Golden weapon "For bravery"- award weapon in the Russian Empire, classified as a state order from 1807 to 1917.
The awarding of Golden bladed weapons - a sword, a dagger, and later a saber - was made as a sign of special distinction, for demonstrated personal courage and dedication. Generals were awarded Golden Arms with Diamonds. In the 18th century, the hilt of a Golden weapon was made of pure gold; by the 20th century, the hilt of a weapon without diamonds was only gilded, although the officer had the right to replace the hilt with a completely gold one at his own expense.
Since 1913, according to the new Statute of the Order of St. George, the Golden Weapon “For Bravery” began to be officially called St. George's weapon and was considered one of the distinctions of the Order of St. George (in terms of seniority - below the fourth degree). On the hilt of the St. George's weapon a small gold cross of the Order of St. George, covered with white enamel, began to be placed, as well as the inscription “For bravery” and a lanyard in the colors of the St. George's ribbon.
- 1. History
- 1.1 18th century
- 1.2 19th century
- 1.3 XX century
- 2 Statute of the St. George's Arms of 1913
- 3 Awarded the Arms of St. George
- 4 See also
- 5 Notes
- 6 Links
Story
XVIII century
Awarding weapons has been practiced since early times, but the earliest awards date back to the 17th century. The Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve houses a saber, on the blade of which there is an inscription in gold: “The Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich of All Rus' granted this saber to Stolnik Bogdan Matveev Khitrovo.” Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich reigned from 1613 to 1645. However, for what particular merits the steward Bogdan Matveevich received the saber as a gift is unknown, therefore the history of the Golden Weapon as an exclusively military award dates back to the times of Peter the Great.
Breastplate for the Golden Weapon “For Bravery”
The first award of golden weapons as a reward for military exploits was made on July 27, 1720. On this day, Prince Mikhail Golitsyn was sent a golden sword with rich diamond decorations for the defeat of the Swedish squadron on the island of Grengam. In this battle, the galley flotilla of Chief General Golitsyn boarded large Swedish ships: a battleship and 4 frigates.
Subsequently, there are many awards known for golden weapons with diamonds for generals, and without diamonds for officers with various honorary inscriptions (“For bravery”, “For courage”, as well as some indicating the specific merits of the recipient). In total, 300 such awards were issued in the 18th century, 80 of them with diamonds. 250 awards occurred during the reign of Catherine II.
Swords with diamonds were examples of jewelry art that were expensive for the treasury. For example, the sword of Field Marshal Rumyantsev (1775) cost 10,787 rubles, swords with diamonds for generals cost more than 2 thousand rubles.
In June 1788, for the battles against the Turks in the Ochakovsky estuary, the awards of Golden Swords to officers below the rank of general with the inscription “For Courage” and a description of the reasons for the award were documented for the first time. An invoice from 1790 has been preserved for Golden swords with hilts made of 84-carat gold, where the price is indicated - 560 rubles per sword (the cost of a herd of horses at prices of that time).
The Museum of the History of the Don Cossacks in the city of Novocherkassk houses a saber with the inscription “For Bravery” on the blade, made in 1786. The Golden Weapon with Diamonds of Ataman M.I. Platov is also presented there - a reward saber from Catherine II for the Persian campaign of 1796. The blade of Platov's saber is made of damask steel, while the hilt is cast from pure gold and decorated with 130 large emeralds and diamonds. On the back of the hilt there is an applied gold inscription “For Bravery”. The scabbard is made of wood, covered with velvet, all metal parts of the scabbard are made of gold and decorated with an ornament of 306 diamonds, rubies and rock crystal stones.
19th century
During the reign of Paul I, the Golden Arms was not awarded, since Paul established the new Order of St. Anne. The 3rd degree (since 1816 - the 4th degree) of this order was given for military merit, and the badge was attached to the hilt of a sword or saber. Awards with Golden Arms resumed in 1805 under Tsar Alexander I.
On September 28, 1807, a decree was signed classifying officers and generals awarded the Golden Arms “For Bravery” as holders of the Russian Order, that is, the Golden Arms “For Bravery” was equated to a state order:
In accordance with the status, three types of award weapons were allocated:
- Golden weapon “For bravery” with diamonds (diamonds),
- Golden weapon "For bravery"
- Annin's weapon is the lowest, 3rd degree of the Order of St. Anna (since 1815, 4th degree).
At the same time, the Annin weapon stood somewhat apart and, strictly speaking, was not an award weapon as such, since it was not awarded directly, but was given as a badge of the Order of St. Anna of the 4th degree, which in turn was attached to the hilt of an ordinary sword or saber. Beginning in 1829, the inscription “For Bravery” also began to be placed on Anninsky edged weapons, which was applied in the workshop along with attaching the order badge to the hilt.
