The Hussar Regiment is a special military formation that was part of the Russian Imperial Army and the troops of the Russian Empire. These were lightly armed riders, who were distinguished by a characteristic form, in this they were similar to the ulans. In our country, the first hussars appeared in the middle of the XVII century, fought as part of the White Army in the Civil War. In this article we will talk about the history of their occurrence, functions and interesting facts.
Appearance story
In Russia, the concept of "hussar regiment" was first mentioned in 1654, when Colonel Christopher Rylsky took command of the first such military unit. The hussars themselves appeared in our country two decades earlier. These were hussar companies, which were described as an army of a fundamentally new foreign system.
It is known that the hussar regiment of Rylsky came out of Moscow in the spring, but after any mention of him in the documents disappears. Apparently, he did not justify the hopes placed on him, he was transferred to the ranks.
After this, it is known that the Hussar companies in 1660 were organized in Novgorod by Prince Ivan of Khovansky. They proved themselves in the Russian-Polish war, the very next year they were expanded to the regiment. The last mention of them dates back to 1701.
In the time of Peter I
In 1707, Russian Tsar Peter I instructed the Serbian Colonel Apostol Kichich to form a hussar regiment from the Serbian, Voloshsky and other southern Slavs, who at that time lived in the territory of modern Ukraine.
The order was fulfilled; these military units took part in the Northern War. By 1711, when they were about to go on a Prut campaign, the number of hussar regiments grew to six. After the campaign, they were reorganized into three compounds. They existed until 1721, after which they were disbanded as soon as the signing of the Nishtadt Peace took place.
Serbian Regiment
Hussars were absent in the Russian army for a relatively short time. In 1723, Peter ordered the formation of the Serbian Hussar Regiment to Major Albanezov.
There were serious problems with its occupancy. As a result, by 1733, it consisted of less than two hundred personnel. Then his commander Ivan Stoyanov took measures to recruit Serbs. By the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war, the number of the regiment was able to increase to 1,100 people, who were divided into ten companies. Soon, Transylvanians, Hungarians, Moldavians and Wallachians began to be accepted into it. The Serbian regiment participated in the assault on Ochakovo, the battles of Khotyn and the Prut River.
Settled shelves
The next stage in the development of the hussars was the so-called settled regiments. In 1776, a decree was issued on the creation of ten such military formations, which were located on the territory of the Novorossiysk and Azov provinces. Their main task was to protect the borders of the Russian Empire in the south.
Later, another twelve hussar units were created in the Russian imperial army. These were exclusively shelves.
By the beginning of the 20th century, only two guards regiments of the Life Guards remained in the Russian army. We will tell you about several military formations that left the most noticeable mark in history.
Alexandria Regiment
This unit was formed in 1776 and was intended to protect the southern borders of the empire. The Alexandria Hussar Regiment initially consisted of six squadrons; for some time it was annexed to the Kherson Cossack Regiment.
Among the famous personalities who served in him were Finnish general Karl Mannerheim, poet Nikolai Gumilev, Soviet divisional commander Konstantin Ushakov, writer and playwright Mikhail Bulgakov, hero of the First World War, Konstantin Batyushkov.
It was in this regiment at the age of three that Tsarevich Alexei, son of Emperor Nicholas II, was enrolled.
During the Civil War he participated in the Volunteer Army.
Akhtyrsky Regiment
The Akhtyr Hussar Regiment is considered one of the oldest military formations of this type, since it dates back to 1651, when it was formed as a Cossack regiment. Hussars received the status during the time of Empress Catherine II, from 1882 to 1907. considered dragoon.
The regiment was based in Pavlodar. He participated in the Russian-Turkish war. In particular, Ishmael stormed, besieged Ochakov. At the beginning of the 19th century, he again participated in campaigns against Turkey, Napoleon’s troops, and suppressed the Polish uprising in the Privislen region.
