A brief history of military uniforms in Russia

Military uniform in Russia of the XVII century

1. Pedestrian tenant of the XVI - XVII centuries.

2. Rynda of the XVI - XVII centuries.

3. Sagittarius early XVII century.

4. Officer of the rifle regiment in the middle of the 17th century.

Military uniform during the time of Peter the Great

1. Soldier-mercenary of a foreign regiment

2. Bombardier of the army of Peter the Great

3. Officer of the Grenadier Regiment of Peter the Great

Military uniform of the 18th century

1. Officer of an infantry regiment (reign of Anna Ioannovna, 1732-1742).

2. Officer of the hussar regiment (during the reign of Catherine II, 1776-1782).

3. Grenadier of the musketeer regiment (period of the monarchy of Paul I, 1797-1801).

4. Officer of the Jaeger Regiment (during the reign of Emperor Paul I, 1796-1801).

5. Carabinieri during the reign of Peter III.

6. Non-commissioned officer, hussar of the Life Guards of Pavel I.

7. Private cuirassier

8. The flute player of the Preobrazhensky regiment

Military uniform of the XIX century

1. Non-commissioned officer of the musketeer regiment (1802-1803)

2. Private of the cuirassier regiment (1813-1814)

3. Sailor of the Guards Crew (1826-1856)

4. Private of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment (1826-1856)

5. Trumpeter of the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment.

6. Ober-officer of the Life Guards Horse Grenadier Regiment.

7. Ober-officer of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.

8. Chief officer of the army infantry regiments.

9. Ober-officer of the army dragoon regiments.

10. Ober-officer of the army lancers regiments.

11. Assistant of the Life Guards of the Cossack Regiment.

12. Private of the army infantry regiments.

Military uniform of the Red Army

1. Red Army soldier and commander (1919)

2. Red Army soldier and commander (1922)

3. Red Army soldier and commander (1924)

Military uniform Soviet army

1. Winter casual wear commanding staff (1934)

2. Covaleria and Horse Artelleria (1934)

1. Military uniform of the Soviet army (1940)

2. Clothes of military builders (1973)

3. Summer uniform of foremen, sergeants and soldiers (1986)

Military uniform of the Army of the Russian Federation

1. Sample form 1990-2000x

2. Sample presentation 2012

Municipal educational institution

"Secondary school number 43"

Yaroslavl

ESSAY

"Military uniform Russian Empire: from beauty to practicality "

Performed:

Galyautdinova Anastasia Rafaelevna

Pupil 11 "bio" grade

Checked:

Kazanov Yaroslav Valerievich, teacher of life safety

grade____________________

signature___________________

Yaroslavl

Military uniform

Clothing of military personnel established by decrees, orders, rules or special regulations, the wearing of which is mandatory for military personnel, the armed forces of the state and other formations where military service is provided.

The military uniform or uniform of the troops (the official name of the clothing of military personnel) consists basically of an overcoat, uniform, trousers, headdress and boots.

In Russia until the end of the 17th century. there were almost no standing troops; the prince's squad had the same clothes that civilians wore, only with the addition of armor; only occasionally did a prince dress his squad in a monotonous manner and sometimes not in Russian. In the XVII century. archers appear, who, already making up something like a permanent army, also have uniform clothes, first red with white berendecks, and then, multi-colored; Rifle regiments had a ceremonial uniform, consisting of an upper caftan, a zipun, a cap with a band, pants and boots, the color of which was regulated according to belonging to a particular regiment. To carry out everyday duties, a field uniform was used - a "wearing dress", which has the same cut as the dress one, but made of cheaper cloth of gray, black, or brown color.

PeterI

However, a truly military uniform began to develop with the coming to power of Peter I. The new uniform was similar to the Swedish one. It was quite simple and the same for infantry and cavalry:

a caftan up to the knees, green in the infantry, blue in the cavalry;

the camisole is somewhat shorter than the caftan;

pants are narrow to the knees;

boots with sockets in a marching uniform, and usually boots with a copper buckle;

stockings in the guards are red, in the army they are green;

the infantry and dragoon regiments have triangular hats; the grenadiers have round leather caps with an ostrich sultan; in bombarding companies, a headdress is similar to that of a grenadier, but with a bear's edge;

Outerwear was an epancha, in all types of weapons the same red color, very narrow and short, reaching only to the knees.