The Napoleonic Wars produced a large number of recipients of the Golden Arms. In the Patriotic War of 1812, 241 people were awarded, in the Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army of 1813-14 - another 685. Spike in the statistics of awards occurred in the wars that Russia waged with external enemies. So in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, about 500 officers became holders of the Golden Arms.
Since 1855, a lanyard of St. George's flowers was attached to the Golden weapon.
In 1859, a provision was established according to which any officer was allowed to be awarded the Golden Arms, but in the ranks from ensign to captain inclusive, the officer must already have been awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree for bravery, or the Order of St. George, 4th degree. For generals, golden weapons were assigned with diamond decorations.
On September 1, 1869, all those awarded golden weapons were assigned to the Knights of St. George, but the weapons themselves were considered a separate, independent insignia. By this date, 3,384 officers and 162 generals had Golden Arms. Since 1878, the general, awarded the Golden weapon with diamonds, at his own expense had to make a simple Golden weapon with a St. George lanyard to be worn in the ranks outside of parades; the cross of the Order of St. George was attached to the hilt of the weapon. The Order's cross was not attached to the Golden Weapon "For Bravery", only a lanyard.
Officers' award swords and sabers went to soldiers, whose main source of livelihood was often only their salary. It is no coincidence, therefore, since the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Almost everyone marked with the Golden Weapon, judging by archival documents, received money instead of it corresponding to its value. For example, from April 1877 to December 1881, 677 officers received money instead of awards, almost all of whom were awarded the Golden Arms during this period. The reason here is not only the reluctance of the treasury to take on the extra trouble of making awards, but also that the majority of those awarded asked for it. Having received compensation money, it was possible to order a weapon that was not gold in the literal sense of the word, but only with a gilded hilt and an inscription carved on the hilt: “For bravery” (the operation, called in the documents “finishing the weapon in the manner of gold,” cost 4 rubles. 50 kopecks), disposing of the remaining amount at his own discretion. The certificate certifying that its owner is a holder of the Golden Arms was sent free of charge.
XX century
For the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Golden weapons “For Bravery”, decorated with diamonds, were awarded to four generals, without decorations - to 406 officers.
In the new Statute of the Order of St. George in 1913, the Golden Arms was included in the Order of St. George as one of its distinctions with the official names Arms of St. George and Arms of St. George, decorated with diamonds. On the hilts of all types of these weapons a small gold cross of the Order of St. George, covered with white enamel, began to be placed. The size of the cross was approximately 17x17 mm.
The external difference between the ordinary St. George weapon and the St. George weapon decorated with diamonds was that on the second, the cross of the Order of St. George on the hilt was decorated with diamonds, and instead of the inscription “For bravery” there was a description of the feat for which the gentleman was awarded the award.
According to the Statute, the recipient received the right to make the hilt of his service bladed weapon from gold, or simply gild it and put the inscription “For bravery.” Only a lanyard and a gold cross of St. George were issued for the weapon.
St. George's weapons with diamonds were issued without any monetary contributions. During the entire First World War, only eight people received this award: Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Irmanov, Samedbek Sadykhbek ogly Mehmandarov, Sergei Fedorovich Dobrotin, Platon Alekseevich Lechitsky, Pyotr Petrovich Kalitin, Alexey Alekseevich Brusilov and Anton Ivanovich Denikin.
Statute of the St. George's Arms of 1913
Recipients of the St. George's Arms
Below is a list of awards during the First World War, where specific examples show what merits the St. George's Arms was awarded for:
| № | Name | Chin | Merits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mehmandarov, Samed-bey Sadikh-bey ogly | General of the artillery of the Russian Imperial Army, military leader of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Soviet state | For the fact that on October 9 and 10, 1914, pursuing the German army defeated near Ivangorod as part of the corps troops and meeting on the Polichno-Bogutsinsky forest line, excellent Austrian forces came to its rescue, trying to cover the flank of our combat position, with a series of bayonet strikes and decisive offensive, personally being in the battle line of the troops and repeatedly exposing his life to obvious danger, he stopped the enemy’s movement and, with a blow to the flank, put him to flight. On October 11, 12, and 13, 1914, with great damage to the enemy, he repelled repeated attempts by his superior forces to bypass the right flank of our battle formation, forcing the enemy to a hasty retreat along the entire front, and in one day - October 11, 1914 - we were 1 staff officer, 16 chief officers, 670 lower ranks and 1 machine gun were taken. |
