockings and neckerchief, and a red o\ercoal and
breechcs.
These uniform colours remaincd in use until after
the death ofPeler Ihe Great.
Inranlr~

\\capons
Before Tsar I)eler de\elopcd links with the centres of
European firearms production, no regulation pattern
existed for Russian militar) \\capons. 1'\'ati\'e Russian
produclion was limited, the main centre being the
workshops of Ihe Kremlin :\rmour). The majorit) of
mechanisms were matchlocL.s and 'Baltic-lock'
snaphaunccs, a mechanism introduced through
Russia's Baltic neighbours.
During I)eter's (Our of Western European countries he e),amined and purchased a large number of
\\eapons, mOSI norabl) 15,000 firearms of Dutch or
English origin in Amsterdam. ,\Iost of the longorrms
purchased were flintlocl.s fitled \dth a 'dog-lock'
mechanism, a st~lc \\hich \\as rapid I} copied and
produccd in the cmergent Russian arms factories.
Other importcd weapons \\ere more modern flintlocks, referred to by the Russians as 'French-locks'.
This import of weapons continued throughoUl the
Great Northern War; for example, in '74 the
Russian am bassador ~ tal \cyC\' scnt 1,498 gUllS to the

Inrlmtr.1 drl/nl, I iOO-J;l.

Painted blild. II i/h rt'C.1

b:lmJin~, the cc:n/ml "I//It'/ii
l.I ere pllin/cd in lJIlfllnll
c%urs on a pil/ercd
Indground. .\'ou."/hc '0'
ring attlJehmcm to h.1ng

me drum (ron) the:

l.I1fistbelt. EnI:'"'I inlf (rom

I idolaWI 's Rossiskoi

Imper.uorsJ.oi \rmii
(5/. Petersburg-. t8.u-S6j.
))

Kremlin Armoury from flolland, bought from a

Dutchman named Klyuk.
B~ the Qmpaign of 1700 the majorit) of the arm)
was armed with a ,ariet) of imported flinl1ocL.s,
ahhough earlier Russian weapons were still used.
Over the next six years thc flintlock appears to ha\"c
completely replaced thc earlier forms of longarms,

Rt'limftll

J IradJ:rar

..............,

T~

SotmcnO\~I

T~

c..,

IJr~hl5

GlUr.

" ,... "...

''''''
I.....hl ""

bl~

ImL II="

GUNIIJIffS

\\eide"
Ensbn-r's
BlChol's
8ar)ninsli',
LIne
I.ball~I

LefM
I(OSIO.!il,

Red mitre
faced blue
Grc<:n milre
.. ith fur b~nd
Blue: mirn
r"", ""
'ellu.. b.nw.

'''''' ""

Grttn Lanuz
ra~d

red

Grttn unuz

Kie."sli

T"eoroc

Sibiricnsli
\ oIo,:dsLl

Tricnroe
While unuz

PuuHli

T~

'''''''''''

Schludburpll RedLmul
fxal ,clkI,,\m.""",,

T~

" Ishcogu.oosl.:i
Smolensli

Greco hrlu~
faced red
Tricornc

Tschcrnigmsli

Tricornc

\z",sli
\'bdimuni
t.:..a.zam.1,i
\Il1d.u' li

Tricornc

R"'Uma
faced hi...,
Red hnuz
faced veeR

R,d

R,d

G="

R,d

rllccd red

Blue
r"", ""

Rqimrnl
"O\,.,...,.hli
\uooa~i

LiShl b1~

r"", ""
Prin Repnm's

using a combination of imported and Russian

weapons.
As the firearm production centres of Tufa.
Olonctz, .\1aseo"' and 51. Petersburg el.panded, the
production of nath'e Russian weapons increased.
Russian factories were capable of producing 6.000
flintlocks in '70', and b) 1706annual production had

e.u....,

hrosb.!ili
l'ttTIlsL,

IlradJ:c:ar
\\hlle bnw:

''''''"...

81~unw:

\)"lItsLi

'dIll" L>.nuz
raced grttn
Trieornc

T'crski

Trirorne

Ihe~li
81~

rattd .. hlle

Darlpun
rxed blllC'

G=.
G=.

Darl~n

.....
.....

'''''' ""

" ,... "...

R'"

lngrrnu.nbndsL

T~

I)..Lpun

R'"
(xed Irttn
DarLgreeo
(lIccd rello..
R,d
rllced )ello,,-

Hro.. "

"nuli

T~

IrII

R,d

,",oponcschski
Tobol,Li

Red

G=.

Greco
rxal .. hne
Grttn
r"", ""

R'"

G~.

Bro""
R,d
Grcen
R'"

,,~

r"", ""
R'"

fa=!~o

\ iborJs."i
KalJopul"l;

R'"

l:>arL green
Green

G=.

R'"

G=.

Lsuupli
8~elp'olbli

R'"

R,d

R'"

f:aced blue:

r"", ""
l:>a,l pta!
fa=! blue

r"", "...

''''''
DarL ""
raced blue:

R,d

"e,~li

G=.

faced bluc
l)~rl g-recn
raced red
R,d
faced blue:

j(iaJ.:ansli

TrKOrnc

Grn urtuz
fllced red
Tricornc

R'"
I);,rk Irttn

R'"

rxed~"

'bOO

1)~rL green
r1lCCd blue:

T~

IllJlis

.....
"""'''''

" ,... "...

G=.

\stnU... n.~Lj

Troal.i

c..,
Grun

hmburpli
OIOOC1zsli
Galitsehsli
hangorodsli
Rcntv.d

.....

T~

'''''"...
'''''' ""

Trioornc
Grcc:n hnul
f~ccd red

G=.
G=.

R,d

l:>arL 1Tta!

Ilrn

.un Fichtenhcim
Schnc.. cnl
Trioomc
Sstmlmsli
T ......
Perwla\sli
SoIQ\!il,
Tulbuchin
T~
Fnl"rr
T~
Cktl"O\sli
Schmidt
T~

G=.
R'"

G~

DarL IJ'U1'

.....
.....
R'"

As there \\ as little uniformil), the choice of regimental uniform colours was left to indi\"idual regimental
commanders; this has resulted in a dearth of a\"ailable information, The predominanl coat colours used were
grecn and red, while grcy coats were issucd to Garrison infanny regiments. The following information reflccts
the uniforms \\orn in '708-9:

,.

