To the question: When did the Russian army appear? given by the author Say goodbye to Christ the best answer is Contrary to popular belief, it was not Peter I who began to create the regular army in Russia, but Ivan the Terrible. After the Russian army failed to take Kazan in the summer of 1550, the tsar began reforms. On October 3, 1550, Ivan the Terrible signed a decree dividing the lands around Moscow among 1,000 landowners who occupied key command posts in the army. (It is this date that the Russian General Staff now proposes to consider as the day of the formation of the Russian army.) .
In the period from 1550 to 1571, Ivan IV managed to create the largest army in Europe - up to 300 thousand people, which amounted to about 3% of the population of Rus'. As a result of streamlining the system of recruitment and organization of military service, a local army was created. Its basis was the noble cavalry, formed on the principle of a militia: all owners of estates and estates fit for service were obliged to go on a campaign with their horses, supplies and weapons and fielded one armed warrior for every 50 acres of land they owned. In addition to the local one, Ivan IV organized the Streltsy army. It became the first regular army in Rus' and was recruited from the free urban and non-taxable (not taxed) rural population.
"Ivan Khazarin took part in the education of Svyatoslav the Great, played an important role in preparing Svyatoslav's army for a victorious campaign against the Khazar Kaganate."
"In order to carry out their last great territorial acquisition, the Byzantine emperors call upon the Russian pagan army led by Svyatoslav to fight the Orthodox Bulgarian kingdom."
And only the PROFESSIONAL RUSSIAN ARMY under the leadership of SVYATOSLAV could carry out ITS GREAT CAMPAIGNS and CONQUESTS, as well as resist the BYZANTINE EMPIRE!
Source: History of the RUSSIAN ARMY

Answer from 358392656 [guru]
..when the unification of the principalities began.

Answer from Microscopic[guru]
If we mean the regular army, then its first attempts to create it under Ivan the Terrible (oprichniki) turned out to be ineffective. Then, under Fyodor Mikhailovich, the Streltsy army became obsolete in 50 years, finding itself unable to meet the requirements of modern warfare (unsuccessful campaigns against the Crimean Khan)!
Thus, the first regular army - with conscription and full maintenance of soldiers - appeared under Peter the Great (along with regulations for ranks, etc.)

Answer from Dusya[guru]
The army appears simultaneously with the creation of the state and disappears with its disappearance. As soon as you remember when Russia emerged as a state, you will immediately answer your question. But the Charter, composition and method of forming the army are not particularly important. The principle is always the same - the core personnel plus, in wartime, reservists-militia.

Military reform was Peter's primary transformation, the longest and most difficult for both himself and the people. She is important in our history; This is not just a question of national defense: the reform had a profound impact on the entire structure of society and the further course of events.

A radical reorganization of the armed forces is taking place. A powerful regular army is being created in Russia and, in connection with this, the local noble militia and the Streltsy army are being eliminated. The basis of the army began to consist of regular infantry and cavalry regiments with a uniform staff, uniforms, and weapons, which carried out combat training in accordance with general army regulations. The main ones were the Military 1716. and the Naval Charter of 1720, in the development of which Peter I participated.

The development of metallurgy contributed to a significant increase in the production of artillery pieces; outdated artillery of different calibers was replaced by new types of guns. For the first time in the army, a combination of bladed weapons and firearms was made - a bayonet was attached to the gun, which significantly increased the fire and striking power of the army.

3.1. MOSCOW ARMY BEFORE THE REFORM.

Peter found the Russian army in complete disarray. Previously, soldiers and reiters, dismissed to their homes during peacetime, were called up for service if necessary. This was a call for vacationers or reserves, experienced people already familiar with the system. When Peter formed the army to fight Sweden, there was almost no such reserve left. The regiments were replenished in two ways: either “they recruited freemen to become soldiers,” or they collected recruits from landowners according to the number of peasant households. Peter ordered freed slaves and peasants fit for service to be recruited as soldiers, and even gave slaves the freedom to join soldier regiments without the release of their masters. With such recruitment, the hastily assembled regiments of recruits hastily trained by the Germans, in the words of the secretary of the Austrian embassy Korb, who was in Moscow in 1698-1699, were a rabble of the most trashy soldiers recruited from the poorest rabble. Peter's first army was formed in a similar way during the Northern War. Narva discovered their fighting quality.

