Award system of Peter 1. Medals of the Russian Empire during the time of Peter 1. Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George

Vasily Klimov (? - 1782) came from among the students of the mint who did not study with foreign masters. While working at the Moscow Mint, he cut copies of medals and coin stamps. In 1762 he was appointed medalist. The medalist signed his early works with the monogram “V. TO.". Independent work Klimov - two retrospective medals in memory of the accession to the throne of Peter I and the founding of the fleet - made according to designs by Lomonosov and Shtelin. The medal for Peter's accession to the throne reveals the hand of a self-taught man. There is no portrait resemblance; the torso, spread out on the surface of the medal mug, is poorly sculpted. The perspective of the composition on the reverse side is clumsily constructed, the figures in the foreground are clumsy - Peter leading Russia to the Temple of Glory. The second medal does not have a signature, but undoubtedly belongs to the same master, as J.B. Iversen pointed out at one time. The authorship of Klimov is evidenced by the similarity of the portrait of Peter with the previous medal, the high horizon line on the reverse side, and finally, the figure of Russia, almost identical on both medals, with the same gesture right hand. A new spatial solution for the medal with the development of a broad perspective came into conflict with the capabilities of the carver himself. Later, when the stamps of these medals were renewed, Samoila Yudin significantly corrected the existing shortcomings.

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D. Doe “Portrait of A.V. Suvorov with a blue St. Andrew’s ribbon and a star of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called” (above other orders)

The order is a sign of distinction, honorary award for special merits. Each order has its own history of origin and design, which depend on their purpose and motivation for the award. But all orders are united by the fact that their holder receives certain privileges and respect from fellow citizens.

Rules for wearing orders are established internal regulations orders, military regulations or other documents.

The first order of the Russian Empire was established Emperor Peter I in 1698 " as reward and reward for one for loyalty, courage and various services rendered to us and the fatherland" It was Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. He was the highest award Russian state for major government and military officials until 1917

Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle

Badge on the order chain and star of the order

The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called included:

1) A cross sign, the image of which was based on Saint Andrew crucified on an X-shaped cross; on the four ends of the cross are the letters: S.A.P.R. (Sanctus Andreus Patronus Russiae) - Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Russia. You can read more about it on our website: . The badge was worn near the hip on a wide blue silk ribbon over the right shoulder.

2) Silver 8-pointed star with the motto of the order “For Faith and Loyalty” placed in its central medallion. The star was worn on the left side of the chest above all other awards.

3) Sometimes (on especially solemn occasions) the sign of the order was worn on the chest on a gold figured chain covered with multi-colored enamels. The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called had a chain (the only one of all Russian orders).

In total, during its existence, about 1,100 people became knights of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

IN Russian Federation the order was restored in 1998.

The first holder of the order in 1699 was diplomat Fyodor Golovin.

Graph Fedor Alekseevich Golovin(1650-1706) - one of the closest associates of Peter I, head of the foreign policy department (president of embassy affairs, state chancellor), Russia's first field marshal general and admiral general. IN different times managed the Naval Order, the Armory, the Gold and Silver Chambers, the Siberian Viceroyalty, the Yamsky Order and the Mint. He came from the boyar family of the Khovrin-Golovins.

Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine

Order of St. Catherine. Front and back sides

This order is also approved by Peter I in 1713 as the highest award for ladies. Has two degrees.

The history of the appearance of this order is as follows. In 1711, the Prussian campaign, which was unsuccessful for Peter, took place. The Russian army was surrounded by Turkish troops. Catherine gave all her jewelry to bribe the Turkish commander Mehmed Pasha, as a result of which the Russians concluded a truce and were able to escape from encirclement. Ekaterina Alekseevna received the award from the hands of the sovereign on November 24, 1714.

The second order, approved by Peter I, was awarded only to his wife during his lifetime, and subsequent awards took place after his death.

The Women's Order of St. Catherine was in 2nd place in the hierarchy of awards; it was awarded to the wives of major statesmen and military leaders for socially useful activities, taking into account the merits of their husbands.

J.-M. Nattier "Portrait of Empress Catherine Alekseevna"

Ekaterina Alekseevna, having ascended the throne, herself awarded the insignia of the order to Peter’s daughters: Anna and Elizabeth (later Empress Elizaveta Petrovna). In total, during her reign, 8 ladies received the award.

The Order of St. Catherine in 1727 was awarded to the only man in the history of the order: the son of A. D. Menshikov, Alexander. After the fall of his father, Menshikov Jr., on the orders of Peter II, was deprived of all his awards.

The order was awarded until 1917.

