For which they are awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious. Military awards of the Russian Federation. Order of Saint George

Android

In 2007, a curious ad posted at the checkout of one of the supermarkets in Penza received wide publicity. There they talked about benefits for buyers. Among those who had the right to out-of-turn service were full knights of the Order of St. George!

With the same success, these overly creative store managers could add to the list of beneficiaries, for example, veterans of the Battle of Kulikovo or warriors of Prince Svyatoslav, who conquered the Volga Bulgaria and the Khazar Kaganate in the middle of the 10th century. And there would even be more reasons for this, because unlike the heroes of medieval wars, there were only four full holders of the Order of St. George in our history.

And you order of St. George occupies a special place in the award system of Russia.

The main thing in this system, of course, remained order of St. Andrew the First-Called , established by Peter I. The Order of St. George was formally lower, but the commanders valued it much more than any other award. To earn his first or second degree, there was little courage and exploits. Such awards were given to exceptionally large military leaders for their success in significant campaigns.

Order of Saint George 1st degree (exactly his image in the title picture of the post) in the entire history received only 25 people, the second - 125.

There were only four full cavaliers, as mentioned above:

M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov:

M. B. Barclay de Tolly:

I.F.Paskevich:

I.I.Dibich-Zabalkansky:

With my imagination, thank God, everything is in order: so I imagined how these four gentlemen, with all their order regalia, go to the checkout of the Penza store out of turn as beneficiaries, wiping Minin with Pozharsky and Potemkin with Rumyantsev with their elbows, at will supermarket administration deprived of such a benefit. And the stern security of the store asks Suvorov, who is also trying to go to the checkout out of turn:
- Do you, dear, have all four degrees of the order? Oh no? Well then, if you please, to the general queue! And there's no point waving your blue ribbon here, the Knights of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called are not included in the list of beneficiaries!

You ask: but what about Suvorov?
Why is the most famous of the Russian generals not a full Knight of the Order of St. George?

But here the fact is that when a higher degree was received, a lower one was no longer awarded. And the one who slipped through the fourth degree could no longer become a full cavalier. So they did not become Suvorov, who was immediately awarded the third degree.

Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov in this portrait seems to be asking:
"How so?"

As for russian emperors , the first degree of the order was received by two: Catherine II put on the insignia in honor of the institution of the award, Alexander II - on the occasion of her centenary. In other cases, representatives of the Romanov dynasty were awarded the first and second degrees, namely for military actions .

Catherine II with the Order of St. George, 1st degree
(F. Rokotov, 1770):

Alexander II:

The medal was rarely awarded foreigners .
So, after the Napoleonic wars, the first degree was awarded to the English duke Wellington and the Prussian field marshal Blucher .

Winners at the Battle of Waterloo
Atrur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht Blucher:

And the very first foreign cavalier for the Battle of Dennewitz was a Frenchman in 1813 Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte , a former Napoleonic marshal who became king of Sweden under the name of Karl XIV Johan .

And the last holder of the Order of St. George, first degree, was also a Frenchman - Marshal Ferdinand Foch who received this award from Nicholas II as commander of the allied army during the First World War.

Among the holders of the order were three women .

In addition to Catherine II, the Queen Consort of the Two Sicilies (i.e. the Kingdom of Naples) was awarded Maria Sophia of Bavaria , who bravely defended the fortress of Gaeta from the Garibaldians. She personally helped the wounded and even commanded troops.

Alexander II, delighted with the queen's courage, sent her the insignia of the Order of St. George of the fourth degree.

Sister of Mercy Rimma Ivanova showed heroism in a battle near the village of Mokraya Dubrova in 1915. She was able to take out several wounded from under the fire, and when it turned out that all the officers had died, Ivanova took command of the company and led the soldiers into the attack. Enemy positions were taken, but Ivanova herself was mortally wounded.

The sister of mercy was immediately nicknamed "the Russian Jeanne d'Arc", and Nicholas II decided to exclude her from the status and award her with the fourth degree of the order. Rimma Ivanova became the only woman to be awarded the Order of St. George, except for two crowned heads.

The system of St. George's awards was quite complex and ramified. It was not limited to the orders themselves. For example, St. George cross was the highest award for soldiers and non-commissioned officers.

St. George medals and golden weapons were also awarded.

St. George medal "For Bravery" 3rd degree:

Golden weapon "For Courage" with a lanyard made of St. George's ribbon:

Five special st. George crosses were established for the participants in the famous battles: for the capture of Ochakov, Izmail, Prague, Bazardzhik and the victory at Preussisch-Eylau.

In addition, there were also collective awards: banners, standards and flags, which were assigned to regiments, exadrons and other military units.

It is interesting that on the poster of S. Eisenstein's film, filmed in 1925,
the revolutionary sailor is depicted in a peakless cap with a St. George ribbon:

Although, as far as I know, battleship "Prince Potemkin Tauride" launched in 1900, could not have a St. George flag at the time of the uprising of 1905, if only because he never took part in hostilities either before the uprising or after it until the First World War, in which he also did not show any particular heroism.

Renamed after the uprising to "Panteleimon" battleship:

June 1917 Provisional government instituted perhaps the most democratic award in russian history - order of St. George of the fourth degree with a laurel branch , which both officers and soldiers could receive if they performed officer duties in battle. True, they managed to present this award only twice.

The highest military award of the Russian Empire was abolished along with the empire itself.
However, the leaders of the White movement could not refuse it. I tried to revive the order admiral Kolchak ... Proclaiming myself "The supreme ruler of Russia" , the admiral ordered to carry out the awards, while leaving the first degree of the order unoccupied.

established on November 26, 1769 by Empress Catherine II, was intended to be awarded exclusively for military merit, as stated in the statute: “Neither the tall breed nor the wounds received before the enemy give the right to be awarded this order, but this is given only to those who distinguished themselves especially a courageous act. " It was also envisaged to present him for good service of at least 25 years in the officer ranks.

Badges of the Order of Saint George worn on the ribbon of the colors of the Russian state emblem (black eagle on a gold background) - three black and two yellow (orange) stripes, which received the name.

Images of the signs of the Order of St. George:

to the widow of Warrant Officer Edward Pere, who was posthumously awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, with a description of the feat and an application of the order.

The Order of Saint George had four degrees.

1 tbsp. - a white enamel cross with flared ends, with a gold border around the edges. In the middle, on the medallion, in the red enamel field is the image Saint George on a horse striking a serpent with a spear. On the reverse side of the medallion there is the saint's monogram: SG. Worn on a transverse tape at the thigh.

The star is gold, rectangular (diamond-shaped). Worn on the left side of the chest. In the central medallion of the star, on a gold or yellow field, the saint's monogram: SG. Around the medallion, along the circumference, on a black enamel background - the order motto "For Service and Courage" in gold letters.

2 tbsp. - a cross of the same size as the highest degree. Worn around the neck, on an order ribbon 5 cm wide. The star is the same as for 1 tbsp.

