Fate entrusted the empire to Nicholas II in an alarming and troubled time - terror, revolution, war. In such conditions, the life of the sovereign was constantly in danger, and therefore the emperor’s security was special.

Safety first

While still heir to the throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich felt the consequences of belonging to the imperial family. While traveling around Japan, the twenty-two-year-old Tsarevich was attacked by one of the Japanese policemen: only luck and the Greek Prince George, who arrived in time, saved Nicholas from the deadly blow of a samurai sword. Despite the fact that during the reign of Nicholas II there were much more reasons for his murder, the incident in Japanese Otsu turned out to be the first and last attempt on the life of the Russian Tsar. Nicholas perfectly remembered March 1, 1881, when he stood at the bedside of his bleeding grandfather, Emperor Alexander II. The lessons of history were not in vain. The Tsarevich received his first protection in 1889, when he took command of a company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. But after ascending the throne, the safety of His Majesty’s life acquired special significance. The newly-crowned emperor used well-proven security methods that had developed under Alexander III: let us mention the prevented attempt on the life of Nicholas II’s father in 1887 on the same fateful March 1st.

Methods of protection

We should talk not just about the emperor’s bodyguards, whose function in the new conditions of political terror was practically useless, but about a complex security system, the main task of which was to prevent an attempt on the life of the king. A Cossack convoy, an infantry company, a railway regiment, the Palace Police, a Special Security Detachment, as well as a large number of plainclothes agents - this is not a complete list of those who ensured the quiet existence of the imperial family day and night. Each of the security units developed its own traditions to ensure the safety of the king. Take the Palace Police. Within the imperial residences, her posts were located in such a way that members of the royal family leaving their personal chambers always fell into the field of view of the guards, and if they started a long walk, the guards “passed them from hand to hand.” Moreover, the park areas were guarded by specially trained dogs - German shepherds and Dobermans, and additional guard posts were located along the perimeter of the residences. Anyone who came to the royal residence or its surroundings was required to meet with an employee of the Registration Bureau within 24 hours to confirm their identity. The mouse will not slip through! People for the imperial guard were carefully selected. So, for example, before taking a Cossack into the convoy, the commanders traveled around the Kuban and Terek villages, looking for the most worthy. They took it based on recommendations, taking into account not only external data - a strong physique, height of at least 2 arshins and 8 vershoks (180 cm), but also personal qualities - intelligence, devotion and the ability to get along with people. Service in the royal guard was considered, although prestigious, to some extent thankless. By the time he retired, the former employee had acquired a number of occupational diseases - rheumatism, tuberculosis, chronic colds or nerve disorders. But, as a rule, they did not pay a pension; it could only be earned by a heroic act, for example, by capturing a terrorist.

Close to the Person

To get into the Palace Police, innate qualities were not enough - you had to undergo gendarmerie training. An outstanding, talented, albeit controversial specialist in the field of security and investigation, A. I. Spiridovich, had an excellent school of gendarmerie behind him. He is considered perhaps the most important figure who ensured the safety of Nicholas II. The palace police could not always and not everywhere guarantee the safety of the Tsar, especially in the period after the 1905 revolution. To accompany the emperor on his trips in 1906, by order of the Palace Commandant D.F. Trepov, a Special Security Detachment was created, the head of which was Spiridovich. The duties of the head of the Special Detachment included a detailed study of information about the sovereign’s proposed trip. Spiridovich sent his people along the route in advance, while carefully keeping them secret - he knew about the negative attitude of Nicholas II towards the obvious appearance of representatives of the Tsarist secret police. Spiridovich was also aware of the operational work of the Socialist Revolutionary terrorist groups. He acted calmly and prudently so as not to spook the large fish. His most famous successful operation was the discovery of a plot to assassinate the emperor. The terrorists intended to carry out a daringly bold plan - to detonate a bomb under the office of Nicholas II, but its result was the execution of the main instigators of the conspiracy. The Emperor, unlike the Empress, treated Spiridovich with great respect and great confidence. This is evidenced by a whole series of photographs taken by the head of the Special Detachment - he became practically the official photographer of the reigning family. As a token of gratitude for his faithful service, Nicholas II awarded Spiridovich the rank of colonel.