The third order of the Russian Empire was established in 1725 Empress Catherine I immediately after the death of Peter I. It was the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Imperial Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky

The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is a state award of the Russian Empire in 1725-1917.

The badge of the order is a four-pointed straight cross with flared ends and double-headed eagles placed between the ends of the cross. In the center of the cross is a round medallion depicting an equestrian figure of Alexander Nevsky. The insignia of the order included a silver 8-pointed star with the motto “FOR WORK AND THE FATHERLAND.”

The order was conceived by Peter I to reward military merit, but after its establishment by Catherine I it began to be used to reward civilians. The Order established itself as an award for ranks from lieutenant general and above and became an award one step lower than the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, to distinguish not the highest ranks of the state.

For the first time, 18 people became holders of the order on the wedding day of the daughter of Catherine and Peter I, Princess Anna and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich, father of the Russian Emperor Peter III.

The order was preserved in exile by the Romanov house as a dynastic award.

The Order of Alexander Nevsky is the only award that existed (with changes) in the award systems of the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and RF.

Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George

Order of St. George the Victorious

This is the highest military award of the Russian Empire. It was distinguished by officers, lower ranks and military units. The Order was approved by Empress Catherine II in December 1769. The Order had four degrees of distinction. The first holder of the order, not counting Catherine II herself, was Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Fabritsian in 1769, who was awarded the 3rd degree immediately, bypassing the lower one. The first knight of the 4th degree was in February 1770, Prime Major Reinhold Ludwig von Patkul.

Fyodor Ivanovich Fabritsian(1735-1782) – Russian general, hero Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 He came from the nobility of the Courland province. He was distinguished by his great courage and caring for his subordinates.

After October Revolution In 1917, the order was abolished and in 2000 restored as a military award of the Russian Federation.

R. Volkov “Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov - complete gentleman Order of St. George"

Imperial Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir

Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree

It was established by Catherine II in 1782 on the 20th anniversary of her reign. This was the fifth order of the Russian Empire. It was intended to reward both military officials and civil servants. The number of gentlemen was not limited. The statute of the Order allowed awards starting from the lowest ranks, with four degrees. This made it possible to cover a wide circle of civil servants and lower officers with the award.

Order of Saint Anne

Order of St. Anne 2nd class

It was established in 1735 as a dynastic award, and in 1797 it was introduced by Emperor Paul I into the award system of the Russian Empire to distinguish government officials and military personnel. However, he never stopped having special status dynastic award of the House of Romanov.

The order had 4 degrees, the lowest 4th degree was intended to be awarded only for military merits (the most junior officer order). He stood one step lower than the Order of St. Vladimir and was the youngest in the hierarchy of orders of the Russian Empire until 1831. Since 1831, the Order of St. Stanislaus was introduced into the hierarchy of state awards, becoming one step lower in seniority than the Order of St. Anne. Since the founding of the Order of St. Anne, hundreds of thousands of people have been awarded it.

Order of Saint John of Jerusalem

Commander's Cross of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem

Order of the Russian Empire. In 1798, Napoleon I captured Malta, and the knights of the order asked to the Russian Emperor Paul I to accept the rank of Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Paul I agreed and in November 1798 issued the highest Manifesto on the establishment in favor of the Russian nobility of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the Rules for the admission of the nobility of the Russian Empire into this order.

During the reign of Paul I, the order became the highest distinction for civil and military merit. The award of the command expressed the personal favor of the sovereign and therefore surpassed in its significance even the awarding of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On the day of his coronation in 1797, Paul I united all the order corporations of Russia into a single Russian Cavalry Order, or the Cavalry Society of the Russian Empire. But it did not include holders of the Orders of St. George and St. Vladimir.

V. Borovikovsky “Portrait of Paul I in the costume of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta”

Alexander I removed from State emblem Maltese Cross and resigned as Grand Master. The decree of 1810 stopped awarding the badges of the Order of Malta.

All attempts to restore the Orthodox Russian branch of the Order, which were made outside Russia in the 20th century, are unfounded.

After Poland was included in the Russian Empire, Emperor Nicholas I, in 1831, included Polish orders in the system of Russian state awards: the Order of the White Eagle, the Order of St. Stanislaus and temporarily the Order of Military Valor (Virtuti Militari). It was awarded to participants in the pacification of the Polish uprising of 1831; awards only took place for a few years.

Order of the White Eagle

Order of the White Eagle

Among the first recipients of the Order were cavalry generals I. O. Witt and P. P. Palen, who distinguished themselves in the Polish campaign.