The non-commissioned officers were distinguished by gold lace on the cuffs of the caftan and the brim of the hat. The same galloon was trimmed to the sides and pockets of caftans and camisoles for officers, whose distinction was still gilded buttons, a white tie and, in a dress uniform, a white and red plume on a hat. In the ranks, officers also wore a special metal sign that was worn around the neck. Scarves worn over the shoulder served to distinguish the headquarters from the chief officers: the former had gold tassels, the latter - silver.

Powdered wigs were worn only by officers and then only in full dress. Each soldier had a sword and a gun, and the dragoons in horse ranks had a pistol and a broadsword; the officers, in addition to the grenadier ones, who had guns with a gold shoulder strap, also had swords and partisans. They shaved their beards, but they were allowed to wear mustaches.

Military uniformXviiicentury

In the Russian Empire, after the death of Peter the Great in the subsequent years of the reign of Russian monarchs, the form of uniforms changed, but in general the samples of Peter I remained, only they became more and more complicated, especially after the Seven Years War, which entailed the cult of the Prussian king Frederick II the Great.

The desire for convenience in the form of uniforms was completely forgotten; he was replaced by the desire to make a good-looking soldier out of the soldier and to give him such uniforms, the maintenance of which in order would take all his free time from service. The soldier spent a lot of time keeping his hair in order; hair was combed into two curls and a braid and powdered on foot; in horse riding it was allowed not to powder the hair and not to curl it in curls, taking it into one dense braid, but it was required to grow and comb a mustache high or, who did not have it, have overhead. The soldier's clothes were extremely narrow, which was caused by the requirement of the then stance and especially marching without bending the knees. Many units of the troops had moose trousers, which were moistened and dried in public before being put on. This uniform was so inconvenient that in the instruction for training, the recruit was instructed to put it on no earlier than three months later, having previously taught the soldier to stand upright and walk, and under this condition, "put on little by little, from week to week, so as not suddenly tie him up and disturb him. "

PeterIIIand EkaterinaII

The form of uniforms during the reign of Peter III and in the subsequent reign of Catherine II was observed, especially in the guards, very inaccurately, and in the army, unit commanders allowed themselves to arbitrarily change their uniforms. The guards officers were weary of it and did not wear it at all outside the formation. All this gave rise to ideas of change military uniform, which was changed at the end of the reign of Catherine at the insistence of Prince Potemkin, who said that "curling, powdering, weaving braids - is this a soldier's business? Everyone must agree that it is more useful to wash and scratch your head than burden it with powder, fat, flour, hairpins , with braids. The soldier's toilet should be such that it is up and ready. " Army uniforms were greatly simplified and made much more convenient; it consisted of a wide caftan and trousers tucked into high boots; but in the cavalry, and especially in the guard, military uniforms remained as before in the form of a shiny and uncomfortable form, although complex hairstyles and leggings disappeared from the usual uniforms of troops.

PaulI

Paul I started a military one, as well as other reforms, not only out of his own whim. The Russian army was not at its peak, discipline in the regiments suffered, the ranks were handed out not deservedly - so, noble children from birth were assigned to a rank, to a particular regiment. Many, having a rank and receiving a salary, did not serve at all. As a reformer, Paul I decided to follow his favorite example - Peter the Great - like his famous ancestor, he decided to take as a basis the model of a modern European army, in particular the Prussian, and what, if not German, can serve as an example of pedantry, discipline and perfection. On the whole, military reform was not stopped even after Paul's death.

Under Paul I, the Prussian uniform of the troops passed to Russia, which consisted of:

a wide and long tunic with folds and a turn-down collar;

tight and short pants;

lacquered shoes;

stockings with garters and boots;

small triangular hat.

The regiment differed from the regiment in the color of collars and cuffs, but these colors were without any system and extremely variegated, difficult to remember and poorly distinguished, since the number of colors included such as apricot, isabella, celadon, sand, etc. Hairstyles again get essential; soldiers powder their hair and braid it in regular braids with a bow at the end; the hairstyle was so complicated that special hairdressers were brought up in the troops.

The form of uniforms for sailors during the time from Peter I to Catherine II almost does not change, but only becomes more complicated:

the sides and collars of the camisoles of the highest ranks are embroidered with gold;

they put on boots on their feet;

hair is gathered in braids and braids and powdered.