"Personals"

In the chronicle footage of 1912, which captured the exit of the imperial couple, one cannot help but notice a tall Cossack carefully carrying Tsarevich Alexei in his arms. This is sergeant Alexei Pilipenko, who served in His Majesty’s Own convoy, and was also an orderly and “personal guard” (bodyguard) of the Russian Tsar. With the outbreak of the First World War, the devoted servant Pilipenko, together with a platoon of Cossacks, accompanied the emperor when visiting Headquarters. He turned out to be the last of the royal guards who was allowed to be near Nicholas II: since December 1916, he was constantly with the emperor in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo, but on April 1, 1917, they were destined to say goodbye forever. Another famous “personal” of Nicholas II was the no less colorful Cossack and sharp shooter Timofey Yashchik, who for two years - from 1914 to 1916 - served the sovereign as a second Cossack chamber, being with the emperor on his front-line trips. Timothy boasted that he was chosen by the king himself during his tour of the formation!

“I’m not afraid of anything”...

After abdicating the throne, Nicholas II did not lose his guard, but he was assigned a guard of a completely different type - its task was not so much to protect the former tsar from assassination attempts, but to protect him from the raging and unpredictable crowd. Well, with the advent of Soviet power, the main task of the security was to prevent the release of the Tsar, which could lead to the restoration of the monarchy. Once in 1905, Nicholas II attended a fireworks display at the Winter Palace, which was fired from the guns of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The buckshot, which accidentally (although, who knows) happened to be loaded on one of the guns, landed next to the gazebo where the emperor was located. The clergy, retinue, and guards who were located near the king were very concerned about this incident. Only the emperor himself turned out to be unperturbed, saying: “Until the 18th year, I am not afraid of anything.” It is surprising that with such fatalism, Nicholas II was absolutely calm about all the security measures taken during his reign. Or maybe it doesn't matter.

By the way, the real reason for the attack by a Japanese officer (a man not random, but selected for serious service with truly Japanese care) is interesting. There was not the slightest friction between Russia and Japan in those days (1891). Was the attacker really crazy? Nothing of the kind.
It’s just that Tsarevich Nicholas and his companion Prince George of Greece, having given in pretty much, wandered into a Shinto temple, and there, giggling idiotically, they began to beat with canes on the temple bells sacred to Shintoists (ritual purity plays an important role in the Shinto cult: nothing unclean should touch the sacred place ). Conversations began, people became indignant, so the policeman could not stand it... Try to imagine what kind of reaction would have been caused in Russia that same year by the behavior of two foreigners who, having wandered drunk into an Orthodox church, would have started cackling with their canes on the lamps... They could have trample the place, it’s too late for the police to intervene.

Despite the fact that during the reign of Nicholas II there were much more reasons for his murder, the incident in Japanese Otsu turned out to be the first and last attempt on the life of the Russian Tsar. Nicholas perfectly remembered March 1, 1881, when he stood at the bedside of his bleeding grandfather, Emperor Alexander II. The lessons of history were not in vain. The Tsarevich received his first protection in 1889, when he took command of a company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. But after ascending the throne, the safety of His Majesty’s life acquired special significance. The newly-crowned emperor used well-proven security methods that had developed under Alexander III: let us mention the prevented attempt on the life of Nicholas II’s father in 1887 on the same fateful March 1st.

Each of the security units developed its own traditions to ensure the safety of the king. Take the Palace Police. Within the imperial residences, her posts were located in such a way that members of the royal family leaving their personal chambers always fell into the field of view of the guards, and if they started a long walk, the guards “passed them from hand to hand.”

Moreover, the park areas were guarded by specially trained dogs - German shepherds and Dobermans, and additional guard posts were located along the perimeter of the residences. Anyone who came to the royal residence or its surroundings was required to meet with an employee of the Registration Bureau within 24 hours to confirm their identity. The mouse will not slip through!

People for the imperial guard were carefully selected. So, for example, before taking a Cossack into the convoy, the commanders traveled around the Kuban and Terek villages, looking for the most worthy. They took him based on recommendations, taking into account not only external data - a strong physique, height of at least 2 arshins and 8 vershoks (180 cm), but also personal qualities - intelligence, devotion and the ability to get along with people.