The badge of the order was worn at the right hip on a dark blue (moiré) ribbon over the left shoulder, the star was worn on the left side of the chest. The Provisional Government in 1917 retained the Order of the White Eagle, but slightly changed its appearance. Instead of crowns, a ribbon bow appeared above the Russian imperial eagle blue. On breast stars the motto, reminiscent of the king, was replaced by laurel leaves.

The Order of the White Eagle was abolished by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in 1917. It was preserved in exile by the House of Romanov as a dynastic award.

Order of St. Stanislaus

Badge of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree

Order of the Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917. The youngest in seniority in the hierarchy of state awards, mainly to distinguish officials. There were four degrees of it.

The Russian Provisional Government retained the Order of St. Stanislaus, but changed its appearance: the imperial eagles were replaced by republican ones. Since 1917, awarding this order in Soviet Russia was discontinued.

The fundamental changes in the award system that took place during the Peter the Great era are closely connected, on the one hand, with the military transformations of the reformer tsar, and on the other, with the reform monetary system. Coinage and medallion in the first quarter of the 18th century developed very quickly in Russia and reached high level both in production and artistic terms. When Peter I was abroad, he was invariably interested in the work of mints: in London, for example, Isaac Newton introduced him to the construction of minting machines. The Russian Tsar invited Western medalists to his service and also took care of training Russian masters.

Under the influence of Western European medal art in Russia, in the very early XVIII century, commemorative medals began to be minted. They were issued in honor major events of that time, most often battles, which Russian masters sought to depict as accurately as possible. Medals were at that time one of the most important means of demonstrating state power, as well as a kind of “mass information”: they were distributed during ceremonies, sent abroad “as a gift to foreign ministers,” and purchased for mints offices collecting coins and medals. Peter I himself was often involved in “composing” medals.

Medal for taking the Nut. 1702

The Russian award medal that appeared soon combined the tradition of “golden” (mass military awards), unfamiliar in the West, with some external design techniques that had developed in European medalism. Peter's military medals were significantly different from the “gold” ones. In appearance and size they corresponded to the new Russian coins - rubles; on the front side there was always a portrait of the king (therefore the medals themselves were called “patrets”) in armor and a laurel wreath, on the reverse side there was usually a scene of the corresponding battle, an inscription and a date.

The principle of mass awards was also enshrined: for battles on land and sea, not only officer, but also soldier’s and sailor’s medals were awarded to every single participant, and an outstanding personal feat could be especially noted. However, the awards for command staff and lower ranks were not the same: for the latter they were made of silver, and for officers they were always gold and, in turn, varied in size and weight, and sometimes in their appearance(some were issued with chains). All medals of the first quarter of the 18th century were minted without an eyelet, so the recipient himself had to adapt the award for wearing. Sometimes lugs were attached to medals right at the Mint if the awards came with a chain.

Most of the award medals established by Peter I are related to military operations against the Swedes in the Northern War. According to Mint documents, 12 battles of the first quarter of the 18th century were awarded with award medals, and the “circulation” of some of them reached 3-4 thousand copies.

In October 1702, the ancient Russian fortress of Oreshek (Noteburg), which had long been in the hands of the Swedes, was taken by storm. Only volunteers - “hunters” - took part in the assault, whose valor was awarded gold medals. On the front side of the medal there is a portrait of Peter I, on the back there is a detailed depiction of the assault scene: a fortress city on the island, Russian guns firing at it, many boats with “hunters”. The circular inscription says: “Was with the enemy for 90 years, captured on October 1702, 21.”

In 1703, medals were minted for officers and soldiers of the guards infantry regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, who attacked two Swedish warships in boats at the mouth of the Neva. The leader of this unprecedented operation was Peter I himself, who received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called; “Officers were given gold medals with a chain, and soldiers were given small ones without chains.” The battle scene on the back of the medal is accompanied by the saying: “The impossible happens.”

The massive award of medals to officers is associated with the defeat of the Swedes at Kalisz (Poland) in 1706; the soldiers then received old-type awards in the form of silver “altyns”. The gold medals for the Kalisz victory were of different sizes, some oval. The colonel's medal (the largest) received a special design: it is bordered by an openwork gold frame with a decoration at the top in the form of a crown, the entire frame is covered with enamel, studded with diamonds and precious stones. On the front side of all medals there is a chest-length portrait of Peter in knightly armor, and on the back the king is depicted on a horse in ancient attire, against the backdrop of a battle. The inscription reads: “For loyalty and courage.”

Medal “For Victory at Lesnaya”, 1708.

Similar medals, but with the inscription “For the Battle of Levenhaupt,” were awarded to participants in the battle of the village of Lesnoy in Belarus in 1708. Here the corps of General A. Levengaupt, who was marching to join the troops of the Swedish king Charles XII, was defeated.