The H.i'"er ,\el"ll,l>"itc of

Peter's e,1rJ.1 Cllfll/Jl/igns ill
'70Z. .\'meborg fortrc..'S
gllllrding the ellSrern end
of thc: ,\'cI " l4'IlSCIlI',ured

in October, fol/ol4'Cd b' Ihe

smaller for' of\'ellchl;"'z.

ThedlJ'ofSI. Petersbllrg
14"4S founded in Ihe ,\'("'a
dellll in Ihe follol4ing.' eRr.
The sile 14 liS ~llrd(.'d b)
the St. Pefer lind PUIII
frJrtres!>" in Ihe ddl", IUld
b.1 Ihe is/und fortress of
Krans/Ol, in the Gulfof
Fin/lind. (IUlhor's

col/cerion)

increased to 3,000 \\eapons. This \\as largely due to

foreign c'\"pcnise and the use of modern tooling
machines. Dcspitc this. sizcs, \\cights and calibres of
longanns continucd to \ar}, so no standardisation
could be achic\cd \\ilhin any rcgiment. This lack of
standardisation continued throughout the Petrine
era, although never lO the c:\tcnt secn in the first few
years after Nana. Of the suni\ing examples, lhe
neragc f1imlock 'fil$lf had a bore of around 16mm
and an o\-eralliength of about t6scm. These fusils
fircd an 8 zolollltk (34g) lcad ball with an eRective
rangc of 200 mctres. The rate of firc of the Petrine
army a\ eragcd three rounds every two minutes.
i\o rcgulation patte,," for pistols was introduced
until 1735. so a mixture of imported and homeproduced .... capons \\crc uscd. Flimlock ml.'{;hanisms
rapidly replaccd earlicr \\ heel-locks and 'Baltic-lock'
.... eapons. Pistols \\cre carricd b) front rank pikemcn
as well as Dragoons. the lattcr also being armed \\ith
carbines or thc hc,Hier muskctoon, a \\capon resembling a modern shotgun. Sources are unclear \\ hether
these musketoons werc also uscd by infamrymcn as
\\ell as sailors or Dragoons. Their \\cight may ha\"e
pro\ed prohibiti\c. c\cept during a sicge. .\lusL.etoons \\ith both 'dog-lock' and 'French-lock'

~I

mechanism \\erc produced in Russian factoricsas late

as 1716, copied from DUlch originals.
The Petrinc infantry man of 1700 was issued with
a plug ba~onet in lieu of a smallsword. L:nlike
Westcrn plug ba~oncts. it rcsembled thc latcr cutlass
ba~onet. thus being suited for usc as a cutting and
thrusting \\capon. It fittcd into the muzzle ofthejiuil
and so prc\'entcd any usc ofthc firearm \Ihcn filled.
This weapon \Ias gradually rcplaccd bet .... ecn '701
and '709 by a sockct bayonct \Iilh a 20cm blade of
triangular section, closely resembling its Western
counterparts.
Pikemen, officers :md Fusiliers issued with a
socket bayonet also C:lrried a smalls\\ord. P:ltlerns
varied as II idely as those of firearms, and imported
swords \1 ere stcadily replaced by \1 capons of Russian
manufacturc. Sun iving cxamples display a degree of
similarity. Thc bladcs hale an :I\crage length of
9ocm, and thosc produced in Russia appear 10 hale a
rapier blade rathcr than that of a t)'piCllI smallsword.
The blades \\crc surmountcd b) brass or iron hilts,
with \\-irc-bound wooden grips. By 1716 a standard
pattern ofsmallsword had been developed for the use
ofinfantr~ men. Officers could carr) thcir own choice
of\\capon, although set patterns of smallswords were
3S

produced in 1716 for Guard and Line officers. All

remaining S<.'01bbards appear (Q be of bro.... n or black
le:lIher \\ ilh brass fittings. Officers' sword knols were
in Ihe national colours.
Under-officers C2rricd a parti".;}n as a marL of
rank. The brass head .... as engra\cd .... ilh a SI.
Andrew's Cross or laler with a Russian cagle, and was
mounlcd on a 250cm woodcn haft, paimed black.
Sergeams carried an iron-hcaded halberd engr.1\'cd
wilh l)clCr I's cypher and a SI. Andrc\I's Cross. Thc
head I\as mounted on a similar haft 10 lhe partizan.
Thc halberd was frcqucmly used less as a \\C'Jpon
than as an instrumcnt to help dress thc ranks.
Each infantr) regimenl was issued .... ith a number
of J40cm pikes. Thc pike lIas iron. of a distinc[j\e
ho11o.... tripod construction. Examples in Ihe Stale
Ilistoric .\tuseum ha\c an iron socL.Ct cast to resemblc a lion's head, .... ith the blade prorruding from
irs mouth. These decorated pikes rna} ha\e been
issued 10 the Guard regimcnts. Further piLcs in the
Krcmlin Armour} ha\c a simpler thrcc-vcined head
decoratcd \\ith a frct\lork pattcrn, and wcrc possibly
morc t}pical of Linc infantry pikes. All hafts \Iere
I\ooden, paintcd black.

TACTICS
Beforc qOI, Petcr's Rusian army appeared to haH
no definirh'e tactical doctrine, indh"idual foreign
commanders being free 10 adopi Iheir 0\\ n methods
based upon Golovin's Arld'"I)' (1700). To a large
eXlcmlhe Austrian method of deploying in six ranks
and firing by ranks was adopted as thc norm.
Each battalion included 100 pikcmen, formcd in
the ccntrc of the formation in six ranks of 24 files
cacho As both rhe Tsar and his army gained military
expericncc pikes secm 10 havc gradual!} been replaced by firearms in combat. Thus after Ihe PoltO\'a
campaign the arm} .... ould probably have deplo}ed in
a manner resembling all Western armies S3\e the
S.... edes. armed almosl exdusivel} .... ith firearms; but
150 piLes continued 10 be issued to regimentS as lare
as 172o-along .....ith 3,072 'swine feathers' for use
against armies such as Ihe Turks .... hich had a large
prcponderance of ca\alr}; on campaign these \\ere
carried .... ith the regimen lOll baggage.
In 1708, Peter I issued the 'Rules of Combat'
hased upon experience gained against the S\lcdcs.
(The 'Rules' formed the tactical basc of the 'Military
Code of 1716'.) The firing formation \\3S reduced 10
one offour ranks on the Anglo-Dutch model. and the
no\\ more experienced troops were trained 10 fire
\olleys by ranks or b) platoons in the Prussian
fashion.
The 'Rules' stated thai gcnerally the arm} would
deplo} in the Western manner, in two battle lines and
a resene line, with cavalr} grouped on Ihe wings.
i\luch \\as left to the initiathe of the army commander, although it was emphasised that 'if it prO\'CS
necessary, he arranges for Ihe construction of redoubts and cntrenchmenrs'. This defensive deplo)men! was a direct resuh of mililar} experiencc of
S .... edish racries, .... hose 'ga pa' offensi\e doctrine
could be countcred b) rhc use offirepo.... er combined
\\ ith fortifications.
The reliancc on field forrifiC3tions became a
dominant Russian militar) trait. particularl} during
Grcn:ldier oftJ Linc
regiment, '70&-:lo. /-leis
dt'picfCd