To get into the Palace Police, innate qualities were not enough - you had to undergo gendarme training. An outstanding, talented, albeit controversial specialist in the field of security and investigation, A. I. Spiridovich, had an excellent school of gendarmerie behind him. He is considered perhaps the most important figure who ensured the safety of Nicholas II.

The palace police could not always and not everywhere guarantee the safety of the Tsar, especially in the period after the 1905 revolution. To accompany the emperor on his trips in 1906, by order of the Palace Commandant D.F. Trepov, a Special Security Detachment was created, the head of which was Spiridovich. The duties of the head of the Special Detachment included a detailed study of information about the sovereign’s proposed trip. Spiridovich sent his people along the route in advance, while carefully keeping them secret - he knew about the negative attitude of Nicholas II towards the obvious appearance of representatives of the Tsarist secret police. Spiridovich was also aware of the operational work of the Socialist Revolutionary terrorist groups. He acted calmly and prudently so as not to spook the large fish. His most famous successful operation was the discovery of a plot to assassinate the emperor. The terrorists intended to carry out a daringly bold plan - to detonate a bomb under the office of Nicholas II, but its result was the execution of the main instigators of the conspiracy. The Emperor, unlike the Empress, treated Spiridovich with great respect and great confidence. This is evidenced by a whole series of photographs taken by the head of the Special Detachment - he became practically the official photographer of the reigning family. As a token of gratitude for his faithful service, Nicholas II awarded Spiridovich the rank of colonel.

With the outbreak of the First World War, the devoted servant Pilipenko, together with a platoon of Cossacks, accompanied the emperor when visiting Headquarters. He turned out to be the last of the royal guards who was allowed to be near Nicholas II: since December 1916, he was constantly with the emperor in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo, but on April 1, 1917, they were destined to say goodbye forever.

Another famous “personal” of Nicholas II was the no less colorful Cossack and sharp shooter Timofey Yashchik, who for two years - from 1914 to 1916 - served the sovereign as a second Cossack chamber, being with the emperor on his front-line trips. Timothy boasted that he was chosen by the king himself during his tour of the formation!

After abdicating the throne, Nicholas II did not lose his guard, but a guard of a completely different kind was assigned to him - its task was not so much to protect the former tsar from assassination attempts, but to protect him from the raging and unpredictable crowd. Well, with the advent of Soviet power, the main task of the security was to prevent the release of the Tsar, which could lead to the restoration of the monarchy.

Igor ZIMIN

http://www.spbvedomosti.ru/article.htm?id=10243874@SV_Articles

The security of the country's first person has always been an important factor of national security. Regardless of the situation in the country, this issue was given priority attention by the security forces.

Ensuring the security of Russian emperors throughout the 19th – early 20th centuries. Several state security units were engaged: His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy, the Palace Police, the 1st Railway Regiment, His Majesty's Own Consolidated Infantry Regiment and a number of other units. At the same time, along with these units, numbering thousands of lower ranks, there were also personal bodyguards who were directly responsible for the safety of the emperors, the so-called “personal” bodyguards.

According to tradition, the safety of the imperial family was entrusted to selected Cossacks who were part of the imperial convoy. For the first time, Nikolai I took the constable Podsvirov from his own convoy to serve at the court as an indoor “Cossack cell” in 1836. In fact, he was the tsar’s personal bodyguard, accompanying him everywhere.

The names of some of the Cossack chambers remained in history. Thus, in newsreel footage dedicated to the celebrations of the centenary of the Battle of Borodino in August 1912, you can see a tall Cossack with a black thick beard, wearing the uniform of his own convoy, following immediately behind Nicholas II, carefully carrying the sick Tsarevich Alexei in his arms. This is Sergeant Pilipenko, the Tsar’s orderly and bodyguard from His Majesty’s Own convoy. Since September 1914, Nicholas II regularly traveled to Headquarters, to the active army, and to factories. In addition to his bodyguard orderly, Sergeant Pilipenko, he was accompanied by a team of one officer and up to a platoon of Cossacks from his own convoy. Sergeant Pilipenko was the only Cossack of the convoy who accompanied Nicholas II in March 1917 on his last voyage after his abdication from Headquarters to Tsarskoe Selo.