Soon after the famous Battle of Poltava Peter I ordered the production of award medals for soldiers and non-commissioned officers (non-commissioned officers). They were minted in the size of a ruble, did not have an ear, and the recipients themselves had to attach ears to the medals in order to wear them on a blue ribbon. The reverse side of the magistrate's medal depicts a cavalry battle, and the soldier's (smaller) side depicts a skirmish between infantrymen. On the front side there was a chest-to-chest image of Peter I.

Medal "For the Poltava Battle". 1709

In 1714, only staff officers - colonels and majors - were awarded for the capture of the city of Vasa (on the Finnish coast). The medal that was issued for this occasion did not have an image on the back, only the inscription: “For the Battle of Vaz, February 17, 14, 19.” This is the only example of such an award design in Peter’s time, but it would become typical later - in the second half of the 18th century.

Peter I's largest victory at sea was the Battle of Cape Gangut in 1714, when the vanguard of the Russian galley fleet defeated the Swedish squadron of Rear Admiral N. Ehrenskiöld and captured all 10 enemy ships. For the brilliant “victory”, the participants in the battle received special medals: officers - gold, with and without chains, “each in proportion to their rank”, sailors and landing soldiers - silver.

The design on all medals is the same. On the front side, as usual, there was a portrait of Peter I, and on the back - a plan sea ​​battle and date. There was an inscription around it: “Diligence and loyalty are greatly superior.” This legend has become a kind of tradition for awards for naval battles; it can be seen, for example, on the back of a medal for the capture of three Swedish ships by N. Senyavin’s squadron off the island of Gotland (1719). And on the medals for the victory in the Battle of Grenham (1720) the inscription is placed in the following version: “Diligence and loyalty surpass strength.”

One of his contemporaries, talking about the battle of Grenham, did not forget to mention the awards to its participants: “Staff officers were awarded gold medals on gold chains and wore them over their shoulders, and chief officers were given gold medals on a narrow blue ribbon, which they pinned worn to a caftan loop; non-commissioned officers and soldiers were sewn with silver portraits on a blue ribbon bow, pinned to a caftan loop, with an inscription on those medals about that battle.”

So in Russia, almost a hundred years earlier than other European countries, they began to award medals to all participants in the battle - both officers and soldiers.

Soldier's Award Medal for the Battle of Gangut

Huge number of participants Northern War received a medal in 1721 in honor of the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt with Sweden. The soldiers were awarded a large silver medal, and officers - gold medals of various denominations. Complex in composition, with elements of allegory, the very solemnly decorated medal “After the Flood of the Northern War” is evidence of the enormous significance that this event had for the Russian state. On the front side of the soldier’s medal and on the back of the officer’s medal there is the following composition: Noah’s Ark, and above it is a flying dove of peace with an olive branch in its beak, in the distance are St. Petersburg and Stockholm, connected by a rainbow. The inscription explains: “We are bound by the union of peace.”

Silver award medal for the Battle of Gangut for sailors (reverse side)

The entire reverse side of the soldier's medal is occupied by a lengthy inscription glorifying Peter I and proclaiming him Emperor and Father of the Fatherland. There is no such inscription on the reverse side of the officer’s medal, but on the front side there is a portrait of Peter I. The Nystadt medal marked another important event in the life of the state: it was for the first time minted from “gold” or “home-made” silver, that is, mined in Russia, as noted in the inscription.

Medal for the Battle of Grenham. 1720

Our presentation tells in detail and interestingly about medals and orders during the time of Peter 1. But first, a little history.

Awards in ancient times.

Since ancient times, tribal leaders, and then princes and kings, awarded heroes who distinguished themselves in battle, their especially close servants, artists and poets who sang their exploits. The rewards ranged from land plots to brooches
(clasps on capes), from the presentation of laurel wreaths and the right of triumph (the solemn meeting of the victorious generals by the inhabitants of Rome) to the right that gave ordinary soldiers the plunder of the cities they captured for three days and nights.
Among our Slavic ancestors, the awards were not very diverse: those close to them were given lands and forest lands for hunting, the warriors were given greyhound horses, swords, iron plaques for a leather shield - metal was at a premium...

Rewards under Christianity.

With the adoption of Christianity, princes began to reward their subjects with gold and silver chains for special merits, and the money then used in Rus' - hryvnias (oblong pieces of silver) were attached to them. They were marked with the mark of the prince in whose domain these hryvnias were cast.

