Many hussars are associated with military cavalrymen of the Russian army, who became famous in the war of 1812, proving themselves to be fearless, valiant warriors. Hussar was very honorable and prestigious. A beautiful military uniform, long mustache and hair gave the soldiers a courageously romantic image. Who are the hussars? What is the origin of the term "hussar"? What is the history of the military estate in Europe and Russia? What are they famous for? What are some interesting facts related to them? About all this in our article.
What is a hussar? The meaning of the term
The term "hussar" has several meanings. A word came from two Hungarian words "gus" - "twenty" and "ar" - "file." In Hungary of the 15th century, hussars are lightly armed riders.
According to another version, the hussars in Hungary were paid a military salary of 20 coins, and some philologists translate “ar” as “pay”.
The meaning of the word "hussar" in dictionaries:
- A definition is given in the dictionary of foreign words: a hussar is a military man of light cavalry, who is distinguished by reckless behavior, ostentatious daring, and bold antics.
- In the etymological dictionary: the hussar comes from the Hungarian word “hussar” and means “twenty” and “pay”, the translation of the term is connected with Hungarian law, according to which one of the 20 recruits was to become a hussar. There is a version that the "hussar" comes from the Latin "corsair" - "robber".
- In S. Ozhegov’s dictionary: a hussar is a light cavalry serviceman who originally appeared in Hungary.
- In the dictionary of synonyms: the synonyms of the word "hussar" are cavalryman, horseman, primate, monkey.
- In the dictionary of D. Ushakov: a hussar is a military man of light cavalry, which is distinguished by a special military uniform of the Hungarian type.
Where did the first hussars appear
In 1458, in Hungary, King Corwin Matthias ordered the creation of a new type of cavalry, the soldiers of which were to fight the Turks. The militia was created mainly from the nobility. At the same time, a law was passed according to which every 20th nobleman became a hussar.
Hussars in Europe
After the collapse of the Kingdom of Hungary in the middle of the 16th century, hussars spread throughout Europe. In Poland, the first hussars appeared at the end of the 16th century. They were the elite units of the heavy cavalry, to which only nobles were called.
In Austria, the first hussar military units arose in 1688.
France adopted the experience of the Austrian army, creating a regiment of hussars in 1693. Then a special military formation appeared in Prussia and England.
Hussars in Russia
In Russia, the first hussar units were formed under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, recruited Poles and Germans served in them. The first mention of the Russian hussars dates back to 1634, the documents of 1694 speak of three hussar companies that participated in the Kozhukhov campaign.
Peter the Great created a regular army in which foreign (at that time) regiments of hussars disappeared. They appeared again only in 1723 and were formed from Serbs of Austrian origin.
During the reign of Anna Ioannovna returned to the idea of forming a regular hussar regiments. They recruited immigrants from different countries: Serbs, Wallachians, Hungarians, Georgians. Five regiments were formed, but the different origin of the soldiers and different social status did more harm to the state than good.
Everything changed during the reign of Catherine II, when the hussar regiments began to form only from Russian soldiers and officers. It was under Catherine the Great that the ideology of this military estate was formed, the Catherine hussars gained the Russian spirit and mentality. It was they who became the prototypes of the characters in the cinema and on television, and the concept itself is associated with them in the Russian person.
Under Catherine II, representatives of the intellectual elite of that era began to be recruited into the regiments of hussars. By 1812, the state had about 12 regiments, and by 1834 - 14. In 1882, the hussar regiments were renamed to dragoon.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Nicholas II restored the hussar regiments in order to revive the spirit of the Russian army. He returned them the name and original form. In 1914, the state had 14 hussar regiments and two guards.
Interesting facts about hussars
A lot of interesting facts are connected with the hussars, here are some of them:
- The first hussars in Hungary were very different from our usual image. They wore heavy armor; animal skins were a mandatory attribute of their form.
- The early hussars wore wings. Hence their nickname "Squadron of Flying Hussars." Mostly Serbian and Polish hussars wore wings. It was believed that in this way they terrify the enemy.
- In the XIX century, everyone wanted to become hussars. But not everyone was taken to these regiments. From the films, we saw that all the hussars were like a match: tall and well-built. But in fact, the hussars did not take high.
- An interesting and multifunctional attribute of hussar clothes was their headdress - a shako. They lived a war, therefore, they needed to have everything they needed, which they wore in a shako. The headdress had a double bottom, it was there that they put the most valuable.
- Skull with bones - coat of arms, which was approved by the Alexander Hussar Regiment. This symbol meant not only death, but also victory over it. This eminent regiment was also called the "hussars of death" or "the immortal hussars."
The image of the hussar has always been revered, it is often used in fiction and jokes to raise the fighting and patriotic spirit of the people. For example, the play "Once Upon a Time" by Gladkov with phenomenal success went on in the theaters, the films "Say the word" and "Squadron of the Flying Hussars" became popular and beloved by the audience. Mystery, valor and romanticism are closely intertwined in the image of the Russian hussar.