| 2 | Kazimir Karlovich Kamprad | Colonel of the 64th Kazan Infantry Regiment | May 31 and June 1, 1915 in the battle near the village. Roguzno, temporarily commanding the 64th Kazan Infantry Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel and being in the advanced trenches under enemy fire, without close assistants, personally supervised the actions of the regiment and, fulfilling the assigned task, attacked the enemy and occupied the village. Roguzno, capturing 526 German guards and capturing a 4-gun enemy battery and 6 machine guns. |
| 3 | Daniil Bek-Pirumov | Colonel of the 153rd Baku Infantry Regiment | On the night from December 31, 1915 to January 1, 1916, being the head of a combat unit as part of a battalion of the 153rd Baku Infantry Regiment, 4 machine guns and a squad, having received the task of attacking the heavily fortified Azapkey positions south and north of the Azap-Key-Ardos road , with his courage, selfless courage and reasonable command, under Turkish destructive rifle, machine-gun and point-blank artillery fire, he brought the attack of the battalion and squad to the point of striking with cold steel, knocked out the Turks from the fortification above the village. Azap-Key, secured the captured important section of the position for himself, which ensured the success of neighboring units, and the companies captured two heavy Turkish guns, firing at point-blank range and protected by Turkish infantry. |
| 4 | Vasily Melnikov | Colonel of the 17th Turkestan Rifle Regiment | Being the head of the third combat sector, from the village. Akha to Mount Putintsev, Vasily Melnikov on December 7, 1915, commanding a battalion with two foot reconnaissance teams with two machine guns, with a bold and unexpected onslaught of companies, under his personal command, threw the Turks from their positions and pushed them far away; having withstood and repulsed four counter-attacks of the Turks, he was constantly under strong machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire from the enemy; putting his life in danger, he personally rode on horseback twice to those who were faltering, after the officers were out of action, units and personal example inspired and again directed them to success; With his bold and decisive actions, he captured and held an important enemy point until the end of the battle, thereby significantly improving the position of the battle area. |
| 5 | Vladimir Mikhailovich Barkovsky | Colonel, commander of the 80th Kabardian Life Infantry General Field Marshal Prince Baryatinsky, now His Majesty's Regiment | On July 4, 1913, Barkovsky received command of the 80th Kabardian Infantry Regiment, at the head of which he met the beginning of the First World War. He died in battle on January 4, 1915 and was posthumously promoted to major general. By the highest order of January 31, 1915, Barkovsky was posthumously awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree, and on May 17, 1915 he was awarded the Arms of St. George (posthumously). |
| 6 | Emelyan Ivanovich Volokh | Staff captain, commander of the 1st company of the 47th Siberian Rifle Regiment | For the fact that, while holding the rank of ensign, on the night of August 20-21, 1915, with 3 platoons of scouts, he entered the flank and rear of the enemy, who occupied the edge of the forest near the village. Kraukle, with a dashing attack, forced the Germans to a hasty retreat, captured 9 people and captured 25 guns. This provided the flank and rear of the companies occupying the left bank of the river. Ekau. |
| 7 | Zuev, Alexander Evstratovich | Staff Captain, 2nd Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade | For the fact that on December 19, 1914, in a battle on the river. Bzure, being a forward observer at an observation post south of the village of Kozlov - Biskupi, located 30 fathoms from the forward trenches, and being under strong rifle and machine-gun fire from the enemy throughout the entire battle, excellently supervised the firing of the battalion batteries and so successfully adjusted the firing , which forced the German battery into silence, which had previously inflicted severe defeat on our batteries. |
| 8 | Lebedev, Georgy Ivanovich | lieutenant colonel, commander of the 2nd battery of the 1st division of the 1st Finnish Rifle Artillery Brigade | On July 11, 1917, during the retreat to Galicia in the battle near the village of Olesha, the 2nd battery, as part of the 1st division of the 1st Finnish Infantry Artillery Brigade, occupied a position in the 5th Finnish Infantry Division, to which the 1st division was attached. The stretch of positions, more than 4 miles, between the villages of Olesha and the villages of Hrekhoruv, and the small number of bayonets in the regiments, made the situation extremely unstable. From 12 o'clock the enemy launched an offensive, especially energetic in the sector of the 17th Finnish Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Lebedev occupied an observation post in the forward trenches and, being there throughout the entire battle, under enemy artillery and rifle fire, adjusted the fire of his battery, repeatedly, throughout the day, stopped the advance of the chains, scattered them and did not allow them to approach our trenches. Neglecting personal danger, Lieutenant Colonel Lebedev contributed to holding this position until darkness and completing the task assigned to the detachment. |
see also
- Order of St. George
- Anninsky weapon
- Honorary revolutionary weapon
- List of edged weapons of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War#Reward weapons
Notes
- Golden weapons // Military encyclopedia: / ed. V. F. Novitsky. - St. Petersburg. ; : Type. t-va I.V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
- On awards with golden weapons, from the Code of State Institutions of 1892, book 8, section 3, chapter 4
- Knights of the Order of St. George and the Arms of St. George for the Lodz Operation of 1914.
- About the Arms of St. George, Part III of the Statute of the Order of St. George of 1913.
