The meaning of the word squad in ancient Russian society was reduced to the definition of a military force controlled personally by the prince and not connected with the land and local residents. The soldiers received their salaries from the prince's personal treasury, which ensured a high level of loy alty in tense moments of ancient Russian history, when the prince could be threatened not only by foreign aggressors, but also by his own subjects.
The historical significance of the squad
"The Tale of Igor's Campaign", which is an invaluable source of information about the customs and way of life of ancient Russian society. It was from there that much knowledge was gleaned about how society was arranged and what place was assigned to combatants in its structure.
In the story, the prince turns to his warriors for advice, communicates with them as equals and, obviously, respects their opinion, although he comes into conflict with them on some issues.
According to reliable information, it is known that the number of combatants rarely exceeded several hundred people, and their ethnic composition was extremely heterogeneous. The princely squad consisted exclusively of mercenaries, which means that people from various tribes and lands were accepted into it. There were many Germans, B alts andSlavs from different tribes.
However, the social status of the warriors was approximately the same until the twelfth century, after which there is a sharp division of the squads into several categories of different levels.
Druzhina in the period of specific principalities
By the time the Russian principalities begin to separate, significant changes are also taking place in the structure of the squad. At the turn of the Xl-Xll centuries, groups belonging to the hereditary squad, having significant influence within the army and some savings, stand out from a fairly strong community.
Historians single out the oldest squad, lepshnuyu, front and young. The boyars and the closest advisers to the prince belonged to the oldest squad. As for the junior squad, there is no unequivocal information about its composition. It is assumed that it consisted of either very young warriors, or people who were not free. But it is reliably known that the younger squad did not take part in the princely councils, which may have been due to its large number.
Evolution of the meaning of the word
The squad was mobile and always followed the prince as retinue and bodyguards. However, when the family of Rurikovich was divided into several houses, each of which fortified in a certain city, the squad also became more sedentary and gradually began to turn from a mere military force into an urban aristocracy. Along with the change in the function of the princely squad, the meaning of the word also changed and began to mean not only the military, but also those close to the prince.
In modern Russian, the wordsquad means voluntary formations of citizens who help the police in maintaining order.
