The toy army of
Peter I (russian: Потешные войска, Poteshnye voiska, literally ''amusement forces'' or ''fun forces'') was initially called ''Petrovskiy polk'', Peter's regiment (russian: Петровский полк) and was a collection of young Peter's playmates, noblemen's sons and attendants of
his father Aleksei's court.
In 1682, when
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a s ...
with his mother,
Natalia Naryshkina
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (russian: Ната́лья Кири́лловна Нары́шкина; 1 September 1651 – 4 February 1694) was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1671–1676 as the second spouse of Tsar Alexis I of Russia, and re ...
, relocated to the royal lodge in
Preobrazhenskoye, he gradually formed a miniature army, ostensibly to school himself in the modern art of war. Besides fellow children, the servants and retainers were being enlisted, with 25-year-old
Sergei Bukhvostov recorded in 1683 as the 'first Russian soldier'. Initially, the "play soldiers" were organized as a 100 men strong Company of Bombardiers.
The boys played war, and as they grew, their games became more
complex and realistic. Professional military advice was sought, and foreign officers were hired as instructors, eventually becoming part of the permanent officer corps of the ''Poteshnyi''. By 1685 the ''Poteshnyi'' numbered 300 and were quartered in specially built barracks near Preobrazhenskoye and as their numbers increased, a second similarly sized group was barracked in a neighboring village,
Semenovskoe. With further drafts of
Streltsy volunteers, the ''Poteshnyi'' were organized into the Preobrazhensky and the Semenovsky companies in 1687. At this stage both companies included artillery and cavalry components.
During the
1689 coup attempt by
regent Sophia Alekseyevna, the ''Poteshnyi'' had been part of the units supporting young Peter, along with most of the
Streltsy, and leading members of
Russian nobility.
The companies were being expanded and on 25 April 1695 officially became
Preobrazhensky and
Semenovsky Regiment
The Semyonovsky Lifeguard Regiment (, ) was one of the two oldest guard regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. The other one was the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 2013, it was recreated for the Russian Armed Forces as a rifle regiment, its na ...
s of the Guard.
These regiments became the beginnings of the
Russian Imperial Guard. As Peter matured, the regiments did as well, and Peter participated fully in the army, joining its ranks as a
bombardier,
and rising up to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
and head of the regiments.
References
External links
P. Dirin Потешные полки Петра Великого
Military history of Russia
Russian Imperial Guard
Military units and formations established in 1683
Military units and formations of the Russian Empire
Peter the Great
1683 establishments in Russia
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