The forms of uniforms in the period from 1764 to the beginning of the 19th century were distinguished by a rather significant variety; during this time, the naval artillerymen had all the uniforms of red, helmets with a bear's crest served as their headgear; the sailors' combat camisoles were white with the same lapels, double-breasted, with a gray-green collar and cuffs, and the working camisoles, the so-called bostrog, were single-breasted gray-green, in both cases short knee-length pants, in summer white, linen; high boots; the hat was original, felt, high, with a lapel at the bottom, reminiscent of a Russian Greek man. In summer, the sailor's work suit consisted of a teak camisole with blue longitudinal stripes and shoes. In general, it should be noted that the uniforms of the sailors of the 18th century were quite well adapted to his work and quite comfortable.

First half military uniformXIXcentury

At the beginning of the 19th century, upon the accession to the Russian throne of Emperor Alexander I, a supporter of a magnificent military uniform, the uniform became even more uncomfortable. Broccoli and braids were forever destroyed, boots and shoes were replaced with high, knee-high boots; the uniforms have been considerably shortened, narrowed and looked like the present-day tailcoats; introduced solid standing collars and shoulder straps and epaulettes; the collars of officers were decorated with sewing or buttonholes and were generally colored; the shelves were distinguished by their colors.

Headdresses, tall, heavy and very uncomfortable, had a fairly wide variety; they bore the general name of shakos. Shoulder straps were introduced at first only in the infantry and were all red, then the number of colors was brought to five (red, blue, white, dark green and yellow, in the order of the division's regiments); officer's shoulder straps were trimmed with galloon, and in 1807 they were replaced with epaulettes. Subsequently, epaulettes were also given to the lower ranks of some cavalry units.

Pavlov's cloaks were replaced by narrow overcoats with standing collars that did not cover the ears. In general, despite the significant simplification of the uniforms, it was still far from so convenient and practical. It was difficult for the soldier to maintain the mass of belts and accessories that were part of the equipment in good order; moreover, the shape was still very complex and heavy to wear. The militia under Alexander I first dressed in whatever dress they wanted; later they were given a uniform consisting of a gray caftan, wide trousers tucked into high boots, and a cap (cap) with a copper cross on the crown. From the day of accession to the throne of Alexander I until 1815, officers were allowed to wear a particular dress outside of service; but at the end of the overseas campaign, due to fermentation in the army, this right was canceled. The wearing of mustaches was only allowed for officers of the light cavalry (hussars, lancers); no one was allowed to wear beards, but it was not forbidden to have tanks. The wearing of the esponton (reduced protasan), introduced by Paul I, was abolished in 1807.

Under NicholasI

Under Nicholas I, uniforms and overcoats were at first still very narrow, especially in the cavalry, where officers even had to wear corsets; you couldn't put anything under your overcoat; the collars of the uniform, while remaining the same high, buttoned up tightly and strongly propped up the head; shako reached 5.5 inches in height and looked like buckets turned upside down; during parades they were decorated with sultans 11 inches long, so that the entire headdress was 16.5 inches high. Wide trousers, woolen in winter and linen in summer, were worn over boots; under them, boots with five or six buttons were put on, since the boots were very short. Especially a lot of trouble for the soldier continued to be caused by ammunition made of white and black lacquered belts, which required constant cleaning. A huge relief was the permission to wear, first out of order, and then on the campaign, caps similar to the present ones. The variety of military uniforms in the Russian army was very great; even the infantry had varied uniforms; some of its parts wore double-breasted uniforms, others single-breasted. The cavalry was dressed very brightly; its shape had a lot of little things, the fit of which required both time and skill. During the time of Nicholas I, from 1832, simplifications in the form of uniforms began, which were expressed primarily in the simplification of ammunition; heavy and uncomfortable shako are replaced by more comfortable, albeit equally heavy helmets; the troops were supplied with mittens and headphones. Since 1832, officers of all kinds of weapons have been allowed to wear mustaches, and officers' horses do not have their tails trimmed or their turnbones trimmed.