J6

1\

carilJg tJ grccn

i,h rt:d ftleing.... The

coat

II

n.~t,

brcccht'S :wrlmifrc

arc also green. n~ ling

from "idol'arol"s
Rossiskoi ImpcralOrskoi
Armii (St, Petersburg.
18""-56).

RU.'i$iullmilitllrj
Jonprms, liDO-ZS. Tht,
upper" t'alwlI i!>' u '[usi,.
lilted "-ith the 'dqr.lod:'
mechanism CfJnlmQIIJJ
[oulld on Petrine guns, Tht
JOM-a is 11 'mus!eI(101I',

(On&imds in the State

J1istoric ,Huscum,
,HOSCOM)

On the offensi\"C, the usc of interdependent but

separate columns was ad\oc:ued (in the manner later
used b) l\'apolcon), cmered b) an ad\'ance or flring
column ofca\alr).
The terrain of Russia or Poland was seen to work
to the ad\ antage of the Russians, and could be used to
offset the offensi\e .bilitics of the S"edcs. As Peter
\\ rotc to one of his generals: '( beg rou to operate not
just in the open field but in woods as well, which em
be extremel) useful, as I sa" m)sclf.'
On an operational and strategic le\'cl, the doctrine
'Dog-loci' mechanism
II hen the gUll lias cocicd.
encapsulating ))eter's campaigns during the early
[rum a '[usH' prudua:d in
(Original in rhe Slate
OJonca;n 1;08. The 'dog'
/liJ,/Qr;e: \luSC'um,
1700S \\as that ora\oidance ofbattJe unless \ictor)'
acted as a safer,l carch
\lOSOOM:]
was assured. This \\as principally achie\ed through
concentration of force and therefore local superiorit)
the Russian camp.ign of 1708-9. At IlolowC'lyn, in numbers, The diplomatic requirement to prO\'ide a
Russian fortifications prm'cd inadequate to thc job of force for the support of the Saxon-Polish army
halting the S"edish attad., sen ing only to surrender pro\'ed a \\:lsteful drain on scarce resources, The
the initiati\e to the enemy. At Poltna a new role for other, more successful operations in Livonia and the
fortificnions \\as emisaged where :l number of Nc\a \ aile) \\cre conducted with superior forces and
eanhen redoubts \\ere used to disorganisc the initial often under the supervision of the Tsar himself.
Swedish attack, putting the Swedes at a disadvantage
The Russian campaign of 1708-9 displayed a
during the subsequent phase of the battle, In addition visible improvcment in operational and strategic
a number of heavily fortified marching camps were planning, Peler prm cd morc able than Ch:lrles XII in
built during the Russian advance on Poltava to co-ordinating his seconoary armies in support of his
diminish the risk of a surprise attack, the last or\\hich main field. A strategy combining substantial field
became a base for operations during the battle,
defences for the army behind the north-south ri\-cr
On the strategic le\el, apart from the garrisoning s)stem of Byelorussia was parLly successful in chanof captured fortifications to control newly acquired nelling the S\\cdish invasion. When combined with a
territories such as Livonia and Finland, less perma- ruthless scorched earth policy, this pro\ed enough to
nent fons were constructed bet\\een the Don and the di\ert Charles XI I from his strategic objectivc of
"olga when Azov was returned to the Turks in 1712. .\Iosco\\ .
After Polta\ a the \\ar entered a largely diplomatic
Further temporar) fonific21ions were built on river
lines in Siberia 10 protect the conquered territories phase during which thc Tsar had to curb his desires
from Tartar raids.
for territorial expansion and instead provide support
J7

for his rc-emcrgent allies. During this lime the

principal Russian slralegy \\ as 10 extend Ihe territoq
between St. !)erersburg and an) encmr into a
prolecti\ e belt reaching as far as the Baltic states and
thc west 01 "inland. (jarrison rcgiments held these
new territories, allowing the regular aml) to campaign in support of Russia's allies and to threaten an
in\ asion of Sweden.
During the final )cars of the war the main
Russian striking force was the na\) and galle) neet,
whose polk) of raiding the Swedish coast with forces
of regular troops and Cossacks finall) forced the
Swedcs to suc for peace. This militar) and diplomatic
achie\cment caused some dcgree of concern in
Western Europe:
'The Russians ... grow in their kno\dedge and
experience of military and international affairs, and
actual]) surpass many other nations in sl) ness and
dissimu lalion' (\ on Dutow, (725).

