Strelizen
Strelizen (also Strelitzen ; Russian singular стрелец strelez , plural стрельцы́ strelzy "(bow) archer ", from Slav. Strela "ray, arrow") were originally archers. It is the historical name for the palace guard introduced by Tsar Ivan IV around 1550, equipped with a musket and glaive or berdysch (Russian бердыш) . The Strelizi were soon expanded into a standing army with tens of thousands of members, making them the first regular professional army in Russia . The Strelizi class was hereditary and was rewarded with good wages and land. In the course of time, the Strelizos became a “ state within a state ” and frequently intervened in politics.
history
Ivan IV was the first Grand Duke of Moscow to be crowned tsar, although his power was limited by the fact that the boyars continued to enjoy great independence. In 1550 he therefore founded the Strelitzi, which were initially to serve primarily as the palace guard and the young tsar's house power.
The Strelizians lived in the cities in their own districts ( Sloboda ) and served in times of peace as police and guards, and they were also used as fire brigades . Their training was limited to the basic elements of armed service and the exercise of the tasks mentioned. In return, they were exempt from those duties and services that were demanded from the rest of the city's population. Compared to the aristocratic contingent they were better armed and trained. That gave them a higher combat value in war. Because of this and because of their guard and elite function , they are often compared to the Roman Praetorians or the Turkish Janissaries .
On the one hand, they were used to put down unrest, on the other hand, since the second half of the 17th century, they themselves appeared several times as a leading and organizing force against the government in popular uprisings . This was also due to the many wars in the second half of the 17th century, which went hand in hand with rapid impoverishment, because the Strelizi received little pay and were therefore dependent on their own trades, which their wives did not carry on adequately in their absence. Under Tsar Fyodor their social situation deteriorated rapidly; their privileges , including the freedom to pay taxes for their trade and business, were restricted or completely abolished. Added to this was the arbitrariness and cruelty of the commanders, who let Strelizen work for them, withholding wages and imposing flogging.
The first Strelizen uprising was in 1682. It was triggered by rumors that Fyodor did not die of natural causes, but was killed by Natalja Naryshkina , the second wife of the previous Tsar Alexei , with the consent of her family. The excitement of the Strelizos was heightened by the news that the Naryshkins had also killed the rightful heir Ivan (which was not true) in favor of Natalja's son Peter . The Strelizi then stormed the Kremlin , where they wreaked a bloodbath and demanded that Peter's half-brother Ivan, despite his mental illness, also be named tsar, as he was the older successor. On July 6, the double coronation of the two tsars Ivan and Peter took place under pressure from the Strelizi .
The second uprising of 1698 broke out because of a letter in which Sofia Alexeyevna had called for the palace revolution and acts of violence against foreigners. Tsar Peter, who was abroad for study purposes, returned, put down the insurrection , obtained evidence of the involvement of the conspirators under torture and held a bloody criminal court with countless executions , some of which he himself lied. After that he finally dissolved the army of the Strelizi (see Petrinian reforms ).
See also
Different meaning
Strelez is a Russian shoulder-mounted anti - aircraft missile .
Web links
literature
- Alexander Moutchnik : The "Strelizen uprising" of 1698. In: Heinz-Dietrich Löwe (Ed.): People's uprisings in Russia. From the time of turmoil to the “Green Revolution” against Soviet rule (= research on Eastern European history. Vol. 65). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-447-05292-9 , pp. 197-222.
- Olaf Brockmann: Peter the Great's break with old Moscow. Korb's diary and diplomatic reports from Moscow on the events of 1698 and 1699. In: Yearbooks for the history of Eastern Europe. Vol. 38, 1990, ISSN 0021-4019 , pp. 481-503, digitized .