3 tbsp. - a cross of a smaller size than 1 and 2 degrees. It was worn around the neck, on a 3.2 cm wide ribbon.

4 tbsp. - Order 34 x 34 mm in size, worn in the buttonhole of his uniform on a 2.2 cm wide ribbon.

From 1816 to 1855, on the 4th grade cross, handed over to officers (in the army - for 25 years of service, and in the navy - for 18 navigation campaigns), there were inscriptions: "25 years" or "18 campaigns". From 1833 to 1855, an inscription was added: "20 campaigns" - for sailors who did not participate in battles. Since 1856, awards for length of service in the officer ranks were transferred to the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class. and order of Saint George began to be awarded only for differences on the battlefield.

The St. George Duma (established in 1782) met in Chesme at the Order Church, and from 1801 - in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace. The Duma determined the rights to receive an order for military exploits by public discussion and honored them with a majority of at least two-thirds of the votes. In wartime, the Duma met at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army to consider proposals for awarding an order for distinction in past battles. In 1849 the names of all the knights of the order were inscribed on the marble boards of the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, and later the names of new knights were regularly entered there.

In Catherine's Statute, for the first time for Russian legislation, the rules for issuing pensions to the knights of the Order of St. George were spelled out: "Special merits ... not only with these awards to show honor, but we also add annual pensions to senior gentlemen of each class"

From 1876 to 1917, a schedule of order pensions was in force, providing, in addition to pensions for higher degrees, the issuance of 3 tbsp. - 50 pensions of 200 rubles each and 4th art. - 325 cavaliers for 150 rubles.

1st degree was awarded 25 times (23 awards and 2 conferments - Ekaterina 2 and Alexander 2), by the knights of 2 tbsp. there were 124 people, knights of 3 tbsp. - 640 and about 15 thousand cavaliers of the 4th Art. ... Over 6,700 awards were made for military distinctions, over 7,300 for "25 years" of service, about 600 for "18 campaigns", and 4 awards for "20 campaigns".

Since 1812, 16 regimental priests have been awarded the fourth degree, in addition, about 500 priests were awarded pectoral crosses on the St. George ribbon from the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty.

Mikhail Presnukhin

Among all the orders given for military merit in Russia, order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George enjoyed by far the most popular. All the doors were open to the George Knight, the glances of passers-by respectfully rested on him, and the St. George's Day on November 26 was solemnly celebrated in all places of the immense Empire. The St. George ribbon personified military valor for the Russian people.

The initiative in the establishment in Russia of an order given exclusively for military merit belongs to Empress Catherine II... She managed to fulfill the will of the first Russian emperor - the founder of the Russian award system of Emperor Peter I, who intended to establish a similar award to reward for military distinctions, but did not manage to do so.

In 1765, Empress Catherine II was presented with a draft statute for the Catherine military order. He had in mind mainly the length of service in the officer ranks. The Empress did not approve of him. She wanted to create an award for specific military exploits, she also did not like the name of the order "Catherine". Then Count Zakhary Grigorievich Chernyshev, a hero of the Seven Years' War and a close confidant of the Empress, developed a draft of a new order, called St. George.

According to the original statute, it was established "out of a special Imperial favor to those serving in the army, in contrast to and rewarding them for their zeal and service in many cases, as well as to encourage them in the art of war."

The motto of the order was the following saying: For service and courage.

On November 24, 1769, "tales" were sent out that on the 26th "there will be triumph at the Court ... the first day of the establishment of a new order." The day for the establishment of the order was not chosen by chance: on November 26 (December 9, new style) the Orthodox Church celebrates the consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Kiev, built in 1036 after the victory over the Pechenegs.

Almost the main role in the fate of the newly established order was played by the choice of the heavenly patron.

The Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George was a very revered saint in Russia. He was equally revered in all strata of Russian society, having long been considered the patron saint of not only soldiers, but also tsars. The latter circumstance was emphasized by the awarding of a ribbon made up of colors that were considered “imperial” in Russia - black and yellow (gold). In addition, the image of a horseman slaying a snake has been the emblem of the Moscow state since the time of Ivan III, although until the beginning of the 18th century. it was personified not as Saint George, but as a tsar (occasionally heir to the throne) - the defender of the Russian land. By the time the order was established, this horseman, already under the name of St. George, was considered the coat of arms of Moscow and was an attribute of the state coat of arms of the Russian Empire. St. George was well known to the Russian common people, he entered his life and was revered by him as the guardian of fertility and abundance, an accomplice in the hunt, protector of fields and all the fruits of the earth, guardian of grazing herds, patron of beekeeping, snake and wolf shepherd, protector from thieves and robbers ...

On November 26, in the Winter Palace, at a solemn ceremony at the end of the liturgy, the order was established, with the reading of a special prayer and sprinkling of the order's signs with holy water. Catherine II, in order to increase the importance of the new order, took upon herself and her successors "this order of the Grandmaster" as a sign of which and took upon herself the insignia of the 1st degree, while singing the many years and saluting 101 shots from the guns of the St. Petersburg fortress.

Approving the statute of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, Empress Catherine II pointed out that he "should be honored established since 1769 on the month of November from the 26th, on which day We laid the signs on ourselves, after a long time, with excellent service to Us and the Fatherland."

The Order of George was intended to award officers, generals and admirals. It could be received by anyone from a warrant officer to a field marshal in the army, from a midshipman to an admiral general in the navy.

In the third article of the statute of the Order of George, it was written: “Neither the high breed, nor the wounds received before the enemy, do not give the right to be granted by this order: but it is given to those who not only corrected their position in everything according to oath, honor and duty, but moreover, they also distinguished themselves by what a special courageous act, or the wise gave, and for our military service useful tips". The statute of the order also provided an approximate list of feats that are worthy of being awarded the Order of George, such as: "... the officer is the one who, having encouraged his subordinates and leading them by his example, will finally take a ship, battery or any other place occupied by the enemy." Or "... who was the first to attack, or on enemy ground when people were disembarking from ships."

The awarding of the order gave the right to hereditary nobility, the knights of the Order of George received special pensions, upon transfer to the reserve or resignation, they had the right to wear a military uniform, even if they did not serve the due date. There were other benefits in the service. But this was not what determined the honor enjoyed by the cavaliers of St. George. The presence of a white enamel cross on an officer or general in itself said that he is a hero, a valiant defender of the Fatherland, the best of the best.

The establishment of the military order was part of the military reforms carried out at the beginning of Catherine's reign, which strengthened the Russian army on the eve of wars that lasted an endless succession until the end of the 18th century, allowed it under the leadership of P.A.Rumyantsev, G.A. Potemkin, A.V. Suvorov won a number of brilliant victories. The establishment of a military order was supposed to be a moral incentive for the entire officer corps, and not just the generals, as previously established orders.

