“We do not strive to be the first, but we will not allow anyone to be better than us” - these words of Count A.I. Musin-Pushkin could well become the motto of the cavalry guards. Created by Peter the Great, this privileged regiment did not become just a "parade army". He earned his honor and glory on the battlefields, and many cavalry guard officers served Russia in the peaceful field as well.

“Regimental traditions provided for a certain equality in relations between officers, regardless of their title. Putting on the uniform of a regiment, everyone became a full member of it, just like in some aristocratic club ”(from the memoirs of the cavalry guard Count A. A. Ignatiev).
Count Matvey Yurievich Vielgorsky (1794-1866)
Alexey Fedorovich Lvov (1798-1870)
“The way of regimental life was influenced by the fact that some ancient Russian families, like the Sheremetevs, Gagarins, Musin-Pushkins, Arapovs, Pashkovs, had a tradition to serve from generation to generation in this regiment. On the day of the centennial regimental anniversary, a group was photographed on this occasion, in the first row of which sat fathers, former commanders and officers of the regiment, and in the second row stood one and two of their sons ”(from the memoirs of the cavalry guard Count A. A. Ignatiev).

Knight's Guard

My acquaintance with the cavalry guards began with a song. Yes, yes, from the same “Songs of the Cavalier Guard” from the movie “Star of Captivating Happiness”. Interestingly, in the poetry collections of Bulat Okudzhava, the first line sounds like this: “Cavalry guard s, the century is short, and therefore it is so sweet, ”in the songbooks, another option is more common:“ Cavalier Guard a the age is short ... ". Just one letter, but how the meaning changes! From an abstract reflection on the short duration of life to a very accurate description of the worldview of a person who risks himself every day and is always ready to die.

Who are these people, to whom the "short age" seemed sweet? Who are these mythical heroes who agreed to such conditions and linked their fate with the "knight's guard"?

Let's start with history.

For the first time, cavalry guards appeared with us in 1724 as an honorary escort of Empress Catherine I, on the day of her coronation. Peter I himself became the captain of the cavalry guard, generals and colonels were officers, lieutenant colonels were corporals, and 60 privates were chosen from chief officers, and, according to contemporaries, "the most tall and prominent of the entire army."

Throughout the 18th century, this military formation changed many times: it was dissolved, then it was born again, but it always remained the most elite and privileged regiment of the Russian army, recruited mainly from the highest aristocracy. Get a grasp of their names: Yaguzhinsky, Menshikov, Buturlin, Trubetskoy, Vorontsov, Shuvalov, the Orlov brothers, Potemkin-Tavrichesky. It seems that before us is the history of Russia of that time! It turns out that the cavalry guards made Russian history? Or vice versa: did those who made history strive to try on the uniform of this brilliant regiment? Be that as it may, the cavalry guards have always retained the status of a purely Russian formation, and even during periods of the strongest European influences, they did not turn into a hired army of foreign bodyguards, as was often practiced in Europe itself. Russian cavalry guards, which in literal translation it means that the “guardian riders” were not only the personal guards of the sovereign emperor, but they understood their duty more broadly - serving Russia, protecting the entire state.

"There is no reliable glory until blood is shed"

Elite military units have always existed. The Egyptian pharaohs and the leaders of the Aztecs had select detachments of bodyguards, the kings of Assyria and the rulers of Babylon had personal squads. The fighting corps of the peltasts in Athens, the Praetorian guards in Rome, the Skirites in Sparta - these were always the most skilled soldiers, the last trump card of any commander.

The Persian king eclipsed everyone: he had 10,000 soldiers of his personal guard in his service. They were called "atanaty", immortals - during the battle, a new one would immediately take the place of a retired warrior. They seemed invincible for a long time, they frightened the northern barbarians with their menacing appearance and bright clothes, but faltered when they met only three hundred guardsmen of King Leonidas on their way. Yes, the guard of the guard is different! Genuine guardsmen - guardsmen of the spirit, people of honor - are always few. The spirit of the guard is not born at parades and reviews, it is not acquired in palace intrigues and love adventures. Heroes are not born, heroes are raised. Okudzhava is right - to become a guardsman, you need a fight ...

The chance to prove to everyone that they are not a parade-court army, but a fighting unit, an army aristocracy, presented itself to the cavalry guards only in the 19th century. But what a case!

Austerlitz. His sky changed the fate of not only Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. The battle, hopelessly lost by Russia and the allies, became a field of glory for the Russian cavalry guards. Their brilliant attack, "which the French themselves were amazed at," was beautifully and accurately described by Leo Tolstoy in the novel War and Peace.

“Rostov was scared to hear later,” we read from Lev Nikolaevich, “that out of all this mass of huge handsome people, out of all these brilliant, on thousands of horses, rich young men, officers and cadets who galloped past him, only eighteen remained after the attack. human". It could not have been otherwise: to die, bloodless to be taken prisoner - yes; allow yourself to retreat - never. So it will be at Borodino, so it will be in other battles. “Learn to die,” Napoleon threw to his officers, pointing to the field of Austerlitz, snow-white from the cavalry guard uniforms.

Regimental legends say that Napoleon, who was touring the battlefield, had the imprudence to joke about the "beardless boys" who died in a fruitless attack. This attack of the emperor was answered by a young cornet, the son of General Sukhtelen. Having taken a step from a group of wounded cavalry guards, on a beautiful French he said: "Youth does not interfere with being brave!"

Later, all generations of cavalry guards will learn from this phrase and they will learn their lessons of courage, contempt for death, insolence and chivalry perfectly. A hundred years after the Napoleonic Wars, on the battlefields of the First World War, another cornet, Veselovsky, will remind his comrades: “The cavalry guards do not leave at a gallop!” And this phrase will be enough for the squadrons to complete the forced maneuver emphatically calmly, with a step, not paying attention to the heavy fire of the German artillery. The traditions of the regiment are above all!

"In vain peaceful fun ..."

Not intentionally! The cavalry guards did not live by a single service. Many officers, having retired, played a prominent role in court and public life, became diplomats, politicians, dignitaries, and even philanthropists and musicians.

The latter refers to Count Matvey Yuryevich Vielgorsky. Dismissed from service due to illness, he, along with his brother Mikhail, devoted himself to patronage - he provided patronage to scientists, writers, artists, and especially musicians. The Vielgorsky House became an "academy of musical taste". Matvey Yuryevich himself was a talented musician, he sang well and composed plays. In his house, he assembled the first Russian quartet and played the cello himself in it. By the way, he was the owner of a priceless instrument made by Stradivarius, but, once admiring the performance of the famous cellist Davydov, he gave him his treasure without hesitation.

The violin part in the Vielgorsky Quartet was performed by Aleksey Fedorovich Lvov, another cavalry guard and at the same time a talented violinist. But he became famous not for his virtuoso playing, but for writing the hymn “God Save the Tsar!” to the words of Zhukovsky. Creating a national anthem is a difficult task even for a professional composer. “I felt the need to write a majestic, strong, sensitive anthem,” Lvov wrote in his “Notes,” “understandable for everyone, having the imprint of nationality, suitable for the church, suitable for the army, suitable for the people, from a scientist to an ignoramus.” The first public performance of the anthem took place at the Bolshoi Theatre. With the first chords, all three thousand spectators rose from their seats. It was the composer's triumph.

Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, the father of the famous writer, also served in the cavalry guard regiment. Having retired as a lieutenant colonel, he, according to the recollections of his relatives, was actively engaged in farming, raised four sons and a daughter, was a kind, humane landowner who cared about the well-being of his peasants. Lev Nikolaevich gave the features of his father in "War and Peace" to Nikolai Rostov.

The Guard is dying, but not surrendering!

It is said that Napoleonic General Cambronne said this phrase in the decisive battle of Waterloo. He himself later denied this, but in vain - the words were heard, the legend took root. However, these words have no authorship, nationality or statute of limitations. They could be shouted out by any guard, in any language, in any battle. The cavalry guards are no exception... XX century. First World War. Heavy cavalry in knightly armor with knightly notions of honor against airplanes, machine guns and barbed wire seemed an anachronism. Cuirasses and white tunics had to be changed to khaki uniforms, and the equestrian formation was changed to trenches and a chain of foot. That's just ahead of the chain, just like before, with a naked saber in his hand, was the chief of the regiment - Prince Dolgorukov: the cavalry guards did not change their principles. They did not return from that war - there was nowhere to return. But it was not the war that destroyed them, but the revolution. You can’t send the elite of troops against your own people, the guards can’t play the role of policemen, it’s not their job to catch deserters. By November 1917, only four officers remained in the regiment. “With the departure of the last officers,” says the chronicler of the regiment V.N. Zvyagintsev, “the connection with the past was broken. The soul of the regiment flew away. The regiment died...” And yet the cavalry guards die, but do not give up, and this deserves immortality. After all, everything that these knights actually keep: courage, honor, nobility, is eternal, which means that it is still relevant today. Maybe that's why today's listeners are haunted by the "Song of the Cavalier Guard"?

to the magazine "Man Without Borders"

The cavalry guard regiment as a permanent combat unit was formed on January 11, 1799; Initially, it was called the Cavalier Guard Corps and consisted of only 189 people. But already on January 11, 1800, the corps was reorganized into a three-squadron cavalry guard regiment of the imperial guard.

In fact, cavalry guards appeared in Russia much earlier - back in 1724. However, throughout the 18th century, they did not represent a regular large military formation, but were a temporary honorary escort of emperors and empresses, as evidenced by their name (from the French cavalier - rider, and garde - guard).

"Cavalry Guard" of Peter I

For the first time, the cavalry guards performed the function of an honorary guard on the day of the coronation of Empress Catherine I - March 30, 1724. At the same time, they were led by Emperor Peter I himself, who assumed the title of captain of the cavalry guards; generals and colonels were listed as officers, lieutenant colonels were corporals, and 60 of the tallest and most representative chief officers were privates. Immediately after the end of the coronation celebrations, this company of cavalry guards was disbanded.

Cavalier Guards of Catherine II

After that, the "cavalry guard" was restored several more times: under the empresses Catherine I, Elizabeth I and Catherine II. However, this “part” was not actually a military one, but was either an imperial escort of high dignitaries at important celebrations (under Catherine I) or a noble guard at the empress’s chambers (under Elizabeth I and Catherine II). At the same time, the number of cavalry guards rarely reached 100 people, only under Catherine II the number of cavalry guards, in which guardsmen who distinguished themselves in battles, were also credited as a reward, reached 350 people. At the same time, the composition of the "cavalry guard" remained exclusively noble.

Cavalry guards of Paul I

And in 1799, Emperor Paul I established the regular Cavalier Guard Corps, as the personal guards unit of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (which was Paul himself). It included 189 people from the nobility who were awarded the badge of the Maltese Cross for merit. This feature was also reflected in the form of the Pavlovsk cavalry guards, on the red superwests of which there were white Maltese crosses. The uniform assigned to the cavalry guards in 1799 was white color with red and silver, in the form of a cuirassier of that time, and with cuirassier weapons. Moreover, the cavalry guards usually wore triangular hats, but on solemn days they put on silver cuirasses and silver cones with ostrich feathers.

Ceremonial helmets ("shishaki") of the cavalry guards of Paul I

The purpose of creating the corps of cavalry guards was: to force the Russian noble youth to really serve, and not to be listed in the service, and, forcing them to experience the brunt of the service of the lower rank, thereby preparing the young nobles for the rank of army cavalry officer.
The corps was created by Field Marshal Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin, who became the first chief of the cavalry guards. The first commander of the new unit was Lieutenant General Marquis Jean Franck Louis Dotishamp, an emigrant from revolutionary France, who did not know the Russian language at all. This circumstance made it difficult for the commander to communicate with his subordinates, and did not contribute to the popularity among the cavalry guards of this good military specialist, who was considered one of the best cavalry commanders of that time.

The founders of the Cavalier Guards Corps: Chief of the Cavalry Guards, Field Marshal Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin and their commander, Lieutenant General Marquis Jean Frank Louis Dotishamp

And on January 11, 1800, the Cavalier Guard Corps was reorganized into a three-squadron Cavalry Guard Regiment, which became part of the guard troops on the same terms as other guard regiments. At the same time, the new guards unit was deprived of the former privilege of cavalry guard formations - recruiting personnel exclusively by the nobility. Now the nobles represented officers and partly non-commissioned officers in the Cavalry Guards Regiment, while ordinary cavalry guards were recruited from tall and stately recruits of peasant origin, or soldiers of the guard transferred to the regiment.

Cavalier guards of Alexander I in 1805: private and non-commissioned officer

The new chief of the cavalry guards, Adjutant General of the Emperor Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov, was engaged in the reorganization of the corps into a regiment; he was also approved by the commander of this regiment. Under him, the discipline in the unit improved significantly - Uvarov personally selected the personnel, preventing the transfer to the cavalry guards of servicemen from other military units who were seen in indiscipline and unseemly acts.

Chief of the Cavalry Guards Regiment during all the wars against Napoleon, Adjutant General of the Emperor Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov

Shortly after the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, the Cavalier Guard Regiment was increased to 5 squadrons - now the regiment's staff consisted of 991 people (41 officers, the rest were non-commissioned officers and privates). At the same time, Major General Pavel Vasilievich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was appointed commander of the regiment, but in 1803 he was replaced in this post by Major General Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich, who commanded the cavalry guards until the spring of 1812, although he was appointed commander of 1 th Cuirassier Division, which included the Cavalier Guard Regiment. In May 1812, Depreradovich was replaced as commander of the cavalry guards by Colonel Karl Karlovich Levenvolde, but he did not lead this regiment for long: on August 26, Colonel Levenvolde died during the Battle of Borodino. After the death of Levenvolde, the cavalry guards were led by Major General Ivan Zakharovich Ershov; under his command, the regiment participated in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814. The chief of the cavalry guard regiment during all the wars against Napoleon was the adjutant general of the emperor Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov.