Among the Cossack bodyguards of the Own Convoy, the biography of the Cossack Timofey Yashchik is known, who since 1912 was the bodyguard of Nicholas II, and since 1916 - the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna. He accompanied her into emigration and faithfully served the empress until her death in 1928. That is, he performed the duties of a bodyguard for top officials for 16 years.

Timofey Yashchik was born on April 20, 1878 in the Kuban in the village of Novominskaya, Yeisk department. His father Ksenophon Ivanovich traced his ancestry from the Zaporozhye Cossacks of the Chernigov province, resettled to the Kuban. Timofey Yashchik was a tall, stately, blue-eyed Cossack with a black beard. In 1900, he was drafted into the First Yeisk Regiment, stationed in Tiflis. A prominent Cossack and a marksman was immediately assigned to the convoy of the commander of the troops of the Caucasian Military District, Adjutant General Prince G. S. Golitsyn. In 1904, the prince took T. Yashchik with him to St. Petersburg: annually, the ataman of all Cossack troops in the Caucasus, Prince Golitsyn, presented the tsar with a report on the state of affairs in the Caucasus, and during these visits, Nicholas II organized a hunt. There T. Box saw the king for the first time. When G. S. Golitsyn resigned due to age, he awarded T. Yashchik, among others, for his faithful service with a silver watch with a dedicatory inscription: “To the adjutant of His Excellency General Golitsyn - Timofey Yashchik, 1904.”

T. The box never returned to Tiflis. He was enlisted in the imperial Own convoy in the Second Kuban Hundred. Three years later, in 1907, Cossack T. Yaschik left service with a uniform and a badge for service in a convoy. For five years, until 1912, T. Yashchik lived in his native village of Novominskaya, raising his nine children. In 1912, T. Box was again called up to serve in his own convoy. In April 1914, he was appointed second chamberlain of Nicholas II, performing the duties of his personal bodyguard. He lived directly in the Alexander Palace. Rare memories of the tsar's bodyguard have reached us, judging by which the tsar himself chose him, bypassing the formation of the Cossack convoy. After the outbreak of the First World War, T. Box accompanied Nicholas II on trips to the fronts.

In 1916, T. Yashchik was seconded as the second personal bodyguard at the disposal of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who moved permanently from Petrograd to Kyiv. After the overthrow of the monarchy in Russia, T. Box remained next to the empress, continuing to guard her in Crimea. Moreover, in the conditions of political confusion in the south of Russia in 1918, T. Yashchik took the daughter of the Empress and the younger sister of Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, to his native village. In the house of T. Yashchik she gave birth to her second son Gury. After Maria Feodorovna was taken out of Russia on the English cruiser Marlborough in 1919, the Box continued to guard the Empress in Denmark, where she lived the last years of her life. After the death of Maria Feodorovna in 1928, the Cossack Timofey Yaschik remained to live in Denmark forever. According to the empress's will, he received a small amount of money, with which he opened a store. Timofey Yashchik died in 1946 and was buried in the Russian Cemetery along with his second Danish wife.

Empress's Shadow

Emperor Alexander III (center) with his family

In the storerooms of the Armed Forces Museum in Copenhagen there is an unusual collection that seems to have little in common with other exhibits in the collection typical of most similar museums in the world - with weapons from different countries and peoples and the uniforms of brilliant officers and generals. These are the personal belongings of the Russian Cossack Timofey Yashchik: a Circassian coat with gazyrs, a revolver, a saber, a dagger, documents and a table set with the coats of arms of the Danish royal house. The Cossack's silver fork, knife and spoon are striking in their size, more reminiscent of a garden tool than elegant palace utensils.

The box was a man of enormous height, almost two meters, and his hands were appropriate, more accustomed to a plow and a sword than to exquisite objects that decorate a social feast, says museum employee Vibeke Enevoldsen. “He never asked Maria Fedorovna for anything, but one day he dared to complain that he could not manage the toy appliances in the palace kitchen. I had to equip him with a personal “tool”.