After the Patriotic War of 1812 he went on a trip abroad. During the First World War he acted on the Romanian and Southwestern Front. In 1918, it was finally disbanded when it was based near Odessa.
During the Civil War, attempts were made to restore it as part of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. It was led by Colonel George Psiol.
His Majesty's Life Guards Regiment
The Hussar Regiment of His Majesty’s Life Guards was founded in 1796. It was formed by Grigory Potemkin by decree of Empress Catherine II. He took an active part in the Napoleonic wars. For example, in 1807 near Friedland, where the Russian army suffered one of its most crushing defeats in that confrontation.
In 1812 he distinguished himself in the Battle of Borodino as part of the First Cavalry Corps of General Uvarov.
During the Russo-Turkish war, besieged Varna, participated in battles near the village of Telish and battles near Philippopolis.
In 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War, he was sent to the Far East to join the Manchurian Army. In World War I he was involved in hostilities on the North-Western Front. In particular, he was actively involved in the Lodz, East Prussian and Sein operations.
Grodno Regiment
The Grodno Hussar Regiment was formed in the city of Toropets in 1806. It included five squadrons that had previously been expelled from the Olviopol, Alexandria and Izyum regiments.
Already in 1807, the regiment received its first baptism when it participated in the Battle of Preisis Eilau. In the winter of 1808-1809, the Grodno hussars made an unprecedented raid on the ice of the Gulf of Botanical, finding themselves in Sweden. During the Patriotic War acted in the St. Petersburg direction. For example, they participated in the battle of Klyastitsy.
Since 1824, the historical name of the regiment was officially transferred to the newly formed Life Guards of the Grodno Hussars. The old regiment, it was decided to rename Klyastitsky.
It was in the composition of this hussar regiment that Lermontov was determined in 1834 after graduating from the school of guards ensigns. At the same time, the poet continued to lead a rather wild and dissolute life.
His contemporaries note that Lermontov in the Grodno Hussars was completely indifferent to the service. Moreover, it was then that he began to write his first famous works, so amazed and surprised contemporaries.
After the publication of his poem "The Death of the Poet" in 1837, a trial followed, which ended with an arrest. It is known that the emperor himself followed the process. Friends and relatives did everything possible to mitigate the punishment as much as possible. As a result, he was transferred to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, and then sent to the Caucasus.
His first link turned out to be short-term. An influential grandmother ensured that after a few months he would be returned to the Grodno Hussar Regiment near Novgorod. Lermontov went from there to the Life Guards, having passed in its composition throughout the whole of modern Azerbaijan.
When he returned from the trip, everyone noted how he had changed morally. These changes greatly influenced his worldview and work.
Functions
Hussars served as light cavalry. However, they were rarely used for direct frontal attacks. Their main advantage was mobility, surprise, and complete fearlessness, with which they simply demoralized the enemy.
Often they were assigned separate special tasks, they were indispensable in the pursuit of a retreating enemy. They pursued the enemy, forcing them to retreat deep into the rear, and on the way they beat off the enemy’s horses, carts, guns and provisions.
In the XIX century there was a real cult of hussars, when almost all without exception dreamed of getting into this kind of troops. It was an elite military unit, in which only the best were selected.
In addition, only wealthy people could afford it, since only taking care of their form required serious investments. They had to be covered from your pocket. Moreover, it was believed that in peacetime, hussars should lead a carefree and reckless lifestyle. They kept a lot of horses, drank, played cards. All this required additional investments.
Not many people know that the symbol of the hussar was a skull with bones. This symbolism came from the French royalists, eventually gaining a foothold in the Russian units. The characteristic skull with bones was even officially approved on the arms of some regiments, for example, Alexandria. This symbol meant not only death, but also victory over it. So the hussars showed their complete fearlessness. Victory over the mortality of life, since the skull and bones represented not only death, but Adam’s head at Calvary. That is why the hussars of these regiments were often called immortal. They have repeatedly confirmed their courage and fearlessness on the battlefield.