Initially, nominations for the award of the Order of St. George were made by the Military Collegiums, land and sea, which were given rules for leadership expressing all the essential features of the original statute of the order, and the final decision was made by the Empress. With the establishment of the Order of St. Vladimir on September 22, 1782, the statute of which established the Order Duma for considering submissions to the order of the 3rd and 4th degrees, which consisted of knights who were in the capital, the same Cavalier Duma was established for the Order of St. George. She was assigned a room at the Chesme Church of St. John the Baptist for keeping a seal, a special treasury and an archive. The insignia of the deceased cavaliers were to be transferred to the Duma, and the cavalry lists were to be kept there. Now the murals of servicemen who were presented for the award of the Order of St. George of the 3rd and 4th degrees were submitted by the Military Collegiums for consideration by the Cavalier Duma, and then the lists of those awarded by the Duma for the award of the order were approved by the Empress. Awarding the order of the 1st and 2nd degrees remained the prerogative of the supreme power, i.e. the empress herself.

Initially, it was possible to receive the Order of St. George not only for personal bravery and military leadership, but also for impeccable service in the officer ranks, “... as not always the faithful son of the fatherland opens up cases where his jealousy and courage can shine, then one cannot exclude the merciful the establishment of those who in the field service 25 years from the chief officer, and in the naval - 18 campaigns as officers served. " For the length of service, officers were given the Order of St. George 4th degree.

The order was ordered never to be removed, "for it is acquired by merits" and the exact number of its cavaliers is not determined "for it is supposed to accept as many as they prove themselves worthy".

In her decree, the Empress ordered that the ribbon for the order be of three black and two yellow stripes. In 1833, Count Litta wrote that "The immortal legislator who founded this order believed that its ribbon unites the color of gunpowder and the color of fire ..." In reality, the colors of the order were state ones since the time when the black double-headed emblem became the Russian national emblem. eagle on a golden field.

Here is how the Russian coat of arms was described under Catherine: “The eagle is black, on the heads of the crown, and at the top in the middle there is a large Imperial crown - gold, in the middle of the same eagle is George, on a white horse, conquering the snake, the epancha and the spear are yellow, the crown is yellow , the serpent is black. "

Thus, the Russian military order, both in its name and in its colors, had deep roots in Russian history.

Soon enough, the Order of St. George took a completely exclusive position in the Russian award system and kept it until the end of its existence. The historian E.P. Karnovich wrote that in pre-revolutionary Russia “the appearance of the Knight of St. George in society very often draws the attention of those present, which does not happen in relation to the holders of other orders, even the star-bearers”, that is, those awarded with orders of the highest degrees.

For officers who came from a non-nobility environment, with the establishment of the Order of St. George, new opportunity acquisition of hereditary nobility. Peter's "Table of Ranks" established the receipt of hereditary nobility (and the associated rights and advantages) only upon reaching the VIII class, that is, the rank of major seconds; published on April 21, 1785, "The certificate for the rights of liberty and advantages of the Russian nobility" was one of fifteen indisputable proofs of the noble state and called the awarding "the Russian knight order." Thus, a native of the lower classes, having received the Order of St. George, even the 4th degree, became a hereditary nobleman.

The eldest honors were entitled to an annual order pension: for 1st class - 12 people at 700 rubles, for 2nd class - 25 people at 400 rubles, for 3rd class - 50 people at 200 rubles. and in the 4th class - 100 people for 100 rubles. With the receipt of the senior degree, the payment of the junior degree pension ceased. The widow of the deceased gentleman received an order pension for a year after his death. Subsequently, when it became clear that the number of surviving cavaliers of higher degrees was significantly inferior to the number of vacancies for receiving order pensions for these degrees, they were reduced with a simultaneous increase in vacancies for the 4th degree.

Upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I, the "Statute for the Russian Cavalry Orders" was developed, which included the statutes of the Orders of St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Catherine, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Anna. The orders established by his mother, Empress Catherine II: St. George the Great Martyr and Victorious and St. Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, were not included in this "Institution" and did not complain during the entire reign of Paul I. True, during the reading of the "Establishment" in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin during the coronation ceremony on April 5, 1797, the Emperor publicly declared that "the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George remains on its former foundation, as its Statute", but its forms existence during the reign of Pavel Petrovich may seem rather strange: although the order holiday on November 26 was solemnly celebrated with the participation of the Emperor, and the knights of the order in the order attire specially established for them in December 1797 took part in all the order holidays, no one was awarded the order anymore. Only on December 12, 1801, by the manifesto of Emperor Alexander I, the orders of St. George and St. Vladimir were restored "in all their strength and space."

A kind of continuation of the Order of St. George is the five military gold officer crosses worn on the St. George ribbons, established between 1789 and 1810. They complained to the officers nominated for the Order of St. George or St. Vladimir, but did not receive them:

"For service and courage - Ochakov was taken in December 1788".
"For excellent bravery - Ishmael was taken on December 11, 1790".
"For labor and courage - Prague was taken on October 24, 1794".
“Victory at Preussisch-Eylau, 27th genv. 1807 ".
"For excellent bravery when taking Bazardzhik by storm on May 22, 1810".

Since then the symbol military glory St. George's ribbon also became in Russia. In addition to the crosses of the Order of St. George, gold crosses established specially for officers were worn on it - for Ochakov, Izmail, Prague, Preussisch-Eylau, Bazardzhik, and also on the St. George ribbon a number of military medals were worn, which were awarded to the lower ranks of the participants in battles on land and sea. The color of the St. George ribbon was the lanyard on the gold (St. George's) weapon. A gold pectoral cross was worn on the St. George ribbon, which was awarded to military priests. By continuity, these tapes entered the Soviet and current Russian awards system. The most honorable soldier's award - the Order of Glory, the medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" is worn on the St. George ribbon. The St. George ribbon was included in the design of the guards flag of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Navy, the sailors of the Marine Guard wear the same ribbon on their peakless caps, and the very sign of belonging to the Guards units or ships of the Soviet Navy at first was a St. George ribbon in a special buckle.

The St. George ribbon appeared on the chest of lower ranks much earlier than the establishment of the famous Insignia of the Military Order. On October 18, 1787, the lower ranks of Count Suvorov's detachment, who especially distinguished themselves when repelling the Turks from the Kinburn Spit, were awarded silver medals with the inscription “Kinburn, October 1, 1787” worn on the St. George ribbon. Then, on the Georgievskaya ribbon, the following medals were awarded to the lower ranks: "For bravery on the waters of the Ochakovskys, June 1, 1788", "For the bravery shown during the capture of Ochakov, on December 6, 1788", "For bravery on the waters of the Finns, August 13, 1789 "," For bravery during the attack of Swedish batteries in 1790 near Heckfors "," For excellent bravery during the capture of Ishmael, December 11, 1790 "," For work and courage during the capture of Prague, October 24, 1794 ". All these medals were given only to the distinguished lower ranks, and by no means to all those who participated in the battles. So the yellow-black ribbon began to penetrate into the Russian village and in the old soldier who wore it, fellow villagers got used to seeing the hero.