3.2. FORMATION OF A REGULAR ARMY

After Narva, an incredible waste of people began. The hastily assembled regiments quickly melted away in battles, from hunger, disease, and mass escapes, and meanwhile, the expansion of the theater of military operations required increasing the size of the army. To replenish the loss and strengthen the army complement, partial recruitments of volunteers and recruits followed one after another from all classes of society, from the children of the boyars, from the townspeople and courtyards, from the riflemen's children and even from the children of the clergy. The army gradually became all-class, but it was supplied with somehow straightened out or completely non-military raw materials. Hence the need arose for a different order of acquisition, which would provide an advance and properly prepared stock.

The random and disorderly recruitment of hunters and daters was replaced by periodic general recruitment drives, although even with them the old recruitment techniques were sometimes repeated. Recruits were distributed to “stations”, assembly points, in the nearest cities in batches of 500-1000 people, quartered in inns, corporals and corporals were appointed from among them for daily review and supervision, and they were given to retired officers due to wounds and illnesses. soldiers “to teach military soldier formation according to the article incessantly.” From these assembly training points, recruits were sent wherever needed, “to fallen places,” to replenish old regiments and create new ones. The first such general recruitment was made in 1705; it was repeated annually until 1709.

Military transformations of the 18th century. had the goal of creating a new army organization. By this period, the government armed the troops with uniform weapons, the army successfully used linear combat tactics, armament was produced with new equipment, and serious military training was carried out. The organization and structure of the army took shape during the Northern War (1700-1721). Peter 1 turned separate sets of “dating people” into annual recruitment sets and a permanent trained army in which soldiers served for life. The recruiting system was based on the class principle of organizing the army: officers were recruited from nobles, soldiers from peasants and other tax-paying population. Total for the period 1699-1725. 53 recruitments were carried out, which amounted to 284,187 people. The decree of February 20, 1705 completed the formation of the recruitment system. Garrison internal troops were created to ensure “order” within the country.

The newly created Russian regular army showed its high fighting qualities in the battles of Lesnaya, Poltava and other battles. The reorganization of the army was accompanied by a change in its management system, which was carried out by the Rank Order. Order of Military Affairs, Order of the Commissar General, Order of Artillery, etc. Subsequently, the Discharge Table and the Commissariat were created, and in 1717 the Military Collegium was created. The recruiting system made it possible to have a large, homogeneous army that had better fighting qualities than the armies of Western Europe.

By the end of Peter's reign, all regular troops, infantry and cavalry, numbered up to 212 thousand, and 110 thousand Cossacks. At the same time, a new armed force was created, unfamiliar to ancient Rus' - the fleet,

3.3. BALTIC FLEET

At the beginning of the 18th century. For the first time in the history of Russia, a navy was created on the Don and Baltic, which was not inferior in importance to the creation of a regular army. The construction of the fleet was carried out at an unprecedentedly fast pace at the level of the best examples of military shipbuilding of that time.

With the beginning of the Northern War, the Azov squadron was abandoned, and then the Sea of ​​Azov itself was lost. Therefore, all Peter’s efforts were directed towards creating the Baltic Fleet. Back in 1701, he dreamed that he would have 80 large ships here. The crew was hastily recruited and in 1703 the Lodeynopolsky shipyard launched 6 frigates: this was the first Russian squadron to appear on the Baltic Sea. By the end of the reign, the Baltic fleet consisted of 48 battleships and up to 800 galleys and other small ships with 28 thousand crew.

The Russian fleet, like the army, was staffed from conscripted recruits. At the same time, the Marine Corps was created. To manage, recruit, train, maintain and equip this regular army, a complex military-administrative mechanism was created with the boards of the Military, Admiralty, Artillery Chancellery headed by the Feldzeichmeister General, with the Provisions Chancellery under the command of the Provision Master General, with the Main Commissariat under management of the General Krieg Commissioner for the reception of recruits and their placement in regiments, for distributing salaries to the army and supplying it with weapons, uniforms and horses. Here we must also add the general staff headed by the generals. The cost of maintaining the army amounted to 2/3 of the entire budget at that time.

