We will immediately note that the topic proposed below is clearly different from those already discussed in previous classes. It will be about punitive-intimidating, as they said before, or about disciplinary, as they would say now, rituals. It would probably be wrong not to consider them only under the pretext that such everyday traditions have a different, as if negative, moral sign. After all, punishment is also a peculiar form of influencing the mind and emotions of a warrior. Another question is that to finish our annual marathon (and the next lesson will be the last) on such a note - it would really not be entirely justified. Therefore, we are in a hurry to use for this purpose the penultimate meeting with the permanent presenter of the column, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav MINER.

Lesson ten

"Do not fine with dishonorable punishment..."

"Continued. Beginning in N 3-5, 7-12 for 1998

With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, the spread of punitive rituals was promoted by the Greek clergy, who brought along with their religion the harsh laws of the Byzantine Nomocanon. Naturally, cult actions related to punishment were also characteristic of the first armed detachments.

In the XV century, the use of military corporal punishment became more frequent. Relying on the clergy of the church, the tsars of Moscow rose immeasurably above their subjects, including their comrades-in-arms. "Execute or pardon" soldiers was considered their legitimate right.

In the XVI century, a special type of state crimes appeared in Russia under the name "words and deeds of the Sovereign". Anyone who heard an impolite word about the tsar or his entourage was obliged to report it on pain of death. Here is one of the examples from the reign of Alexey Mikhailovich, described in the "History of Corporal Punishment": "Dragoon Yevtyushka once said: "If only the Sovereign Tsar Grand Duke Alexey Mikhailovich were healthy, but I am Yevtyushka, the other one." He was denounced and severely beaten with batogi."

Punishments defined by the Code of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich for military personnel, without any special changes, existed until the end of the XVII century. But with the changes in the military, it became necessary to revise the punitive system. This was done by Peter I. The Military Regulations issued by him were accompanied by two hundred and nine special articles under the name of Military Articles, which contained military criminal laws.

In the choice of measures of influence, and mainly physical, at that time they were not particularly ceremonious. In the Petrine era, corporal punishment became particularly widespread. As before, all possible body parts were cut off for war criminals: hands ("for raising a sword in their hearts to cause harm", "for striking a cane or other weapon in their hearts"), fingers that took the oath ("for taking a false oath"), ears and nose ("for stealing on a campaign"). There were also new "additions" to the rituals of punishment: burning the tongue ("for blasphemy") before the death penalty, piercing the hands with a knife or nail before hanging.

Today, even reading about such barbaric methods is simply creepy. At the same time, they fit perfectly into the prevailing foundations. But do not think that all punishments were related solely to causing physical impact. Such newly introduced intimidatingly punitive rituals as" heavy destruction of honor "or" defaming " were dispensed with. True, they primarily concerned officers. The first rite consisted, in particular, of the following actions::

above the head of the criminal, the sword was "broken" and declared a thief, and then "expelled from society" (exclusion from testifying at the trial, prohibition of accepting complaints from the court, etc.). In some cases, other types of punishments could be included in the rite.:

using a whip, applying stamp marks. And, finally, it could end with the announcement of a link to hard labor forever or for a certain period of time. An interesting fact is that for those who were deprived of honor, but heroically regained their good name, Peter I introduced a ritual of rehabilitation. Since September 4, 1722, a decree was introduced into military disciplinary practice "On laying the banner on officers and soldiers deprived of honor when they are forgiven."

Since that time, branding has become very popular in various punitive rituals. At the end of the XVII and beginning of the XVIII centuries criminals were eagled , that is, they imposed the sign of a double-headed eagle. Since 1705, they began to put the letter "B". Since 1746, "crowded" and "Vor". Since 1754, they began to impose the letters " B " - on the forehead," O "and" R " - on the cheeks. At the beginning of the XVIII century, they abandoned the use of red-hot iron, and branded with steel needles, sprinkling gunpowder on wounds.

The severity and even cruelty of the Military Articles were probably explained by fundamental changes in military affairs, which were carried out in a short time. Public consciousness was not fully prepared for this, which sometimes gave rise to rejection of reforms and protest. In addition, the same cruel punishments were applied in the European armies, which in this period of time served as an example for Peter I.

In the post-Petrine period, there were no special changes in the system of punitive rituals. During the reigns of Catherine I and Peter II, they tried to adhere to the precepts of the great reformer. Although the number of cruel tortures has slightly decreased.