- newspaper RUSSIAN DISABLED. No. 194. July 21 (August 3), 1916 on the “Old Newspapers” website
- "St. George's Knights"
- Pirumov Daniel-Bek Abissogomonovich
- Alphabetical list of Knights of the Order of St. George and St. George's Arms, awarded for distinction during the First World War of 1914-1918. -Z
- Award certificate of Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Finnish Infantry Artillery Brigade G. Lebedev. RGVIA, F.2129, Op.2, D.52
Links
- Russian military awards of the era of the Patriotic War of 1812, article by V. Durov
- Golden and Annin weapons, article by V. Durov
- Russian award edged weapons in the 18th-20th centuries, article by A. Begunova from the magazine “New Arms Magazine Magnum”, No. 7, 2001
- Anninsky weapon, article by S. Nikitina from the magazine “World of Metal”
- Ismailov E.E. Golden weapon with the inscription "For bravery." Lists of cavaliers 1788-1913. - M.: Staraya Basmannaya, 2007. - 544 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-903473-05-2.
| Orders and insignia of the Russian Empire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Andrew the First-Called | St. Catherine | St. George | St. Vladimir | St. Alexander Nevsky | White Eagle | St. Anne | St. Stanislaus | St. John of Jerusalem | |||
Award weapon in the Russian Empire, classified as a state order from 1807 to 1917.
The awarding of Golden bladed weapons - a sword, a dagger, and later a saber - was made as a sign of special distinction, for demonstrated personal courage and dedication. Generals were awarded Golden Arms with Diamonds. In the 18th century, the hilt of a Golden weapon was made of pure gold; by the 20th century, the hilt of a weapon without diamonds was only gilded, although the officer had the right to replace the hilt with a completely gold one at his own expense. Since 1913, the Golden Arms “For Bravery” was officially called the Arms of St. George and was considered one of the distinctions of the Order of St. George.
Awarding weapons has been practiced since early times, but the earliest awards date back to the 17th century. The Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve houses a saber, on the blade of which there is an inscription in gold: “The Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich of All Rus' granted this saber to Stolnik Bogdan Matveev Khitrovo.” Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich reigned from 1613 to 1645. However, for what particular merits the steward Bogdan Matveevich received the saber as a gift is unknown, therefore the history of the Golden Weapon as an exclusively military award dates back to the times of Peter the Great.
The first award of golden weapons as a reward for military exploits was made on July 27, 1720. On this day, for the defeat of the Swedish squadron on the island of Grengam, Prince Mikhail Golitsyn was “sent a golden sword with rich diamond decorations as a sign of his military labor.” In this battle, the galley flotilla of Chief General Golitsyn boarded large Swedish ships: a battleship and 4 frigates.
Subsequently, there are many awards known for golden weapons with diamonds for generals, and without diamonds for officers with various honorary inscriptions (“For bravery”, “For courage”, as well as some indicating the specific merits of the recipient). In total, 300 such awards were issued in the 18th century, 80 of them with diamonds. 250 awards occurred during the reign of Catherine II.
Swords with diamonds were examples of jewelry art that were expensive for the treasury. For example, the sword of Field Marshal Rumyantsev (1775) cost 10,787 rubles, swords with diamonds for generals cost more than 2 thousand rubles.
In June 1788, for the battles against the Turks in the Ochakovsky estuary, the awards of Golden Swords to officers below the rank of general with the inscription “For Courage” and a description of the reasons for the award were documented for the first time. An invoice from 1790 has been preserved for Golden swords with hilts made of 84-carat gold, where the price is indicated - 560 rubles per sword (the cost of a herd of horses at prices of that time).
The Museum of the History of the Don Cossacks in the city of Novocherkassk houses a saber with the inscription “For Bravery” on the blade, made in 1786. The Golden Weapons with Diamonds of Ataman M.I. are also presented there. Platova - award saber from Catherine II for the Persian campaign of 1796. The blade of Platov's saber is made of damask steel, while the hilt is cast from pure gold and decorated with 130 large emeralds and diamonds. On the back of the hilt there is an applied gold inscription “For Bravery”. The scabbard is made of wood, covered with velvet, all metal parts of the scabbard are made of gold and decorated with an ornament of 306 diamonds, rubies and rock crystal stones.
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A long time ago, almost a decade and a half ago, I had the opportunity to see and photograph one interesting antique thing - a Caucasian type award saber with the inscription “For bravery.”
After a little googling, we managed to find out that the sign on the hammered blued and grained silver hilt of Caucasian work is about rden st. Anna 4th degree "For Bravery", which was awarded to soldiers for personal feat along with award weapons.
In the 18th century, an order of foreign origin, bearing the name of St., was first introduced into the system of awards of the Russian Empire. Anna...