3.4. THE IMPORTANCE OF MILITARY REFORM

Peter's military reform would have remained a special fact in the military history of Russia if it had not been so strongly imprinted on the social and moral make-up of Russian society and even on the course of political events. It required funds to maintain the transformed and expensive armed forces and special measures to maintain their regular order. Recruit sets extended military service to non-service classes, giving the new army an all-class composition, and changed the established social relations. The nobility, which made up the bulk of the former army, had to take a new official position when its slaves and serfs joined the ranks of the transformed army, and not as companions and slaves of their masters, but as privates as the nobles themselves began their service.

As you know, the great sovereign Peter Alekseevich made many changes in our country. Historians can spend hours listing the innovations of the reformer tsar; they will also note that under Peter 1 the army was formed on the basis of a set of recruits.

Peter carried out a very serious military reform, which strengthened the Russian Empire and contributed to the fact that our country and its army were stronger than the conqueror Charlemagne, which held all of Europe at that time in fear.

But first things first.

Why was there a need to carry out army reform?

When Pyotr Alekseevich was crowned king together with his brother Ivan Alekseevich, the army in Russia was as follows:

1. Regular units include Streltsy regiments, Cossack formations and foreign mercenaries.
2. Of the temporary formations in the event of a military threat - local troops, which were collected from peasants and artisans by large feudal lords.

During the turbulent 17th century, our country experienced many military upheavals; in the end, it was saved from the Time of Troubles not only by the military courage of regular units, but also by the forces

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

Peter's father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, also thought about a regular army, in which there would be conscription. However, his sudden death did not allow him to carry out all his military plans, although the king tried to partially bring them to life.

His eldest son and heir was seriously ill, governing the state was difficult for him, and he died soon after the death of his father.

The sister of Peter and John - the heirs to the throne - Princess Sofya Alekseevna, who actually usurped the power of her young brothers, relied on the archers. It was through the teaching of people loyal to Sophia that she actually received royal power.

However, the archers demanded privileges from her, and Sophia did not skimp on them. Her faithful assistants thought little about their service, which is why the army of the Russian state at that time was relatively weak compared to the armies of other European states.

What did Peter do?

As you know, Peter the Great’s path to power was very difficult; his sister interfered with him, wanting him dead. As a result, the young king managed to win the battle with Sophia, brutally suppressing her supporters of the Streltsy.

The young sovereign dreamed of military victories, but where could they get them in a country that actually did not have a regular army?

Peter, with his characteristic ardor, zealously got down to business.

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

The tsar began by organizing his two “amusing regiments” - Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky - according to the European model. They were commanded by foreign mercenaries. The regiments showed their best side during the Battle of Azov, so already in 1698 the old troops were completely disbanded.

In return, the king ordered the recruitment of new military personnel. From now on, conscription was imposed on every populated area of ​​the country. It was necessary to provide a certain number of young, physically strong men for their service to the Tsar and the Fatherland.

Military transformations

As a result, they managed to recruit about 40,000 people, who were divided into 25 infantry regiments and 2 cavalry regiments. The commanders were mostly foreign officers. The soldiers were trained very strictly and according to the European model.

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

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

What was this service like?

The service for the soldiers was long and hard. The service life was 25 years. Moreover, for showing courage in battle, a simple soldier could rise to the rank of officer. Peter generally did not like lazy scions from rich families, so if he noticed that some dressed-up young nobleman was evading his official duties, he did not spare him.

Particular importance was given to the military training of the nobility, who were required to perform military service for 25 years. In return for this service, the nobles received land plots from the state with the peasants.

What has changed?

Despite the fact that the population reacted negatively to the heavy conscription duty, trying in every possible way to avoid it (young people were sent to monasteries, assigned to other classes, etc.), the army of Peter I grew. At the moment when the Swedish king Charles decided to defeat our country, Peter already had 32 infantry regiments, 2 regiments of guards and 4 regiments of grenadiers. In addition, there were 32 special forces. This was about 60 thousand well-trained soldiers under the command of experienced officers.

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

Results of Peter's reform

As a result, by his death in 1725, the king had created an entire military machine, which was distinguished by its power and efficiency in military affairs. Of course, the creation of the army by Peter 1 is a huge merit of the sovereign. In addition, the tsar created special economic institutions that provided his army with the possibility of subsistence, created regulations for service, conscription, etc.