The uniforms of the fleet also changed quite dramatically during the reign of Alexander I; here, as well as in the ground forces, uniforms with tunics appeared, in the form of tailcoats, with high collars, in naval crews in white, in guards, in black with buttonholes, long cloth trousers, on the heads of naval officers high triangular hats with plumed ranks hats with wide brims, high, cylindrical, in a guards carriage with a coat of arms in front, in naval ones - with a badge from a ribbon on the side. At the same time, the raincoats were replaced by a narrow overcoat, sewn in a waistcoat, with a standing collar. During the reign of Nicholas I in 1826, the officers of the fleet were given frock coats (uniforms) with long folds and standing high collars; hats were replaced by shako with small visors and a coat of arms; shako were truncated cones. Both the officers of the fleet and the lower ranks received caps with edging in the manner of the army, from the company on the band; the overcoats still remained the same uncomfortable ones. During all this time, as can be seen from the description, the naval military uniform was not much different from the land one.

Military uniform of the second halfXIXcenturies

The troops received a completely convenient form of uniform in the 19th century only during the reign of Emperor Alexander II; Gradually changing the military uniform, they finally brought it to such a cut, when, having a beautiful and spectacular appearance in brilliant weapons, it was at the same time spacious and allowed the warmers to be pushed on in cold weather. The uniform of the guard was distinguished by a special brilliance, which in ceremonial occasions, already from the time of Alexander I, wore special colored cloth or velvet (black) lapels (bibs); the cavalry retained their shiny uniforms and their colors, but the cut was made more comfortable; all were given spacious greatcoats with a fold-over collar that covered their ears; the collars of the uniforms were significantly lowered and widened, although they are still firm and of little practical use. The army uniform was first double-breasted, then single-breasted; harem pants were first worn in boots only on a campaign, then at the lower ranks always; in summer, the trousers were made of linen. Beautiful, but uncomfortable helmets remained only with the cuirassiers, lancers and the guard, which, in addition, had caps without visors; in the army, the ceremonial and ordinary dress was a cap, in the first case with a sultan and a coat of arms. The officers also had their caps. At the same time, a very convenient and practical head was given, which served the soldier a lot in the harsh winter time. Satchels and bags have been lightened, the number and width of straps for carrying them has been reduced, and in general the soldier's burden has been lightened. By the beginning of the 70s, there were no longer any constraints regarding wearing a mustache, beard, etc., but a short haircut was required. The uniforms of this era, while comfortable enough, were expensive; it was also difficult to fit uniforms with buttons and hoists.

These considerations, and most importantly, the desire for nationalization prompted Emperor Alexander III to radically change the form of uniforms for troops; only the guards cavalry retained, in general outline, their former rich clothing. The new uniform was based on uniformity, cheapness and ease of wear and fit. All this was achieved, however, at the expense of beauty. The headdress, both in the guard and in the army, consists of a low, round lambskin cap with a cloth bottom; the cap is decorated in the guards with the St. Andrew's star, in the army - with the coat of arms. A uniform with a standing collar in the army with a straight back and a side without any edging is fastened with hooks, which can be freely altered, widening or narrowing the uniform; the guard's uniform has an oblique side with edging, a colored high collar and the same cuffs; the uniform of the cavalry with its transformation exclusively into dragoon regiments (except for the guards) is completely similar to the uniform of the infantry, only somewhat shorter; the lamb ceremonial hat resembles an ancient boyarka; wide trousers tucked into high boots, in the infantry of the same color as the uniform, in the cavalry of gray-blue, and gray greatcoats, fastened with hooks in the army, and with buttons in the guard, complete the simple uniform of a modern soldier. The absence of buttons also has the advantage that an extra shiny object is eliminated, which can draw the attention of the enemy in sunny weather and cause his fire; the abolition of sultans, helmets with shiny coats of arms and lapels has the same meaning. The cavalry, when changing shape, retained its former colors on their caps, collars and in the form of edging. In the infantry and other types of weapons, starting with the introduction of a cap with bands, the difference between one regiment from another is based on a combination of colors of shoulder straps and bands. Divisions differ from divisions by numbers on their shoulder straps; in each infantry division, the first regiment has red, the second - blue, the third - white, the fourth - black (dark green) bands, the first two regiments (first brigade) - red, and the second two regiments (second brigade) - blue shoulder straps. All guards, artillery and sapper troops have red, and arrows have crimson shoulder straps. The difference between one guards regiment from another, in addition to the bands, is also in the color of the edging and the device.