Emperor Alexander I continued the tradition of awarding the lower ranks with awards on the St. George ribbon, not for nothing, ascending the throne, he declared: "With me everything will be like with my grandmother": in 1804, the lower ranks who participated in the seizure of Ganja by attack were awarded silver medals on the St. George ribbon with the inscription: "For work and courage in the capture of Ganzha Genvar 1804". But this medal was given not only to those who distinguished themselves, but also to all those who were at the storming of the fortress.

At the beginning of 1807, the project for the establishment of the Insignia for the lower ranks was submitted to Emperor Alexander 1 for consideration. The project was highly approved, and on its basis the Statute of the Insignia of the Military Order was drawn up, the establishment of which was announced by the Manifesto issued on February 13, 1807: in all cases, with little experiences of love for the fatherland, loyalty to the Emperor, zeal for service and fearless courage. "

There was no special insignia for awarding lower ranks "for military merit and for bravery against the enemy" in Russia then, while in France Napoleon established the "Honorary Arms" and the Order of the Legion of Honor, which complained without distinction of ranks and titles. These awards were accompanied by an increase in salary and a pension. So, according to the Manifesto of February 13, 1807, “Everyone who has been awarded this Badge of Distinction as a private, sailor or non-commissioned officer will receive salaries one third more than usual. When the person decorated with this Badge of Distinction again distinguishes himself with a courageous feat that deserves such a reward, he receives another third in addition to his salary. For several such brave deeds, again committed, he receives a full salary in addition. He will keep this surplus salary after his death and after his resignation or dismissal as a disabled person. " In the same year, 1807, the honorary "Golden Weapon" was established, which in Russia only complained to officers.

Admitted to the Order of St. George, the cross was silver, numbered and worn on the St. George ribbon. It had the same images and initials as the order, but without enamel.

It was a big deal. From now on, not only noble officers, but also ordinary soldiers could be the Knights of St. George. The insignia of the Military Order spread its glory throughout the Russian land and immediately earned great respect among the people.

The lower ranks awarded him received many advantages. They were excluded from the taxable estate, could not be subject to corporal punishment, they were given a monetary allowance, and when they retired, a pension was assigned. At the same time, such a democratic measure was taken as the right for the lower ranks, in some cases, to elect those worthy to receive a silver cross. In the first years of the existence of this award, after hostilities, a certain number of crosses were assigned to a company, ship or other military unit, and the soldiers or sailors themselves decided who was more worthy of the award. Subsequent exploits of the holders of the Badge of Distinction were awarded an increase to the content of the third part of the salary, up to its doubling.

The Badge of Distinction of the Military Order was established by Emperor Alexander Pavlovich exactly seventeen days after Preussisch-Eylau, a battle in which Russian troops showed an example of courage and resilience. However, the Badge of Distinction was awarded to those who distinguished themselves in the battles that occurred even before its establishment, so in the battle near Morungen on January 6, 1807, the ensign of the 5th Jaeger Regiment (there was no such rank in the Jaeger regiments, perhaps the ensign was assigned to this regiment from the Musketeer or Grenadier regiment, or, more likely, was transferred to the jaeger regiment after the battle) Vasily Berezkin captured the banner of the 9th light regiment (presented to him in 1802 by Napoleon himself for his distinction in the battle of Marengo). For this feat, Berezkin received the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order and was promoted to officer.

Initially, those awarded with the Badges of Distinction were not recorded in any way, there was not a single list or numbering of their signs. When the number of awardees became very significant, the Military Collegium finally decided to include them in one list, however, it was not drawn up in chronological order, i.e. by the time of awarding, and by the seniority of the regiments. As a result, it turned out that the first in the list of those who received the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order was a non-commissioned officer of the Cavalry Regiment Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin (or according to other sources Mityukhin), awarded for the difference in the battle with the French near Friedland on June 2, 1807. The following six names of those awarded were also from the Cavalry Regiment. Then the list included 172 lower ranks of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, followed by 236 Life Guards of Gusarsky, etc. The list was numbered and served as the beginning of the Eternal List of Knights of the Military Order.

By the highest order of January 23, 1809, on the reverse side of each issued Sign, their owners should attend to "cutting ... the number under which the list is placed." Until that time, more than 9000 characters have already been issued.

In total, 46.5 thousand people were awarded with the Badges of Distinction during the reign of Alexander I, until the beginning of 1812 12,871 badges were issued. The exact number of badges issued for distinctions during the Patriotic War of 1812 and Foreign campaigns in 1813-1814. it is impossible to establish, since awards in these years also took place for other feats, and besides, some of the badges deserved in those years were issued much later. The number of marks issued in 1812 is known - 6783, in 1813 - 8611, in 1814 - 9345, 1815 - 3983, 1816 - 2682, 1817 - 659, 1818 - 328, 1819 - 189.

How much the soldiers appreciated their award is evidenced, for example, by the following fact: during the Battle of Kulm, a private of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky regiment Cherkasov, the holder of the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order, was mortally wounded, dying, he tore off his cross from his chest and handed over to his comrades with the words: “ Give it to the company commander, otherwise it will fall into the hands of the Basurman. "

Award weapon.

Until 1788, only generals and admirals were awarded such weapons, then the award was extended to officers. On the gold or gilded hilt of the award officer's sword, saber or dagger, the inscription "For courage" appeared. Since 1807, those awarded with golden weapons have been referred to as holders of Russian orders. Since 1855, on the officer's award weapons, they began to wear a lanyard made of St. George's ribbon. In the year of the centenary of the Order of St. George, those awarded with golden weapons were numbered among the knights of this order.

Banners.

The wars between Russia and France gave a solid impetus to the development of the Russian award system, especially regarding collective awards. In 1799, during the Swiss campaign of A.V. Suvorov, the Moscow Grenadier Regiment distinguished itself. On March 6, 1800 he received a banner with the inscription “For the capture of the banner at the Trebbia and Nura rivers. 1799 g. " Also for the Alpine campaign, the Arkhangelsk and Smolensk infantry regiments received the award banners, and the Tauride regiment - for participating in the expedition to Bergen in Holland. All for the capture of enemy banners. These banners became the prototype of the banners of St. George.

The first proper "St. George" banners were received by the Kiev Grenadier Regiment, to which they were granted on November 15, 1805 for the famous battle at Shengraben, with the corresponding inscription: “For the feat at Shengraben on November 4, 1805 in the battle of 5 tons of corps with the enemy, which consisted of 30 t. " The regiment was awarded on June 13, 1806. The St. George banners for the battle at Shengraben were also awarded to other regiments of the detachment of Prince. Bagration, including: the Azov and Podolsk musketeer regiments, as well as the grenadier battalions of the Narva and Novgorod musketeer regiments, but they were deprived of the award banners for the loss of the banners at Austerlitz.

On November 15, 1807, two Don Cossack regiments Sysoev and Khanzhenkov received the St.George banners for Shengraben,

George's standards for the battle at Shengraben were granted on June 13, 1806 to the Chernigov dragoon and Pavlograd hussar regiments.