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

Thus, we can say with confidence that under Peter 1 the army was formed on the basis of universal recruitment. It was a strict and strong military system, a well-coordinated social mechanism that ensured the fulfillment of its main task - protecting the country from external threats in that turbulent time.

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

The regular Russian army was created under Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century. Its creation was facilitated by the defeat of Russian troops in 1700 near Narva in a battle with the Swedish army. Streltsy regiments and noble cavalry showed their complete helplessness. The Russian army lost more than 6 thousand people and all artillery near Narva.

Peter I introduced a new army recruitment system. It began to be carried out on the principle of recruitment, when 10-20 peasant households, by lot, supplied one person for lifelong military service. The introduction of conscription allowed Peter I to significantly increase the number of standing troops. The officer corps of the Russian army consisted of nobles; for them, public service was mandatory and lifelong. To receive an officer rank, a nobleman had to serve as a soldier in the Guards regiments - Preobrazhensky or Semenovsky.

A new organizational structure of the army was established, and unified states were introduced. The Russian armed forces at this time consisted of a field army and garrison troops. The field army included 2 guards regiments, 5 grenadier (selected infantry) regiments, 35 infantry, 33 cavalry and an artillery regiment.

Questions:
1. The main stages of the creation of the Russian regular army during the military reform of Peter I.
2. Formation of the Navy.

The 18th century, being one of the most eventful periods in Russian history, was marked by outstanding victories of Russian weapons on land and sea, which highly raised Russia's international authority. These victories would not have been achieved without the presence of a regular, combat-ready army and navy in the country.

