Rank table

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The rank table ( Russian Табель о рангах Tabel 'o rangach , literally "table of ranks") in the Russian Empire divided the upper careers in state administration and at court as well as officer careers in the military and navy into 14 rank classes. The ranking table, introduced in 1722, allowed civil and military ranks to be compared directly and was valid until the October Revolution of 1917 with only minor changes. The rank table is one of the most important reforms of Tsar Peter I. It was intended to break the supremacy of the old hereditary nobility , the boyars , and create a service nobility that was dependent on the crown .

Rank table

Ranking Mestničestvo

As early as the 15th century there was an attempt to classify the aristocratic class in a hierarchical system. Ancestry and service determined the relationship system. Not only the offices within the families were passed on, but also the service relationships with other families. Ivan the Terrible had a “ruling gender book” created, through which a real “rank arithmetic” could be calculated, that is, the distance within a family to common ancestors. This was necessary because when appointing offices, the reputation of the family sex had to match that of the office. It was u. a. stipulated that the first son was three levels below the father and younger brothers each one rank below the next older. B. the son of the first brother with the fourth brother equal, the second son with the fifth brother etc. The validity of the ranking order "Mestničestvo" was restricted more and more until it was with the manifesto of January 12, 1682 by Fyodor III. has been completely abolished.

Fundamental reforms before the introduction of Peter the Great's rankings

The ranking table of Peter the Great was the next attempt at a fixed hierarchy of offices after the Mestničestvo. Before this came into force in 1722, however, it was preceded by some fundamental reforms .

As a result of the army reform at the end of the 17th century, what counted in the army from now on was above all personal ability and no longer descent. In theory, the officer's class was just as open to a peasant's son as it was to the nobility , if he showed sufficient commitment to the state. Peter the Great established war schools to train young Russian officers in modern military tactics and to no longer rely on foreign leaders. A ukase from 1714 obliged the nobles to attend these war schools and to start as a simple soldier in the army.

The service reform of 1704 resulted in a tightened review of the service of the nobility. Peter the Great had all the nobles entered in lists. This enabled her service to the state and her qualifications to be checked at any time. In 1714 he passed a law that forbade nobles from becoming officers without having previously served in the guard . If a nobleman did not complete the compulsory civil service, his property was confiscated or his political rights were even withdrawn.

With the Einerbegesetz of May 23, 1714, Peter prohibited the division of property. The property could only be bequeathed to one son. Through this reform, Peter the Great hoped that the young nobility would turn to civil service. The nobility who were not entitled to inheritance were only allowed to acquire real estate after 7 years of military service or 10 years of administrative service.

The elaboration of the ranking table

On January 24th, July / February 4, 1722 greg. the table of rankings designed with the constant collaboration of Peter the Great was published. On February 1, 1721, Peter the Great signed the draft ukase , which was first submitted to statesmen for discussion. However, their objections and suggestions were not taken into account, so that the law was printed unchanged in Moscow on January 30, 1722.

Heinrich Ostermann had already submitted a 14-point concept in 1719 , which included civil and court offices. This draft contained features of Swedish, Danish and Prussian law. Peter the Great added military and naval offices to this draft before submitting it to the Senate on February 1, 1721.

The basic idea of ​​the ranking table was that not - as with Mestničestvo - origin and prosperity, but performance for the state and qualifications for the office should be the criteria for the award. Thanks to the rational performance principle on which the ranking table was based, Russians and foreigners of low origin were also given access to high offices. The rise of lower social classes was not easy due to Peter's high demands and therefore rather rare.

Structure of the ranking table

The ranking table consisted of military, civil and court offices, which in turn were divided into 14 classes and each contained a different number of offices.

The military column was divided into infantry and cavalry, guards , artillery and navy .

The first five classes formed the generals , followed in classes six to eight by the staff officers, and in classes nine to fourteen the other officers.

In the ranking table, the holders of military offices were privileged, as their holders automatically according to the ukase of 16./27. January 1721 belonged to the hereditary nobility. Civil and court officials, however, only had this right from the eighth grade onwards. The right of ennoblement in the military ranks was also passed on to the incumbent's children. Children of civil and court officials, however, were denied this right. From 1856 the hereditary nobility was only achieved with reaching the fourth civil class (real council of state) or from the sixth military class ( colonel , major in the life guards ). The tsar himself reserved the right to award the top classes from one to five ( councilors / ministers, generals).

Civil and court offices in ranks nine to fourteen were associated with the personal nobility. The owners enjoyed a number of privileges such as corporal punishment, poll tax and recruitment. In contrast to owners of the hereditary nobility and the hereditary merit, they could not inherit their privileges. In addition, they were not allowed to own serfs , not take part in aristocratic assemblies and not occupy any electoral positions reserved for the high nobility.