A number of oldcr units wcre included in this

figure as Garrison troops. Policing troops raised by
Tsar .\tichacl FcdorQ\-ich in Kazan :lOd Bielgorod
had alread) been used as border gUJrds, as had a
number of Streltsi regiments, including the \'iborgski. \\ hich had become a regular Line regiment in
1/04. In addition to these infantr) regiments, the
Garrison Dragoon regimcntS of \'oronczhski and
Ka/-anski \\cre also raised, as well as the Roslavlski
Garrison Dragoon squadron.
Eben ofthcsc regiments garrisoncd Sf. Pctersburg, len were splir berween Riga, Rc\al and Pcrnau,
rcn in Azm and Kicv (including the C3\alr) regiments), t\\O in Finland, and thc remainder (including
the Dragoon squadron) wcre stationcd in l\tosCO\\,
Smolensk, Archangel, Kazan and Sibcria.
By 1716 the number of Garrison units had
increased [0 49 regiments and onc barralion of
infantr), and four regiments and une squadron of
Dragoons. The garrisoned province was now responsiblc for contributions to the upl..cep of irs
regimenls. These wcre distributed as follo\\s:
St. Petersburg: 4 rcgimcnts
Kronstadt & Kronslot: 2 regiments
\'iborg: J regimcnts
Schlussclburg & Kexholm: t regimcnl
Nana: 1 regiment
Re\-al: + regiments
Garrison Regiments
Riga: 4 regiments
Peter I found that the requirement to use Line Dunamunde: 1 regiment
regiments TO garrison captured territory and 10 police Pernau: f regiment
Russian prQ\inces pro\'cd a drain on the field army. ,\tosCO\\ district: 2 regiments, 1 dragoon squadron
I lis r~ponse \\as 10 raise Garrison regiments to Ka:l'.an district: 3 rcgiments, 1dragoon regiment
guard the frontier and to keep intern,ll peace. The Azov district: 5 regiments, 1dragoon regimcnt
ukase of 19 February 1712 ordered the formation of Kic\ distric!: 5 rcgimcnts
39 Garrison regiments of I ,483 men ear.:h, which \\ ere Siberia district: 3 regimcnts, [ dragoon rcgimcn!
to be named aftcr garrison 1O\\nS, provinces or, in Archangel district: 2 regiments
some cascs, after their commanders. Troops from Astrakhan district: I regiment, [ dragoon regiment
16 Line infantry and four Dragoon regiments were Smolensk prm ince: 2 regiments
used as the cadre of these garrison formations. This Glucho\-: 2 regiments
brought the numeric strength of the arm) in 1712 to: \'e1il..i Luki: I b:malion
62,+5+ Infanlr) and Guard (.....ith 10,080 draught Garrison formations in the first nine locations were
horses)
designated 'Baltic' regiments and recci\cd higher Pol)
from the other regiments, which were designated
+3,825 Dragoons (on .p,900 horses)
'Internal'. Of Ihe laner, thc regiments in thc Azm6+,769 Garrison troops
and Kic\ districts were regarded as being of lo\\cr
This made thc total strength of the arm) 171,231 standing than all other Garrison regiments.
men, e,c1uding gunners.
In 17161he srrength for each regiment \\as gi\en

GARRISON &
MILITIA
REGIMENTS

l8

as I,) 19 mcn in two battalions offour companies each

(1,309 mcn in 'inlernal' regiments). Dragoon rcgiments stood at 1,077 men in ten companies, while the
Dragoon squadron mustered 5H men in five
companies.
The Garrison infantry regiments were dressed as
the Line regiments but \\ithout \csts; instead the~
wore collarless .... orl-ing coals withoUi lapels, in a
coarse gre~ cloth. The Garrison Dragoon regimems
were issued .... ilh Ihe same rough working coat but of
dark green cloth with red facings and red breeches.
All other equipment for both infantry and Dragoons
was identical to that issued to Line regiments.
The Byelgorodski, :\:uyae\'ski and :":ekludovski
Garrison infantr~ regiments (all pre-1712 units) were
present at Polta \ a, where the) \\ are gre) coots. There
is no e\ idence to support the legend that Tsar Peter
dressed his GU:l.rd regiments in gre~ coats before the
bailIe to gi\'e the Swedes the impression thai ther
were ani) Garrison form:l.tions.
Militia
The problems of garrisoning the VI-raine against
Tartar raids and an~ Cossacl- re\oh resulted in the
creation of militia troops separate from the ne'" I)
created Garrison regiments. The baekbone of these
formations consisted of militia troops from units
raised in the late lilh cemur) by Tsar Alexis
.\likhailO\itch. These old formations had been
charged with guarding the fronlier from Kiev to
Azo\. On 2 Februar) 1713 thcse \1 ere converted into
six Ukrainian Land i\lilitia regiments, totalling 9, I 50
men, ",ith each regiment formed into ten companies.
The troops differed from the regular arm) in that
they were all odllodvortzii (yeomen), as were the
majority of non-Cossack Ukrainians. Peter later
converted their status to that of 'crown peasants',
charging them 40 kopeks for the privilege. The
Ukrainian odllodrortZII \Iere also made responsible
for maintenance and recruitment of the Land Militia
regiments.
L'l'ro/1/ra" La"d IU,hlll1 RrgmJellls
Karamsin
L\ov
K..igilZ
I'anenko
Durnin
Bunin

Guard Grv:nadier. 17~O-S,

Woodcut b.1 un!:nQIf-n
CQntcmporor.\ arti"" The
rnrUKJII depic,ion
illustrates fhe bm.ic
unifQrm frnturrs,

indudjn~ the

dCCfJnltro
'he/ml't'mitre. The
grelladier is in the- 'present
arms' ~'itioll, (Pri'-l'tc
colllXlion)

INFANTRY
STANDARDS
\Vhile regiments ofthc afiny before 1700 "ere issued
with standards which rcflected the feudal and orthodox nature of Russian society, thosc of Peter's ne\lmodclled army followed the paltcrn set by Western
European coulltries. Older units, such as Strcltsi
regiments and traditional l.::1\-alr) formations, still
retained the older pattern of standards. Although the
new pattern flags \\cre introduced in time for the
:'Iian'a campaign, the many sun iving examples now
held in Stockholm displ:!) a remarl-able degree of
\'ariation upon the basic design. These early standards are well illustrated in Petrelli and Legrelius,
Nan'aJlro[ur (Stockholm 1907). During thc reorganisation of the arm) after N2f\a a standard flag

"

pa(lern was introduced, \\ hich remained unchanged

until 1712.
The issue of standards remained the same
throughout the Petrine era. Each regiment was issued
one regimental (or colonel's) colour, and one colour
per company. Both I}PCS were mounted on a black
pole lopped b} a brass spear-shapcd finial. The finial
\\as decorated b} t\\O I-arshwlonggold tassels. Both
standards carried the same design, although the
colours of the various clements were not laid down
tllld so could vary.
A gold chain in the centre of Ihe standard
enclosed an armoured arm holding a sword point
do\\n\\ard. The arm extended from a gre) cloud
co\ering the upper portion of the chain. A light rosecoloured circle suspended from the Ixmom of the
chain formed the badground to a blue Sf. Andrew's
Cross. The gold chain and cross \\ere in turn
surrounded b~ crossed palm fronds tied together at
the base by a ribbon. The colour of the fronds \aried,
\\ inc red being Ihe mosl common. On Ihe compan}
colours of both Guard and Line regimems rne
company number was represented by sil\'er sixpointed stars, one per company. These \1 ere located
abm"e the chain and between the upper arms of the