Even in Ancient Rus' there were military formations, the core of which were squads. To solve major foreign policy problems and repel attacks by hostile tribes, the Kyiv princes attracted squads of princes and boyars under their control, and also convened a militia of warriors, fielded by the population. Allies and mercenaries were often also involved. Subsequent feudal fragmentation led to military fragmentation.
In the XIV-XV centuries, the formation of the Moscow, unified Russian state began. This period was marked by the first major victory of the united army of the Russian principalities led by Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo field. The integration process continued under Ivan the Terrible, who attempted to create a regular army while carrying out military reform. It began with a decree of October 1, 1550 on the creation of “a selected thousand service people” in Moscow and surrounding counties. 6 rifle regiments of 500 people each were created. Many historians believe that this period marked the beginning of the creation of a standing army in Rus'.
However, it is unlawful to link the official date of the emergence of the Russian army with the creation of the first “thousand archers” or other similar dates. The Russian army could and did arise only with the emergence of the Russian state itself. In addition, the Streltsy units did not form the basis of the Russian army and did not fully meet the requirements of a standing, regular army. The Streltsy lived in their own settlements, were not fully supported by the state and only periodically engaged in combat training, were distinguished by low discipline and poor controllability. Therefore, already in the 16th century it was necessary to create regiments of soldier (foreign) formation.
The creation of the Streltsy army by Ivan the Terrible and the regiments of the “new system” by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich constituted important stages on the path to the creation of a regular army. But these troops existed in parallel and did not yet form a single army. They were not constantly in military service, and even the regiments of the “new order” after the end of the war had to be disbanded to their homes, and then again assembled, essentially untrained people.
After the Azov campaigns, Peter I was finally convinced that the army that he inherited was unsuitable for solving new, more complex military-political tasks.
Peter I faced the following tasks: to pull the country out of backwardness, pushing it to the forefront, to fully implement a whole range of political, economic and military-technical tasks on a national scale, to radically transform the entire military organization of Russia, to reach the coast of the Baltic and Black Seas. To this end, he carried out major reforms in all areas of life and the structure of the state. The most important component of Peter's reforms was a radical reorganization of the military structure of the state and, above all, the creation of a regular army based on a recruiting system.
After the Streltsy revolt of 1699, Peter I ordered the dispersal of the Streltsy troops, using the remainder for service on the outskirts of Russia.
The creation of a regular army required the solution of many issues, the fundamental ones among which were: the creation of a unified system and procedure for recruiting troops, their organization and armament, training and education; creation of a state and legislative basis for military service, the economic base of the country's defense, and the defense industry; development of domestic military regulations; creation of its own national military school. Having resolved these issues, Peter I actually created regular armed forces.
To form the “new equipment” regiments, by the Decree of Peter I of November 17, 1699, a “general court” was formed as the highest body of military administration. On June 25, 1700, the new regiments were distributed among divisions and awarded to the commanders of these divisions. In Russian military history, this day was taken as the day of the establishment of the Russian regular army. This date was officially recorded in the “Chronicle of the Russian Imperial Army of 1852” published by decree of Emperor Nicholas I.
In 1705, by decree of Peter I, conscription military service was legislated. Its essence was that men aged 20 to 30, physically fit for military service, were annually recruited into the army and navy. The soldier corps was formed from peasants and other tax-paying classes, and the officer corps from nobles. Initially, one person from 20 households was recruited, and from 1724 - 5-7 people from 1000 male souls. Service in the army and navy was lifelong.
Thus, a stable system of manning the armed forces was created, which was the most advanced for that time. It existed virtually unchanged for almost 170 years (until the introduction of universal conscription in Russia in 1874). Over the first 20 years, 53 recruitments were carried out in the army and navy, which yielded 284 thousand people called up for lifelong military service, of which, by the end of the reign of Peter I, 46 infantry regiments were formed (including 2 guards, 2 grenadiers) , 33 Dragoon Regiment. The army's combat personnel numbered 112 thousand people with 480 guns.
With the increase in the size of the army and the development of military branches, the organizational structure of the troops was improved, which made it easier to control them on the battlefield. A coherent organization of the Russian armed forces took shape, consisting of a land army and a navy. The ground army consisted of three branches of troops - infantry, cavalry and artillery.
The main branch of the military was infantry, and the main tactical unit with permanent staff was the regiment. By 1711, the infantry regiment consisted of 8 companies, organized into 2 battalions. For the Russian Army, such a staff of an infantry regiment turned out to be optimal. According to the states of 1711, there were 1,487 people in the infantry regiment, of which 1,120 were combatants, 247 non-combatant ranks, 80 non-commissioned officers and 40 staff and chief officers. The composition of divisions and brigades did not have a constant structure and changed depending on the situation.
The technical equipment of the troops was improved. The infantrymen were armed with a smooth-bore rifle (fusee) with a flintlock, equipped with a baguette (bayonet). It had a caliber of 7.87 lines (19.8 mm) and weighed 14 pounds (5.6 kg). The aimed firing range of the fusee was 250-300 steps, the rate of fire was 1-2 rounds per minute. Now an infantryman in battle could hit the enemy with both fire and a bayonet.
