Streltsy

The streltsy (Russian: стрельцы, lit. 'shooters/firearm troops', IPA: [strʲɪlʲˈt͡sɨ]; sg. стрелец, strelets, IPA: [strʲɪˈlʲet͡s]) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively known as streletskoye voysko (стрелецкое войско, 'firearm troops'). These infantry troops reinforced feudal levy horsemen or pomestnoye voysko (поместное войско).

The first units were established by Ivan the Terrible as part of the first Russian standing army. The streltsy were under the administration of the Streletsky prikaz from 1571. Peter the Great curtailed the influence of the streltsy, and following the streltsy uprising of 1698, streltsy units began to be disbanded. However, it was not until the 1720s that this process was completed.

The first streltsy units were created by Ivan the Terrible sometime between 1545 and 1550 and armed with arquebuses. During his reign, Russia was fighting wars almost continuously, including the Livonian War against Scandinavia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the north and wars against the khanates of the south. They first saw combat at the siege of Kazan in 1552.

Tsar Ivan passed a decree on 1 October 1550 "on the stationing in Moscow and surrounding districts of one thousand service people," which is considered to be the formal founding of the streltsy regiments.

Initially, streltsy were recruited from among the free tradespeople and from the rural population. Later, military service in this unit became lifelong and hereditary. While earlier in the 16th century they had been an elite force, their effectiveness was reduced by poor training and lack of choice in recruiting. Streltsy were subdivided into "select" (выборные, vybornyje), later "Muscovite" (московские); and "municipal" (городские, in different Russian cities).

The streltsy came under the control of the Streletsky prikaz (стрелецкий приказ). In times of war, they came under their superiors. The municipal streltsy were also under the jurisdiction of the local voivodes (local governors or semi-independent rulers).

The largest military administrative unit of the streltsy forces was the body responsible for the issuing of gear or kit (прибор). This body was later renamed prikaz (приказ, 'office, department'), and in 1681, regiments (полк). The commanders of the streltsy (стрелецкие головы) and colonels in charge of regiments served as senior officers of the prikazy. They had to be nobles and were appointed by the government.

Regiments were subdivided into "Hundreds" (сотни) and "Decades" (десятки, desyatki, 'tens'). They could be dragoons or cavalry (стремянные, 'with stirrups') or footsoldiers (пешие).