To begin with, a dry note: about the Order of St. Anna
Founding date: 1735* / 1797
Founder - Duke Karl Friedrich / Paul I
Motto - "To those who love truth, piety and faithfulness"
Status - Order for military and civil services to the state
Ribbon color - Red with yellow border
Number of degrees - Four
In the photo - Order of St. Anna I 1st degree
Reverse side of the same order (reverse)
In 1735, Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp established the Order of St. in memory of his wife, daughter of Peter I Anna Petrovna, who died in 1728. Anna. The Latin motto of the order, placed in the central medallion of the star, read: “Amantibus Justitiam, Pietateret Fidem,” which translated into Russian means: “to those who love truth, piety and fidelity.” The first letters of the Latin version of the motto "A. J. P. F." correspond to the first letters of the Latin spelling of the phrase “Anna, daughter of Emperor Peter.”
After the death of Karl Friedrich in 1739, the throne of the Duchy of Holstein, as it was called in Russia, passed to his son Karl Peter Ulrich. When in 1742 Karl Peter Ulrich was proclaimed heir to the Russian throne under the name of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich and came to Russia, he brought with him the Order of St. Anna. And already in February 1742, to the two gentlemen of this order (Duke Karl Friedrich and Karl Peter Ulrich), four more Russian Anninsky gentlemen were added at once: chamberlains M. I. Vorontsov, A. G. Razumovsky, brothers A. I. and P. I Shuvalov. In April of the same year, there were already seven Russian holders of the order.
By the time Peter Fedorovich was proclaimed Emperor Peter III, dozens of Russian subjects were already wearing a red cross with gold decorations in the corners on a wide red ribbon with a yellow border over their left shoulder, in the central medallion of which St. Anna. The silver star of the order was placed on the right side of the chest.
After a short reign, Peter III was overthrown from the Russian throne in 1762, and his wife Catherine II seized power in the state. Their young son, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, became the Duke of Holstein. In 1767, Catherine II, on behalf of Paul, renounced the Duchy of Holstein, but the order remained in Russia. Its grandmaster Pavel Petrovich formally had the right to award it to his subjects, but in fact all candidates were approved by the empress herself, and Pavel only signed the certificates for the order. Wanting to award the Order of St. Anna of his “Gatchina” friends, but so that his mother would not find out about it, Pavel came up with, according to the memoirs of a contemporary, the following:
“He calls on Rastopchin and Ovchin (who at the same time was Paul’s favorite with Rastopchin), gives them two Annin’s crosses with screws and says: “I pity you both as Annin’s gentlemen; take these crosses and screw them to the swords, only on the back cup, so that the empress does not recognize."
Subsequently, when the Order of St. Anna was officially introduced into the Russian award system and divided into degrees; a small red cross worn on edged weapons began to denote the lowest (fourth) degree of this insignia.
Only after the death of Catherine II, having become emperor, did Paul have the opportunity to independently dispose of his Holstein “inheritance” - the Order of St. Anna.
On the day of his coronation, April 5, 1797, he was named among other orders of the Russian Empire and the Order of St. Anna, divided into three degrees. The highest, first degree of the order consisted of a red cross worn on a wide ribbon over the left shoulder (the shape of the cross and the color of the ribbon remained the old, “Holstein”) and a silver star, which, the only one of all Russian stars, according to the “Holstein” rules, should not be worn on the left, like everyone else, and on the right side of the chest. The motto on the star also remained Holstein.
The second degree of the order was the same red cross, which was worn on a narrower ribbon around the neck. According to the establishment of 1797, a star was not assigned to this degree of award.
The order of the third degree was worn on an “infantry (infantry - V.D.) or cavalry sword or saber.” Badge of the Order of St. Anna on the weapon was a small circle topped with an imperial crown, in which a red enamel cross was placed in a red enamel ring, the same as in the central medallion of the star of the Order of St. Anna. In Pavlovian times, as well as later, this sign was worn on a sword cup, but not on the inside, but on the outside, since there was no longer any need to hide what was granted.
Among the thousands of Russian officers who received the 3rd degree of the Order of St. Anna for weapons, the names of future conspirators are also found - A. Z. Muravyov, N. M. Muravyov, M. I. Muravyov-Apostol, I. D. Yakushkin and others. By the way, originally the Badge of the Order of St. Anna of the 3rd degree on weapons was made, like all signs of any degree of Russian orders, from gold. But during the Patriotic War, the number of those awarded the Annin weapon turned out to be so large (in 1812 alone, 664 swords and sabers with the badge of the order of the 3rd degree, as well as two naval sabers for naval officers were sent to the army), that in order to save money in a difficult military At the time, they decided to make badges of this degree from base metal, tombac, and the recipient received only the badge and attached it to his personal bladed weapon. In 1813, 751 such signs were sent to the army, and the following year. 1814 - 1094 characters.