The first commanders of the regiment of cavalry guards: Major General Pavel Vasilyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Major General Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich and Major General Ivan Zakharovich Ershov
(portrait of K.K. Levenvolde could not be found)

The new Guards Regiment received its baptism of fire in 1805 at the Battle of Austerlitz, showing itself at the same time from the very better side. At the critical moment of the battle, when the Russian guards infantry was pressed by superior French forces to the Raustitsky stream, the cavalry guards managed to save the Preobrazhenians and Semenovites. They quickly crossed the stream along the dam, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd squadrons of cavalry guards, led by General Depreradovich, cut into the ranks of the French infantry, giving the Preobrazhenians and Semenovites the opportunity to cross to the other side. At the same time, the 4th and 5th squadrons under the command of Colonel Prince N.G. Repnin-Volkonsky attacked the French cavalry, which was marching to the aid of its infantry. During the ensuing fierce battle, Napoleon's guards cavalry arrived in time to help the crushed squadrons of General Rapp, surrounding Repnin's cavalry guards. In the cabin with superior enemy forces, the encircled 4th squadron of cavalry guards fell almost in full strength: only 18 people were able to escape, the rest were killed or wounded were captured. In total, under Austerlitz, the regiment lost 26 officers and 226 lower ranks (out of 800 people who were in service). For this battle, the chief of the regiment, Lieutenant General F.P. Uvarov and regiment commander Major General N.I. Depreradovich received the Order of St. George 3rd degree, Colonel N.G. Repnin-Volkonsky - the Order of St. George 4th degree, the rest of the squadron commanders - the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree, all wounded officers - golden weapons (swords), all other officers - Annen crosses "For courage" on swords. The cadets who participated in the battle were promoted to officers.

Cavalry guards in the battle with the Turkish alla

In 1807, the cavalry guards played an important role in the Battle of Heilsberg. When the powerful onslaught of the French almost overturned the vanguard of General Bagration, it was the fierce attacks on the enemy of the cavalry guards that allowed Bagration to safely retreat, while maintaining order in his troops. For this battle, two cavalry guards were the first in Russia to be awarded the recently approved Insignia of the Military Order, awarded to the lower ranks "for military merits and for bravery against the enemy." They were non-commissioned officer Yegor Ivanovich Mityukhin (badge No. 1) and Private Karp Savelyevich Ovcharenko (badge No. 3).

Cavalier guards in the form of 1812: private, timpani player and officer

During the Patriotic War of 1812, 4 active squadrons of the regiment (35 officers and 725 lower ranks) were in the 1st Western Army in the 1st Cuirassier Division of Major General N. I. Depreradovich; the reserve squadron was in the combined cuirassier regiment in the corps of Lieutenant General P. X. Wittgenstein. As already mentioned, Colonel K. K. Levenvolde commanded the cavalry guards at the initial stage of the war.
The cavalry guards were the elite of the Russian cavalry, and therefore the command kept them in reserve, sending them into battle only as a last resort. So, the cavalry guards were used in the battle on July 15 (27) near Luchesa, where they covered the flank of the rear guard, and then in the battle of Smolensk. As a result of these battles, by the beginning of the Battle of Borodino, 30 officers and 549 lower ranks remained in the ranks of the Cavalier Guard Regiment.
During the battle of Borodino, the regiment was also initially in reserve - the command wanted to throw the guards into battle at the most decisive moment. Only after 14 hours, General M. B. Barclay de Tolly ordered the Cavalier Guard and Life Guards Cavalry Regiments to be brought into battle - during the last attack by the enemy of N. N. Raevsky's battery, at the most dramatic and critical moment of the battle. The guards attacked the Saxon cuirassiers and Polish lancers, who were rushing to the Kurgan battery. At that moment, the commander of the cavalry guards, Colonel Levenvolde, was killed with grapeshot in the head. Nevertheless, despite the death of the commander, the guards crushed Pear's cavalry with a swift attack and began to pursue it. In order to avoid separation from the rest of the forces, the command gave a signal to return, but part of the cavalry guards, carried away by the pursuit, broke far ahead and ran into a new wave of enemy cavalry. Thus, about a hundred cavalry guards found themselves face to face with superior enemy forces; the guards instantly formed a formation, and the officers who were among them decided to attack the enemy - this was the only way out, because if the detachment turned around to return to its own, it would inevitably be crushed. A hundred armored cavalry guards rushed at the enemy; the enemy cavalrymen, taken aback, did not accept the battle and retreated, which allowed the detached group to return to the location of their troops.

Attack of the cavalry guards at the Battle of Borodino

These attacks at Borodino cost the cavalry guards the loss of 14 officers and 93 lower ranks. For the courage shown in battle, all the surviving officers were awarded orders and golden swords, and 63 lower ranks were awarded the Insignia of the Military Order.
The reserve squadron of cavalry guards, which was part of the combined cuirassier regiment of the corps of General Wittgenstein, who covered the St. Petersburg direction, was not idle either. This squadron participated in the Svolnya River, in both battles near Polotsk, in the battles at Batury (November 11), at Borisov (November 15) and at Studenka (November 16).
After the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia, the Cavalier Guard Regiment took part in the Foreign Campaign, distinguishing itself in 1813 at Lutzen, Kulm and Leipzig, and in 1814 at Fer-Champenoise. For exploits in the Patriotic War, the Cavalry Guards regiment was awarded St. George's standards with the inscription "For distinction in the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia in 1812", and for the battle at Fer-Champenoise, the St. George pipes were granted to the regiment.

With the end of the Napoleonic wars, a long period of peace began for the cavalry guards - for about a hundred years they did not have a chance to prove themselves in battles with the enemy. Only twice did a military thunderstorm disturb this guards regiment. So, in the powder turmoil of the December uprising on Senate Square in 1825, the Cavalier Guard Regiment, which had taken the oath to Nicholas I, remained on the side of the new emperor. Summoned to St. Petersburg from Tsarskoe Selo, the cavalry guards left the place so hastily that they appeared on Senate Square without cuirasses and on horses saddled “in a manege”, and one squadron was generally in uniforms and caps. This caused displeasure, and even indignation of the emperor and his retinue. In order not to see this "shameful sight" further, the cavalry guards were removed behind their backs - to Admiralteyskaya Square.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the guards cavalry was ordered to attack the rebels. The horse guards and cavalry guards did this with obvious reluctance (no one wanted to shed the blood of their comrades), and retreated at the first shots from the rebels' square. This was repeated several times; as an eyewitness testified: "The cavalry guard regiment evenly went on the attack, but without much success." Since the cavalry did not want to solve the problem, the rebels were eventually dispersed by artillery salvos.
Despite the fact that during the uprising all the cavalry guards were in the ranks of government troops, after the suppression of the rebellion, many officers of this regiment were accused of participating in a conspiracy: a total of 28 officers of the cavalry guard regiment were involved in the Decembrist case - mostly simply for "freedom-loving chatter" and acquaintance with the conspirators. Nevertheless, the punishment of these "Decembrists" was quite cruel: some of the officers were transferred with a reduction in rank to other regiments, and four (lieutenant Annenkov, cornet Svistunov, cornet Muravyov and captain Count Chernyshev) were sent to hard labor. It should be noted that the attitude of the officers of the regiment towards the convicts was generally negative, although many pitied them as their comrades-in-arms, "confused by freethinking."
The second time the Cavalry Guards Regiment was raised on combat alert during Crimean War(1853-55) and sent to the Polish city of Biala Podlaska: Prussian and Austrian troops concentrated on the western border of the Russian Empire, threatening an invasion, and the cavalry guards, along with other troops, were preparing to repel the attack (but - nothing happened ...).

Private of the Cavalier Guard Regiment in the form of the middle of the 19th century

As already mentioned, the peaceful everyday life of the guards continued for a hundred years. In peacetime, the cavalry guards daily occupied the inner guard in the palace in which the sovereign was staying, and on solemn occasions they put on armor. In addition to serving at the court, the cavalry guards decorated with their presence all parades and imperial reviews. Life went on as usual: regimental commanders changed, officers came and went, the staff structure and name changed. From 1881 until February Revolution 1917, the chief of the regiment was Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife, and then the widow of the emperor Alexander III. In her honor, since 1894, the regiment began to be called the Cavalry Guards of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna Regiment.