The establishment of a clear office career should prevent abuse in the allocation of offices. The respective requirements for the ranks were set by the Senate, so that it should no longer be possible to make a career without corresponding qualifications.

According to the legal requirement, even the oldest hereditary nobility should be lost if a family did not reach a rank in the ranking table within three generations. Nobles who withdrew from civil service and did not appear in the rankings did not gain any reputation in society, since the honor arose from the height of the executive office. When signing, for example, they had to sign with "unworthy squire" so that their lack of social status was shown to everyone.

The rank of an office also determined the manners in everyday life, for example the form of address or the dress code.

Tabular overview: classes, ranks and salutations

Civil ranks and ranks at court

The following table shows the civil ranks and the ranks at court from 1722 to 1917.

classical
se 		Civilian ranks 1722-1917 Ranks at court Standing
time
1722 19th century - 1917
1
  • Chancellor
  • Real First Class Secret Council (Deistwitelnyi tainyi sowetnik perwogo klassa)
not provided
2 Obermarschall (Ober-Marshal) unlimited
3 Secret council from 1724 (Tainyi sowetnik) Head stableman unlimited
4th Real Council of State from 1724 (Deistwitelnyi statski sowetnik) Chamberlain 1737–1809 unlimited
5 State Council (Statski sowetnik)
  • Secret Cabinet Secretary (Tainyi kabinet-sekretar)
  • Hofmeister
  • Chief Steward of the Empress
  • Oberhofstallmeister (Ober-gofschtalmeister)
  • Thigh (upper thigh )
  • Chief Master of Ceremonies
  • Chamberlain
  • Master of ceremonies ( master of ceremonies )
unlimited
6th Kollegienrat (Kolleschski sowetnik)
  • First body medicus (Perwyi leib-medikus)
  • Court Marshal until 1742
  • Chief hunter
  • Stable master
  • Real Chamberlain (Deiswitelnyi kamerger)
Chamberlain 4 years to K5
7th Councilor from 1745 (Nadwornyi sowetnik)
  • Hofmeister and personal medicus of the empress
  • Master of ceremonies
 4 years to K6
8th Kollegienassessor (Kolleschski assessor)
  • Court director (Nadwornyi intendant)
  • Court ceremonial master (Nadwornyi zermonimeister)
  • Titular Chamberlain until 1771 (Tituljarnyi kamerger)
4 years to K7
9 Titular Council (Tituljarnyi sowetnik)
  • Hofjunker (Gof-junker)
  • Chamberlain until 1737
 Courier (Gof-furjor) 3 years to K8
10 College Secretary (Kolleschski sekretar) 3 years to K9
11 Ship Secretary (not before 1790, and until 1834) (Korabelnyi secretar)
12 Government Secretary (Gubernski sekretar)
  • Court squire
  • Court doctor (Nadwornyi lekar)
3 years to K10
13 Provincial Secretary (Prowinzialnyi sekretar)
14th College registrar (Kolleschski registrator)
  • Hofmeisterpage (Gofmeister paschei)
  • Kitchen master (cake master )
  • Cupbearer (cupbearer)
3 years to K12

Note:
Designation in brackets = transcription in Russian according to: Content XI - The Russian alphabet . In: German Academy of Sciences in Berlin (Hrsg.): German-Russian dictionary . 7. Unchanged edition. HH Bielefeld, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1970, license number : 202 100/242/70; Forms of address :
The wording of the following forms of address was prescribed in the individual ranking classes:

class 1 to 2 3 to 4 5 6 to 8 9 to 14
Speech
Wen
-making 		German His / Your
Excellency		 His / Your
Excellency		 His / hers
highborn		 His / Her
High Born 		His / hers
well-born
Russian Его / Ваше
высокопревосходительство		 Его / Ваше
превосходительство		 Его / Ваше
высокородие		 Его / Ваше
высокоблагородие		 Его / Ваше
благородие
Transcription Ego / wash
vysokoprewoschoditelstvo		 Ego / wash
prewoschoditelstwo		 Ego / wash
wysocorody		 Ego / wash
wysokoroblagorodie		 Ego / wash
blagorodie

In German, the following abbreviations were used for written addresses, e.g. for K 6 to 8:

  • to male addressees "SH" for "His Highly Born"
  • to female addressees "IH" for "your very best"
  • as plural form in the address before the name to a married couple "IIHH"

Rank tables army and navy

The following table shows the military ranks of the Guard ( infantry and cavalry ) from 1722 to 1917.