Timofey Yashchik was the Cossack lifeguard of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of the last Russian Tsar. “Bodyguard” is a bodyguard, as he is called in the passport issued to him during his stay in the UK. After the revolution, Box followed his owner into exile in 1919 - first to Britain and then to her homeland, Denmark. He was her inseparable silent companion for 13 years, amazing Europeans by the fact that he even went to bed at the door of her chambers, spreading his cloak on the inlaid palace parquet floor and placing a revolver with a cocked hammer at his head. After all, the Bolsheviks could try to penetrate even quiet Copenhagen in order to deal with his mistress in the same way as with her eldest son and his family in Tobolsk! The bodyguard ended his indefinite service to the queen only after her death in 1928, having stood guard for the last three days at the coffin. “When I laid Maria Fedorovna in the coffin, she was so dry that she seemed almost weightless,” the Cossack recalled saying goodbye to the empress.

Timofey Yashchik attracted the attention of our museum not so much because he was close to Maria Feodorovna, nee Danish princess Dagmar, says Mrs. Enevoldsen. - For the Danes, it became a symbol of military loyalty and unconditional fulfillment of the oath. After all, our museum, in addition to its historical purpose, also performs an educational function. From time to time we organize exhibitions dedicated to the Life Cossack, reminding our compatriots, including people in uniform, what it means to “serve to the end.”

The empress's bodyguard left his family, wife and nine children in burning Russia, in his native Kuban. No matter how hard he tried, he failed to take them to Denmark. In 1922, his wife Martha was shot “for counter-revolution,” and three years later Maria Feodorovna blessed him to marry the Danish Agnes Aabrink, who converted to Orthodoxy and took the name Nina at baptism.

“The Cossack caught his wife with his beard!” - Danish newspapermen joked, telling readers that the huge Cossack, famous throughout Copenhagen, did not learn a word of Danish, hoping that his foreign exile would soon end and he and his crowned mistress would return to Russia. Agnes laughed when she accidentally met a bearded man on the street, and an attempt to find out whether his hair was real or glued on eventually led both of them down the aisle.

Maria Fedorovna gave him money to buy a small grocery store in the town of Valby, from which Timofey and Agnes fed. Box died in 1946 at the age of 68, having witnessed the triumph of Russian weapons in the war with Germany, which he hated as fiercely as Maria Feodorovna.

The Cossack lifer never learned the Danish language until the end of his life, but his Danish wife mastered Russian. Agnes recorded the stories of Timofey Yaschik. In 2004 they were published in a tiny academic circulation in Russia. It turns out that the Cossack Timofey returned to his homeland before his mistress...

FROM THE STORIES OF TIMOTHEY BOX

Abdication of Nicholas II from the throne

“On the third day, the Empress invited her son to dinner in her dining car. At four o'clock in the afternoon, three envoys of the new government suddenly appeared in the carriage, who were easy to distinguish from the others by their red bows. Politely but firmly they reported that they had arrived to take the Tsar to St. Petersburg, where his presence was needed. The king knew that the game was lost, he immediately stood up and asked permission to go say goodbye to his mother. The Empress hugged him, kissed him tenderly and blessed him. She cried a lot at that moment, I had never seen a strong Danish princess cry like that before. The Tsar also cried, then put on his overcoat and hat and announced that he was ready to go. This was the last meeting of mother and son..."

Imprisonment in Crimea

A few days later, Maria Fedorovna arrived at the Ai-Todor palace complex, located on the Black Sea coast.

“It was a little paradise, but at the same time it was our prison. We practically did not communicate with the guards, but soon after our arrival the Empress was clearly ordered which roads she could travel on and how far she could travel in her car... After Kerensky lost power in November 1917, the palace security was strengthened and control over us became tighter. Soon the empress's car was requisitioned. At the same time, our food ration was cut to one and a half kilos of bread per person per day. This was the soldier’s daily allowance in tsarist times - the authorities showed that the royal family should not receive more than soldiers.”

Under the protection of the Crimean Tatars

“One day we experienced a restless night. There were battles all around, but we ourselves had no weapons. True, the security was strong, and the commandant, although of the most predatory appearance, turned out to be a real man. It was a former non-commissioned officer named Zadorozhny. We understood that danger was close. Polyakov and I (another bodyguard of the Empress - A S.) stood at the door with large sticks in our hands to warmly greet the attackers. When night fell, crowds of Crimean Tatars set up camp around the palace, armed with whatever they had - from sticks to guns. Only later did it become clear that the Tatars had gathered for our protection! As soon as rumors spread among them that the Empress was in danger, they flocked to the palace to strengthen their security. This was an unexpected testimony to the devotion of the Tatar population. One day we discovered that the guard had disappeared. At first we didn’t understand anything, we decided that there had been a mistake during the changing of the guard, but then everything became clear: the Germans had come to Crimea.”