After the abolition of the death penalty in 1753, punishment with a whip with cutting out the nostrils and eternal exile became the most serious punishment. However, the growth of progressive sentiments in society led to the fact that legislators, starting from the XVIII century, could not do without physical executions. They sought to apply what they considered to be moral measures. Although even from the time of Peter I, the decrees were written down: "If someone slaps someone on the cheek, he must be subjected to a "slapping" by the executioner in front of the whole company, that is, a blow on the cheek with a profos. For" false friendship in the hearts, out of official jealousy, for false friendship with intent or in a drunken state, to a private for failing to appear for the first and second time to worship", carry pikes, carbines or muskets.

The disciplinary power of superiors in relation to officers was enclosed in a certain framework, which was deprived of the Military Charter of Peter I, which left quite a lot to the" discretion " of commanders. Penalties for officers at that time were: "1. Reprimand at a meeting of other officers. 2. A business trip to the guard or other service is not in the queue. 3. Arrest with correction of position. 4. Arrest in an apartment or tent without any other correction. 5. Arrest and detention of prisoners on a stick guard. 6. Walking behind the front during the campaign."

What can we say about officers, especially the lower ranks, if even generals were severely punished for offenses. Their punishment by arrest was applied for the slightest purely formal violations in the service, and the ritual was often performed before the formation of the units entrusted to them. It should be emphasized that during the Pavlovsk period, officers were also subjected to corporal punishment. Paul I destroyed the privileges of the nobility. The case of Ensign I. Rozhnov, who was accused of sacrilege and insulting the name of the Emperor in January 1897, served as a precedent. The Emperor decreed:

"As soon as the nobility is removed, then the privilege does not concern it. Therefore, continue to act." After this resolution, the Senate again began to sentence nobles to spitzruten and sticks.

With the beginning of the wars with Napoleon, there was a certain tightening of requirements for maintaining military discipline. Since 1803, the disciplinary rights of the commander-in-chief in relation to the use of punitive and intimidating rituals were expanded. He was given the power to " arrest and bring to a military court every disobedient." In 1812, a document appeared that replaced the Petrovsky Military Articles for wartime - "Field Criminal Code". Of the corporal punishments, only Spitzrutens were found in the Code, which were then briefly forced out with a whip. "Driving through the ranks" was assigned to the lower ranks in five cases: "for the escape of a soldier from the clock or guard; absence on the spot during a campaign against the enemy; for sleeping "on the clock"; for robbing the dead and wounded." "Driving through the ranks "was also common in the Napoleonic legislation, but the French saw it as one of the indirect methods of capital punishment, whereas in our country the" Field Code " considered it as a simple corporal punishment.

Modernization of the Russian army, the emergence of new tactics, the increasing role of equipment and weapons in combat, and, finally, the activation of the socio-political movement in the state at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century prompted the top military leadership to again pay close attention to methods and forms of maintaining order in the troops.

In the military practice of the late XIX century, the ritual of "Putting under the gun" became quite frequent. This penalty has been applied since the creation of the regular army, but it has not been widely used. In the armed forces of the pre-reform period, there was a set of more severe executions, according to the military leadership, which better maintained military discipline at the required level.

According to the Disciplinary Regulations, "Putting under arms" took place in cases when the unit was on a campaign or because of the location of the troops, detention under arrest was impossible. The soldier was exposed "under the gun in full combat marching ammunition." The gun was held "on the shoulder". Those who were punished could not " move away from the place where they were placed and had to observe the established rules on saluting." This penalty was replaced by strict and reinforced arrests (for each day of strict - for two hours, for reinforced-for two hours-twice). Replacement of the arrest by "Putting under arms" was also allowed in cases when all the punishment cells of the military unit were occupied. It should be noted that the soldier's ammunition was quite heavy. A shoulder pack, cartridge bags, a rolled-up greatcoat, and a rifle made up a load weighing more than twenty kilograms.

A measure of moral influence in the Russian army at the turn of the century was the military ritual "Bringing the sentence before the formation". Court verdicts, orders to revoke military rank, and insignia were read out in front of the entire company. "The lower ranks were lined up with cold weapons and in ordinary uniforms." The convict was brought in under escort. On behalf of the regiment commander, one of the officers read out the verdict of the court. After that, the convict was taken to the guardhouse under guard guard.

Despite the harshness and sometimes cruelty of punitive and intimidating rituals, it is impossible not to admit that they had a certain educational effect and maintained discipline in the troops. Together with the collapse of the Russian army on the eve and during the revolutionary events of 1917, the system of punishment rituals was also destroyed.