February 20, 1705, Peter I issued a royal decree on the recruitment of army recruits from all classes of Russian society. This decision significantly increased the combat readiness of the Russian army, significantly changed the course of the Northern War and had a positive impact on the socio-economic development of the country. At the same time, for the peasantry, recruitment became one of the most difficult duties. According to historians, future soldiers from their native villages were escorted to the army almost like on the last journey.

Staff shortage

“It cannot be argued that the recruitment was exclusively the idea of ​​Peter himself. The prerequisites for the existence of such a system of troop manning arose even at the time of his father Aleksei Mikhailovich and brother Fedor Alekseevich, ”said RT candidate of historical sciences, associate professor of Moscow State University. Lomonosov Oleg Airapetov.

We are talking about a system of calling the so-called affluent people, collected mainly for rear operations in wartime, as well as as a militia and replenishment of individual regiments. However, such a system did not allow the creation of a sufficient in size permanent military army.

Problems in the question of building the armed forces accumulated, since in the late XVII - early XVIII centuries, Russia was a potential target of expansion for a number of neighboring states.

“It was impossible to solve the problem of creating an army of sufficient size, attracting mercenaries, since it required huge costs. It was also impossible to leave, as before, due to serious threats to the state, ”said Oleg Ayrapetov.

Before Peter’s eyes, there was an example of the successful construction of an effective professional army based on the recruitment in Sweden, whose armed forces were considered one of the strongest in Europe. King Gustav Adolf introduced the conscription service in Sweden in the 17th century, and she fully paid off. Thus, according to Oleg Ayrapetov, in Peter's times, the recruitment system of manning the armed forces was completely normal.

“There is an outdated point of view that recruitment in principle was introduced in Russia only in 1705. This is not true. The kits have been held since 1699, but they affected only part of the estates. And they didn’t touch on the largest of them - the peasant, ”said Pavel Krotov, doctor of historical sciences, professor of St. Petersburg State University, in an interview with RT.

The nobles, who were obliged to personally carry out military service, were also obliged to exhibit from their estates recruits from among the servants and artisans. Urban citizens and coachmen were also drafted into the army. Peasants engaged in agricultural work were not touched so as not to undermine the country's economy. However, after a while it became clear that the previously called up cadres of the army were not enough.

  • Poltava battle
  • © P.-D. Martin

The first recruitment kits

As noted by Pavel Krotov, a decree issued on February 20, 1705 extended the recruitment set to the most popular social group - the peasantry.

From that moment on, military service in Russia became omnipotent. Recruits have become the main component of the recruitment of the armed forces. In the regular units, according to the historian, they initially tried to recruit representatives of the Russian Orthodox population. Other peoples initially served primarily in auxiliary and irregular units. However, over time, the recruitment base began to expand. First, due to the Finns, and then - and other peoples of the empire.

Under Peter I, all the nobles were to serve. For other classes, quotas were determined, which included the allocation of a certain number of recruits from each community. The service life was life - as long as strength and health allowed the soldier to be in the ranks.

“This was the creation of the regular army of Russia, different from the previously existing estate troops and militias,” Krotov said.

According to him, the new armed forces became the key to Russia's victory in the Northern War and gaining access to the Baltic Sea. Until 1708, young men aged 15–20 years were recruited into the army, and after that, young people from 20 to 30 years old.

During the Northern War, recruitment kits were massive. At first, one man was taken into the army from 20 peasant houses per draft. But after the victory in the Battle of Poltava, the need for so many new recruits disappeared. One soldier began to be called from 25, 40, and then from 75 yards. Along with the word “recruit” borrowed from the French language, those who were called up for military service for quite a long time were called old-timers. The sets themselves were not regular, and were produced as needed.

  • The Battle of Tarutin
  • © P. von Hess

Since 1724, recruiting has already been done, proceeding not from the number of households, but from a certain number of their population - souls. And after the death of Peter I in 1725 and the decline in Russian military activity, recruiting recruits were not carried out for some time.

