By order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the establishment of the gentry corps took place in St. Petersburg. The year 1732 was the first academic period in it. The corresponding decree was issued in 1731, on June 29. Let us further consider what the gentry corps was like.
Year 1732
In the early stages of the institution's work, teachers were accepted without testing. Beginning in 1736, the best pupils began to be attracted to teaching. The gentry corps was opened in 1732, on February 17. On this day, the institution accepted 56 pupils. In June there were already 352 of them. All of them were divided into three companies. In 1734, on June 8, the first issue took place. The first land gentry corps was located in the house of the favorite of Peter the Great Menshikov. Guards, teachers, part of the officers and a priest were to live in the same building. In 1752, the Naval gentry corps was formed on the basis of the Academy
Destination
The establishment of the gentry corps was necessary for teaching not only military, but also general education disciplines. He trained both soldiers and civilian officials. This is the first Russian gentrythe body was significantly different from European ones. At the initial stages, various transformations and changes were carried out. A significant contribution to the activities of the institution was made by I. I. Betskoy and M. I. Kutuzov.
General Education
Among the subjects taught in the gentry corps were:
- geography;
- history;
- artillery;
- math;
- fencing;
- fortification;
- riding;
- Latin, German, French;
- rhetoric;
- grammar;
- calling;
- heraldry;
- dancing;
- morality and others.
In addition, there were daily classes in "soldier's exercise" - the repeated repetition of a certain skill. However, later it was established to hold them once a week so that they do not interfere with the assimilation of other disciplines. The children of nobles who learned to write and read were accepted into the corps, which is why it was called gentry, that is, noble. The age of pupils was from 13 to 18 years old.
Organization of training
The land gentry corps was divided into two companies. Each had 100 students. There were 6-7 people living in the rooms. One of them was appointed "assigner in comradeship" (senior). In addition, duty officers were appointed throughout the corps (lieutenant and captain). They were not allowed to leave the building. The establishment of the gentry corps was accompanied by certain difficulties. It operated a training system developed by Munnich. It should be noted that it was far from perfect. Teachers very rarely explained this or that material. Basically, they required memorizing sections. The same was true for independent work. The educational process was boring and monotonous, not arousing the interest of the pupils. However, there have been attempts to diversify classes by introducing visual elements. To accustom pupils to foreign languages, a cadet for whom, for example, German was native, was placed in a room next to a Russian nobleman. Pupils were divided into groups of disciplines that they studied. The whole course included 4 classes: the 1st was the senior, and the 4th was the junior. Education in 1-3 cells. lasted 5-6 years. A graduate, depending on the class in which he studied, was awarded a military rank or a civil rank.
Moral education
The opening of the gentry corps fell on the post-Petrine time. Most of the teachers and guards remembered the rules introduced by the emperor. Accordingly, they were also transferred to the gentry (noble) corps. The pupils were treated as "lower ranks". The requirements that were presented to them did not actually differ from those that were established for the soldiers. Pupils were also punished for breaking the rules and regulations. This situation continued until the land gentry cadet corps was headed by I. I. Betskoy.
Short biography of the new leader
I. I. Betskoy was the illegitimate son of Trubetskoy, a prince who fell intoperiod of the Northern War to the Swedes captured. According to the tradition that existed in that era, the father gave the child part of his last name. Along with this, the son of a famous prince received an excellent education and a great fortune. Betsky's military career began in Denmark. However, he subsequently moved to Russia. In Moscow, Betskoy founded the First Orphanage. From that moment began his work as a teacher. Catherine the Second with great approval treated his idea of educating people of a "new breed". By the time of his appointment as the head of the gentry corps, Betsky already had quite a lot of pedagogical experience and formed views. In addition to the Orphanage, he was the director of the Commercial School and the Institute of Noble Maidens. Catherine supported his undertakings in every possible way, believing that children of the nobility should be properly educated and prepared for state and military service.
