Throwing off the age-old fetters of the Horde and overcoming feudal fragmentation, by the middle of the sixteenth century Russia had become a single state with a large population and vast territories. She needed a strong and organized army to protect the borders and develop new lands. This is how service people appeared in Russia - these are professional warriors and administrators who were in the service of the sovereign, received salaries in land, food or bread and were exempt from taxes.
Categories
There were two main categories of service people.
1. Serving in the homeland. The highest military class, recruited from among the Russian nobility. From the name it is clear that the service was passed on to the son from the father. They have held all leadership positions. For service, they received land plots for permanent use, fed and grew rich due to the work of peasants on these plots.
2. Those who served according to the instrument, that is, by choice. The bulk of the army, ordinary warriors and lower-level commanders. Chosen from the masses. As a salary, they received land plots for general use and for a while. After leaving the service or death, the land was taken by the state. No matter how talented the “instrument” warriors possessed, no matter what feats they performed, the road to the highest military was closed to them.posts.
Servants of the Fatherland
Children of boyars and nobles were enrolled in the category of service people in the fatherland. They began to serve from the age of 15, before that they were considered undersized. Special Moscow officials with assistant clerks were sent to the cities of Russia, where they organized reviews of noble youth, who were called "novices". The suitability of a novice for service, his military qualities and property status were ascertained. After that, the applicant was enrolled in the service, and he was assigned a monetary and local salary.
According to the results of the reviews, dozens were compiled - special lists in which all service people were recorded. The authorities used these lists to control the number of troops and salaries. Dozens marked the movement of a serviceman, his appointment or dismissal, wounds, death, captivity.
Serving people in the fatherland according to the hierarchy were divided into:
• thoughtful;
• Moscow;
• urban.
Thinking servants in the homeland
Natives of the highest aristocratic environment, who occupied a dominant position in the state and the army. They were governors, ambassadors, governors in border towns, led orders, troops and all state affairs. Duma were divided into four ranks:
• Boyars. The most powerful people of the state after the Grand Duke and Patriarch. The boyars had the right to sit in the Boyar Duma, were appointed ambassadors, governors, members of the Judicial Board.
• Roundabouts. Second inthe importance of the rank, especially close to the sovereign. Okolnichie represented foreign ambassadors to the ruler of Russia, they were also involved in all grand ducal trips, whether it was a trip to war, prayer or hunting. The roundabouts went ahead of the king, checked the integrity and safety of the roads, found accommodation for the entire retinue, and provided everything necessary.
• Duma nobles. They performed a variety of duties: they were appointed governors and managers of the Orders, participated in the work of the commissions of the Boyar Duma, they had military and court duties. With due talent and zeal, they moved to a higher rank.
• The deacons are dummies. Experienced officials of the Boyar Duma and various Orders. They were responsible for working with the documents of the Duma and the most important Orders. The clerks edited the royal and Duma decrees, acted as speakers at meetings of the Duma, sometimes rose to the head of the Order.
Instrument Servants
Serving people according to the device constituted the combat core of the Russian troops. They were recruited from free people: the population of cities, ruined servicemen in the fatherland, and partly from black-haired peasants. "Instrument" were exempted from most duties and taxes and for the service were endowed with a monetary salary and small plots of land on which they worked themselves in their free time from service and wars.
Service people according to the instrument were divided into:
• Cossacks;
• archers;
• gunners.
Cossacks
The Cossacks did not immediately become the sovereign's servants. These willful and brave warriors only inIn the second half of the sixteenth century, they entered the sphere of influence of Moscow, when the Don Cossacks, for a fee, began to guard the trade route that connected Russia with Turkey and the Crimea. But the Cossack troops quickly became a formidable force in the Russian army. They guarded the southern and eastern borders of the state, actively participated in the capture of Kazan and the development of Siberia.
Cossacks settled separately in cities. Their army was divided into "instruments" of 500 Cossacks each under the leadership of the Cossack head. In addition, the devices were divided into hundreds, fifty and tens, they were commanded by centurions, Pentecostals and foremen. The general management of the Cossacks was in the hands of the Streltsy order, which appointed and dismissed service people. The same order determined their salary, punished and judged them, sent them on campaigns.
Sagittarius
Streltsov can rightfully be called the first regular army in Russia. Armed with edged weapons and squeakers, they were distinguished by high military skill, versatility and discipline. The archers were mostly foot warriors, they could fight both independently and as a full-fledged addition to the cavalry, which until then had been the main striking force of the sovereign troops.
In addition, the archery regiments had a clear advantage over the noble cavalry, because they did not need long preparations, they went on a campaign at the first order of the authorities. In peacetime, the archers kept order in the cities, guarded the palaces, carried out guard duty on the city walls and streets. Participated in sieges during the warfortresses, repelling attacks on cities and in field battles.
Like the free Cossacks, the archers were divided into orders of 500 warriors, and those, in turn, were divided into hundreds, fifty and the smallest units - dozens. Only serious injuries, old age and wounds could put an end to the archer's service, otherwise it was lifelong and often inherited.
Pushkari
Already in the sixteenth century, statesmen understood the importance of artillery, so special service people appeared - they were gunners. They performed all tasks related to guns. In peacetime, they kept the guns in order, stood guard near them, were responsible for getting new guns and making cannonballs and gunpowder.
During the war, all the worries about artillery lay on them. They transported guns, served them, and participated in battles. Gunners were additionally armed with squeakers. The Pushkar rank also included carpenters, blacksmiths, collars and other artisans needed to repair guns and city fortifications.
Other service people in Russia in the 16th century
There were other categories of warriors.
Serving people on call. This was the name of the fighters who were recruited by special decree of the tsar from the peasants during difficult wars.
Combat serfs. Fighting retinue of large aristocrats and middle landowners. They were recruited from unfree peasants and rejected or ruined novices. Battle serfs were in betweena link between the draft peasantry and the nobles.
Church service people. These were warrior monks, patriarchal archers. Warriors who took tonsure and reported directly to the patriarch. They played the role of the Russian Inquisition, watching over the piety of the clergy and defending the values of the Orthodox faith. In addition, they guarded the highest dignitaries of the church and, if necessary, became a formidable garrison in the defense of monasteries-fortresses.