classical
se 		infantry cavalry
1722 1730 1748 1884-1917 1730 1748 1798 1884-1917
1 - not provided -
2
3 Colonel
(Polkownik) 		Colonel
4th Colonel Lieutenant Colonel
(Podpolkownik) 		Lieutenant colonel
5 Lieutenant colonel Major Premier
(Premer-mayor) 		Prime major
6th major Second major
(Skund-mayor) 		Colonel Second major Colonel
7th Captain (captain) Captain Captain Captain Rittmeister (Rotmistr) Rittmeister Rittmeister Rittmeister
8th Lieutenant captain
(captain-chief) 		Hauptmannporutschik
(Kapitan-porutschik) 		Chief of Staff Secondary rider
(secondary rotmistr) 		Stabsrittmeister
(Stabs-rotmistr)
9 lieutenant Poruchik Poruchik
10 Sub-lieutenant Podporutschik Podporutschik cornet
11 - not provided -
12 Ensign (Fendrik) Praporshchik cornet
13 - not provided -
14th

The following table shows the military ranks in the army ( infantry , cavalry , artillery and fortification ) from 1722 to 1917.

classical
se 		Infantry, artillery , fortification cavalry
1722 1730 1798 1884-1917 1730 1798 1912-1917
1 Field Marshal General
2 General en chef 1763–1796 General en chef General of the cavalry until 1763 and from 1796 (General ot kawaleri)
Plenipotentiary General Commissioner for War (General-plenipotenziar-krigs-Komissar)
3 Lieutenant General Generalporutschik (General-porutschik) Lieutenant General Lieutenant General
General War Commissioner 1722–1868 (General krigskomissar)
4th Major general Major general Major general Major general Major general Major general Major general
Supreme War Commissioner 1722–1868 (Ober-schter-krigskomissar)
5 Brigadier Brigadier
Ster War Commissioner 1722–1868 (Schter-krigskomissar)
6th
  • Colonel (Polkownik)
  • Higher War Commissioner (Ober-krigskomissar)
7th
8th major
  • major
  • from 1767
    • Major Premier
      (Premer-mayor)
    • Second major
      (Skund-mayor)
major Captain (captain) major Rittmeister
9 Captain Staff Captain (Shtabs-captain) Rittmeister Staff Assistant Master (Schtabs-Rotmistr)
10 Captain lieutenant (captain leader) Captain porutschik (captain porutschik) Chief of Staff Poruchik Staff Captain Poruchik
11 - not provided -
12 lieutenant Poruchik Podporutschik Poruchik cornet
13 Sub-lieutenant Podporutschik Praporshchik of the reserve Poruchik
14th Ensign (Fendrik) Praporshchik cornet

The following table shows the military ranks in the Army ( Dragoons and Cossacks ) and in the Navy from 1722 to 1917.

classical
se 		dragoon Cossacks Imperial Russian Navy
1798 1798 1884-1917 1722 1764 1798 1884 1907 1912-1917
1 Admiral General
2 General of the cavalry admiral
3 Lieutenant General
4th Major general Look at night (look night ) Rear admiral
5 Commodore (Kapitan Komodor) Brigade Captain (Kapitan brigadirskowo ranga) Commodore Commodore until 1827
6th Colonel (Polkownik) Sea captain (Kapitan perwogo ranga)
7th Lieutenant Colonel (Podpolkownik) Colonel of the troops (Boiskowaja starschina) Frigate captain (Kapitan wtorowogo ranga)
8th Colonel of the troops Esaul Frigate captain Hauptmannporutschik (Kapitan-porutschik) Captain lieutenant ( captain instructor) Lieutenant until 1911 Oberleutnant zur See (Straschi leader)
9 Captain Esaul Podesaul Lieutenant captain Poruchik Lieutenant of the Sea (Leitenant)
  • Lieutenant at sea and
  • First lieutenant at sea
 Lieutenant at sea
10 Chief of Staff Sotnik Lieutenant at sea Mitschman
11 Ship Secretary (Korabenlnyi sekretar)
12 Poruchik Sotnik Choruntschi Sub-lieutenant Mitschman
13 Podporutschik Mitschman 1758-1764 Guardian
14th Choruntschi

Effects

The ranking table of Peter the Great placed the nobility in greater dependence on the state. Like all other strata of the population, he now had to bow to the interests of the state and serve it. However, the nobility often ignored the prerequisites for filling an office, which were determined by the ranking table. Despite a lack of qualifications, he dominated the highest ranks. In addition, the nobility made it difficult for the lower classes to rise to the hereditary nobility by imposing higher tax burdens on them. Despite the legal basis, there has been no increase in social mobility in Russian society. There were not enough offices available to give everyone a place in the service hierarchy. The ranking table also led to increasing bureaucratization in the Russian state. The assignment of offices often resulted in costly processes and led to disputes between competing candidates for office that had to be settled in court.