For differences in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Foreign campaigns of 1813-1814 The banners of St. George were granted to the Life Guards regiments, as well as the Guards crew, the Grenadier regiment of Count Arakcheev, the Sevsky, Chernigov, Kamchatka, Okhotsk, Ryazhsky, Odessa, Tambov, Butyrsky and Shirvansky infantry regiments, Atamansky bunchin, Zhorgin , Vlasov 3rd, Ilovaisky 11th and Grekov 18th Cossack regiments, as well as the entire Don Cossack army.

St. George's standards were granted to the Glukhovsky, Yekaterinoslavsky, Little Russian cuirassier regiments, Kiev, Kharkov, Novorossiysky, Riga dragoon regiments, Akhtyrsky, Sumy, Izyumsky hussars. The St. George's standards were also granted to the Guards regiments, which received them only in 1817 after the adoption of the samples of these Guards standards.

It goes without saying that the banners of St. George were held in high esteem in the army and they were not given easily, at the suggestion of the St. George Duma, always by the personal decision of the Monarch, at the end of the campaign. There were, of course, exceptions to this rule. So in 1813, after the Battle of Kulm, Emperor Alexander I personally declared the Life Guards. Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments on the award of the St.George banners and the Preobrazhentsy immediately, not expecting new banners, hung St.George ribbons on their simple banners.

The St. George flag for ships was an ordinary St. Andrew's flag, in the center of which, in a red shield, was depicted the figure of St. George, striking a serpent with a spear. The honorary awards for the naval crews were the St. George's banners. They had a St. George cross on the pole, the banner brushes were worn on the St. George ribbon and the inscription on the banner indicated for which battle they were received. For the first time in the fleet, the St.George banner was received by a guards crew for participating in the war of 1812-1814. On the banner was the inscription: "For the deeds rendered in the battle of August 17, 1813 at Kulm."

George pipes.

The 6th Jaeger Regiment (in the future - the 104th Infantry Ustyug) received the Georgievsky pipes first. The huntsmen then did not have banners, and the trumpets were given to the regiment as if instead of banners. However, soon after that, the infantry regiments, which had banners, began to be awarded with St. George's trumpets.

For heroic deeds in the Patriotic War of 1812 and Foreign campaigns in 1813-1814. St. George's trumpets were complained of to the Guards and Army Cavalry and Infantry Regiments, as well as to the artillery companies.

Georgievsk regiments.

In the winter of 1774, an original attempt was made to gather officers of the Order of St. George in one regiment. On December 14, the following decree of the Empress followed:

“Most mercifully, we deign to call the 3rd cuirassier regiment henceforth the cuirassier regiment of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, instructing Our general and vice-president of the Military Collegium Potemkin to appoint all the headquarters and chief officers in this regiment of the cavaliers of this order, and on other regiments, in the same way that he, having made samples of the uniform and ammunition of that regiment, according to the colors of this order, presented to Us for approbation.

In practice, it was impossible to replenish the Cuirassier Military Order regiment exclusively with the Knights of St. George, but the regiment, until the end of its existence, retained its original name, "13th Dragoon Military Order", and uniforms corresponding to the order colors. It was the only regiment of the Russian army that wore the St. George's star on the helmet and on the officer's bag.

Another attempt was made in 1790, when on May 16 the Little Russian Grenadier Regiment was named the Horse Grenadier Regiment of the Military Order, but Pavel 1 on November 29, 1796 renamed this regiment into the Little Russian Cuirassier.

Order insignia.

The insignia of the Order of St. George look more modest than the insignia of all other Russian orders: a white enamel cross with a gold border, in the middle of which there is an image of St. George striking a snake with a spear, and on the reverse side there is a saint's monogram; a gold quadrangular star of the senior degrees with the saint's monogram in the center and the order's motto: "For service and courage", a ribbon of two yellow and three black stripes. Cavaliers of the 1st degree of the order wore a cross on a wide ribbon worn over the right shoulder and a star on the left side of the chest, 2nd degree - the same cross on the same ribbon on the neck and a star on the chest on the left, 3rd degree - a smaller cross size on a tape of smaller width on the neck, 4th degree - the same cross on a tape of the same width in the buttonhole of the caftan. Later, the size of the cross and the width of the tape became different for each degree: 1st degree tape 10 cm wide, 2nd degree - tape 5 cm wide, 3rd degree - tape 3.2 cm wide, 4th degree - tape wide 2.2 cm.

Celebrations.

The Order Day, celebrated on November 26, became not only a holiday for the entire Russian army, but also a truly national celebration.

The first holidays were held in the Winter Palace. But gradually they spread throughout Russia and become a holiday of all units awarded for military distinction with St. George's banners and standards, St. George's trumpets and St. George's buttonholes, and all officers and lower ranks who have earned the Order of St. George under the statute, Golden (St. George's) weapons and soldiers George crosses (insignia of the Military Order). In all garrisons, both capital and provincial, this day was celebrated with parades, on which St. George's banners, standards and silver trumpets decorated with St. George ribbons were carried.

Especially solemnly, almost always in the Highest presence, the St. George's holiday was celebrated in the capital of the Empire - St. Petersburg. The St. George banners and standards, accompanied by the banner companies of the infantry and standard platoons of the cavalry regiments, were sent to the Winter Palace, where the parade took place, commanded by one of the highest military commanders who had the Order of St. George, and which was received by the Supreme Leader of the army.

In the last years of Catherine's reign, the knights of the order began to be invited to the solemn divine service. The Empress's attention to them can be seen from the following case: once on November 25, the Empress felt sick, her associates asked her if she would like to cancel the reception of the gentlemen. "I would rather order myself to be carried to them on the bed," answered Ekaterina, "rather than agree to upset those people who sacrificed their lives to get this distinction."

Knights of the Order.

In the 18th century, in addition to Empress Catherine II, 8 more people were awarded the first degree of the Order of St. George.

During the reign of Emperor Alexander I, the first degree was awarded to 8 people, 4 of them were foreigners; 2nd degree - 46 people, 24 of them were Russian citizens, awarded for their exploits in the era of the Patriotic War of 1812, another 12 were foreign nationals; 260 received the 3rd degree, of which 156 were awarded during the war of 1812, 123 were Russian and 33 foreign subjects; The 4th degree was awarded to 2582, of which 616 in 1812, 491 Russian and 127 foreign nationals.

In total, the 1st degree of the Order of St. George was awarded 23 people, the second received 124 people, the third - about 640 and the fourth - about 15 thousand people. The statistics of awards of the fourth degree of the order is curious. For military distinction, he received over 6,700 awards, for twenty-five years of service - over 7300, for eighteen campaigns - about 600, and twenty campaigns - only 4. All degrees of the Order of St. George were awarded only to M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, M B. Barclay de Tolly, IF Paskevich and II Dibich, however, they cannot be considered full holders of the order. Such a concept in relation to orders that had degrees, then simply did not exist. What mattered was not the number of degrees of the order received, but the dignity of the eldest of them. In addition, none of the abovementioned gentlemen could have at the same time signs of all degrees of the order: upon receiving the senior degree, the younger one surrendered to the Chapter of Orders. This rule was canceled only in 1857, and the last of those awarded with all degrees of the Order of St. George - IF Paskevich - died a year earlier.