Cavalrymen (dragoons) were equipped with a lightweight gun without a bayonet, a broadsword and two pistols. A distinctive feature of the Russian cavalry was that it could operate both on horseback and on foot. The number of its regiments constantly changed during the war. They were formed depending on the circumstances. According to the states of 1711, it was established to have 33 cavalry regiments, of which 3 were grenadiers and 30 fusiliers. The total number of regular cavalry was determined to be 43,824 people. The dragoon regiment consisted of 10 companies, one of which was horse grenadier. The companies consisted of 5 squadrons, two in each. The strength of the dragoon regiment was determined to be 1328 people. The Russian dragoon regiment, unlike the European cavalry, had strong regimental artillery. It consisted of 6 or 8 guns. In Russia, for the first time, a cavalry corps was created - the corvolant. It was intended to solve tactical problems and operated during the war in a number of cases at a considerable distance from the main forces of the field army.
The artillery underwent radical changes. The first military unit that laid the foundation for regular artillery was the bombardment company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Then an artillery regiment was created, uniting the army field artillery. Its organization and numbers were constantly changing. According to the staff of 1712, the regiment consisted of a bombardier company and 4 gunner companies, a miner company, pontoon and engineer teams.
Artillery under Peter I began to be divided into regimental, field, siege and fortress, which provided ample opportunities for its tactical use. After the defeat at Narva, Peter I did not spare even church bells, from the metal of which new cannons were hastily cast. The quality of the artillery material was improved, a single caliber scale was introduced (Russian artillery scale), which eliminated the existing multi-caliber artillery. There were three types of guns: cannons, howitzers and mortars. During Peter's reforms, horse artillery appeared in the Russian army.
The system of military command and control changed radically and became strictly centralized. For this purpose, instead of numerous orders, between which the military administration had previously been fragmented, Peter I established the Military Collegium.
Transformations in the training and education system began with the development of new military regulations and instructions, written on the basis of combat practice in the conditions of the Northern War. The first charter was “Military Articles” A.M. Golovin, introduced in 1699. Unlike the regulations of European armies, they contained only the necessary, simple techniques, formations and commands, which were distinguished by clarity of understanding.
In 1700, this charter was supplemented with provisions that for the first time established the internal regulations of army life, the duties of lower ranks and officers.
Then new manuals, instructions and regulations appeared: “Company Infantry Ranks”, “Military Articles”.
At the end of 1700, Peter I developed a new charter, which he called “Brief Ordinary Teaching,” the main idea of ​​which was the need for individual training of each soldier, and for regular cavalry - the cavalry charter “Dragoon Teaching,” in which the combat training of infantry and cavalry.
In 1709, the troops received instructions “Establishment for battle at the present time.” Its value lay in the fact that it emphasized the connection between the training of soldiers and officers and the steadfastness of the troops, their military valor and dedication, that is, with their moral and combat qualities. A new step in the development of regulations was the instruction on the tactics of a field army in 1713 - “For a military battle, rules”, in which Peter I outlined the issues of maneuvering and control in battle, citing examples of military events. This instruction summarizes the experience of interaction between infantry and cavalry with artillery units. A special place in this list is occupied by the Military Regulations of 1716, which summarized the combat experience accumulated by the Russian Army in the Northern War. It consisted of three independent parts: “Military Regulations”, “Military Article” and “On Exercising”, covered almost all aspects of the life of the army and established order in it based on strict discipline and organization. The main provisions of this Charter were in force until the end of the 19th century.
On November 20, 1721, Russian soldiers began to take an oath of allegiance to service, obliging soldiers to defend the state “with body and blood, in the field and fortresses, by water and by land...”, and officers took the oath with each promotion in rank.
Peter I established military etiquette, and also laid down the traditions of the Russian army, raising its moral level. To strengthen the fighting spirit of the army, Peter updated military rituals and ceremonies. To encourage those who distinguished themselves, the emperor created a new reward system. A uniform uniform of clothing was introduced into the army, and military ranks were established.
To train officers, back in 1698 - 1699, a bombardment school was founded at the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and at the beginning of the new century, a network of military educational institutions was created: artillery, engineering, foreign languages ​​and even surgical schools. There were 50 garrison schools for the training of non-commissioned officers. Internships for young nobles abroad for military training were widely practiced. At the same time, the government refused to hire foreign military specialists.
During the break between hostilities, combat training became the main occupation of the army and navy. Peter I is considered the founder of the idea of ​​conducting exercises and maneuvers as the highest form of training for commanders and troops.
Thus, the measures taken made it possible to create a powerful, combat-ready regular army, superior to the armies of a number of Western countries.
Until the end of the 17th century, the totality of military forces in Russia was called “army” and it was Peter I who introduced the European concept of “army”.