The described form is in many ways close to the requirements for uniforms of troops, but hats and caps without a visor do not protect the eyes from the sun's rays. A significant relief for the troops was allowed by Alexander III by the introduction of jackets and linen shirts for wearing in hot weather; this was complemented by white caps throughout the entire summer period, as well as the recent permission to replace uniforms in summer with tunics, with orders and ribbons on them, even on special occasions.

During the reign of Alexander II, the form of the fleet also changed dramatically; the sailors received original caps with ribbons, from the Black Sea and the Guardsmen of St. George, from the others - black; the cut of the naval overcoat is the same as the overcoat, but it is black; black and officer's coat. The uniforms were replaced by the so-called pea jackets with turn-down collars and two-row buttons; this uniform is worn on certain occasions; in general, the sailor's clothing is made up of a blue flannel loose shirt, reaching to the waist and dropping down with an overlap; the collar of the shirt is cut out in the front, the back is covered by a wide collar; under this shirt, a uniform linen shirt is put on, of the same cut, white with a blue turn-down collar, produced over the flannel; a knitted sweatshirt is put on the body, which is visible in the open collar of the shirt; long black trousers or boots, and in summer white, linen; there is no ceremonial headdress. Officers in the seventies received, instead of deaf coats, open ones with bibs; uniforms remained with high collars, but with long folds; the shako was replaced by a triangular hat, such as that worn by civilian officials. Military uniform at the beginning of the 20th century

Nicholas II was an admirer of the art of war and adored military uniform. Everyone knows many photographs of the tsar in his ceremonial uniform. Perhaps that is why the sovereign did not ignore the "reforming" of the soldier's uniform.

Let's highlight several nuances with which the last king of the Romanov dynasty decorated the military uniform:

Exclusively in all ranks, even the lowest, visors were added to the caps.

The officers were given a galloon shoulder harness, which replaced the simple leather one introduced by Alexander II.

In the southern troops, the ceremonial headdress was canceled. It was replaced by an ordinary cap with a small metal coat of arms.

The officer's uniform has now become double-breasted with edging in colored fabric. It was fitted.

In the cavalry troops, each regiment was assigned its own color (blue, white and red). The visors of the caps have ceased to be painted in colors. Instead, the crowns were dyed.

In the auxiliary and special forces, they wore an infantry uniform.

The appearance of the military uniform has changed throughout the history of the army. This was due to general changes in fashion trends, as well as the desire to make the soldier's clothing comfortable for combat.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that the uniforms of the Russian army were comfortable, durable, free, easily fit and well protected from the weather; this was done in particular by the permission to use cloaks and rubber, waterproof raincoats. The only thing that complicated the uniforms of the Russian army was the existence, especially for officers and guards cavalry, of several forms - ceremonial, ordinary, festive, sometimes ballroom and everyday (frock coat and long trousers), and for officers and lower ranks of a special marching uniform. In the 18th century, the government did not make any expenditure on the uniforms of the soldiers, and the uniforms were built in regiments for deductions from the soldiers' salary; for the officers, for uniformity, all uniforms and other combat equipment were brought under the care of their commanders, for which a deduction from their maintenance was also allowed; some things - a badge, a partisan, a gun, a shoulder strap - were not even considered the property of an officer and were taken away when he was transferred or fired. The amount of deductions from both officers and soldiers was strictly determined by law, but the commanders increased these deductions, especially from officers, trying to make them more elegant, or even turn part of their money to their advantage. At the beginning of the 20th century, the uniform of the Russian soldier began to be built at the expense of the treasury and the soldier was no longer subject to deductions for uniform from his tiny salary; the officers were obliged to equip themselves, without any participation in this by the treasury or the authorities, receiving only one time, in the course of being promoted to officers, a lump-sum allowance for equipping.

So, over the several centuries of the existence of the Russian Empire, the military uniform has come a long way of transformations. At the very beginning, it was not practical and its main quality was appearance... But by the 20th century, the form was able to combine external qualities and convenience. Also, based on the foregoing, it can be traced that the military uniform was originally borrowed and only later acquired its own characteristics.

