The Strelets army, whose creation dates back to 1550, initially consisted of three thousand people. All of them were reduced to separate "orders" of 500 each and constituted the personal guard of Ivan the Terrible.
History of creation
The ancient Slavic word "Sagittarius" denoted an archer, who was the main component of the medieval troops. Later in Russia began to be called the representatives of the first regular army. The Streltsy army replaced the pishchik militias. The "orders"
were commanded by the
boyar children.Sagittarius was stationed in a suburban settlement. They were given a salary of 4 rubles per year. Gradually, the Streltsy army began to constitute a permanent Moscow garrison.
First baptism of fire as a regular army
Immediately after its appearance, the Streltsy army received a baptism of fire. Gathering in 1552 warriors to capture Kazan, Ivan IV also included this newly organized unit in the regular army. In the history of the siege and the subsequent assault on this city, the Streltsy army played an important role. It was it that in many respects contributed to the success of the campaign of the conquest of the Kazan Khanate.
Tsar Ivan IV, having duly appreciated his archers, began to rapidly increase their number. And already in the 60s of the 16th century there were about 8 thousand of them. And by the end of the 80s, during the reign of the heir Ivan IV, Fyodor Ioannovich, - more than 12 thousand. Moreover, more than half - 7,000 archers - constantly lived in Moscow, and the rest - in other cities, where they served mainly garrison or police service.
What is a streltsy army
2000 Moscow archers were the so-called "stirrups", actually dragoons or mounted infantry. It was she who became an important part of the Moscow rati of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Almost none of the major campaigns, including the campaign during the Livonian War, and the reflection of the raid on the Crimean Tatars in Moscow, could not do without them.
However, for all its significance, this unit should not be overestimated. The Streltsy army was created to supplant or even replace the local cavalry. However, this did not happen. Despite the fact that such an army was a formidable force. However, armed with slow-shooting peepers (a wicked gun weighing 8 kg, a caliber of 22 mm and a firing range of up to 200 m), the archers did not have a great chance of success. They needed cover, because of which they could hit the enemy without risking being killed when reloading their antediluvian weapons.
Failures
In Europe, where the squeals were also armed, pikemen became a similar cover for the shooters, but in the Russian steppe they were useless. Therefore, the Streltsy army for this purpose used the natural folds of the terrain, forests and groves. Hiding behind them, one could count on a successful reflection of the enemy’s attacks. This happened, for example, in the year 1555 in the battle of Fates, where the streltsy army, having been defeated by the Krymchaks, hid in the oak forest and defended themselves until the evening, when the khan, frightened by the arrival of fresh Russian forces, retreated.
What is the difference between a streltsy army and a regular army
Significantly more successful "orders" acted during the defense and siege of fortresses. After all, they had time to arrange the necessary protective structures - tours, trenches or tyn. Therefore, historians are sure that, when creating the corps of archers, Ivan the Terrible and his advisers tried to successfully adapt the European experience of creating regular infantry to Russian realities. They did not blindly copy "overseas" military installations, arming two highly specialized types of infantry, but limited themselves to only one, but the most effective specifically in the conditions of Russia.
The formation of the Streltsy army can be called the answer of the military Russian thought to the then increasing effectiveness of handguns. It was supposed to complement the local cavalry, which was armed mainly with throwing and knives. However, the archery army could not take a dominant place in the Russian regular army. For this, not only weapons and tactics, but also the enemy should have become different. And while this did not happen, this army remained important and necessary, although a secondary component of the 16th century Russian army.
This was evidenced by the proportion of archers in it. By the end of the sixteenth century, according to various estimates, the number of soldiers in the Russian army ranged from 75 to 110 thousand people. While the Streltsy army numbered about 12,000 soldiers, not everyone was able to participate in long campaigns or campaigns. Nevertheless, the main step towards creating a new type of army in Russia has already been taken.
Streletsky army of Peter
The regular army of Peter, organized according to the German model, was significantly more effective. The military was paid a salary. At the same time, service was obligatory for the nobility. For ordinary people, a recruitment set was announced.
In the archery army, for the service of soldiers, they were allocated land allotments. Most of them lived with their families in the Streletsky settlement in a separate village. Therefore, it was impossible to conduct military operations during sowing or reaping: archers refused.
The Streltsy army created by Ivan the Terrible and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the regiments of the "new system" comprise the most important stages in the history of the creation of a regular army. But while these troops coexisted in parallel, they could not represent a single army. Warriors were not constantly in military service. Moreover, even the regiments of the "new system" after the end of hostilities had to dissolve, and then again to recruit, essentially calling on the untrained peasants.
Sad end
After the Azov campaign, Emperor Peter I became convinced that the army he had inherited was absolutely unsuitable for the complex military-political tasks that he set for himself. Therefore, the fundamental reorganization of the entire military structure in the state was the most important component of the reforms of that time. And above all, it was the creation of a regular army, which was based on the recruit system and was completely different from the principle of the formation of the Streltsy army.
Nevertheless, the pishchiks of Vasily III and the archers of Ivan IV paved the direct path to the soldier regiments of sovereigns Mikhail Fedorovich with Alexei Mikhailovich. And already from them - directly to the Peter Fuseliers.
Immediately after the rebellion of 1699, Peter the Great ordered the dispersal of the Streltsy army to be dispersed, leaving some of it to serve on the outskirts of Russia.