The origin of the Russian Navy and naval art is associated with the struggle that the Eastern Slavs waged against the Byzantine Empire from the 4th-6th centuries. The Slavic flotillas consisted of small sailing and rowing vessels that could operate on rivers and at the same time had good seaworthiness. In Kievan Rus of the 9th - 12th centuries there were flotillas numbering several hundred ships (lods, kochs, 2- and 3-masted boats, etc.). At a later time, Novgorodians made sea voyages to Sweden. During the period of feudal fragmentation, Rus' was cut off from the southern seas; naval forces remained only in the Novgorod land.
The first attempt to create a permanent Russian fleet on the Baltic Sea was made by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1570, creating a privateer mercenary flotilla, but it was not successful. The second attempt was made in 1658 -1661. on the initiative of boyar A.L. Ordin-Nashchokina on the Western Dvina River, but it also turned out to be unsuccessful.
The creation of a regular Navy in Russia dates back to the period 1696 - 1725. It is also associated with the name of Peter I, when the Russian state fought for access to the Baltic, Black and Azov seas.
Peter entered the naval history of Russia as a great naval commander, the founder of Russian naval art, who placed the Russian fleet among the leading naval powers in Europe.
In fact, the construction of the fleet began at the end of 1695 in the city of Voronezh on the river of the same name, when, after returning from the unsuccessful first Azov campaign, Peter I began to build the Azov fleet. From this time on, the period of the sailing fleet began in Russia. The Russian fleet received its baptism of fire already in the second Azov campaign of 1696, when 2 battleships, 4 fire ships, 23 galleys and 1300 plows took part against Turkey for the first time.
After the capture of the Azov fortress on October 20, 1696, at the insistence of Peter I, the Boyar Duma issued a decree in which it decided “there should be sea vessels.” This day is considered to be the birthday of the regular Russian Navy. This was a decision of historical importance. As a result of its implementation, Russia - the largest continental state - was also supposed to become a maritime power.
The creation of the Russian regular fleet was carried out in the following areas:
- construction of ships and ships;
- creation of combat-ready fleets;
- education and training of specialists for the fleet;
- creation of a naval management and regulatory framework.
On November 4, 1696, the construction of a regular Russian fleet began by “kumpanships”, into which the nobility (18 kumpanships) and the clergy (17 kumpanships) were grouped. The responsibilities of the merchants included the construction, armament, maintenance and repair of ships.
Soldiers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, carpenters collected from all over the country, and 50 foreign craftsmen were appointed to build the ships. The organization of the construction of ships was entrusted to the Military Order-Discharge, headed by Voivode T.N. Streshnev. To study shipbuilding and maritime affairs in 1697, Peter I, under the guise of a sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Peter Mikhailov, as part of the Great Embassy, ​​went to Holland and England and sent about 100 young people there.
Over the 30 years from 1696 to 1725, the Azov and Baltic fleets and the Caspian flotilla were created. In total, 111 battleships, 38 frigates, 60 brigantines, 8 ships, 67 large galleys, a significant number of scampaways (half-galleys), bombardment ships, fire ships, up to 300 transport ships and many small ships were built. In terms of combat and seaworthiness, Russian battleships were not inferior to foreign ones, and galleys successfully operated in the skerry areas of the Baltic Sea against Swedish ships.
The construction of the Azov fleet was carried out at shipyards in Voronezh, Tavrov, Stupino, Bryansk, Chizhovka, Pavlovsk. In 1697, the first admiralty was established in Voronezh. In the fall of 1698, some of the ships were launched, and in the spring of 1699, a squadron of 10 ships and several vessels entered the Sea of ​​Azov. In August, on one of them, the 46-gun ship “Fortress,” Peter I sent Duma clerk E.I. to Constantinople for negotiations. Ukraintsev and personally accompanied him with the squadron (10 ships, 2 galleys, 2 vessels) to Kerch. This demonstration of the Russian fleet contributed to the signing of a peace treaty with Turkey on July 3, 1700.
The construction of the Azov Fleet continued until 1711. A total of 215 ships were built, including 44 58-gun ships. After the Prut Treaty of 1711, according to which Azov and Taganrog were transferred to Turkey, the Azov fleet ceased to exist. The experience gained during its construction was used in the Baltic Sea, which played an important role in the Northern War.
Ships for the Baltic Fleet were built at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Olonets (Lodeynoye Pole), Uglich, Arkhangelsk and Tver. Until 1725, 29 battleships were built here. The Baltic Fleet in 1721 included 32 battleships, about 100 other sailing ships and up to 400 rowing ships.
During the Northern War, Russian troops, with the assistance of the fleet, took the fortress of Vyborg, the ports of Revel (Tallinn), Pernov (Pärnu), Riga, Helsingfors (Helsinki) and Abo (Turku), as well as the Moonsund Islands.
During these years, the Russian fleet won its first major victories in naval battles on the island of Kotlin, the Gangut Peninsula, the islands of Ezel and Grengam, and gained dominance in the Baltic and Caspian Seas, which allowed Russia to become a major maritime power.
During the creation of a regular fleet, on November 16, 1705, Peter I issued a decree on the creation of a naval regiment, which marked the beginning of the organization of the marine corps of the Russian fleet.