palm fronds. The bael.ground colour of the compan~

standards, \\ here kno\\ n, \\ as as follo\\ s:
R~J SchlusselburgsL;i, Astrakhanski, Kie\"sL;i,
Azo\ski.
Crttn .\rchangelsL;i, nadimirski, :\'e\"ski,
IngermanlandslJ, \iborgsl.i, Pcrmski, 51.
I)elersbourgski, Kazansl.i, Sibirski, Tobolski,
Suzdalski, Boutyrsl.i, KOI>orieschsL;i, Troirlki,
Ttmmy Bc1ozerski, :'\O\"gorodski, Psko\ski.
Lighl BllI~ Nishegorodski, \'oronezhski. Yarosl:t\"ski.
Nanski, Loutski.
BIlle Vologodski, Vialski, ~tosko\"ski, Riazansl.i,
Smolenski.
)'d/ow ROSIO\sl.i, Tchcrnigm-ski.
The main difference between infanlr) and
dragoon Slandards \\as that those of dragoon regimenlS \\ere fringed \\ith gold thread. On occasion
dragoon compan} standards replaced the central gold
chain motif \\ ilh a cross, a de\ice used on the dragoon
standards captured at :\an a.
Pari of Ihe Petrine military reforms after Polta"a
included a reorganisation of siandards, The ul.:lsc of
25 October 1711 outlined the new pattern, "hich \Ias
issued in 1712. The 1712 colours consisted of t\\O
sepaT3te patterns of st:lndards. The colonel's colour
consisted of Tsar Peter ('s cypher in gold surrounded
b) gold palm fronds intertwined with siher flo"ers
and tied by a gold ribbon. The com pan} colour
foUo\\ed no set design, each regiment haling a deyice
particular 10 its assigned lo"n or pro\ince in the
upper staff corner of the flag, "hile the remainder of
Ihe st:lndard consisted either of a plain field or some
form ofgeomenic pattern. Both infantr) and dragoon
regimcnlS bearing the same regimental name carried
StllOdards of the same design.
Throughout the Petrine er:l army both infantr}
:lnd dr3goon regiments for the most part carried flags
of:l similar size :lnd design. The '700-12 pattern
measured 2t arshms \\ ide by 2j arshuu high, The
post-1712 pattern st:lndards were larger, measuring
3~ urshmf wide by 3 arshms high. (One Russian
arshm =0.76 metre,)
f'u"ish"":rIl i" Pr:lri"c
Russ;n

,..11S frequcml)

could be o[sur:h SCI r:rit)

fhar .he offcndC'rS lwd

"dm;"isrcrcd ,..-ilh fh('

knoul (,.. hip) b.I' bolh
miliftlry lind ci\ ili:1n

Engrn I'in!! b) Jcun

IJnptisre Le Prince, ,;68.

lIutllOritics. The bclUillK

(A ut.hor 's ,'ollcc:t ion)

"'-Quld be brol.en.

Grenadiers (w;c Im.\

(Iyandunka), I]OO-)Z, \I urn
in "dditioll to Off: issllCf:1

.~

C"drtridl1e polich. The IOll"er

cxamp/e 1'11.'0 the tHX:
issued to I-IOniC Grt'lllIdicr
regimen/so &th lire
dccurated 'IIilh Peter 1'$
cypher. Engrn,-inK (rom
I"is!onl/o' 's Rossiskoi
ltnpcratonokoi t\rmii
(51. Pctcrsbll'7 1lJ.u-56).

E,'-

-r-'

RlISSian bayonet$. I;OO-Z5.

The 10'11 cr example is liI
plu~~.,onet,su~

b., lhc soder lm.Hmet

depicted soon'. (Originals
in lhc5l.llrrHistorie
Jluscum. \lOSOO'll)

THE PLATES
A: Voronezh, 1696
This town on the upper Don seT\ed 3S:lo springboard
for the Russian campaign against Azo\ in 16Q6. The
army ad\"anced down the Don, supported b~ a ri\"er
flotilla, and captured the Turkish fonress after a
month-long siege.
The exceptions to the regulation panerns of flags
were !.hose of the Guards regiments. Both the
Preobrazhenski and 5emenovski carried white
colonel's colours, \\ hile the company colours of the
Preobrazhenski \\cre black, and those of the 5emeno\"ski light blue. The initial flags of these regiments
were lust at Nar\'a, so new standards were issued in
1701. These followed a similar basic pattern to the
standards issued to Line regiments but wcre more
ornate, mostly ha\'ing lhe common feature of a cross
in the top staff" corner within :1 cloud. All used the
motif of a gold chain \\ ith a 51. Andrew's Cross
suspended from it. Various dc"ices were used within
the chain including the cloud, hand and sword motif
of the Line regiments, a Russian cagle and a sailing
ship. On some standards the chain was in turn
surmounted b) either a cro"n or the 'e}e of God'
surrounded b} a cloud. These standards also carried
the crossed palm fronds found on the Line flags.

ill: Streltsi, First i\1oskvtJ Regiment

A force of J\toscow 5trehsi formed part of the
Russian army during both Azov campaigns, where
their performance "as lacklustre. Each regiment was
distinguished by a combination of distinctive coat
colours and trim. His :Irmamcnt consisrs of a matchlock muskct, a 'Polish' shashka and a bardishe
(originals in thc Kremlin armoury).
A2: SoJdatski, Lefort's Regiment
Two 'foreign' regiments participated in the Azov
campaign: Gordon's (13utyrski) and Lefort's. The
soMa/ski's uniform reflts a combination of Russian
and European milit:lory fashion, his boots and hat
being typically Russian features common during the
17th cenrury. His m:nchlock musket and sabre arc
similar to those "Otn b) the 5trcllSi, and \\ere
produced in the \\orkshops of the Kremlin.

Guard Grenadier ofthe

Proobnlzhemd.i GWlrd
rrgimcnr, JiOO-~5. The
reprf:SCnt:uion is baSfll on
surl il ing objocts from
RlJS'!iiian collecfions. T1K:
p-t:t13dier is ShaMJI fuzing
his p-t:nade. II .terrolour
bJ Dmilr) AlIrdOldJ,
'909. (R ussi:m "'-storie
.\1useum. St. Petcrsbut'lf)

A3: Ukrainian Cossack

Peter's arm) included 20,000 la.rainian and Don
Cossacks, who foughl \\ ilh dislinction al Azo\. Their
dress refleclcd their indcpendent tifest) Ie. This
Zaporozhne carries inhlid firearms, including a
'snaphaunee' musket and a typical Cossad eurvcd
shashka (originals in Ihe Kremlin Armour)).

tern' st)le uniform adopted in 1699. co\ered b) his

greatcoat. The musket is a Russian piece, fined "ith a
'llallic-Iock' (original in thc Slatc IlislOric Museum).
lie carries Ihe nc\\ly introduced plug ba)onet in
plaee of a sword suspended from a leather bell
hanger. His 1700-20 pallern of uniform is identifiable b) its scalloped pocket flaps.