Not quite usual, going beyond the framework of the statute, are the awards to two women: Queen of the Two Sicilies Maria Sophia Amalia in 1861 and sister of mercy Raisa Mikhailovna Ivanova during the First World War. It is difficult to understand what motives Alexander II was guided by when he awarded the Italian queen with a high military award for her courage shown during the siege of the Gaeta fortress. this historical episode had nothing to do with Russia. On the other hand, the awarding of R. M. Ivanova was well deserved: after the death of the officers, she roused the soldiers into an attack, which ended in the capture of an enemy position, but she paid with her life for her heroic impulse. In accordance with the St. George Statute, introduced in 1913, R. M. Ivanova was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, posthumously. During the First World War, the only collective award of the Order of St. George took place, the 4th degree was awarded to the courage of the defenders of the French fortress of Verdun. In addition, the introduction of the St. George ribbon into the coat of arms of the Russian city of Sevastopol can be considered a similar award.

Heavenly patron.

Empress Catherine II chose the most militant of the saints of Christianity as the patron saint of her military order, which has long enjoyed great honor in Russia. Roman by origin, Saint George belonged to an ancient patrician family that settled in the Asia Minor province of Cappadocia. He was born in Beirut in the second half of the 3rd century. His father, a secret Christian, died a martyr's death, bequeathing to his son an example of courage and perseverance of Christian convictions. Having entered the military field, George showed such outstanding abilities that already at the age of 20 he reached the rank of "military tribune", and the emperor Diocletian entrusted him with a special detachment during the Egyptian war. Shortly thereafter, George arrived in Nicomedia, at the very time when the emperor was preparing to issue an edict on the persecution of Christians.

At the council of war, George in a brilliant speech argued the injustice of this edict and immediately declared himself a Christian. For this he was imprisoned and, despite the emperor's admonitions, who urged him to renounce Christ, remained adamant, courageously endured a series of the most cruel tortures and torments, after which on April 23, 303, he was martyred, being beheaded.

The church canonized him. His troparion is sung:

Like a captive liberator and a defender of the poor, a weak doctor, a champion of the kings, the Victorious Great Martyr George, the might of Christ God the Savior to our souls. Save your servants from troubles, passion-bearer George, as all Thee to God are the representative of the Imam, as an invincible warrior of Christ and a prayer book warm to Him. "

The legend about the duel of St. George with the serpent first appeared in the 4th century. As a military tribune, George came to the city of Silena, located on the shore of a vast lake, where a monster - a dragon - settled. Every day a young man or a virgin was taken out by the citizens to be eaten by him. In a short time, no one had children, except for the owner's daughter, Margarita. When she was brought to the shore and left in tears, a knight appeared on a white horse, who entered into battle with the monster and defeated him. Since then, Saint George has been called the Victorious and is considered the protector of the weak. This idea was especially firmly assimilated by the masses during the era of the Crusades.

The inspirational image of this warrior has always been close to the Russian people. In the iconographic depiction of Saint George, which at one time inspired the crusaders, the saint is represented in the image of a handsome youth in full armor, on horseback, in a symbolic victorious battle with a serpent. This is how Raphael created him, this is how artists and Suzdal icon painters wrote him in Russia.

The cult of St. George penetrated into Russia from Byzantium in the 10th century. Here is how the historian tells about it: “In ancient Russia, it was believed that the princes had double names: worldly, which was given at birth, and Christian, at baptism. In 988, at baptism, Yaroslav received the name George, which his descendants kept for a long time ... Yaroslav attributed his victories to the help of Saint George and tried to perpetuate his name. So after the victory over the Estonians, in 1030, he founded the city of Yuryev (Dorpat). After the victory over the Pechenegs, in 1036, the Grand Duke founded the monastery of St. George in Kiev. At his consecration, he commanded “to make the feast of St. George of the month of November on the 26th day. " Some archaeologists claim that Yaroslav placed the image of St. George on his grand ducal seal. The surviving coins of his time indicate that the image of St. George was in use when minting coins. One of the coins has an eyelet, which makes it possible to think that it was intended to be worn ... During the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich, a silver coin with the image of St. George was handed out to soldiers as a reward for bravery. The princes had it on their seals and helmets, the troops were given banners with the same image. Finally, John III introduced the image of St. George into the Russian state emblem.

Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George

Country	Russia
A type	The order
Establishment date	November 26, 1769
First award	November 26, 1769
Who is awarded	Army and navy officers
Grounds for awarding	For military exploits

"For service and courage"

Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George (Order of St. George) - the highest military order of the Russian Empire, which has no analogue in other countries. The recipients of this award have always enjoyed respect and honor in society. The ultimate dream of every Russian officer.

History of the Order

Founder and Knight of the Order of the 1st Class, Empress Catherine II.

The Order of St. George was established by Empress Catherine II on November 26, 1769, as a special award for military exploits. Saint George the Victorious, who has long been revered in Russia, was chosen as the heavenly patron of the order.
During the solemn ceremony and the consecration of the order's insignia in the Winter Palace, the empress placed the 1st degree order sign on herself, indicating the significance of this award.

Since this was the first order to encourage personal courage and military exploits, Empress Catherine divided it into 4 degrees. This was done in order to celebrate the merits of not only the high command, but also junior officers.
During its 148-year history, fewer than 12 thousand officers were awarded the order, which only increased its status among other awards of the Russian Empire.

A total of 25 people received the highest degree of the Order of St. George, of which 23 - for military exploits and 2 - by laying on. 123 awards were given with the 2nd degree of the order and 652 - with the 3rd degree. About 11 thousand officers became Cavaliers of the 4th degree of the order, of which about 8,000 for length of service, 4 for 20 naval campaigns, about 600 for 18 naval campaigns. As of 1913, 2,504 people received this award for military exploits.
Despite the fact that 25 people became Cavaliers of the 1st degree, only four of them were awarded all four degrees of the order. Full holders of the Order of St. George were: M.I.Kutuzov, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky and I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky.
In 1849, after the construction of the Grand Palace in the Moscow Kremlin, one of the halls received the name of the Order of St. George. On the walls of this hall, on marble boards, inscriptions were made in gold: 11381 surnames of the knights of the order, which were awarded to him from 1869 to 1885.

Annually on November 26, the Knights of St. George gathered in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace for celebrations on the occasion of the Order's holiday. Cavaliers of the Order of St. George were invited to a festive dinner, for which Empress Catherine ordered a special porcelain service. The St. George service consisted of plates, rusks, cream bowls and was calculated for 80 persons. Over the years, the service has been constantly replenished with new devices.

The last time to celebrate the Order Day, the gentlemen gathered on November 26, 1916. After the October Revolution, the order was abolished.