In the Northern War, the marines were widely used in naval battles and landings. In 1712, instead of a regiment, five battalions of 22 officers were formed, with up to 660 privates and non-commissioned officers in each. Three battalions were included in the naval squadrons, one in the galley squadron, and one carried out guard duty at the bases.
By 1718, most command positions in the fleet were occupied by Russian people who had the necessary knowledge, experience and distinguished themselves in battle. In this regard, in January 1721, by decree of the Senate, it was prohibited to accept foreigners into service in the fleet.
By 1725, the number of personnel in the fleet reached 7,215 people. Officers and shipbuilders were trained at the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences established on January 14, 1701 in Moscow and the Maritime Academy established on October 1, 1715. St. Petersburg became the main center of shipbuilding and personnel training for the Russian Navy.
During the creation of the regular fleet, Peter I developed a system for managing it. The Adoliralteisky order was in charge of the construction, armament and supply of the fleet. Since 1712, in connection with the development of shipbuilding in St. Petersburg, it was transformed into an economic body - the Moscow Admiralty Chancellery, and its functions were transferred to the St. Petersburg Admiralty Chancellery and the Chancellery of the Military Marine Fleet.
The St. Petersburg Admiralty Chancellery was entrusted with shipbuilding, armament, supply and repair of military vessels, and the Chancellery of the Military Marine Fleet was entrusted with the functions of manning the fleet, providing personnel with uniforms, monetary and medical allowances, as well as legal responsibilities.
The Moscow Admiralty Chancellery was in charge of collecting money for the needs of the fleet, factories, supplies, orders, a forestry yard, supply warehouses, and a navigation school.
With the further growth of the fleet in St. Petersburg, in addition to the Office of the Military Sea Fleet and the St. Petersburg Admiralty Office, provisions, uniform, crew, chief-sarvaer (shipbuilding) offices, accounting and forestry offices were formed. In 1723, all chancelleries were renamed offices and became part of the admiralty boards.
The changes also affected the legislative framework. On April 13, 1720, the first naval charter was published - “The book of naval regulations about everything that relates to good governance when the fleet is at sea...”. The charter was created under the leadership of Peter I on the basis of a synthesis of the rich experience of the Northern War and all the best that was in the charters of foreign fleets. The charter contained a decree of Peter I of January 13 on the importance of the fleet in the armed forces system and the purpose of the charter, a “Preface to the willing reader,” an oath, and “regulations” explaining the concepts of “fleet” and “fleet combat formations.” The text of the charter consisted of five books, which summarized the basic organizational principles of the regular Russian fleet, the rights and responsibilities of the commanders of the fleet and its units, instructions on the tactics of the squadron in battle, on the organization of daily and combat service on the ship, the rights and responsibilities of the crew from the captain to sailor, disciplinary punishments for violations of the charter. The appendix contained a summary of the fleet's daily and combat signals.
The charter was imbued with the ideas of patriotism, loyalty to the oath, vigilance, and strict keeping of military secrets. It was emphasized that Russian warships should under no circumstances surrender to the enemy. Ships were strictly forbidden to lower their flags in front of anyone, to leave the battle without permission, and if it was impossible to protect the ship from the enemy, the crew was obliged to burn it.
The revised charter was reissued in 1724 and, with minor changes, was in force until 1797. According to the Naval Regulations, many generations of Russian military sailors learned the art of defeating the enemy.
Of great moral significance for the personnel was the establishment by Peter I on November 30, 1699 of the St. Andrew's flag - the stern flag of the ships of the Russian fleet, under which sailors courageously fought for 200 years, glorifying him with heroic deeds for the glory of the Motherland.
Thus, through the works of the outstanding statesman and reformer Peter I, a powerful Navy was created in Russia.

Methodological recommendations.
In the introductory speech, emphasizing the relevance of the topic, it should be noted that in the context of army reform it is important to use historical experience.
When considering the first question, it is advisable to reveal the features of the creation of the ground army at various stages of Peter's reform, to show the difficulties and problems that the reformer faced.
In considering the second issue, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of the fleet for the defense of the country, to which Peter I himself attached great importance.
In conclusion, it is necessary to make sure that the students have mastered the educational material by asking them several control questions, draw brief conclusions, answer their questions, and give recommendations for studying the literature.

Recommended reading:
1. Amon G. Marine memorable dates. - M., 1987.
2. History of the Russian army. At 7t. - St. Petersburg: “Polygon”, 2003. T. 1.
3. Strelnikov V. Passage of lower ranks of service in the Russian army in the 18th-20th centuries. // Reference point. - 2010. - No. 2.

Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry SAMOSVAT.
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Alexey KURSHEV, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences