In the mass consciousness, the archers appear as some kind of idiots in red caftans, rushing about the Kremlin in fright, shouting: "Take demons alive!" Thanks to the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession". Perhaps someone will remember from the school history course that Peter the First replaced the archers with units on the European model - due to the alleged complete inefficiency and obsolescence of the archer army. In fact, the archers were almost the best fighters of their time, combining European and Asian combat techniques, organization and equipment.
Ivan IV the Terrible played a significant role in the fate of the archers. As a matter of fact, he established them and came up with a procedure for manning and armament, which held out with minor changes from the middle of the 16th to the second decade of the 18th century (and on the outskirts of the empire until the end of the century), having gone through numerous wars and campaigns. Moreover, the archers took part in the Northern War and the Prut campaign (1711), having established themselves as combat-ready units.
The failures, which were not without, should be attributed to the military commanders who commanded the archers, and not to blame the archers themselves. By the way, they had forerunners - squeakers, so nicknamed because of the use of squeaks in battle (as they called both hand-held firearms and small cannons). Muscovites left far behind the army of Europe in terms of mass use, archers possessed more advanced skills and combat techniques than the European mercenary infantry. The latter still held on to edged weapons and medieval tactics. In addition, the archers had higher military discipline and training: they successfully interacted with cavalry and artillery, which was rare among the western infantry. Streltsy surpassed even the renowned Spanish infantry in perseverance on the battlefield. The fighting spirit was also promoted by the fact that all branches of the army belonged at least to different classes, but to the same people and faith. Whereas in Europe one could find, for example, cavalry from the German Reitar or Serbian, Polish, Hungarian hussars, and the infantry from mercenaries recruited from the pine forest across all the territories of the then fragmented Europe. Often the troops simply did not understand each other, although the research of historians testifies that the spoken language for different peoples was then Upper Middle German. And, for example, the German Landsknechts and the Swiss infantry hated each other and could arrange a massacre, even being on the same side.
An interesting engineering and tactical solution of the streltsy army was the "walk-gorod": a movable protective wall made of wooden shields or logs that saved the infantry from enemy fire (guns, artillery or bows). We used gulyai-gorod both in the offensive and in the defense, which sharply reduced losses. Artillery fire was also used through the loopholes of the Gulyai - cities, inflicting incalculable losses on the enemy due to shooting literally at point-blank range.
Ivan the Terrible, having established archers in 1540, initially recruited only 500 people. But the army grew rapidly, at first at the expense of the townspeople and free villagers, but soon they began to serve for life, and the status was inherited.
In the heyday, only in the capital, the garrison numbered 12 thousand, divided into 12 regiments. Streltsy proved themselves during the capture of Kazan in 1552. And they repulsed the Krymchaks in the Battle of Molody, despite the fourfold superiority of the enemy.
Organization, armament
The high command of the archers was carried out by the Streletskaya hut, later - the Streletsky order.
The rifle army was divided into Moscow and policemen. The first worked as the "Kremlin guard", stood on guard, fought for the country. The policemen served in garrisons, guarded the border, carried out police service. Local commanders commanded the city archers.
All the archers wore uniforms (although they were of different colors, one of the regiments of the Moscow archers had red outerwear) and weapons: a firearm, a berdysh (ax) and a saber. Such weapons made it possible both to enter into a fire clash with the enemy, and to conduct hand-to-hand combat independently at medium and short distances. This fundamentally distinguished the archers from the European armies, where musketeers (arquebusiers), armed with rifles, covered themselves with detachments of pikemen (spearmen), which limited both fighting qualities and maneuver on the battlefield. However, an insignificant part of the archers was also armed with pikes, but this was an uncharacteristic weapon for them, as an imitation of the European armies. As protective equipment, one could find a steel helmet that does not interfere with rifle fire, and a cuirass. But this ammunition was bought by the archers with their own money, in contrast to other equipment issued by the state. Uniforms were divided into field, gray or black, and ceremonial, regimental colors. The parade was worn on major holidays and parades. So films and pictures depicting archers on a campaign or in a battle in colored uniforms do not correspond to reality. But beautiful and elegant - what is needed for a positive perception by the viewer.
Privates, officers and, let's call it so - sergeants, were distinguished by their weapons. Streletsky's head was armed only with a saber, other chiefs also received a protazan, luxuriously decorated.
The ten's and Pentecostals served as junior commanders. Adjutants were elected for a year.
In the 1650s, the post of the five-hundredth man was established, and a promoted from rank-and-file or junior commanders became it. The five-hundredth man was engaged in logistic support in the rank of deputy commander of the order.
Until the middle of the 17th century, the officers of the rifle regiments were heads and centurions. In the 1650s, the position of a half-head was introduced - the first deputy commander. The Polish-Russian war of 1654-1667 brings the rank of colonel to the chain of command, initially an honorary title for the head, without commanding a regiment. A half-head could become a half-colonel. In 1680, colonels, half-colonels and captains remained, earlier - centurions. Simultaneously, senior riflemen steel commanders are automatically promoted to stewards. And now the official name combined military rank and court rank.
The highest military-administrative unit of the streltsy army was first called a device, then an order, after 1681 - a regiment.
The control of the archers in the battle was carried out by battle cries - yasaks. Scientists distinguish two types of yasaks - vocal and musical (served by drum and horn). Yasaki were codified and had a single meaning for everyone, so good controllability, correct and uniform understanding of the commands given by the personnel was achieved.
Finance
Separate settlements were allocated for the archers, where they could engage in gardening, craft and trade. The treasury allocated monetary and grain allowances. Sometimes the archers, instead of a salary, were allocated land for the collective ownership of the entire settlement.
State cloth was issued to Moscow archers for sewing everyday caftans annually, to city archers - once every 3-4 years. Expensive colored cloth on the dress uniform was given irregularly, only on especially solemn occasions. Weapons, lead and gunpowder were supplied by the treasury (in wartime 1-2 pounds per person). Before a campaign or a business trip, the archers were supplied with the required amount of lead and gunpowder.
The money and food required for the maintenance of the streltsy were provided by the city's heavy population and the Black Hundred peasantry. They were responsible for numerous duties, including a special tax - "food money" and the delivery of "Strelets' bread". All this went to the relevant departments, they then sent money and food to the Streletsky Prikaz. In 1679, taxes for the North and North-East of the country were replaced by a single tax - "streltsy money".
In addition to the supply of land, cloth and weapons, the treasury gave out money to the archers, 20-30 rubles in silver a year, substantial sums for those times.
However, the salary was often delayed, which is why the shooters' unrest broke out. Peter I, who suppressed it, used one of these riots (1698) as an excuse to start reorganizing the army with the disbandment of the rifle regiments.