In the history of Russian military uniforms, the period from 1756 to 1796 occupies a special place. A stubborn and energetic struggle between advanced and reactionary tendencies in the national military art indirectly left its mark on the development and improvement of uniforms and equipment Russian troops.
The level of development of the Russian economy formed a serious basis for the transformation of the Russian army into a modern one for that era military force... The successes in metallurgy contributed to the expansion of the production of edged weapons and firearms. The number of light cavalry increased. There were more artillery, engineering and jaeger teams, consisting of well-aimed shooters, equipped with "screw" rifles. The introduction of a military uniform, comfortable in combat and field conditions, was not easy.
During the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and for a long time after its end, the uniforms of officers and soldiers of the Russian army basically differed little from the uniforms of the Prussian troops. The difference was mainly in the color of the clothes. With the appearance of hussars in the Russian army, uniforms, which were borrowed from the Austrian imperial troops, were different from other regiments. Changes in the cut of clothing and the change in its individual parts until the end of the 70s of the 18th century did not altogether change the appearance of the soldiers. However, during the military reforms of the 80s, taking into account the experience of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, a more comfortable military uniform appeared in the army than before. Its introduction was initiated by the President of the State Military Collegium, Field Marshal G.A. Potemkin, supported by the country's leading military leaders. Seeking the introduction of simpler and more comfortable clothing in the Russian troops, he convincingly argued that as a result of these changes "the soldier will be healthier and, having lost his dandy shackles, more agile and brave." Explaining why inconvenient uniforms appeared in our country, Potemkin wrote: “When the regularity was introduced, foreign officers entered Russia with the pedantry of the time, and ours, not knowing the direct cost of military equipment, considered everything sacred and seemingly mysterious. that the regularity consists in braids, hats, valves, cuffs, in rifle tricks and protch.While engaging in such rubbish, and to this day they do not know well the most important things and turns, and as for the serviceability of the gun, here polishing and polishing is preferred to kindness In a word, the clothing of our troops and ammunition is such that it is almost impossible to think of better for oppressing the soldiers ... The beauty of military clothing consists in the equality and conformity of things with their use. burden; all panache must be destroyed, for it is the fruit of luxury, it requires a lot of time, dependency and servants; which a soldier cannot have ... Curl, powder, weave braids - is it a soldier's business; they have no valets. What are they farting for? (bouclie). Everyone must agree that it is more useful to wash and scratch your head than to burden it with powder, lard, flour, hairpins, and braids. The toilet of a soldier should be like this: that he got up, he’s ready ... "Further Potemkin noted:" When a squadron or a whole regiment is assigned a formation, then up to twelve o'clock they must certainly use them to remove each other's braids and spend the whole night in this restlessness without sleep ; why should inevitably follow an inevitable omission in other necessary corrections, the fact that, having thus passed the night in exhaustion, they do not have the strength to correct their other affairs, such as cleaning and feeding their horses; or if they do not omit in this, then, not being supported by sleep, they are weak, sluggish and little capable of such actions where vigor, liveliness and strength are needed. "
The advantages of the new uniforms introduced in the 1780s could be appreciated by Russian soldiers immediately after their appearance in the army. The narrow caftan that hindered movement was replaced by a comfortable jacket made of thick, durable cloth that was loose in the shoulders. Its short hemlines were folded up in front and fastened with buttons. At the back, at the bottom of the jacket, there was a slit. Now nothing hampered the soldier on the march or during a fast run. The color of the jacket, cuffs, lapels on the chest, as well as stripes on the pants, depended on the type of troops. Copper buttons, polished to a shine, adorned the lapels, cuffs and collar of the jacket. A button was also sewn on the left shoulder at the collar. A shoulder strap or an epaulette was attached to it. The main purpose of the epaulette was to keep the sling of the cartridge bag from slipping off the shoulder. The jacket was dully fastened with hooks and loops sewn to the sides of the lapels. In winter, the flaps of the jacket were unfastened and lowered down. In cold weather, the soldiers wore a short sleeveless camisole under their jacket. Cloth trousers (wide trousers) were comfortable and spacious. Leather leggings were sewn onto both legs at the bottom for strength.
The black soldier's cocked hats made of felted wool were replaced by more comfortable headwear - helmets. "A helmet," wrote G. A. Potemkin, "in addition to the benefits and ability to use it, has the preference over the hat that it looks like a soldier and is a characteristic military outfit." The helmets were made of leather, and were also bright and. They consisted of a round crown and a visor. A transverse ridge (plume) of wool, hair or feathers ran along the top of the Helmet. At the back, in the lower part of the helmet, were attached two cloth blades, which served as an ornament in summer, and in winter, in frost, crossed in front of the neck, covering the ears.
The soldier's hairstyle became hygienic and simple, since from now on the hair had to be cut short, in the popular expression, "in brackets." New summer uniform it was also not burdensome for the soldiers, as it was "built" from canvas.
In 1788, in all the infantry regiments of the army, which was commanded in the south of Russia by G.A. Potemkin, the headquarters and chief officers were ordered to wear jackets and helmets on the model of soldiers'. However, the helmets were without blades, with a gold braid at the visor and a large plaque on which the monogram of Catherine P. flaunted. In the rest of the Russian troops, the uniforms of the generals, headquarters and chief officers remained unchanged. The guards and hussar regiments retained their former uniforms.
The convenient and practical "Potemkin" shape did not last long - only ten to twelve years. It was completely canceled by Paul I, a fanatical admirer of Frederick II, the initiator and organizer of the "crumbling" of the Russian troops.
This selection, along with rare drawings of Russian military uniforms of 1756-1762, includes little-known images of soldiers and officers in "Potemkin" military uniforms. Most of them were performed by the young talented draftsman and engraver H.-G. Geisler (1770-1844) in the last quarter XVIII century. These works allow today to imagine what the glorious defenders of the Russian Fatherland looked like - the heroes of Kinburn, Ochakov, Fokshan, Rymnik and Izmail. Both the military uniform and the types of people depicted here are conveyed with documentary accuracy. Unfortunately, these works can only to a certain extent replace for us the nominal portraits of ordinary participants in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, not created in due time, who glorified themselves with courage, courage and dedication.

