In 1550, by order of the Russian Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, streltsy troops were created, which subsequently participated in all wars up to the Saxon and Prut campaigns of Peter I. Initially, the streltsy ranks numbered 3,000, and later their number increased to 60,000! It was a formidable military force. In peacetime, the streltsy detachments played the role of internal troops: they guarded the southern borders of the state, met ambassadors, accompanied the king on trips and even acted as firefighters.
In many feature films and documentaries, the archers appear in red caftans, which is historically incorrect. I would advise the filmmakers to read Tolstoy A. N., Viskovaty A. V. or, at worst, look through the encyclopedia "European Soldier for 300 Years" by I. Golyzhnikov.
Here is an example from a 1674 report by E. Palmkvist (Swedish intelligence officer):
1. Regiment of Yegor Lutokhin - Red
2. Regiment of Ivan Poltev - Light gray
3. Vasily Bukhvostov's regiment - Light green
4. Regiment of Fyodor Golovinsky - Cranberry
5. Regiment of Fyodor Alexandrov - Scarlet
Promotional video:
6. Regiment of Nikifor Kolobov Yellow
7. Stepan Yanov's regiment - Light blue
8. Regiment of Timofey Poltev - Orange
9. Regiment of Peter Lopukhin - Cherry
10. Regiment of Fedor Lopukhin - Orange
11. Regiment of Davyd Vorontsov - Raspberry
12. Regiment of Ivan Naramansky - Cherry
13. Lagovskin's Regiment - Lingonberry
14. Regiment of Afanasy Levshin - Light green
What a riot of colors, just imagine! These were the colors of the ceremonial uniform of the rifle detachments. On weekdays, the archers wore brown, black or gray caftans.
The archers differed from other troops and ranks:
Sagittarius
Ten's manager
Pentecostal
Centurion (centesimal head)
Half-head (five hundredth head)
Colonel
The archers called their headquarters "Streletskaya hut" or "Streletsky order".
The nobility, to put it mildly, did not greatly favor the archers, considering themselves a military elite by right of birth.
Starting in 1699, Peter I began to disband the archers' detachments. About 2,000 people were executed. Nevertheless, the archers survived until the beginning of the 18th century. in distant border garrisons.