Empress Maria Feodorovna

Empress Maria Feodorovna with sponsored cavalry guards

At this time, as in the previous decades, the cavalry guards wore white cuirassier uniforms; the collar and cuffs of the uniform were red, with guards buttonholes: for the lower ranks from yellow braid, for officers - from a silver thread. This coloring was traditional for cavalry guards at all times, but the cut of uniforms changed over the years according to fashion. The instrument metal in the regiment of cavalry guards was white (for officers it was silver). The saddlecloths under the saddles are red, with a black border, overlaid with yellow braid at the lower ranks, and with silver galloon for officers. However, in addition to the front white uniform, the cavalry guards also had a festive red uniform, and at the beginning of the 20th century, according to experience Russo-Japanese War for everyday wear in all parts Russian army a khaki uniform was introduced.

The uniform of the Cavalier Guards at the beginning of the 20th century: white dress, red festive, protective everyday

An interesting feature was the helmets of the cavalry guards: in full dress and festive uniforms, metal double-headed eagles were attached to them. In everyday uniforms, the eagles were screwed together in the ranks, and stylized “flaming grenadiers” were installed in their place, and outside the ranks, instead of helmets, the cavalry guards wore white caps with a red band.

Headgear of the Cavalier Guard Regiment:
parade helmet, everyday helmet for the ranks, everyday cap out of ranks

Even under Emperor Nicholas I, some features of the recruitment of the Cavalier Guard Regiment developed, which lasted until the very end of its history. The regiment was staffed exclusively by tall beardless gray and blue-eyed blonds. The recruitment of the regiment with horses was also regulated. For the 1st squadron, light bay horses without marks were selected, for the 2nd - bay with marks, for the 3rd - bay without marks, and the 4th - dark bay without marks. The trumpeters of the cavalry guards rode only on gray horses.

Ordinary cavalry guards in the form of the early 20th century

Every year on September 5, on the day of Saints Zacharias and Elizabeth, the cavalry guards celebrated their regimental holiday, and on January 11, 1899, they magnificently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the regiment. Were made commemorative medal and a special token. The compilation of a four-volume edition of the biographies of the cavalry guards began, which eventually included the biographies of the officers who served in the regiment in 1724-1908. On the day of the anniversary, a parade of the regiment took place in the Mikhailovsky Manege with the presentation of a new banner, after which a breakfast was given for officers in the Anichkov Palace.

Regimental badge of cavalry guards, appeared in 1899

Such an easy existence continued until the tragic summer of 1914. But already at the very beginning of World War I, the cavalry guards went to the front. As part of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division, the cavalry guards arrived in the Consolidated Cavalry Corps of the 1st Russian Army; the corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Huseyn Khan Nakhichevansky. The regiment took the first battle on August 6, 1914 near the village of Kaushen during the East Prussian operation. The cavalry guards went on a horse attack on the enemy; however, German artillery put up a powerful fire screen, effectively disrupting the attack. The horses, not accustomed to shooting, were frightened by the gaps and ceased to obey the riders. Then the cavalry guards dismounted, and again attacked the enemy - already on foot, with carbines and bayonets attached to them; in front of the chains with a naked saber was the commander of the regiment, Major General Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Dolgorukov. The cavalry guards, under heavy fire, nevertheless reached the enemy and, after a fierce battle, put him to flight. In that battle at Kaushen, the Cavalry Guards and the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment lost more than half of the available officers killed and wounded; total losses amounted to about 380 people. The Germans lost 1200 people.

The commander of the cavalry guards in 1914, Major General Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Dolgorukov

Then, until 1916, the regiment participated in the fighting on various fronts. In the conditions of that war, the cavalry guards had to forget about white uniforms and golden cuirasses, and get used to the form of a protective color; instead of training in actions in the equestrian formation, the cavalry guards were now taught to dig in, run over, crawl. In July 1916, the regiment took part in the famous Brusilov breakthrough; this was his last combat mission; at the end of the offensive, the cavalry guards were taken to rest in the rear.
After the abdication of the emperor in March 1917, the Cavalry Guards Regiment began to guard the railway stations of Shepetovka and Kazatin; the guards were ordered to detain deserters fleeing from the front. The decomposition of the Russian army could not but affect the rank and file of the guards; therefore, on August 30, in Sarny and Kazatin, where squadrons of cavalry guards were stationed, rallies were held, the participants of which decided “to express distrust of everything officers". The commissar of the Special Army ordered: "In view of the acute distrust of the soldiers in the command staff, all officers who are in the ranks by September 1 must leave the regiment to be replaced by more democratic ones." As a result, only four officers remained in the Cavalier Guard Regiment, and even those were sent to Kyiv in early November by the new commander, Colonel Abramov, from the 8th Dragoon Astrakhan Regiment. A few days later, the Cavalier Guard Regiment was completely disbanded.
However, the disbandment of the regiment by the Bolsheviks did not mean the complete disappearance of the cavalry guards. Dismissed in September 1917 by decision of the commissars, the officers of the Cavalier Guard Regiment, for the most part, joined the white movement, and they tried to stick together as much as possible. Having joined the Circassian cavalry division, in the fall of 1918, the cavalry guards formed a platoon (which grew into a squadron in two months) of cavalry scouts of the Consolidated Guards Regiment. By July 1919, the cavalry guards had already formed three squadrons, whose combat biography ended in the autumn of 1920 in the Crimea during the evacuation of the White Guard troops from Russia.
In exile, the former cavalry guards created the regimental association "Cavalier Guard Family", which helped and supported officers in need. In 1938-1968, this association published the annual journal Vestnik of the Cavalier Guard Family.

During the existence of the Cavalier Guard Regiment, many officers served in it, who later became famous people. Among the most famous former cavalry guards is the hero Patriotic War 1812, partisan and poet Denis Vasilyevich Davydov; in the ranks of the Cavalry Guards Regiment, the future Decembrists Ivan Alexandrovich Annenkov, Sergey Grigorievich Volkonsky, Mikhail Sergeyevich Lunin fought against Napoleon. Served among the cavalry guards and the notorious killers of poets A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov - Georges Charles Dantes and Nikolai Solomonovich Martynov. The former cavalry guards were both the leader of the Greek Revolution, Alexander Konstantinovich Ypsilanti, and the famous hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. In the Cavalier Guard regiment, the Moscow mayor, the first honorary citizen of Moscow, Alexander Alekseevich Shcherbatov, chairman of III and IV State Duma Mikhail Vladimirovich Rodzianko, Hetman of Ukraine Pavlo Petrovich Skoropadsky and Marshal and then President of Finland Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim.

Has the Church of St. Zacharias and Elisabeth of Her Majesty the Empress Maria Feodorovna of the Cavalry Guards and a field church.

Listen to the march of the regiment:

March kindly providedViktor Sokovnin, from his own archive.

Packing features:

After the death of Prince Potemkin, the Chef's vacancy remained unfilled for 2 years.

On October 21, 1793, General Feldzeugmeister Zubov was appointed Chief of the Cavalry Guards, and the former under Potemkin, Prince Dmitriev-Mamonov, was left as Lieutenant.

In this composition, the Cavalry Guards remained, throughout the entire Reign; after her death, they kept 16 guards daily at the body of the deceased EMPLOY, participated in the funeral procession, and after that, after 6 weeks after her death, they were promoted and fluffed up, who wished to what kind of service. At the same time, PAVEL 1 gave the order to Count Musin-Pushkin to recruit a special Cavalier Guard squadron, all the officers and half of the lower ranks of which were selected from the Horse Life Guards.