In 1815, the Order of St. Anna's weapon was divided into four degrees, with Annin's weapon becoming the lowest, 4th:
Caucasian sample saber - Anna's weapon "For bravery" with the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree
In 1829, to more clearly distinguish the Annin weapon from the usual one, the inscription “For bravery” was added to the hilt, and the usual lanyard was replaced by an order lanyard in the colors of the Order of St. Anna.
Annin's weapon was never removed, even when receiving higher degrees of the same order. When awarding the Knight of the Order of St. Anna of the 4th degree with the Golden Arms of St. George, both insignia of the order, and St. Anna of the 4th degree, and a white St. George's cross, were placed on the hilt.
Order of St. Anna 4th degree "For Bravery" was considered not just another military award, but an exceptional one, for personal military exploits, and therefore the rules of order of awards that existed for all other orders of the Republic of Ingushetia were not applied to it.
Not only Russian officers, but also Caucasian subjects of the empire who were in the service of the emperor complained about the award weapons. In the “St. Petersburg Senate Gazette” dated March 4, 1841, in the “Awards” section you can read:
“By the highest decrees given to the Chapter of the Russian, Imperial and Tsarist Orders, the following gentlemen were most mercifully granted:
...Order of St. Anne... 4th degree for bravery:
February 6. Consisting of the Separate Caucasian Corps, listed in the Cavalry, Kornet Akhmet Abukov and Kabardian resident Ensign Kuchuk Anzorov, in reward for the excellent courage and courage shown in cases against the Highlanders in 1839.”
These Anna sabers were issued to Muslims with the badge of the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree, which had a red cross.
Since 1845, according to the new statute of the Order of St. Anne, a new badge of this order of the 4th degree was established for non-Christians. Instead of a cross, the State Emblem - a black double-headed eagle - was placed in the middle of the red enamel circle.
Blade of the Anninskaya shashka - Caucasian work with rabble
For courage and bravery shown in the Crimean (Eastern) War of 1853-1856, 1,551 officers were awarded the Annin weapon.
The lieutenant also received the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree “For bravery,” i.e. Annin’s weapon Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
, participated in the Caucasian and Crimean wars.
In 1851, he joined the 4th battery of the 20th artillery brigade stationed on the Terek as a cadet. He served in the Caucasus for two years, was promoted to officer, and took part in many skirmishes with the mountaineers. When the Crimean War began in 1853, L.N. Tolstoy transferred to the Danube Army, fought at Oltenin, participated in the siege of Silistria, and from November 1854 to the end of August 1855 he was in besieged Sevastopol.
Sources:
Golden weapon "For bravery"- an award weapon in the Russian Empire, classified as a state order from 1917 to 1917.
The awarding of Golden bladed weapons - a sword, a dagger, and later a saber - was made as a sign of special distinction, for demonstrated personal courage and dedication. Generals were awarded Golden Arms with Diamonds. In the 18th century, the hilt of a Golden weapon was made of pure gold; by the 20th century, the hilt of a weapon without diamonds was only gilded, although the officer had the right to replace the hilt with a completely gold one at his own expense. Since 1913, the Golden Weapon “For Bravery” was officially called St. George's weapon and was considered one of the distinctions of the Order of St. George.
Story
XVIII century
Awarding weapons has been practiced since early times, but the earliest awards date back to the 17th century. The Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve houses a saber, on the blade of which there is an inscription in gold: “ Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich of All Rus' granted this saber to Stolnik Bogdan Matveev Khitrovo" Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich reigned in -1645. However, for what particular merits the steward Bogdan Matveevich received the saber as a gift is unknown, therefore the history of the Golden Weapon as an exclusively military award dates back to the times of Peter the Great.
The first award of golden weapons as a reward for military exploits was made on July 27, 1720. On this day, Prince Mikhail Golitsyn for the defeat of the Swedish squadron at the island of Grengam " as a sign of his military work, a golden sword with rich diamond decorations was sent" In this battle, the galley flotilla of Chief General Golitsyn boarded large Swedish ships: a battleship and 4 frigates.
Subsequently, there are many awards known for golden weapons with diamonds for generals, and without diamonds for officers with various honorary inscriptions (“For bravery”, “For courage”, as well as some indicating the specific merits of the recipient). In total, 300 such awards were issued in the 18th century, 80 of them with diamonds. 250 awards occurred during the reign of Catherine II.
Swords with diamonds were examples of jewelry art that were expensive for the treasury. For example, the sword of Field Marshal Rumyantsev (city) cost 10,787 rubles, swords with diamonds for generals cost more than 2 thousand rubles.
St. George's weapon 1913
- By St. George's Arms we mean: swords, sabers, broadswords, checkers and dirks of existing samples, but with hilts completely gilded, with laurel decorations on the rings and tips of the scabbard; on the hilt there is the inscription “ for bravery"and a cross of the Order of St. George of reduced size made of enamel is placed; lanyard to the weapon - on the St. George ribbon. The hilt and instrument metal parts of the scabbard are allowed to be made of gold.