See also

Web links

  • Anton Friedrich Büsching: Magazine for the new history and geography, VII part: VIII. Rank ordinance Peters I from the year 1722 . Ed .: Johann Jacob Curt. Hall 1773 ( Google books ).
  • Alexander Otto: The Russian court society in the time of Catherine II. Dissertation. Tübingen 2005
  • Rank table (Russian)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hartmut Rüß: Lords and servants. The social and political mentality of the Russian nobility, 9. – 17. Century (= contributions to the history of Eastern Europe , Volume 17). Böhlau, Cologne 1994, ISBN 3-412-13593-3 , p. 390.
  2. ↑ a b Art. Ranking order . In: Hans-Joachim Torke (ed.): Lexicon of the history of Russia. From the beginning to the October Revolution . CH Beck, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-406-30447-8 , p. 311.
  3. ↑ Hartmut Rüß: Lords and servants. The social and political mentality of the Russian nobility, 9. – 17. Century . Böhlau, Cologne 1994, p. 393.
  4. ^ Art. Nobility . In: Hans-Joachim Torke (ed.): Lexicon of the history of Russia. From the beginning to the October Revolution . CH Beck, Munich 1985, p. 11.
  5. ↑ Brenda Meehan-Waters: Autocracy and Aristocracy. The Russian Service Elite of 1730 . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick 1982, ISBN 0-8135-0938-6 , p. 17.
  6. ↑ Erich Donnert : Peter the Great . Koehler and Amelang, Leipzig 1988, ISBN 3-7338-0031-1 , pp. 127-128.
  7. ↑ Erich Donnert: Peter the Great. The changer of Russia (= personality and history , volume 129/130). Muster-Schmidt, Göttingen 1987, ISBN 3-7881-0129-6 .
  8. ↑ Brenda Meehan-Waters: Autocracy and Aristocracy. The Russian Service Elite of 1730 . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick 1982, p. 20.
  9. ↑ Henry Valloton: Peter the Great . Callwey, Munich 1960. p. 424.
  10. ↑ Lindsey Hughes: Russia in the Age of Peter the Great . Yale University Press, New Haven 1998, ISBN 0-300-08266-5 , p. 176.
  11. ↑ Brenda Meehan-Waters: Autocracy and Aristocracy. The Russian Service Elite of 1730 . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick 1982, p. 19.
  12. ↑ Jurij M. Lotman: Russia's nobility. A cultural history from Peter I to Nikolaus I (= building blocks for Slavic philology and cultural history , volume 21). Böhlau, Cologne 1997, ISBN 3-412-13496-1 , pp. 19-20.
  13. ^ A b c Lindsey Hughes: Russia in the Age of Peter the Great . Yale University Press, New Haven 1998, p. 182.
  14. ↑ Jurij M. Lotman: Russia's nobility. A cultural history from Peter I to Nikolaus I Böhlau, Cologne 1997, p. 20.
  15. ↑ Erich Donnert: Peter the Great. The changer of Russia (= personality and history , volume 129/130). Muster-Schmidt, Göttingen 1987, pp. 88-89.
  16. ↑ a b Jurij M. Lotman: Russia's nobility. A cultural history from Peter I to Nikolaus I Böhlau, Cologne 1997, p. 21.
  17. ↑ a b Jurij M. Lotman: Russia's nobility. A cultural history from Peter I to Nikolaus I Böhlau, Cologne 1997, p. 22.
  18. ↑ Jurij M. Lotman: Russia's nobility. A cultural history from Peter I to Nikolaus I Böhlau, Cologne 1997, p. 27.
  19. ↑ Brenda Meehan-Waters: Autocracy and Aristocracy. The Russian Service Elite of 1730 . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick 1982, p. 21.
  20. ↑ Rank table, part of the civil ranks and the ranks at court 1722 to 1917 , accessed on May 9, 2017.
  21. ↑ Rank table, part infantry and cavalry 1722 to 1917 , accessed on May 7, 2017.
  22. ↑ Rank table, part infantry and cavalry 1722 to 1917 , accessed on May 7, 2017.
  23. ↑ Rank table, part infantry and cavalry 1722 to 1917 , accessed on May 6, 2017.
  24. ^ A b Edgar Hösch : History of Russia. From the beginnings of the Kiev Empire to the collapse of the Soviet empire . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-17-011322-4 , p. 161.