1796 December 31. It was ordered to send 500 non-commissioned officers from all regiments of the Guard to Count Musin-Pushkin to form two new Cavalier Guard squadrons.

January 26, 1797. Their staff was approved: Chief from the Generalitat, to him at the Headquarters-General or. 3 headquarters officers for commanding squadrons, 3 captains, 3 headquarters captains, 6 lieutenants, 6 cornets, 3, 3 standard junkers, 54 non-commissioned officers and 600 cavalry guards - all of noble origin.

1797 The cavalry guard squadrons, together with the Horse Guards, participated in all the coronation ceremonies in the month of March and during the stay of the Imperial Family in Moscow kept the internal Palace guards. July 23 - of the same year, together three squadrons were divided into five, and on September 21 they were disbanded into other regiments and partly dismissed from service altogether.

Cavalier Guards in different years:

	Cavalry guard under Peter II, 1727-30.		Cavalier Guards under the Empress, 1742

1800 January 11, it was ordered to reorganize Cavalry Corps in the three-squadron Cavalier Guard on the same position as the regiments of the Guard, without assigning him the former advantage of being composed of nobles. All non-commissioned officers and privates from the nobles who served in the corps were released, at their request, to another type of service by senior officers. On May 16, the staff was approved: General, 3 Colonels, 20 chief officers, 42 non-commissioned officers, 284 cavalry guards, 7 trumpeters and non-combatants of various ranks and ranks 116.

1804 March 14. A new staff of five squadrons was approved. On May 26, the Reserve Squadron was established.

1864 August 4. The reserve squadron was assigned to, and the Directorate of the Guards Reserve Brigade was abolished.

December 24, 1866. Approved: a new staff of 4 active squadrons and regulations on reserve squadrons.

Cavalier Guards in different years:

Cavalier Guards in different years:

1918 In February-March, the actual disbandment took place in Livny, Oryol province.

Since 1917

THE HIGHEST PERSONS IN THE REGIMENT:

THERE WERE IN THE SHELF:

SERVED IN THE REGIMENT:

PARTICIPATION IN CAMPAIGNS AND CASES AGAINST THE ENEMY.

Davydov Evdokim Vasilyevich, captain of the Kavalergardsky. Wounded on August 26 at Borodino below the knee of the right leg. Kablukov Platon Ivanovich, Colonel of Kavalergardsky. Wounded by a saber in the hand on August 26 at Borodino. Levashov Konstantin Vasilyevich, staff captain of the Kavalergardsky. Wounded October 12 at Maloyaroslavets. He died of a wound on May 15, 1813 in the Kurmysh district. Levenvold Karl Karlovich, colonel, commander of the cavalry guard. Killed on August 26 at Borodino. Okunev Grigory Alexandrovich, Kavalergardsky (as part of the Consolidated Cuirassier). Wounded on October 6 at: received several blows with broadswords in the head. Orlov Grigory Fedorovich, lieutenant of Kavalergardsky. Wounded on August 26 at Borodino: his leg was torn off by a cannonball. Pashkov Alexander Vasilyevich, Kavalergardsky. He was shell-shocked on August 26 at Borodino in the lower back by a cannonball. Rimsky-Korsakov Pavel Alexandrovich, staff captain of the Cavalier Guard. Killed on August 26 at Borodino. Church of St. Zacharias and Elisabeth of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna's Cavalier Guard Regiment. Church of the Cavalier Guard Regiment. Exterior view of the Church of St. Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, when she moved into the jurisdiction, was very unpretentious. It was a small stone church with a wooden dome and bell tower. The service was performed in the aisle church until 1855, when it was decided to destroy the aisle church in order to increase the space of the church, and its iconostasis, built from icons stored at the regimental church and no one knows which camp church, was donated to the newly built church of the village of Dolotsky (Petersburg province.) in the estate of the August Chief Alexandra Feodorovna. The external view of the Kavalergardsky Church remained almost unchanged all the time, while its internal view was subjected to frequent alterations. The overhaul of the church was made in 1897-1898. Protopresbyter A. A. Zhelobovsky (who served in the Church of Kavalergardsky from 1869 to 1882) gave the first idea about the resumption of the temple. At the beginning of 1896, a commission was formed consisting of commander A. A. Grinwald, regimental priest M. N. Lebedev, staff officers and squadron commanders, with the most active participation of Protopresbyter A. A. Zhelobovsky. The commission was appointed to the church church lieutenant V. N. Voeikov. Thanks to the generous donations received from the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich (6000 rubles), the August Chief - Empress Maria Feodorovna (4000 rubles), former officers who were in the service at that time, as well as various institutions and individuals - all for perestroika church it was possible to spend 180,990 rubles. 92 kop. To increase the church, ledges were added on the southern and northern sides, the western side was lengthened, the altar and sacristy were enlarged, convenient entrances were arranged: to the altar, the church and a special one, from the north side. Conducted water heating. Restored, correcting the gilding, the iconostasis. The parquet floors are made in the church and the altar, while the rest is made of stone. The rebuilt church has the shape of a cross, with ledges to the north and south sides, and can accommodate up to 1500 worshipers. The original feature of the church is its sloping floor, which gradually goes down to the altar, which makes it possible for those praying at the end of the church to see the entire service. In addition to the artistic iconostasis, the following images attract attention: 1) Savior, written on an oval gold board; all around is a brilliant radiance, with a particle of the Lord's Robe. A particle of the Lord's Robe is in a golden ark, in the lower part of the icon, and is covered with a large amethyst. On the back there is an inscription: "This holy icon belongs to Her Imperial Majesty the maid of honor Anna Vasilievna Saltykova. May 29, 1704, in this place a part of the Robe of Christ Our God is laid." This precious icon is enclosed in a silver case with glass and was donated to the action. Art. owls. Sergei Sergeevich Saltykov in prayerful memory of his son S. S. Saltykov, who served in Kavalergardsky; under the image hangs a silver cross with particles of the relics of Sts. Saints of God, and on it the following inscription: "The relics of St. Nicholas and Sergius the Wonderworker, St. Martyr George and Demetrius of Thessalonica, Lazarus Chet. and Ignatius the God-bearer, St. Leonty of Rostov and John the Merciful, St. Alexis and John of Moscow Miracles. ", 2) The Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, painted on wood, in a gilded silver chasuble with aureoles, is richly decorated with pearls and other precious stones. On the reverse side there is an inscription: “This Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir belonged from time immemorial to the eldest in the family of the Princes of the Great Gagins, with whose care it was decorated with a rich silver setting, with gilding, stones and pearls; Theodore Petrovich Saltykov, blessed with this icon the big son of her brother Vasily Feodorovich, Pyotr Vasilyevich Saltykov, by whose order, this icon was renewed by his son with a large addition of decoration with silver, pearl stones and the position of a part of the robe of Jesus Christ in the panagia; Her Majesty the Great Catherine II Valid Chamberlain Vasily Petrovich Saltykov in the summer of the Nativity of Christ 1789 in the capital city of Moscow. May this icon be a blessing to the eldest in the family and the generations of our offspring " 3) the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, written on wood, in a narrow silver frame. This icon was granted in 1679 by Tsar Feodor Alekseevich to deacon Andrei Vinius. This image was donated by the cavalry guard F. I. Ladyzhensky. At the bottom of the image is an inscription; "This Image of Jesus of the Word of God of September 26, 7092, at the request of the Great Sovereign Tsar John Vasilyevich from Caesar Rudolf, is decorated with silver gilding according to the custom of the Greeks. Decommissioned from the existing image, which from the very Creator of Our Jesus to Ephesus, according to Avgar, was sent to the south and now in Rome and the letter in the embassy order testifies to that, and after the departure of the life of this Sovereign, his son Theodore Ioannovich was given to the royal palaces and then to the cell of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret Nikitich, and after his death he was given to the icon-keeper of the royal palaces, testifies to the inventory of the patriarchal treasury order " 4) mosaic image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The history of this image is as follows: when Nikolai Pavlovich was in Rome and examined the mosaic images of saints, he asked Pope Gregory XVI for permission to send Russian artists to learn this art. The first image compiled by Russian artists from foreign mosaics, the image of St. Nicholas, is an exact copy of the image of St. Nicholas, located in Bari, (placed in the chapel on the Nikolaevsky bridge). The same image was first created in Russia by Russian artists from Russian mosaics; kept at the Academy of Arts. Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich, in memory of his visit to the Kavalergardsky Church on the day of its consecration, and deigned to bring this image as a gift to the regimental church, 5) the image of the Sign of the Mother of God, in a silver-gilded riza, according to the hallmark of 1774. The clothes of the Mother of God are richly studded with pearls. In the altar, the main attention is drawn to the Holy See, in a silver robe of Faberge's artistic chased work; a garment for the centenary was donated by Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna and Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, c. Sumarokov-Elston. The throne is set on a stone granite foundation, lined above the floor with Kyiv porphyry. The altar is made of white Italian marble, the work of the sculptor Botta. Above the altar is built St. Antimins from the side-altar church abolished in 1856 in honor of St. Ap. and the Evangelist John the Theologian, who served as a priest in the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, but when and by whom exactly he was consecrated is unknown, since the inscriptions have been erased from time to time. In the sacristy are kept: 8 Gospels, 5 crosses *), Holy Vessels (there is a chalice with a stamp, "1756"), and och. many expensive vestments for the clergy. Of the latter, the most attention is drawn to themselves: 1) jubilee vestments trimmed with cavalry guard silver lace, and vestments donated by Prince Baryatinsky, commander N. N. Shipov, cavalry guard A. N. Bezak, and so on. Note:*) Deserves in its antiquity a silver cross with the Holy relics: St. John the Baptist, Great Martyr. Barbara, St. Bishop Simon, Rev. Macarius, Anatoly, Abraham, Onesiphorus and with a particle of the girdle of the Mother of God. At the bottom of the handle is the inscription: "This life-giving Cross of the Lord was built for the church of St. and the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, which is in the spare yard, in the summer of 1754." In terms of wealth, the regimental church occupies one of the best churches in St. Petersburg. In memory of the comrades who valiantly fought under their standards in the war of 1812 and laid down their lives for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, their regimental colleagues placed a silver plaque, with fittings, on a marble pedestal; the names of the killed and wounded officers are inscribed on the board, as well as the number of killed and wounded lower ranks. The church is illuminated with electricity. According to the state, the church is assigned: a priest, a protodeacon and a psalmist. UNIFORM FEATURES: Ceremonial helmet of the lower ranks of the Life Guards Cavalry Guards or the Life Guards Cuirassier for the last reign. The brass sphere with a visor and a type-setting butt plate is equipped with a white cupronickel device, which is unique to these two shelves. Decorative rivets are also cupronickel. White-orange-black side cockade of the lower ranks in the original colorful coating. A Guards star and a leather strap with white two-scalloped scales are installed on the helmet. The eagle mounted on the helmet has been restored - there are numerous traces of rations. However, the original silvering has been partially preserved, the rivets fastening it to the base have been replaced. The balaclava has also been restored. Bronze cuirass with a red cord around the edge, worn during dress uniform officers of the Life Guards of the Cavalier Guards and the Life Guards of the Cavalry Regiments. The cuirass consists of two halves - the breastplate and the back, lined from the inside with elk skin. Both plates are fastened together with leather shoulder straps, sheathed in red cloth and covered on the front side with typesetting four-scalloped scales with figured clasps. Red leather waist belt with brass buckle restored. The gilding was almost not preserved, the cuirass was cleaned many times. BATTLE LOSSES: Officer and privates of Her Majesty's Cavalier Guard under Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1851

Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna's Cavalier Guard Regiment

Seniority of the regiment - 01/11/1799 Regimental holiday - September 5, the day of St. Zacharias and Elizabeth.

The lower ranks of the regiment were recruited from tall blue-eyed and gray-eyed beardless blonds. The general regimental suit of horses is bay. The suits differed by squadrons: 1st squadron - light bay without marks, 2nd squadron - bay with marks, 3rd squadron - bay without marks, 4th squadron - dark bay without marks. The color of the weather vane is white with red.

03/30/1724 - Peter I ordered the Major General Lefort to form in Moscow for the coronation celebrations from the army and supernumerary officers in the amount of 50 drabants ( cavalry guard). The title of captain of the company was taken by Peter I, captain-lieutenant - Yaguzhinsky.

05/26/1724 - the cavalry guards were disbanded and handed over their uniforms to the Moscow uniform office.

04/30/1726 - The Highest ordered to re-form cavalry guard, under the same conditions as under Peter I, and issue uniforms from the Moscow uniform office to the cavalry guards. Staff: lieutenant (to the rank of lieutenant general), cornet (to the rank of major general), sergeant major (to the rank of colonel), 3 corporals (to the rank of lieutenant colonels), 60 privates (to the rank of captains).

12.1726 - The cavalry guard is formed.

1728 - staff: lieutenant commander, lieutenant, non-commissioned lieutenant, sergeant major, 3 corporals, 3 vice-corporals (with the rank of majors), 72 privates and a clerk.

July 7, 1731 - The cavalry guard was disbanded.

1742 - The cavalry guard was restored to participate in the coronation celebrations of the Imp. Elizabeth Petrovna. The ranks are not recruited from the life campaign.

03/21/1762 - The cavalry guard was disbanded.

07/06/1762 - The cavalry guard was restored.

03/24/1764 - Cavalry Corps, new states are given.

1796 - ordered to form a new Cavalier Guard Squadron. Officers and half of the lower ranks are separated from the Life Guards of the Horse Regiment

12/31/1796 - it was ordered to form two more Cavalier Guard squadrons from 500 ranks of all regiments of the guard.

01/26/1797 - the staff of cavalry guards was approved.

07/20/1797 - the regiment was reorganized into 5 squadrons.

09/21/1797 - the regiment was disbanded, part of the personnel was transferred to other regiments, part was dismissed from service.

01/11/1799 - established Cavalry Corps. Officers and non-commissioned officers were personally appointed by Emperor Paul I, Count Litte was instructed to recruit privates from non-commissioned officers of the nobles of all parts of the guard.

04/06/1799 - the staff of the corps was established: chief - in the rank of full general, commander - in the rank of major general, 2 colonels, 1 captain, 2 cornets, 9 non-commissioned officers (one of them is a sergeant major), 75 cavalry guards, 1 timpani player , 4 trumpeters, 32 non-combatants of various ranks. All non-commissioned officers and privates from the nobility.

01/11/1800 - The cavalry guard corps was reorganized into Cavalier Guard Regiment with the rights of regiments of the guard.