Description of the order

Appearance

The 1769 Statute described the order as:

The badge of the Order of St. George was made in the form of an equilateral golden cross, covered with white enamel on both sides, and having a gold border along the edges of the rays. In the center of the cross there was a medallion, on the obverse of which there was an image of St. George striking a serpent with a spear, and on the reverse there was a monogram "SG".

The insignia of the order from the 1st to the 4th degree differed only in size.
So the order of the 4th degree had dimensions of 34 × 34 mm, the order of the 3rd degree had large dimensions, which in different periods of production ranged from 43 to 47 mm.

The insignia of the order of the 1st and 2nd degree also did not have strict frames and were made in sizes from 51 to 54 mm.

The order of the 1st and 2nd degree was accompanied by the gold Star of the order, which is a diamond-shaped star consisting of 32 diverging rays. Initially, the Star of the Order of St. George was made by embroidery, but from 1854 they began to be made of gold.

The production of insignia was entrusted to the Chapter of the Order, but orders made in private jewelry workshops are not uncommon.

Wearing rules

Rules for wearing the degrees of the Order of St. George (from left to right from 4th to 1st).

Like all orders of the Russian Empire, the Order of St. George had its own special order of wearing.
The badge of the Order of the 4th degree was worn on the left side of the chest in a buttonhole, on an order ribbon 22 mm wide.
Order of the 3rd degree - on a neck ribbon 32 mm wide.
On a neck ribbon 50 mm wide, the insignia of the Order of the 2nd degree was also worn, but the Star of the Order was worn on the left side of the chest.
The badge of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, was worn on a wide order ribbon (100-110 mm) across the right shoulder, at the hip. The star of the order, as well as for the 2nd degree, was worn on the left side of the chest.
In addition, the holders of the order were allowed never to remove the insignia of the order from their military uniform, and also to wear a uniform even after retirement.

Statute of the Order

Badge of the Order of St. George, 4th degree for 25 years of service in the officer ranks.

Badge of the Order of St. George 4th class for 18 campaigns.

Badge of the Order of St. George 4th class for 20 campaigns.

Throughout its history, the Order of St. George has had three statutes.
The first was signed by Catherine II at the solemn ceremony of establishing the order in 1769. The Statute of Empress Catherine said:

According to the Statute, the awards of the 1st and 2nd degree orders were made personally by the emperor and at his discretion.
The awarding of the 3rd and 4th degrees of the order was carried out by the Military and Naval Collegiums, and since 1782 - by the St. George Duma, consisting of the holders of this order.
Also, the Statute stipulated the deadline for submitting the submission for awarding the order - no more than 4 weeks after the feat.

In cases of awarding the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, the commanders of armies or corps were allowed not to assemble the St. George Duma, but to award the award at their own discretion. Moreover, each such award had to be approved by the emperor.

There was a separate clause that described the privileges of the order bearers.

In addition, every officer awarded the Order of St. George received a promotion.

Despite the fact that it was a military order, the Statute provided for the award of the 4th degree of the order for 25 years of impeccable service in the officer ranks or for participating in 18 naval campaigns. At the same time, 6 months of pure swimming were counted in one campaign. The insignia of these orders had a corresponding inscription on the horizontal beams: "25 years" and "18 camp."

The terms of service could be reduced. For example, participants in such battles as the storming of Ochakov in 1788 or the capture of Izmail in 1790 were reduced by 3 years of service. Also, officers who received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree with a bow for military exploits were diminished for 3 years, and those who were awarded the golden weapon "For Courage" - 2 years each.

Later, the Knights of the Order of St. Anne of the 3rd degree with a bow, for which the term of service was reduced by 1 year, was also added to this list. Naval officers who participated in outstanding naval battles were reduced the term of service by 1 campaign, knights of the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree with a bow - by 2 campaigns, the Order of St. Anne of the 3rd degree with a bow and the golden weapon "For Courage" - by 1 campaign ...

On December 6, 1833, Emperor Nicholas I issued a new Statute. The statute determined the order of awarding the order. Now the awarding was carried out sequentially starting from the 4th degree. The changes also affected the rules for awarding the Order of St. George for impeccable service. Now, in addition to 25 years of impeccable service, to receive the 4th degree of the order, the main condition has become the obligatory participation in at least one battle. For naval officers who did not take part in the battles, they provided for the awarding of the order for 20 campaigns.

In addition, the new Statute contains a detailed description of the deeds that give the right to be awarded the order.

Beginning on August 9, 1844, Russian citizens and foreigners, persons of non-Christian faith began to be awarded orders, in which instead of the image of St. George and his monogram, the imperial two-headed eagle was depicted.

Since 1845, officers awarded any degree of the Order of St. George received the right to hereditary nobility, and could also have the right to display the insignia of the order on their family coat of arms.

On May 15, 1855, Emperor Alexander II abolished the awarding of the order for length of service and for naval campaigns.

Badge of the Order of St. George 4th class for non-Christians.

The statute was rewritten for the third time under Nicholas II in 1913. However, the main changes affected the awards for the lower ranks - the Insignia of the Military Order of St. George and the Medal for Bravery.

Examples of awards

First degree

The first awarding took place on November 26, 1769 - Empress Catherine II took upon herself the insignia of the order of the 1st degree. On July 27, 1770, the first awarding of the 1st degree order for military merit took place. For the victories over the Turkish army at Larga and Cahul, Field Marshal Count P.A.Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky was awarded him. The last one to be awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree, on November 29, 1877, was Field Marshal Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (Sr.) for the capture of the city of Plevna.

Commander of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov.

Commander of the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, Admiral S.K. Greig.

CAVALERS OF THE ORDER OF SAINT GEORGE I DEGREE

№	Full Name	Title	Rank	Delivery date
1	ALEXANDER II	emperor	major general	26.11.1869
2	BARCLAY de Tolli M. B.	prince	general-field marshal	19.08.1813
3	BENNIGSEN L. L.	graph	cavalry general	22.07.1814
4	GOLENISHCHEV-KUTUZOV M. I.	Most Serene Prince	general-field marshal	12.12.1812
5	DIBICH-ZABALKANSKY I. I.	graph	general-field marshal	12.09.1829
6	Dolgorukov-Crimean V.M.	prince	general-in-chief	18.07.1771
7	EKATERINA II	empress	Colonel of the Guard	26.11.1769
8	MIKHAIL NIKOLAEVICH	Grand Duke	general-field marshal	09.10.1877
9	NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH (Sr.)	Grand Duke	general-field marshal	29.11.1877
10	A. G. ORLOV-CHESMENSKY	graph	general-in-chief	22.09.1770
11	P. I. Panin	graph	general-in-chief	08.10.1770
12	I. F. PASKEVICH ERIVANSKY	Most Serene Prince	general-field marshal	27.07.1829
13	POTEMKIN-TAVRICHESKY G.A.	Most Serene Prince	general-field marshal	16.12.1788
14	N. V. Repnin	prince	general-field marshal	15.07.1791
15	P. A. RUMYANTSEV-ZADANAYSKY	graph	general-field marshal	27.07.1770
16	SUVOROV-RYMNIKSKY A.B.	prince	generalissimo	18.10.1789
17	V. Y. CHICHAGOV		admiral	26.06.1790
18	ALBERT AUSTRIAN	archduke	field marshal	20.06.1870
19	ANGULEMSKY A.A.	duke		22.11.1823
20	G. A. BLYUCHER	prince	general-field marshal	08.10.1813
21	WELLINGTON A.B.	duke	general-field marshal	28.04.1814
22	WILHELM I OF PRUSSIAN	king		26.11.1869
23	CARL XIV JUHAN	king of Sweden and Norway		30.08.1813
24	RADETSKY I.	graph	general-field marshal	07.08.1848
25	SCHWARTZENBERG K.F.	generalissimo		08.10.1813

Second degree

Knight Commander of the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, General of Infantry H.H. Yudenich.