New stage of work
Betskoy headed the gentry cadet corps in 1765, March 7th. Already in 1766, he drew up the Charter. In accordance with the new document, the companies were liquidated. According to the Charter, 5 ages were introduced. In each of them there were 5 departments, where children of both nobles and raznochintsy studied. The latter were supposed to train teachers. On equal terms, they were to study with the cadets. So Betskoy tried to bring different classes closer to a certain extent, in order to avoid disagreements between them in the future.
Juvenile department
The gentry corps began to accept boys 5-6 years old. At each set age they were tostudy for 3 years, but they were released at 20 years old. At the same time, for 15 years of stay in the institution, parents were forbidden to demand the return of the child. Nevertheless, there were a large number of people who wanted to give their offspring for education. The fact is that the nobles of that time did not recognize either the Academy of Sciences, or the Greco-Latin Academy, or any other educational institution. They considered them unworthy of their children. However, Betskoy began to give preference to those boys whose parents were wounded or died in the war, and also became impoverished and could not give a decent education to the child at their own expense. It should be noted that this principle of admission of pupils was preserved later. The first (juvenile) age was under the supervision of guards. They walked with the boys, took care of their he alth, taught them several foreign languages, and instilled in children good manners. A priest and a deacon were also present in this department. In addition to the church service itself, they conducted classes according to the Law of God. There were also teachers of the Russian language, dancing and drawing in the department. Underage pupils occupied a separate building.
Second age
It included children aged 9-12. The pupils were under the supervision of male tutors. They weren't supposed to be harsh with the kids. Their duties included teaching children self-service themselves, instilling "love for virtue and good manners." Teachers and tutors were required to note the abilities of children, their inclinations and inclinations. Observation was to be carried out both during lessons and during periods of rest. This was necessary for the subsequent determination of the area in which one or another child could be involved. In addition to disciplines, the study of which was started at a young age, children aged 9-12 were taught history, chronology, geography, geometry and arithmetic, mythology, and the Old Church Slavonic language.
Children 12-15 years old
The organization of this branch was almost the same as the previous one. According to Betsky's plan, the cadets at this age were supposed to perfect the disciplines, the study of which had been started earlier. In addition, they were taught Latin, the basics of civil and military architecture, and accounting. In the third department, general education was completed.
4th and 5th ages
In these departments, the studies and life of the pupils changed. From the age of 15, officers watched over the children. They had to make sure that the pupils did not spend their time in idleness. They were required to deal firmly with the cadets, but without instilling fear in them. The command of the 4th and 5th divisions was carried out by a lieutenant colonel. The captains - his assistants - taught the pupils military disciplines. Among them were fortification, defense and siege of fortresses, artillery, charters. Drill training was conducted by non-commissioned officers. From 1775, chemistry and physics were introduced as compulsory subjects. Special rooms were equipped for their study. In addition, attention was paid to jurisprudence and civil architecture, knowledge of German, Latin (or Italian) and French was deepened. Pupilsalso engaged in horseback riding, fencing.
Theatrical arts
Recitation teachers were invited to the gentry corps. Among them were Russian artists (Plavilshchikov, for example), and foreigners. It is worth noting that theatrical art in the institution was especially popular. It even formed the Society of Lovers of Literature. Its organizer was Alexander Sumarokov, who graduated from the Artillery engineering gentry corps in 1740. After a while, he became a major writer. One of the founders of the professional Russian theater, Fyodor Volkov, was also a student of the corps and was a member of the Sumarokov Society.
Exams
They were held every 4 months. There was a final exam at the end of the year. It was held publicly in the presence of the empress herself or ministers, generals, spiritual, civil nobles. The order was subsequently changed. Thus, only 2 annual public examinations began to be held - in mid-March and September. It was attended by one of the senators, some professors and lecturers. For each discipline, the maximum and minimum number of points was set - from 1/8 to 128. For example, for "Russian writing" a pupil could get from 1/8 to 2, for grammar - from 1 to 96, arithmetic - from 1 to 32 and etc. After passing all the subjects, the points were added up. According to the result, the best pupils were determined. They were awarded medals, various books, drawing tools. All achievements and awards were entered into the form. They countedwhen distributed at the end of training.