- The St. George's Arms, decorated with diamonds, complains to the generals and admirals, and the inscription “ for bravery" is replaced by an indication of the feat for which the Weapon was awarded; on the hilt there is a cross of the Order of St. George made of enamel, also decorated with diamonds; lanyard to the weapon - on the St. George ribbon.
- The St. George's Arms in no way can be awarded as a regular military award or for participation in certain periods of campaigns or battles, without an undoubted feat.
- Officers holding the Order of St. Anna 4th degree with the inscription " for bravery", are preserved as such on the hilt of the St. George's Arms. Generals and admirals awarded the St. George Arms with diamond decorations are given the opportunity to wear, instead of the original, such Arms without decorations, in the latter case placing on the hilt only the order badge decorated with diamonds.
- Lanyards on the St. George Ribbon and order insignia placed on the St. George Arms are issued to persons granted such by the Chapter of Orders; signs are made at the expense of the order capital from 56-karat gold; Weapons decorated with diamonds are released from the office of HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY.
Recipients of the St. George's Arms
Below is a list of awards during the First World War, where specific examples show what merits the St. George's Arms was awarded for:
| № | Name | Chin | Merits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mehmandarov, Samed-bey Sadikh-bey ogly | artillery general of the Russian Imperial Army, military leader of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Soviet state | for the fact that on October 9 and 10, 1914, pursuing the German army defeated near Ivangorod as part of the corps troops and meeting on the Polichno-Bogutsinsky forest line, excellent Austrian forces came to its rescue, striving to cover the flank of our combat position, with a series of bayonet strikes and decisive offensive, personally being in the battle line of the troops and repeatedly exposing his life to obvious danger, he stopped the enemy’s movement and, with a blow to the flank, put him to flight. On October 11, 12, and 13, 1914, with great damage to the enemy, he repelled repeated attempts by his superior forces to bypass the right flank of our battle formation, forcing the enemy to a hasty retreat along the entire front, and in one day - October 11, 1914 - we were 1 staff officer, 16 chief officers, 670 lower ranks and 1 machine gun were taken. |
| 2 | Kazimir Karlovich Kamprad | Colonel of the 64th Kazan Infantry Regiment | May 31 and June 1, 1915 in the battle near the village. Roguzno, temporarily commanding the 64th Kazan Infantry Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel and being in the advanced trenches under enemy fire, without close assistants, personally supervised the actions of the regiment and, fulfilling the assigned task, attacked the enemy and occupied the village. Roguzno, capturing 526 German guards and capturing a 4-gun enemy battery and 6 machine guns. |
| 3 | Daniil Bek-Pirumov | Colonel of the 153rd Baku Infantry Regiment | On the night from December 31, 1915 to January 1, 1916, being the head of a combat unit as part of a battalion of the 153rd Baku Infantry Regiment, 4 machine guns and a squad, having received the task of attacking the heavily fortified Azapkey positions south and north of the Azap-Key-Ardos road , with his courage, selfless courage and reasonable command, under Turkish destructive rifle, machine-gun and point-blank artillery fire, he brought the attack of the battalion and squad to the point of striking with cold steel, knocked out the Turks from the fortification above the village. Azap-Key, secured the captured important section of the position for himself, which ensured the success of neighboring units, and the companies captured two heavy Turkish guns, firing at point-blank range and protected by Turkish infantry. |
| 4 | Vasily Melnikov | Colonel of the 17th Turkestan Rifle Regiment | Being the head of the third combat sector, from the village. Akha to Mount Putintsev, Vasily Melnikov on December 7, 1915, commanding a battalion with two foot reconnaissance teams with two machine guns, with a bold and unexpected onslaught of companies, under his personal command, threw the Turks from their positions and pushed them far away; having withstood and repulsed four counter-attacks of the Turks, he was constantly under strong machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire from the enemy; putting his life in danger, he personally rode on horseback twice to those who were faltering, after the officers were out of action, units and personal example inspired and again directed them to success; With his bold and decisive actions, he captured and held an important enemy point until the end of the battle, thereby significantly improving the position of the battle area. |
| 5 | Vladimir Mikhailovich Barkovsky | Colonel, commander of the 80th Kabardian Life Infantry General Field Marshal Prince Baryatinsky, now His Majesty's Regiment | On July 4, 1913, Barkovsky received command of the 80th Kabardian Infantry Regiment, at the head of which he met the beginning of the First World War. He died in battle on January 4, 1915 and was posthumously promoted to major general. By the highest order of January 31, 1915, Barkovsky was posthumously awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree, and on May 17, 1915 he was awarded the Arms of St. George (posthumously). |
see also
- List of edged weapons of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War#Reward weapons
Notes
Links
- Russian military awards of the era of the Patriotic War of 1812, article by V. Durov
- Golden and Annin weapons, article by V. Durov
- Russian award edged weapons in the 18th-20th centuries. , article by A. Begunova from the magazine “New Weapons Magazine Magnum”, No. 7, 2001
- Anninsky weapon, article by S. Nikitina from the magazine “World of Metal”
- Ismailov E.E. Golden weapon with the inscription "For bravery." Lists of Cavaliers 1788-1913. - M.: Staraya Basmannaya, 2007. - 544 p. - 1000 copies. -
The prickly snow blinded his eyes, but the rider spurred his horse. Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich was furious: part of the soldiers of the Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment went after the Decembrist rebels. For almost two years he zealously and lovingly attended to the regiment. Traitors!