In 1736, Empress Anna Ioannovna began to change the manning system introduced by Peter I. The nobles were allowed to keep one of their sons on their estates. And for the rest, the required service life was limited to 25 years.

Over time, other categories of the population began to be exempted from military service - merchants, honorary citizens, residents of Bessarabia and remote eastern regions, natives of clergy families. In 1762, Emperor Peter III issued a manifesto on the liberty of the nobility, abolishing the mandatory military and public service for the nobility in principle. True, for the peasants, the draft rules did not change until 1793, when the term of service was reduced to 25 years.

"Miracle heroes"

The historian Oleg Ayrapetov noted that all this time the recruitment was for the peasants a heavy form of service.

“They cried for recruits in the villages, as for the dead. By the way, this was reflected in folklore that has come down to us. At the same time, the recruiting system provided an opportunity for a social elevator. People could rise to the rank of officer. Well, at least they got personal freedom, if only they lived to the end of their life, ”said the expert.

At the same time, the soldiers, who served for decades and went through several campaigns, became high-class professional military men. Such veterans were “miraculous heroes” - the backbone of the army of Alexander Suvorov, who won a number of high-profile victories.

Under Catherine II, when Russia actively waged wars on several fronts, sets grew. During the Russo-Turkish wars, recruitment increased from one to five people per 500 population. According to the calculations of historians, in total in the XVIII century more than 2 million people were recruited into the Russian army.

After the death of Catherine II, recruiting sets were not carried out for some time or walked on sparing quotas. However, the wars with France and Turkey forced to raise the set to eight people with 500 souls in one call. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the criteria for selecting recruits for health reasons were even reduced. They recruited everyone who could shoot a gun. The Russian army was sufficiently combat-ready to defeat Napoleon, but already in 1812 there was a problem of the lack of a trained reserve of the armed forces.

A new reform of the manning system took place in 1834. Emperor Nicholas I reduced the duration of active service to 20 years (another five years, the soldiers were in reserve in case of war). The entire territory of the country was divided into bands in which the sets were carried out in turn. This approach continued until the Crimean War.

  • Seeing rookie
  • © I.E. Repin

The system of selection of recruits on the ground during the existence of this service has not changed fundamentally. This was usually trusted by the community. Families with one or two breadwinners were either exempted from the draft, or fell into the last line. Among the rest of the men, the selection was most often carried out using a toss. In the 19th century, the communities had the opportunity to give out peasants who had certain offenses as recruits. In addition, wealthy conscripts or communities could attract outside recruits for money.

“The service was extremely difficult and undermined health. The fate of veterans who served 20-25 years has not always been the best. It was often impossible to return to pre-war life, and many simply had to wander and beg, ”said Oleg Ayrapetov.

“It was good for those who managed to save up money during the years of service or later found a job. In large cities, among wealthy individuals, it was considered prestigious to hire former military men, especially non-commissioners and St. George cavaliers, as gatekeepers. Those who were allowed by their health became lower ranks in the police, ”the historian added.

Large recruitment kits occurred in Russia during the Crimean War. However, during the hostilities it became clear that the country had lost the advantage that it had over other European states several decades earlier.

  • Defense of Sevastopol. Panorama detail
  • © F.Rubo

During the reign of Alexander II, there was a reduction in the time of active service of recruits. She was 15, 10, 12 and 7 years depending on the year of the call.

The experience of the Crimean War, as well as the hostilities that unfolded in the 1860-1870s in Europe, showed that the recruitment system of manning is rapidly becoming obsolete. The need for the availability of prepared reserves and the conduct of quick mobilization in a special period on the one hand, as well as the ability to quickly move reservists on trains and ships on the other, made general military service more relevant. In 1874, Alexander II completely abandoned recruiting sets.

However, at the time of its inception, the recruitment system was highly effective.

“Under Peter I, recruitment kits allowed Russia to create a massive combat-ready army, which became an important factor in its transformation into a great power,” concluded Pavel Krotov.