05/16/1800 - the staff of the regiment was approved, consisting of: 1 general, 3 colonels, 20 chief officers, 42 non-commissioned officers, 284 cavalry guards, 7 trumpeters, 116 non-combatants.

03/14/1804 - the regiment was reorganized into 5 squadrons.

05/26/1804 - a reserve squadron was formed.

11/8/1810 - the reserve battalion was disbanded to strengthen the existing ones.

12/27/1812 - the regiment was reorganized into 6 active and one reserve squadrons.

08/22/1831 -.

05/2/1832 - new states of the regiment were approved with the previous composition of 6 active and 1 reserve squadrons.

04/06/1836 - the Guards reserve squadron No. 1 was established and assigned to the regiment. The 7th reserve squadron was named the 7th reserve.

01/25/1842 - for reserve troops, it was ordered to have 8 squadrons in the cadre of indefinitely leave lower ranks.

07/26/1852 - the staff of the regiment was approved in 6 active and 2 reserve squadrons.

09/18/1856 - the staff of the regiment was approved in 4 active and one reserve No. 5 squadrons.

11/6/1860 - Cavalier Guard Regiment

12/29/1863 - The 5th reserve squadron was expelled into the Guards reserve cavalry brigade and named the reserve squadron of the Cavalier Guard Regiment (no number)

08/04/1864 - the reserve squadron was assigned to the regiment.

12/24/1866 - the new states of the regiment were approved as part of 4 active squadrons and the regulation on reserve squadrons.

07/27/1875 - the reserve squadron was renamed the reserve.

March 2, 1881 - Her Majesty's Cavalier Guard Regiment.

08/06/1883 - the reserve squadron was reorganized into the personnel department

11/2/1894 - Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna's Cavalier Guard Regiment

11/12/1914-01/22/1915 - As part of the Guards Cuirassier Division.
March 4, 1917 - Cavalier Guard Regiment.

02.-03.1918 - the actual disbandment of the regiment in Livny, Oryol province.
The officers of the regiment in the autumn of 1918 served mainly in the Circassian Cavalry Division. From the end of 10.1918, the cavalry guards made up a platoon (from 01.1919, a squadron) of a team of mounted scouts of the Consolidated Guards Regiment. From 03/24/1919, the squadron of the regiment (18 officers), and then the division was part of the Consolidated Regiment of the Guards Cuirassier Division (from 06/19/1919 - the 1st Guards Cuirassier Regiment), where in 07.1919 the cavalry guards were represented by two squadrons . The third squadron, formed in Lubny, joined the regiment on 12/12/1919. On 12/15/1919, the squadron of the regiment was part of the Consolidated Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division and the Consolidated Cavalry Brigade, and upon arrival in the Crimea from 05/01/1920. became the 1st squadron of the Guards Cavalry Regiment. The regiment lost 16 officers in the White movement (7 were shot, 5 were killed and 4 died of disease). Regimental association in exile - "Cavalry Guard Family". In 1938-1968. published on the rotator the annual magazine "Bulletin of the cavalry guard family", in 1951 there were 59 people. (Volkov's data)

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There was no military unit in Russia, whose lists would include so many famous and well-known names, starting from Peter the Great himself and his closest associates and ending with ministers and prominent statesmen from the time of the last Russian emperor. No other part of the guard or army had such an amazing, unique history.

"We do not strive to be the first, but we will not allow anyone to be better than us" - the proud motto of the cavalry guards - the most courageous and handsome men of the era. They were united by loyalty to traditions, exceptional honesty, natural aristocracy, self-sacrifice and selfless love for the Fatherland. It is said about them: "The highest chic of the cavalry guard is the absence of any chic."

The glorious history of the cavalry guards in Russia began on March 30, 1724, when, for the coronation of the wife of Peter I, Empress Catherine I, which took place on May 7 of the same year, the Cavalier Guard Corps was formed as an honorary guard. The first half company of cavalry guards opened the coronation procession from the Kremlin Palace to the Assumption Cathedral, the second closed it. During the coronation itself, the cavalry guards were located on the steps of the throne.

Peter himself assumed the rank of captain of the cavalry guard, and appointed generals and colonels of other regiments as officers of the corps, and lieutenant colonels as corporals. Ordinary cavalry guards were sixty of the tallest and most handsome handsome officers. However, after the coronation, the corps did not last long. At the end of May 1724, it was disbanded, and the officers were disbanded in their regiments.

The corps of cavalry guards as such did not exist in Russia until the accession to the Russian throne of Catherine II (1762-1796). Then, from among the Life Campanians, who were created by the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth Petrovna and served her as a personal guard, a special Cavalier Guard Corps was formed.

The cavalry guards guarded the empress and members of the imperial family, carried out guard duty in the imperial chambers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, in all country palaces and residences. Service in the cavalry guard was considered very honorable, and only nobles could enter there. Many noble parents began to enroll their young children in the corps in order to provide them with further service directly at the imperial court.

Under Emperor Paul I, the Cavalier Guard Corps was repeatedly disbanded and re-created, changing its name. So, in 1799 he was called the special guard of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who was considered Paul. And only on January 11, 1800, the Life Guards Cavalry Guards Regiment was formed, which became part of the Russian army on the same position as other guards regiments without retaining the privilege of recruiting from nobles. General Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov was appointed chief of the regiment, who performed this most honorable duty until his death in 1824.

In 1804, the uniforms of the cavalry guards, which retained the cut of the Pavlovian time for the longest time, acquire character traits military uniforms of the 19th century - white double-breasted tunics with high collars, white elk pantaloons, over the knee boots, a helmet made of thick leather with a lush hair plume, which reliably protected from being hit by cold weapons. But the cuirasses, which were canceled in 1801, were put on by the cavalry guards in the summer of 1812. Combat experience showed the haste of the earlier decision ...

The baptism of fire, so glorious and so tragic, of the Life Guards Cavalier Guard Regiment, commanded by Major General N. Depreradovich, received Austerlitz on the field. As you know, on November 20, 1805, the allied armies, who hoped to secure a complete and unconditional victory over Napoleon, suffered a crushing defeat.

The confidence of the allies in victory was so great that before the battle the regiment was ordered to prepare for the royal review! The cavalry guards went to battle, as if to a parade. The regiment approached at the most critical moment of the battle, when the Russian guards infantry, which was in the direction of the main attack of the French, could no longer hold back the fierce attacks of the enemy and began to retreat.

The first three squadrons of cavalry guards attacked the French infantry, making it possible for scattered groups of Preobrazhenians to withdraw. The 4th squadron of Nikolai Repnin and the platoon of cornet Alexander Albrecht came to the aid of the Semyonovsky regiment. The Semyonov soldiers were surrounded by French guard cavalrymen, who were trying to recapture the guards' banners from them. The desperate blow of the squadron of cavalry guards allowed the Semenovites to cross the Raustitsky stream, and our cavalry also retreated behind them.

However, the French managed to close the encirclement around the brave squadron. All attempts to break through the ring from the outside were unsuccessful. For about 15 minutes, a fierce slaughter continued, until four squadrons of mounted French grenadiers shouted: "Let's make the St. Petersburg ladies cry!" did not fall on the Russian horsemen ...

All officers of the squadron of cavalry guards were wounded and taken prisoner. Those who could stand on their feet were brought before Napoleon after the battle. “Your regiment honestly fulfilled its duty!” Bonaparte told the squadron commander Repnin, and then added, pointing to the wounded 17-year-old cornet Sukhtelen, who was standing next to the commander: “He is very young to fight with us.” To which the young officer exclaimed: "You don't have to be old to be brave!"