The results of the first war with the Turks gave further impetus to military reforms in Russia. The soul of these reforms was the new favorite of Empress Catherine II, Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin. Under his energetic leadership, the Russian army became the strongest in Europe, and the new complex military clothing named him - "Potemkin" uniform.

The first reforms were carried out almost immediately after the end of the war. V 1775 In the cavalry, cuirassiers canceled cuirasses and cassettes on hats (the latter also concerned the carabinieri). In general, in the regular cavalry, saddles and treads were abolished, being replaced by lighter Hungarian saddles and boots, broadswords were replaced by sabers. The Dragoons were once again reformed into riding infantry regiments, and their uniforms were changed to green.

But global changes began in the early 1780s. in preparation for a new war with the Turks. Now all Russian soldiers were dressed in uniform and practical uniforms. The types of troops, as before, were distinguished by the colors of their uniforms, and military specialties, for example, in the infantry, were indicated by the colors of plumes on helmets:

white - grenadier, yellow - musketeer, green - huntsman.

Of the bladed weapons, the musketeers only had a bayonet, and the grenadiers received a saber instead of a sword, a pistol was introduced to the rangers for self-defense, and non-commissioned officers and selected shooters received a fitting.

In the cavalry, many of the existing types of weapons were originally reduced to three: carabinieri, light horses and cuirassiers. Dragoons by this time could be considered a riding infantry. All cavalrymen were dressed in the same blue jackets with a red device, differing in minor details (color of buttons, aiguillettes). The exception was the elite of the regular cavalry - cuirassiers. They retained the fawn color of their uniforms and a multi-colored appliance for each regiment. An even greater exception were the uniforms of the cuirassiers of the heir's regiment (Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich - the future Emperor Paul I), who continued to wear traditional tunics and jackboots. Appeared in the 1790s. several new regiments of hussars and horse rangers partly changed the picture of general uniformity. It should be noted that this uniformity was already undermined by small and large innovations that inevitably arose in the field army, which had been conducting military operations for a long time.

During this period, for the first time, several Cossack corps received uniforms, previously wearing only their national costumes.

The shape of the horse-artillery companies formed in St. Petersburg after Potemkin's death under the patronage of the Zubov clan can be called the swan song of the "Potemkin" uniform (Platon Zubov was the last favorite of Empress Catherine II).

From book: "300 years of the European soldier (1618-1918)"
Encyclopedia of military costume.