Death of the King

“One day in early autumn, three German officers arrived at the palace and talked for a long time about something with the marshal. As soon as they left, Dolgoruky went up to the empress and reported on the conversation. The Germans reported that the next day a message would appear in Russian newspapers that the Tsar, his wife and their five children had been killed in Yekaterinburg. But we should not have believed this, since the German officers assured that the entire royal family had fled. Soon everyone in the house knew about the visit and the conversation that took place. When I was summoned to the empress soon after, I noticed that her mood was high, she looked more joyful than usual.

The next day they brought us a newspaper that described the murder. We read the article with smiles, because we knew that it was all untrue...”

The issue of protecting the sovereign under the autocracy was very delicate. The tradition provided for a special attitude of the people towards the person of God’s anointed, who personified the greatness of the country. It seemed that no one would dare to raise a hand against the sovereign - against the sacred figure. And yet, the lives of monarchs and members of the royal family were often in serious danger - especially in rebellious, troubled times.

It’s clear that political life is never idyllic, and power always needs reliable protection. In addition, the institution of bodyguards was necessary according to the canons of palace etiquette. The Moscow court strove to keep up with foreign ones and amazed with the exquisite luxury and exoticism of court customs.

The kingdom of Moscow, even for history buffs, in many ways remains a “mysterious island” in the past of our country. Only majestic temples and fortresses remind of the two heydays of Muscovy. The first, of course, is associated with the reign of Ivan the Third, nicknamed the Great. He truly was and remains one of the greatest politicians in the history of our country. The second occurred in the 17th century, when, after overcoming the turmoil, the greatness of the state was restored by the first Romanovs - Patriarch Filaret, Tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich.

The squires of the Moscow Grand Dukes and Tsars - the bells - were remembered by all foreign guests of the Kremlin. During ceremonial receptions of foreign ambassadors, they stood on both sides of the royal throne, dressed in ceremonial clothes, with silver axes. At other ceremonies, each bell was armed with a reed. The tallest and broad-shouldered noble young men were appointed as bells - among the stewards and solicitors. They did not receive a salary, they served for the sake of honor, and on holidays they received royal gifts, including traditional “birthday pies.” They had their own hierarchy: the main rynda - “with a large saadak”, each rynda had its own sub-rynda, “tax”. When the tsar went to visit the troops, the bells directly performed the duties of bodyguards and squires - they were in charge of the tsar’s military clothing. The royal escort was equipped like a king: the bells wore luxurious Turkish caftans trimmed with ermine, pointed boots and high hats. Two long gold chains sparkled on his chest.

In addition to the bells close to the sovereign, the duties of guards were performed by guard troops and numerous royal Kremlin guards.

The guards strictly guarded the honor and safety of the sovereign's court. It was impossible to penetrate here with weapons - and Western cavaliers, who came to the Russian Tsar on ambassadorial duties, often argued, not wanting to part with their sword or staff.

The Code prescribed severe punishment for uttering “unseemly, obscene words” in the royal chambers. The guards also monitored the purity of speech of the residents and guests of the royal court.

The basis of the palace guards were also eminent guards. Day and night, “dining guards and boyar children of the Tsarina’s rank” were on duty at the doors and porches. Hundreds of archers were on duty day and night on the closest approaches to the palace. At the main guard - at the Red Porch - there were three hundred soldiers, and at the Spassky Gate - ten times less. Thus, even during the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, the Kremlin was one of the most painstakingly protected objects in the world. Without the knowledge of the guard, not even a fly could fly past here. It was then that the qualities of the Russian soldier manifested themselves, earning him the reputation of an excellent bodyguard: patience, dedication, concentration. And, of course, the fearlessness with which the guards were ready to give their lives, preserving the peace of the sovereign's court. There is semi-legendary information that in the personal guard of the Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty, people from Russian lands showed themselves to be the most devoted and prepared.