Despite the fact that in their first battle the cavalry guards showed extraordinary courage and outstanding stamina, the consequences for the regiment were catastrophic - one third of the officers and 226 lower ranks died in the battle. The participation of the cavalry guards in the remaining battles of the campaign was not marked by significant success, and in April 1806 the regiment returned to Russia.

Of course, the daily service in the court regiment was marked by tension. Constant drill, endless worries about maintaining property in exemplary order, all kinds of reviews. But the cavalry guards also had plenty of benefits. So, the lower ranks, "excellent in service and behavior, had the right to receive from the Sovereign for a wedding: sergeants - 100 rubles, non-commissioned officers - 50 rubles each, privates - 25 rubles each."

The calm life of the cavalry guards, full of exercises and parades, continued until March 17, 1812, when the guards cuirassiers set out on a campaign against Vilna. With the outbreak of World War II, the Life Guards Cavalier Guard Regiment became part of the 1st Army of Barclay de Tolly and retreated. Like the rest of the elite units, the regiment was protected in every possible way by the command and did not take part in hostilities until the Battle of Borodino. Near Borodino, the Life Guards Cavalry Guards Regiment and the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment became part of the 1st Cuirassier Division of Major General N. Depreradovich.

The cavalry guards entered the battle in one of its most dramatic episodes. During the third French attack on the Raevsky battery, in fact, the Russian position was broken through, and the brigade remained the only obstacle to the enemy. The regiment at a trot went on the attack on Pear's cavalry. At the very beginning of the attack, the commander of the regiment, Colonel K. Levenvold, was hit by grapeshot. The death of the commander confused the cavalry guards only for a moment, and they cut into the enemy column at full gallop.

The enemy could not withstand such an onslaught and fled. The cavalry guards pursued the fleeing French cavalry until the signal "Appel!" sounded, according to which everyone was to stop the attack and gather at the regimental standard. But about a hundred horsemen, in the heat of battle, continued the pursuit and stopped only when they saw the formation of French horsemen in front of them. The situation was critical: you can’t stand - the enemy attacks, turn around - hit in the back. Divisional adjutant M. Buturlin ordered to attack the enemy. His decisiveness saved the cavalry guards. The French did not accept the battle, and the guards were able to connect with fellow soldiers.

In just an hour and a half, which the cavalry guards spent in the battle, they lost 14 officers and 93 lower ranks, but managed to defend the center of the Russian positions. Many cavalry guards were awarded orders, edged weapons and insignia of a military order.

After the Battle of Borodino in the campaign of 1812-1814, the regiment took part in the battles of Kulm, Ferchampenoise, Leipzig, and ended its combat path by entering Paris. The successes of the guards were marked by the salary of St. George's standards with the inscription: "For distinction in the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia in 1812" and 15 St. George's pipes with the inscription: "Cavalier Guard Regiment". In 1814, the Life Guards Cavalry Guards Regiment returned to their homeland.

The history of the regiment is inseparable from the names of the Decembrists - heroes and martyrs on December 14, 1825. About 30 cavalry guard officers were involved in the uprising on Senate Square. No regiment in the Russian army was so closely associated with secret societies Decembrists.

The peaceful everyday life of the guards continued for a hundred years. Life went on as usual: regimental commanders changed, officers came and went, the staff structure and name changed. Since 1894, the regiment has been called the Cavalry Guard of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna. The cavalry guards adorned parades and imperial reviews with their presence, served at court, enlivened the life of the society of the Russian capital.

This court existence continued until the tragic summer of 1914. The flywheel of the First World War was already beginning to unwind. On July 21, a parting prayer service was served in the barracks on Shpalernaya Street in St. Petersburg. On the same night, the first squadron of cavalry guards was loaded onto wagons at the Varshavsky railway station. Upon arrival at the front, the guards became part of the right group of the army cavalry of the 1st Russian army and soon participated in reconnaissance in battle over the Shirvint border river.

However, the Cavalry Guards Regiment took its first real battle in a series of upcoming battles on August 6, 1914 near the village of Kaushen. The cavalry guards attacked the enemy in cavalry formation, but the German artillery set up a powerful fire screen. I had to leave. Nervousness appeared in the ranks of the regiment, and the rear platoons began to charge forward. Then the cornet Veselovsky shouted to the soldiers: "The cavalry guards do not leave at a gallop!" These words were enough to calm people down.

Dismounting, the guards again attacked the enemy under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. Ahead of the chains with a drawn sword was the commander of the regiment, Major General Prince Alexander Dolgorukov. I had to stop, lie down, dig in. It was only possible to break through the German defenses when the horse guards came to the rescue and the attack was supported by the guards artillery. Exactly a week later, the Cavalry Guards Regiment stormed the city of Friedland, famous for the campaign of 1807.

On the roads of the First World War, the regiment will pass from the Augustow and Kozlovo-Rudsky forests to Warsaw, Petrakov and Sventsyan, several times change its subordination, which sometimes defied any logic. Soon it will be difficult to recognize in the trenches those same brilliant guards-riders, the personal guard of the Russian emperor.

Artillery, machine guns, chemical weapons turned out to be an unbearable enemy for the cavalry. White uniforms and golden cuirasses were replaced by khaki uniforms, and training in equestrian formation changed to digging, running, crawling. The infantry in the active army required much more than the cavalry. In May 1916, a rifle division was formed, consisting of four foot squadrons. The officers of the 1st squadron came from the cavalry guard regiment, which is why it is called the cavalry guard regiment.

In July 1916 they took part in the Brusilovsky breakthrough in the Kovel region. All tasks of the cavalry guards are carried out with honor, but soon near the village of Beds they are replaced by infantrymen of the Irkutsk infantry regiment, and the regiment goes to the rear. On March 5, 1917, the regiment received a telegram about the abdication of the emperor. The guardsmen didn’t have to fight anymore - a revolution begins in the country ...

The revolutionary forces were well aware that the collapse of the state machine must begin with the armed forces. The belligerent army is decomposing before our eyes, discipline in units and subunits is rapidly falling. Since March 1917, the Cavalry Guards Regiment has been guarding the Shepetovka and Kazatin railway stations, but not from the Germans and Austrians, but from Russian deserters. And although the first waves of deserters were stopped and order was restored at the stations, after a while the cavalry guards could only witness the unheard-of shame of the Russian army. All sorts of agitators of various stripes frequented the regiment, calling for "the overthrow of the last stronghold of tsarism", which had retained its combat capability - the Cavalier Guard Regiment.

In the divisions of the cavalry guards, rallies of soldiers are held, at which they decided to express distrust of the officers and replace it with a more democratic one. Many of the officers begin to leave the regiment, not waiting for the Bolshevik turmoil. By November, only four officers remained in the regiment, who left the location of the unit on November 3. Vladimir Zvegintsev wrote in his book "Cavalier Guards in the Great and Civil War": "With the departure of the last officers, the last connection with the past was broken. The soul of the regiment flew off. The regiment died ..."

Most of the cavalry guard officers will participate in the White movement and will fight on different fronts. civil war. So, for example, in Denikin's Volunteer Army there were entire squadrons of cavalry guards. However, a full-fledged cavalry guard regiment in the Russian army never existed again. And probably won't exist...

Sergey DULDIN

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