B: i'.':lrnl, '700
When the Swedes defealed the Russians al :"an"a. a
small L.nOl of troops stood firm. The Guards and 1\\0
Line regiments defended a \\agon laager and foughl
on umil nightfall, so pre\enting the \\holesalc slaughIcr of the Russian troops.

82; Drummer, Prcobra7)Jcnskj GWlrd

R("gimcnt
The uniform of the Petrine drummer differs from
Ihat of other troops b) the piping on the uniform and
the 's\\allo\\ 's-ncsl' on his right shoulder, both in the
national colours. The drum is suspended from his
belt b) means of a hook, \\ hich could be readjusted to
carr) the drum over the shoulder when marching.
E\er) infantr) regiment included 16 drummers.

8,: Fusilier, SenlCnm"ski Guard Regiment

This Semeno\"ski Guardsman wears the ne\\ 'Wes-

BJ: PikcmtJlJ, Prcobrazhenski Guard Regiment

Thc uniform colours of the Preobrnhenski werc
adopted b) the "hole army in 1720. This soldier's
piL.e is adorned "ith the ceremonial pennon issued to
the Guard regiments, although probabl) not norm1111) curied in action. In addition to his pike and
sv.ord he carries 11 flintlock pistol, as laid down in
Golo,-in's -'rllbly"

c: Dorpat, '700
Peter I sought to protect St. Petersburg in 170-J. b)
imading S.... edish Livonia. Personal!) directing the
siege of Dorpal, he captured il in )ul) after a fise.... eeL. bombardmcnt. ,'arva surrendered in August,
so a,enging the defeat of 1700.
C,: Fusilier, But)'rski Rt:gimcnt
This rcgimcn! \\as one of the oldest in the army, and
was assigned LO the 5hercmctev's comllland in 1704.
The Fusilier .... ears a kart"::., which was normally
.... orn turned up. B) 170-J. the cartridge box C'Jrricd the
Tsar's C) pher. J Ie carries a 'dog-lock' muskctoon, for
.... hich ba)onets .... ere ne\"er issued (original in Artiller) ,\Iuscum, 5t. Pctersburg).

,
\

f
Russ;11n ill(;lIItr) liM-OrdS,
t700-ZJ. l/though5r.\lcs
d;ffcn'd grelft!.\. the (lID
depicted are r/l;rlJ
rcprcscnmtil'f~. The len

h,,"d bll1d(' is u pri"ute's

thlll on rhe righf ;s
an officcr's'itmlll!>M ord.
(Slate Jlu' Un! orthe
.\105OOM Kremlin)
I>~,,-ord.

u: Sergc:'nt, Ingcrmanlandski Regiment

This regimen!, raised by Alexander ~1enshikov, was
one of the largest and most successful in the army.
The scrgC2n1's ranL. is indicated by the .... hite trim on
his coat cuffs and b) his sergcanl'S halberd. A more
highly decor-Jted halberd was issued to Guard
sergeants.
GJ: Fusilier, Pskol'ski Regiment
One of the most experienced Russian units, this
regiment fought at Dorp:u, Kalilz, I Jolowczyn and
Polla':!. The soldier wears the 16<)9 pattern of coat
.... ilh its distincti\c scalloped pockct flaps. Ilis armament consislsofa Russian copy ofa forcign 'fusil' and
a plug ba) oncl (originals in the Krcmlin Armoury
and State J listoric ~Iuscum).
Russ;lln St/lO'MCllPOns.
'700-~J. On the left;!> /I
Russ;/ln an;I1~.l man S
Jinstocl, e.Sm. The caurnl
Me-.Jpon;sa~nts

halberd enKJ"# 'W M-;m a

Perrine cypher. The
of1icx:rs pan;un on the

right isdn:orou-d M;,h II

croMIIN! Sr. lndrcM s
Cross surroulldcd bl II
Mrcarh or, ;eror.l. (Stare
JluSC'unlsorthe \IOSCOM
Kremlin)

HI

D: JJo/t:ua, '709
Charles XII began his '709 campaign b} besieging
Pohan, hoping to draw the Russians into battle,
Peter's arm}' ad\ anced, then foughl a defensi\'e
baltic, complelc1) destroying the Swedes :u Polla\'a
and during the subsequenl pursuit.

D,: FusiHer, Nar1'ski Regiment

The regiment consisted of three battalions, all understrenglh after their defeat al Holowczyn the pre\'ious
year. This Fusilier carries a Russian-produced
'French-lock' musket (original in the Slatc Ilistoric
Atuseu01) and a socket bayonet. A number of
cOnlemporary illustrations depict soldiers wearing
their stockings 0\ er Iheir breeches.

Dz: JJrnporshchik, S:'r1'~ki Regimenr

:'\0 standard regulations applied to officers' uniforms,
so the coat of this praporshchlJ: (ensign) is decoraled
\\ ilh gold trim, as is his tricorne. I-lis under-officer's
ranI.. is further denoted b) his sash and gorget. I-Ie
carries a sm311sword of German pattern, the scabbard

\\orn beneath the coat (original in the Kremlin

Armour}). The standard is Ihe colonel's colour oflhe
regimenl.
DJ: Line Grcnndier, Prince Repnin 's RL'g"imem
This combined Grenadier regiment sun i\ed llolowcz) n and participated al Poltna. The uniform
differed from that of Line Fusiliers, .... ith the milre
replacing the tricorne, a non-standard coat pattern
with pinned coat turnbacks being worn, and the
addition of a Grenadier's pouch. This Grenadier is
depicted carf)ing a Idog_lock' fusil (original in the
Artiller) Atuscum, St. Petersburg).
E: Po/rtn'a, '709
This platc is looscl) based upon Ihe Ball/~ ofPo/Ult'a
mosaic composed b) ~Iikhail LomonsO\, one of
sc\cral commemorati\c works emphasising Peter I's
participalion in the battle.