During the reign of Ivan III, when the Moscow state began to form, every reward for a feat performed for the benefit of the state began to come only from the sovereign. Therefore, the seal on the insignia itself became state.

Around this time, the tradition was born of the king awarding caftans, and for Muslims - robes, which were officially considered insignia. Peasants, merchants, and townspeople complained about robes and caftans.

In 1469, the “Ustyug Ship Army,” consisting of enterprising residents of the city of Veliky Ustyug, who were looking for military success in risky campaigns, undertook a difficult campaign along the Volga against the Kazan Khanate, which was constantly raiding eastern outskirts Moscow Rus'. Returning in triumph to Nizhny Novgorod The warriors noted: “The Great Prince sent two gold dengues, they gave both dengas to priest Ivan, who was with them near Kazan, and ordered God to pray for the Emperor and all his army.”

The appearance of medals and coins.

At the same time, the so-called “Moscow coins” appeared - gold and silver coins with the image of St. George on a horse; they were usually worn on sleeves or on a hat.
Gold coins became the prototype of future medals and orders.
The first special gold “coin-medal” was established by Princess Sofya Alekseevna in order to perpetuate the two campaigns of her favorite, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, against the Crimean Tatars.
On the front side she was depicted wearing the imperial diadem, and on the back - both minor tsars: Ivan V and Peter I. The medal was equipped with a special eye for a ribbon in order to wear it around the neck. True, none of the ordinary soldiers Crimean campaigns did not wear this award, and it was very willingly used for change in taverns. Sophia was soon after dethroned by Peter and imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, and Prince Golitsyn was exiled. Peter gave the order to melt down this mountain of gold, which had now become unnecessary. He used new medals - but without portraits, with double-headed eagles on both sides - to reward the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments and his associates.

Russian insignia under Peter I.

At the very beginning of the Northern War, a special medal “For the Capture of Shlisselburg” was established for “hunters” (i.e., volunteers) who were not afraid to take the Swedish island fortress in October 1702.

The first mass award during this war was the medal “For Loyalty and Courage,” introduced in 1706, which was awarded to all officers who took part in the battle of Kalisz with the Swedish troops, who outnumbered the Russian ones. The next particularly significant medal was the “For the Battle of Poltava” medal, which was minted in gold for officers and in silver for soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the guards regiments. Everyone was supposed to wear such medals on blue ribbons.

True, it could not have happened without historical anecdotes. After the Narva disaster of 1700, any victory over the Swedes was valued as a huge success. In 1703, largely thanks to a happy accident, two Swedish warships were captured. Peter I, who personally took part in the battle, rashly established a medal on this occasion. The difficulty was to come up with a motto that would explain the incomprehensible image on the medal sign, where the main place was occupied by beautiful clouds of smoke. In the end, Peter ordered the words to be stamped on it: “The impossible happens.” These gold medals never received recognition, and among the nobles they were jokingly called “unprecedented”. After such an embarrassment, the tsar never again made such rash decisions in award matters, especially since in the heat of the moment he himself was awarded this medal.

Medal named after an outstanding statesman, the creator of the Russian fleet, Peter I, is an award of the Maritime Assembly.

The Peter the Great Medal is awarded to military and civilian sailors, scientists, designers, engineers and workers of shipbuilding enterprises who are citizens of the Russian Federation and have made a great contribution to the development of the fleet and navigation, participated in military operations at sea, made significant campaigns and voyages, as well as taking a significant part in the creation of marine equipment and previously awarded one of the medals of the Maritime Assembly.

By decision of the Council of Elders, the Peter the Great medal can be awarded to individual citizens of foreign countries who have made a significant contribution to the development of international cooperation in the field of study and development of the world ocean. The medal named after Peter I can be awarded annually to no more than 20 Russian citizens and 5 citizens of foreign countries. When awarded, along with the medal named after Peter I, a certificate of the established form is awarded. The medal is worn on the left side of the chest below all government awards and after the Order of Merit.

These Regulations were approved at a meeting of the Council of Elders (Minutes No. 6-96 of June 30, 1996).

Description of the medal of Peter I

The medal named after Peter I is made of silver with gilding, and is a round disk with a diameter of 30 mm and a thickness of 3 mm. On the front side of the medal there is a relief image of Peter I indicating the period of his life and the inscription “Peter I”. On the reverse side of the medal is the logo of the Maritime Assembly, and around the circumference is the inscription “St. Petersburg. Marine Assembly".

The medal is attached to a rectangular block 33 mm wide and 52 mm high using a round eyelet and a ring. The top of the block is covered with a blue silk moire ribbon, in the middle of which three narrow stripes of white, blue and red are placed vertically.