New times have changed both the rituals and the way of life of the king’s guard. Peter the Great abolished the position of the bell. He was a warrior emperor who became close to his amusing regiments, and then to his guards. The slow, orderly regulations of past centuries were abhorrent to the feverishly active nature of the great ruler. The hermetically closed world of the former boyars and sovereigns did not fit the scope of Peter the Great's time. Both the king and his companions were closer to the army, closer to their own servants. It became easier for foreigners at court with their unusual customs for Muscovites.

A life guard arose (the literal translation, as is known, is the protection of the body) of bodyguards, always ready to die for the king. The best officers who had proven personal loyalty to the sovereign were recruited into the Life Guards. The training of soldiers was carried out constantly - of course, there were no more well-trained soldiers in the Russian army. The Life Guards, who never retreated, confirmed their reputation as “the best of the best” in battles. The words of the song of the Life Guards Regiment of the Preobrazhensky Regiment are truly true: “The Turks and the Swedes know us, and the world knows about us! The king himself always leads us to battles and victories!” What other bodyguards could become such a reliable shield for the imperial person?

With the formation of the Russian Empire, the very appearance of the sovereign’s guards should have spoken of the diversity of traditions of the vast state in which Europe mixed with Asia.

During the years of imperial heyday, following the example of the world's first emperor, Alexander the Great, Russian sovereigns often brought closer to them daredevils from among the aborigines of the annexed territories. It is known that Catherine the Great demonstratively surrounded herself with Crimean Tatar guards during her trip to Novorossiya and Taurida. This gesture was respectfully retold in Europe: the empress showed the power of a growing state. Later, representatives of the conquered peoples of the North Caucasus were considered excellent guards - and service at the court of the Russian Tsar, of course, was perceived as a high honor. Rumors about such service forced the proud mountaineers to come to terms with the power of the “white king”. Thus, the third son of the irreconcilable Shamil, Mohamed Shafi, served in the convoy of Alexander II for sixteen years, and retired as a gray-haired major general and a true veteran of the guard. It is known that the imam himself accepted this turn in his son’s fate with pride.

The army - and above all the Life Guards - was a kind of melting pot in which representatives of different nationalities successfully Russified. Of course, the ethics of the Russian army were formed in the heart of indigenous Russia and in the Cossack environment. Thus, most often, Catherine the Great was accompanied by Don Cossacks under the command of the legendary ataman Alexei Ivanovich Ilovaisky, who proved his loyalty to the throne during the Pugachev era. G.A. Potemkin suggested forming a unit for Her Majesty’s own convoy. The Don people also guarded Emperor Paul - Pavel promoted Ilovaisky to cavalry general. Alexey Ivanovich was the first of the Don Cossacks to receive this rank, not only thanks to his “convoy” merits, but largely for his impeccable protection of the sovereign. From generation to generation, Cossacks passed on the wisdom of the convoy service, having learned all its secrets by heart. This tradition continued until the accession of Nikolai Pavlovich.

Formally, the sovereign’s own convoy was formed under Nicholas the First, an emperor who knew a lot about the documentary codification of any phenomenon. But under Nicholas, the security functions of the convoy were essentially decorative. The king demonstratively walked around the capital without security, went out to the people without security, prayed in churches, and made pilgrimages to monasteries. Mikhail Zagoskin (“Moscow and Muscovites”) enthusiastically wrote about this truly Russian custom: “Oh, you cannot imagine how beautiful this Kremlin is when its sovereign owner visits his Moscow! This palace square, which is now so empty, will be covered and boiling with people, many of whom spent the night in this square only to take a more advantageous place and look once again at their sovereign. You would look at the Kremlin then, how our big bell would ring and the Russian Tsar, enveloped on all sides by waves of countless crowds of people, would go across the entire square to perform a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral. - How? Duvernier interrupted. - Is it really possible that your sovereign is walking along this square with such a crowd of people?.. - Yes, yes, on foot; and even sometimes it is very cramped for him. - What are you saying!.. But, probably, the police?.. - Where the sovereign is, there is no police. - Have mercy! How is this possible?.. Walking alone in the middle of a disorderly crowd of people, without any guards... “I see, gentlemen of the French,” I said, looking almost compassionately at the traveler, “you will never understand us.” Our Tsar does not need a guard: the entire Russian people are his guard.” And today these lines by Zagoskin touch the patriotic chord in each of us.

