Everyone knows that, like most countries of the world, there was such a thing as a "court rank", and in Russia. An interesting fact is that the names of ranks underwent changes. The universally known Peter the Great did not leave this niche unchanged during his reforms - it was he who replaced the names with foreign ones. However, few people know what is the meaning of this phrase when it appeared and what these very court ranks were.
Historical reference
The court rank is a kind of post that appeared in antiquity. during the formation of certain groups of people under monarchs and large rulers. These groups were entrusted with some functions in the field of government or the provision of the ruler and his family with everything necessary (maintenance and formation of the court). In different countries, court ranks differed not only in names, but also in the sphere of activity, the specifics of the functions performed. However, it was common that these people were invariably part of the so-called elite (state elite). Gradually, the division of ranks into national and court ones proper took place. As an incentive, holders of the state rank could also receive a court, but this did not mean imposing additional duties on a person or performing any specific functions at the court of the ruler.
Definition
The very phrase "court rite" implies the presence of a person who has this same court, that is, the environment, the circle of close associates. Therefore, the definition of this phrase is closely related to the presence of a ruler, a senior person (so important that he has his own personal court, separate from the ruling person). So, the court rank is a retinue that is close to an important (high-ranking) person, who performs certain duties assigned to her, and also adds the appearance of the importance of a ruler (high-ranking person), a certain gloss, shows wealth and wealth.
Service ranks and titles in Russia
Even during the reign of the princes, court states were formed at their courts, whose members were involved in the performance of various kinds of duties (both directly the court, and administrative, judicial and military). The members of the court staff were called yard people. There were quite a lot of ranks of courtyard people (we can say that these are the names of court ranks), including boyars, stewards, butlers, okolnichnik, solicitors, trappers, falconers, etc. Of course, the persons most close to the ruler received the highest ranks. Initially, they served as peculiar advisers, without official ranks and positions.
Yard people: the main higher ranks
Boyarin is the highest official rank, which was initially assigned to the people closest to the ruler, and over time it became hereditary, that is, the rank was inherited.
The voivode is the rank of military leader, the head of a regiment or detachment (in the sense of a military commander). Over time, the clerks were ousted, taking the place of the heads of the city administration.
Viceroy - a rank awarded directly by the prince. His authority was to head local government in cities.
Okolnichy - a court rank and position, whose duties included organizing and further ensuring the comfort of the prince's travels, as well as providing proper reception to ambassadors from other countries and negotiating with the latter.
The system of national ranks
As mentioned earlier, over time, in many countries of the world, court ranks were divided into civil and court ones. In Russia, the formation of these two branches of ranks took place in parallel, and already in the Middle Ages. By the beginning of the 16th century, there was already a clear system of national titles (ranks):
- Duma ranks - officials, owners of the right to participate in meetings of the Boyar Duma.
- Moscow service officers are officials who did not have the right to participate in the work (meetings) of the Boyar Duma.
- The ranks of the service city or provincial - were the so-called provincial nobility.
Stable, bedding, gunsmith and butler
The highest court ranks in Russia were a collection of ranks who complained mainly to the boyars. These are such ranks as the horseman, the prisoner, the gunsmith (gunsmith) and the butler. Often it was the equestrian who headed the Boyar Duma and the government. This elevation of the rank of head of the Konyushenny order occurred during the reign of Ivan IV Ivanovich, better known as Ivan the Terrible. The prisoner was almost the closest person to the ruler, as he was responsible for his and his family's property, for safety and personally accompanied on trips. The gunsmith was responsible for the state and tsarist weapons, for financing the weapons department, and headed the Armory order. The butler led the order of the Grand Palace, was the chief judge.
Report card
As you know, Peter the Great was a great reformer who did not leave virtually any sphere of life and activity of the state and people unchanged. The ranks and ranks did not remain unchanged either. By decree of the first Russian emperor, Peter the Great, dated January 24 (February 4), 1722, a special table of correspondences between ranks for 14 classes was established. This table is called the "Rank Table". It contained 263 posts, the ranks were distributed in 14 classes. The court ranks of the Russian state, or rather their names, were changed to foreign ones. Unchanged is the fact that military ranks occupy a dominant place among others. The timesheet was abolished only after the 1917 revolution, until that time it had been functioning, changes and amendments were regularly made to it.
The first five grades
In the first grade, there was no court rank of senior, highest rank. In the first class, the civilian rank (civilian) was the chancellor, the military rank was Field Marshal, and the naval rank was Admiral General.
The second class included the following titles: active Privy Councilor (civilian rank); generals from cavalry, artillery, infantry, general-general (military ranks); Admiral (marine rank); Ober Kamerger, Ober-Hoffmarshal, Ober-Stahlmeister, Ober-Jägermeister, Ober-Hoffmeister, Ober-Schenk, Ober-Ceremonial Master, Ober-Forceneider (senior rank of the court rank).
The third class consisted of a privy councilor (civilian), lieutenant general (military), vice admiral (naval), gofmarshal, stalmeister, jägermeister, gofmeister (the last four are court officials).
As part of the fourth class, the civil rank was called the "real state adviser", the military was called "major general", the marine was called "rear admiral", and the court was called "chamberlain."
The fifth class consisted of a civilian state adviser, military brigadier, naval captain-commander.
Second Five Rankings
The sixth grade included such a Russian court rank as the camera-fourier. Civilian ranks included college and military advisers. Colonel was considered a military rank, and a captain of the first rank was considered a naval rank.
The seventh class, as a courtier, still contained the fourier cameras, the civilian rank was the court adviser, colonel and captain of the second rank - military and naval ranks, respectively.
The college assessor (civilian), major (military), and lieutenant-captain (naval) were members of the eighth grade “Table of Ranks”.
In the ninth grade, the captain and captain made up the category of military ranks, the lieutenant - naval, the chamber junker acted as the court, and the titular adviser - the civilian rank.
Tenth grade was reserved for the college secretary, staff captain and staff captain. The first is the civilian rank, the second and third are the military.
The Last Four
The last four classes (eleventh to fourteenth) were rather meager:
- In the eleventh there was a place only for the civilian rank - the ship's secretary.
- The twelfth consisted of a provincial secretary, who was a representative of civilian ranks, a lieutenant (military rank), and a warrant officer in the role of a naval rank.
- The provincial secretary, the Senate registrar, the Synod registrar, the cabinet registrar are representatives of civilian ranks of the thirteenth class. Second Lieutenant and Cornet - military ranks, and warrant officer - naval.
- College registrar and warrant officer - civil and military ranks of the fourteenth grade, respectively.
The “Table of Ranks” allowed not only to restore order in ranks and positions, but also provided an opportunity for promotion to people who did not belong to the upper classes.
Female court officials according to the Table
The "Table of Ranks" touched not only the male part of the population of the royal court - female ranks were also introduced. Such court ranks were introduced (in Russia, the tsarina’s state also took place, but there was no strict order), such as Ober-Hofmeisterin (highest rank), wives of real Privy Councilors, real state ladies and chamber girls, gof ladies, gof- damsels. The previous ranks of the court ladies were purely Russian: nobles (boyars' wives or older unmarried virgins in the family), mothers (the same as the nanny), nurses (hired workers who fed their children and often engaged in their upbringing), bedclothes (court position, the duties of the executive which included keeping the ruler’s wife clean and tidy), etc.