Confrontation on Senate Square
“Soldiers, you have been vilely deceived,” the prince turned to the Muscovites, among whom a rumor had been spread that Mikhail Pavlovich, by order of the tsar, had been arrested and put in chains, “are you now, out of your duty, ready to swear allegiance to Tsar Nikolai Pavlovich?”
Glad to try!
Already on Senate Square, Mikhail Pavlovich alone, without any security, approaches the rebels. The Decembrist Kuchelbecker shoots at him - the gun misfires. According to another version, the conspirator Bestuzhev managed to move the gun to the side...
In November 1826, for loyalty and fearlessness, the sovereign appointed Mikhail Pavlovich commander of the Guards Corps. And in the open “Weapons” fund of the Suvorov Museum, his Golden Sword “For Bravery” is on display. But if they were giving weapons for mercy, then Mikhail Pavlovich would definitely receive such a reward. It was he who, when the Decembrists were tried, begged the Tsar to replace Kuchelbecker’s execution with a 15-year sentence. And in 1835, the term was reduced by five years - again at the request of the Grand Duke...
In 1807, all award weapons were included in the Chapter of Russian Orders and in the award system of the Russian Empire. It would seem that the path of any famous sword is easy to trace. But this one turned out to have an extremely complicated history...
Two royal swords
On August 28, 1849, Feldzeichmeister General, chief commander of the Page and military ground cadet corps, commander of the Guards and Grenadier corps, chief of many regiments, 4th son of Emperor Paul, last brother of Emperor Nicholas I, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich died in Warsaw at the age of fifty-one years old. With the permission of the emperor, he bequeathed his weapons and awards to the military units and formations that he commanded.
The fate of all the artifacts is known - except for the sword "For Bravery". The fact is that for the suppression of the Polish uprising of the 1830s, the emperor granted his brother two swords at once. The first gold medal is “For bravery” in the battle of Ostroleka. The Grand Duke received the second, decorated with diamonds, after the war. The double royal favor has confused some historians; in their minds, the two awards have merged into one.
The Grand Duke bequeathed the diamond to the guard, but where is the sword “For Bravery”?
Our museum staff found out: the Grand Duke gave it to General Vladimir Karlovich Knorring (1784-1864) during his lifetime. A participant in the Napoleonic wars, he fought at Austerlitz and Friedland, and was awarded the Golden Arms "For Bravery". For his distinction in the battle of Polotsk, being the commander of a squadron of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, he was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree...
Son for father
After the revolution, the sword was taken to Paris. From a symbol of courage and devotion, she became the personification of ardent love for Russia, a passionate dream of returning to her homeland. The great-grandson of the general, Konstantin Konstantinovich Knorring, donated the sword to the Parisian Museum of Cavalry Guards.
The honor of saving this museum belongs to the last commander of the regiment, Vladimir Nikolaevich Zvegintsov. He commanded cavalry guards in the First World War, and in the Civil War he was a member of the Volunteer Army. His son Vladimir received a higher economic education in exile and worked for many years at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. But he considered it his life’s work to continue the mission of his father, the regimental chronicler. From 1959 to 1980, his main works were published: “The Russian Army of 1914. Detailed deployment...”, “Chronology of the Russian Army (1700-1917)”, “Banners and Standards of the Russian Army from the 16th Century to 1914”, "Russian Army". The author has brought together and systematized various sources from the collections of foreign and Russian museums, archives, libraries and private collections, creating a unique basis for future research.
Thanks to V.V. Zvegintsov, the Russian State Military Historical Archive received an invaluable collection of documents from the “Cavalry Guard Family” - an association of emigrant officers of the Cavalry Guard Regiment. And in 1994, the historian donated the Grand Duke’s sword to the Suvorov Museum.
After the Polish campaign, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich received another insignia, like the Tsar and all Russian officers. Mustaches were legalized for the military! How many women's fortresses have fallen, how many hearts have been won thanks to them, only God knows...