Nikolai Pavlovich was perhaps the last Russian Tsar who managed to maintain an enthusiastic popular rumor about himself. The king was especially pleased by the legends (often true) about his simplicity and fearlessness. He sledded down the mountains with the St. Petersburg children, and personally caught animals while hunting... Permanent bodyguards were superfluous in this way of life. Convoy squadrons are another matter; this is already a matter of state prestige. In days of peace - a luxurious court decoration, in days of war - an advanced detachment of brave men, setting an example of dedication and martial art.

The convoy existed as a unique elite unit that demonstrated colorful prowess in close proximity to the monarch. But it must be added: the convoy was distinguished not only at court: from the first years of its existence, the two half-squadrons of the Convoy participated in all major campaigns. First, in 1828, the Life Guards Caucasian Mountain Half-Squadron was formed. The first commander of the convoy was Sultan Azamat-Girey, a descendant of the Crimean khans. The half-squadron, assembled from the most noble highlanders, was multinational. The largest representation was of Kabardians - 12 people. They were considered the kings of horse riding: they crawled under the belly of horses at full gallop, and shot accurately with bows at full gallop. In 1831, the unit distinguished itself in battles with Polish rebels. And then - from war to war, from campaign to campaign, a series of exploits.

Tsar Nicholas has long appreciated the bravery of the Linear Cossacks and distinguished these invincible warriors with a special disposition. In the same 1831, Benckendorff described to General Paskevich the idea of a new (although, as we see, quite traditional in composition) convoy unit: “The Emperor, wishing to signify his favor to the linear Cossack regiments, ordered the selection of 50 people from among them who would form the convoy of the main imperial apartments and at the same time give all ranks of this convoy the advantage of the old guard and a special uniform.” This is how the Caucasian Linear Half-Squadron of the Life Guards was formed, which continued in the sovereign’s convoy the traditions of the Cossacks, who had long guarded the kings. The strongest, tallest and most skilled Cossacks in horse riding were selected for this unit.

One non-commissioned officer and two Cossacks were constantly on duty at the royal office. But during official ceremonies, the sovereign was accompanied by seven young men from the escort squadrons - “to take off his coat.”

Later, the composition of the imperial convoy was increased more than once, the ratio of representatives of different nations in it changed: representatives of Transcaucasia were added. Thus, the first platoon of the Life Guards of the Caucasian squadron was formed from well-born Georgians; noble Armenians were also accepted into the convoy troops. In one respect, the tradition was unchanged: the royal convoy consisted of Russian Cossacks and Caucasian horsemen.

A new chapter in the history of the royal guard began in the middle of the 19th century, when attempts on government officials became more frequent and the mission of the Russian autocrat became more dangerous than ever. Essentially, then the post-autocratic era began: the reforms of the 1860s destroyed the previous system both in the economy and in the system of public administration. Overlaid on this was a new movement - a radical revolutionary one that did not disdain direct terror. On April 4, 1866, 26-year-old revolutionary Dmitry Karakozov attempted to assassinate Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich at the gates of the Summer Garden. The Tsar’s life was then saved not by the bodyguard, but by master craftsman Osip Komissarov, who, as they said then, “drew away the hand of the murderer.” As in 1613, the dynasty was saved by a Kostroma man... A war between terrorists and the servants of the throne began. Since that time, the secret services have played an important role in the protection of the highest persons. The first high-profile assassination attempt was followed by new ones that shook the foundations of public harmony. The Cossacks and mountaineers practiced their dexterity with even greater zeal in order to prevent the assassination attempt, in order to shield the emperor with their breasts. Uvarov’s trinity “Orthodoxy – Autocracy – Nationality” was henceforth perceived as an outdated decoration. And when Nicholas II said: “I rule Russia as of old, like my ancestors,” a fair amount of self-deception can be read in this. The noble unity of the king and the people dissipated - and the work of the bodyguards became more important than before; qualified and desperate professionals were needed. But this is a subject for another discussion.

Head of the guard of Nicholas II. Tsar's guard (171258)