,: Tsar Peter I
During the battle the tsar maintained o\'erall coo1RighI Thr:8:ul/cof
POlttlIU, .l8JUIIC 1709. The

pilln rkpicu SCI ernl stuges

ofthe butt Ie, theS~r:dcs
stllrring in the' uppc.r /t:fr,
filcing the Russilm
redoubu, The final phase
If"US fought in thr: centre
right, in front ofthc
Ru.6iun (ortifiedC'.lmp,
Poltanl :lind theS~edish
...iC'1fe~ orJ.s lire Ioholf'n in
the cenrre lefL (Ro)"l.!
lmlOurics, fiJI TOM cr of
London)

The/Jan/eofPoltanJ.28
June '709. The T1r,
escorted b) II DnJKOOII
rcproem, is dcp;c,t:d in
rhe forcground on II hill
rhllr rclkc:u contcmporlJry
artistic conl'cntiOIl rather
rhlln battlefield
ropogrdph). Engnfl'ing by
Sicola... dr: 1_'1rmcein. llftr:r
'725. (The State JlermitIJge
MII_"~'um, St. Pctersburg)

ffl
,.

-_....
_ _a

....

.,

'

Ez: Grenadier, PreobrazhensJ.i Gw,rd

Regimenr
These elil(~ troops of thc Petrine arm~ ",ere amlcd in
a similar manner (0 Line Grenadiers. cUT)ing a

.,
'-

~---
.:t..

..

mand of Ihc army, and subsequentl) led the main

infamr) bod) from their entrenchments 10 meet the
S\\cdish fool. lie is repuled to h:l\'c participated in
the action alongside the Prcobrazhcnski Guard,
accompanied b) his escorting ca,alry sqwldron. This
figure combines the portrayals of the tsar in the
LomonsO\ mosaic and the painting b) Larmcssin.
The uniform is based upon the original in the State
Historic .\Iuscum. lie ",ears the sash and cross ortne
Order orSI. Andrew o,"cr his uniform COOl.

"

'fusi!', ba)onct, smallsword and grenades (originals

in thc Slatc I Jistoric i\luscum). The 'fusil' carried is a
'French-lock' \\capon produced at Tula. The Grenadier wears a distincti,c helmet mitre, lldorned with an
ostrich feather plume. J-lis coat resembles th,ll issued
to Line Grcnadiers, \\ ilh pinned turn backs. lie also
C'.lrries a Guard cartridge box and his Grenadier bm.,
embellished \\ ith the monogram of Peter I. There is
no C\ idcncc 10 confirm the legend Ihat the Guard
regiments \\orc grey coats at Polta'a in order to
dccci\c Ihe cncm).

F: Rig:,. '720
Riga \\as captured in 1710, completing the Russian
conqUCSI of S\\edish Li\oni2. Its defences \\cre

)'CIABb
B 0 J H L K. J 11

.;-

"~~

.._.- --..-.
. . -'. ro.. . .
i".:;;-;-;."
-...... ..:. ...,

... ..,..
--.&-~---

----

TheMiliwr.l Codco('716
(llslOv Voind:oi 1716
got!:l). TIlc rC!o1f1l of
cl;pcrit'ncc /lliined during

the Mar, ,hl'llork

I.

COllfuinc{/ scctiofl.~ on
mi/itllry r(}!II/lltiOIl.~.
tm:fits /Inri drill. (n,c
Lt'"i" Libmr.l, "!(}Scow)

rebuilt, and the occupying troops \\erc c,cnrually

replaced b} four g'arrison regimcnts.
F,: Scrgcllnt, Riga Garrison Regiment
The regiment was fonned in 1712 from soldiers
dr:;a\\n from existing Line regiments. The J~rJ'anl
\\ears a garrison coat cut to the 1720 pattcrn and
trimmed \\ ith \\ hite braid to denote his romk. lie also
\\ears the ne\\ pallern ofgrcatcoat. lIis halberd is a
simplified \ersion of Ihat pre\iousl) issued to the
field arm) (original in thc Kremlin Armour}).

Fz: Fusilier, Ukrainian Lllnd ,Hilitirl

Formed in 1713, ostensibly to guard the Ukrainian
border, these pan-time troops had their origins in a
pre-Petrine militia unit. The Fusilier depicled wears
an old pattcrn of coat, and the rest of his cquipment
reneets the second-line role of his regiment. Ilis
headgear is ci\ilian, although tricornes \Iere \\orn.
The mililia ne\'er sa\\ aCli\e senice. but \\ere rather
used as addilional garrison troops.
FJ: Fusilier. Sekludol'ski Garrison Regiment
Lnlike Ihe majorit~ of Garrison units this regiment
was pre-Petrine, and sa,,"' action at I)olta\a. lie wears
the collarless \\orling coat issued to Garrison troops,

a coarscr \crsion ofthc army l'af/an. Ilis fusil is of an

obsolete pattern. The rclati,e safct~ of garrison life
\\as balanced b) 10\\ pa} and frequent manual labour.

G.' Dcrbent. , 72Z

Tal.ing ad\3ntage of internal strife in the Persian
Empire, I)eter iO\ aded thearea bet\\ccn the Georgian
and Caspian Seas. In a rwo-ycarcampaign he pacified
Ihe region. nm\ modern Daghestan, Georgia and
Azerbaijan.
G,: Grcnadier. K.'1mpenh:JUsc.n's Regimcnt
The uniform is almosr identical to that of D3, bur
features a coat CUf in the 1720 panern. The new
uniforms follm\ed the colours adopted b} the Preobrazhcnski Guards. I-lis 'French-lock' fusli was produced at Olonctz (original in the Kremlin Armour)).
Grcnadicrs from this regimen! \\ere detailcd to
prm ide troops for the nc\\ S'U't'OI DorpouJ
rcgiments.
Gz: Fusilier, Sr. PetersbourgsJ..i Regiment
lie \\cars the 1720 pattern coat \\ith its \\ide collar,
and simplified pocket nap for both coot and \cst. The
darl. green coot colour bcrame the standard for all
infantr) regiments from 1720 until the lale 19th
centur}. Ilis 'fusil' and s,,"ord arc bolh of Russian
manufacrure (originals in Ihe Kremlin .o\nnoury).
The regiment \\3S iniriallr raised b) the Gmernor of
Sf. Petersburg for the defence of the cit).
G3: .\tajor, Simbirski Regiment
This ovcr-officer \\ears his own vcrsion of the 1720
pallern soldier's coat, embellished \\ ith braid. "ote
the brass gorget worn under the collar but over the
silken nedlie. Other badges of mnl. include his sash
in a \'ariation of the national colours, and a partizan.
Both s\\ord and partizan wcre produced in Tula
(originals in the State Historic ~luseum and Krcmlin
Armour~ rcspccti\ely).
H: Colours
H,: C%ncl'se%ur, Proobrozhcnsl.i Guard
Reginlcnt, C.1701
This colour replaced the standard lost at Xan-a, and
was carried throughout the Great :\orthern War. Its
predecessor depicted a brmm Russian eagle on a
while field. (Source: \'islo\'atol)

