Mechanisms of the emergence and formation of guard units in the Russian Imperial Army

Abstract

The article analyzes the causes and patterns of the emergence of new guard units in the Russian Imperial Army. The author has identified six periods in this process. The author proposed his own methodology for determining why some regiments of the Russian army received the status of guards. According to the theory of the author of the article, only those regiments that met certain criteria had a chance to become guards. The process of transition of army units to guards was a long one. The author has identified several models for the formation of new guards military units. The reasons for the creation of new military units of the Guard were both military and political. In the era of palace coups, political reasons for the creation of new guard formations dominated. They were created to protect the ruler. During the Napoleonic Wars, a large number of new guard units were created to solve combat tasks. According to the author of the article, by the end of the XIX century, the potential for creating new guards military units was almost exhausted and the process of consolidating the status of guards units began. At the same time, there was a curtailment of the national units that Emperor Nicholas I created as part of the guard. By the end of the XIX century, the division into Old and Young was abolished in the Russian Guard.