Interesting facts
A "talking wall" was created in the gentry building. Various aphorisms, thoughts of the ancients were written on it. After the end of classes, Count Anh alt, walking with the pupils in the park, explained the meaning of what was written, discussed with the cadets, trying to ensure that they not only memorize, but also understand the meaning of the sayings. The institution also collected a large library of foreign and domestic literature. The building had its own botanical garden. It included plants not only from Russia, but also from a number of other countries. Of particular importance in education were the personal conversations of the chief with the young men. Well-performing pupils of Betskaya, and later Anh alt, were invited to their home for tea. Underage cadets visited Catherine II.
Lack of learning
It is worth noting that for 15 years the pupils were practically in greenhouse conditions. As a result, in fact, they turned out to be divorced from reality. Young people, having received an excellent education and upbringing, faced the rather harsh realities of feudal Russia. Often they were lost, not knowing how to apply all that they had been taught for so many years. Despite the fact that among the graduates there were quite a few generals, officers, statesmen, most of them left the service, returning to their estates.
Kutuzov's directorate
At the end of the 18th century, events outside Russia were quite dramatic. Whilethe military glory of Napoleon, who shone in campaigns in Europe, reached its peak. Many in Russia understood that the time would come when Russia, too, would need to defend its borders. To do this, the country needed competent and trained officers capable of leading soldiers. The gentry corps, which was popular at that time, solved this problem only partially. In 1794, the deceased Count Anh alt (Betsky's successor) was replaced by M. I. Kutuzov. He began his work with the reorganization of the institution. Instead of 5 ages, 4 musketeers and 1 grenadier companies were introduced. Each had 96 pupils. Classes were canceled in the juvenile department. Kutuzov believed that exceptionally strong, physically he althy soldiers could acquire knowledge well and serve in the army. In this regard, in the junior department, the boys were hardened during walks, active outdoor games in any weather every day.
Discipline
The creation of the gentry corps was originally conceived to train people in two areas - military and civilian. However, after a while the situation changed. During the period of Kutuzov's leadership, the study of military sciences acquired a pronounced practical character. Classes for senior departments were postponed for 2 months in camps. Subsequently, they became traditional in other military educational institutions. In summer camps, the pupils woke up at 6 in the morning to the drumming. The same signal was used to announce the start and end of classes, lunch, breakfast, and dinner. A variety of tactics were practiced in the camp, classes were heldshooting from artillery weapons and rifles. Pupils learned to make topographic surveys of the area, work with maps, recognize different signals, and rebuild on command. In their free time, the cadets were engaged in physical training, swimming, sunbathing. Successful students were used as examples. Kutuzov marked them with orders. Those who did poorly in disciplines had to study subjects during their holidays. Kutuzov used not only methods of persuasion, but also coercion.
New organization of the educational process
During the leadership of Kutuzov, the class-lesson system was established. The groups began to unite pupils of approximately the same level of knowledge and age. Transfer to the next class was based on the results of successfully passed exams in specific subjects. The institution introduced summer and winter holidays. Over the years, the class grew into a close-knit family. This sense of comradeship was manifested in further service. The appointment of cadets after graduation was instructed to be impartial.
Conclusion
When we first met the pupils, Kutuzov said that he would treat them like soldiers, not like children. This phrase confused them. However, after graduation, saying goodbye to them, he said that despite the fact that they did not love him at the very beginning for his words, he sincerely wishes them happiness and will be highly rewarded for his love for them with their honor, glory and devotion to the Fatherland. Kutuzov was able to solve the setissues in the education and training of future officers. He sought to realize the key task, which was to train professional, competent commanders of cavalry and infantry units who could withstand Napoleon's army, which had accumulated military experience and strength. Subsequently, the pupils of Kutuzov proved to be excellent in battles in the Patriotic War of 1812