Before the outbreak of World War I, only 121 people were awarded the 2nd degree of the order. And despite the scale of the battles on the fields of the First World War, only 4 people were awarded this award during this period.
The first to be awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, were Generals N.V. Repnin, P.G. Plemyannikov and F.V.Bour. They distinguished themselves by commanding troops at the Battle of Larga in 1770.
The last holder of the Order of the 2nd degree was General of Infantry H.H. Yudenich, who received all 3 crosses during the period of command of the Caucasian Front in the First World War. 4th degree - for the Sorokomysh operation, 3rd degree - for the defeat of the right wing of the Turkish 3rd Army in 1915, and 2nd degree - for the Erzurum operation.

Third degree

However, the very first military awarding of the Order of St. George was made precisely with the 3rd degree. Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Fabritsian, for personal courage during the storming of the Turkish fortress Galati. The first cavalier received the award on December 8, 1769.

The glorious commander, Generalissimo A. V. Suvorov was immediately awarded the 3rd degree of the order, bypassing the 4th. This is due to the fact that at the time of the awarding Suvorov had the rank of Major General, and the awarding of the 4th degree would not correspond somewhat to the rank. He received his award on August 30, 1772.

Fourth degree

On February 3, 1770, the first awarding of the order of the 4th degree was made. The first cavalier was Prime Major R. Patkul.
The first to be awarded the order for the length of service was Lieutenant-General I. Springer. Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I also had the badge of the order for the length of service.
For "18 naval campaigns" the first to be awarded was Lieutenant-Commander I.D. Durov. In addition, admirals V.Ya. Chichagov, A.V. Voevodsky, I.A. Povalishin, as well as the famous seafarers F.F. Bellingshausen, V.M. Golovnin, I.F. Kruzenshtern, M.P. Lazarev, G.A. Sarychev, F.P. Litke.
Since 1913, the Statute of the Order provided for the posthumous awarding of the Order. So among the first awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, the pilot PN Nesterov was posthumously for committing the first air ramming.
Two women were honored with this award. The first was the Queen of the Two Sicilies Maria-Sophia-Amalia in 1861, the second - the sister of mercy Rimma Ivanova, who replaced the killed officer and led the company into the attack. During this attack, she was mortally wounded, so her award was posthumous.

NUMBER OF ORDERS OF ST GEORGE HAVE BEEN HANDED DURING SOME WARS

	1st Art.	2nd Art.	3rd Art.	4th Art.
Patriotic War of 1812-1814, incl. foreign nationals	7 4	36 12	156 33	618 127
Crimean War 1853-1856	-	3	5	3
Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, incl. foreign nationals	2 -	11 2	40 3	353 35
Hike to China 1900-1901	-	-	2	30
Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905	-	-	10	256
World War I, including foreign nationals	- -	4 -	53 -	3643 8

Notes

List of sources

Literature

Gladkov N.N. History of the Russian state in awards and signs. Volume 1. In 2-. SPb .: Polygon, 2004.
Durov V.A. Orders of the Russian Empire. - Moscow: White City, 2003.
A.A. Kuznicov Orders and Medals of Russia. - Moscow: Moscow State University, 1985.
Shishkov S.S. Russian awards. 1698-1917. T. II.- D .: Art-Press, 2003.

Image gallery

Mikhail Presnukhin

The motto of the order was the following saying: For service and courage.

Almost the main role in the fate of the newly established order was played by the choice of the heavenly patron.

In the third article of the statute of the Order of George, it was written: “Neither the high breed, nor the wounds received before the enemy, do not give the right to be granted by this order: but it is given to those who not only corrected their position in everything according to oath, honor and duty, but moreover, they also distinguished themselves by what a special courageous act, or the wise gave, and useful advice for our military service. " The statute of the order also provided an approximate list of feats that are worthy of being awarded the Order of George, such as: "... the officer who, having encouraged his subordinates by his example and leading them, will finally take a ship, battery or other place occupied by the enemy." Or "... who was the first to attack, or on enemy ground when people were disembarking from ships."

Thus, the Russian military order, both in its name and in its colors, had deep roots in Russian history.

With the establishment of the Order of St. George, officers who came from a non-nobility environment opened up a new opportunity to acquire hereditary nobility. Peter's "Table of Ranks" established the receipt of hereditary nobility (and the associated rights and advantages) only upon reaching the VIII class, that is, the rank of major seconds; published on April 21, 1785, "Certificate for the rights of liberty and advantages of the Russian nobility" one of fifteen indisputable proofs of the noble state called the awarding "the Russian knight order". Thus, a native of the lower classes, having received the Order of St. George, even the 4th degree, became a hereditary nobleman.

"For service and courage - Ochakov was taken in December 1788".
"For excellent bravery - Ishmael was taken on December 11, 1790".
"For labor and courage - Prague was taken on October 24, 1794".
“Victory at Preussisch-Eylau, 27th genv. 1807 ".
"For excellent bravery when taking Bazardzhik by storm on May 22, 1810".

Since then, the St. George ribbon has also become a symbol of military glory in Russia. In addition to the crosses of the Order of St. George, gold crosses established specially for officers were worn on it - for Ochakov, Izmail, Prague, Preussisch-Eylau, Bazardzhik, and also on the St. George ribbon a number of military medals were worn, which were awarded to the lower ranks of the participants in battles on land and sea. The color of the St. George ribbon was the lanyard on the gold (St. George's) weapon. A gold pectoral cross was worn on the St. George ribbon, which was awarded to military priests. By continuity, these tapes entered the Soviet and current Russian awards system. The most honorable soldier's award - the Order of Glory, the medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" is worn on the St. George ribbon. The St. George ribbon was included in the design of the guards flag of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Navy, the sailors of the Marine Guard wear the same ribbon on their peakless caps, and the very sign of belonging to the Guards units or ships of the Soviet Navy at first was a St. George ribbon in a special buckle.

Admitted to the Order of St. George, the cross was silver, numbered and worn on the St. George ribbon. It had the same images and initials as the order, but without enamel.