Pllsi/ierofa Line
regimcllt, 17~Q-Jl, ,"me
tht' simp/crell' oftilt' ('mIt
packers comp;lrt'ti \I ilh the
pre-'7lo Illliform, lie is
depicted firin~ II NU'!.!!illflproduced 'fll!!il', II8nll'i"8
from' "islonl!Ol 's

Rossilil.:oi ImpcrnlOrsl.:oi
o\nnii (St. I~etersburg,
'141-56).

Hz: Company colour, Prt'obrazbclIski Guard

Regiment, C.1706
One of sc\eral post-l700 designs used on company
colours. All standards had a black field, Others
resembled the colonel's colour \1 ithom the outer
foliage, and \\ith the 'c)e of God' \\ithin a cloud
replacing the CrD\\ n, (Source: Viskov:ltov)
H2: Coloncl:~ colour, Scmcnov!,.ki GWlrc/
RcginlCIJI, c.1701
This resembles the Preobrazhenski colour without
the foliage denoting the premier regimen!. Later
colonel's colours replaced the crO\ln with an 'eye of
God' as in Il.t. (Source: \'iskO\alO\)
H.j: Comp:w.\ colour. Semcnmski Gut,rd
Regiment, C. I706

One of t\\O designs used b) the regiment. the other

replacing the 'e~e of Gad' \\ ilh a gold cra\\ n, The (\10

stars denote that it belongs to the third compan~; the
first (or senior) comp:ln~ colour \\as unadorned.
(Source: \"isko\'alOv)

f/5: Colour, Line Rcgimcllts, '700-'2

This standard, \\ith slight variations, was used for
both the colonel's and com pan) colours for all Line
and Grenadier regiments, Comp:ln) colours had a
coloured field and used the s) stem ofst:trs depined in
114. (Source: Visko\ato\)

f/6: C%ncl's c%ur, I..-ine Regiments, '7'2-25

This design was issued to all Line and Grenadier
regimcnts, replacing 115. The compan~ colours (nOi
illustrated) combincd a gcomctric design with a
regional mOlir in the upper stafr corner. (Source:
\'isco\'aIO\)

pia"""'" ~n o:cmlalr
ClI'KlC"..Iq .... d" ....n.p" .0 ou bordura Klmlll>...U .haq...
.....-..' 4am .. fotn! ck , , _ "',.,kloO q'" ......... n. JI'lIIOd """". don. In
"" ...,...,. d' , _ Ion
_ 1m -alft de 01) It poi<Iou-.. .... """,""lIfl mbo
el
bard'>d>t or <irma
~ ...... 1f"l' ~ ..., A. <;oldat
..
,"'._ nn
I'Q'Unt <In ""bob quI ~h.rml
,nlh",_ ru...,.
rIDbott
doopauj
qwln'nd ...nca .......... I
_.~"
ubrr _
fabnq_ do. r ...... nal
t..-lao
<lea
< - L ..~ .._ oM fOUl I." 1fWJ'I....... _ . . It """bIl1lo<'l ..".....
'.."u-.o%' ello ........ <.AIMx~ ..........1..0.
,"'''''
~, l.ft

II

d"

H. I.. _.d

dr .""" '700"

'l'''''''' Clrocteruoq...

.,It... ,'.-.. ,......_

"~en"~_,~S--..quttBooI"'1
. _..... _ _ ~I_,..ft... tal'~ o;aIIlI
~ n ..
""'
d",...o.lIt .... _

.......... dir.-...... 8J I.a

t.ord ............ _ ... """'""a

ploo%

e-It

l'~

mau,
I*1.
8. IA

'I....._ _

mw_.d...,...- .....

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&bnq

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~ . . ~_n~prolioo
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1.... ~ ... ,......_ ...... d. . ~ .. d "'""okI.~

Co ,,-.. .. ~ 'u.w.', '" ..... anaoocha poot:aM It - . .

...
T_ co .. -....... I dooao _
""'-<tc C. L
al ........ pal II
MrdIn bludla _ los ~ CO
Cj
dr _of
'60t9 ."'"
fo-. "f_I' ~ .. "'"-<N Iftpull

'laMa.

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0, I... ,.-wa .. r
Ioo.~

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--.-

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.-...- ....-

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r.-- .. oAtom..""'"

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II JIIrW rrpu. dlr>ft

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01,.... . . . . . ....__........ It

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Lc

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ft rft......

I.. ....ru_.I"1oonT ....

Eo v'IIe _ . - lot

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d . " " ~ r.
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<6acr.............

. . - k ...... ...,w...r

F I ' t - ........ '7 r

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ro~

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.. 0I1"ft.""""""
CUI"
I,.". _".. ..

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I)j. ft _
....
k.-ldr '1 I~
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....... G. I.e -...a
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,.... .. _ _ " " . _
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ft It ,.,..... no
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..... _ _
- . . . . . . . , . folliac< (
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rtu,iII pool' lei
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,.,Ia~.............., ...... Ia.r-.portU
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III c.:a"
GnIId<G.aft

Ir <lnpa.. 1"'"<'
trId.. ~ .. ~
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'ood 11.1.. -sd< pIlnIII phi
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<tuc., ,.... '7"0.1.. 'u'JU . I. <lropall du ~ _
,0ItIld<
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moopba II COlO....... ft
Ir lnIdllr< ."<nno. IlJ Il:.-...blc ""
k ...-... ronl d<
................ I'" L" .... oku, mnllf III".. poor .. ...,...... 1"1"'''' qw

....... '1, ...... _ ..

ranploa '1....1. 00<00' u

mol. "'"

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rou

La dao UlIln o<I<n"6,,,ulo

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001 lIuhw m,,"I'I"'II' In
du ~t lIMO 'I'" ...
dropa
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