Army of Peter the Great

The Russian Army (Russian: Русская армия), better known as the Army of Peter the Great (Russian: Армия Петра I), was the army of the Tsardom of Russia during the reign of Peter the Great from 1682 to 1721. The army was created by the Russian Tsar Peter I on the basis of the Zheldaks (Russian: Желдаки), later called by historians, that began to appear in Russia during the reign of his father, regiments of the new (foreign) system, Streltsy army and Cossacks, taking into account the latest European achievements in the field of military art.

The army replaced the irregular local troops, which were a feudal relic, and the streltsy units, which opposed Peter I during the struggle for power and were then gradually disbanded by him. The army and Imperial Russian Navy were staffed on the basis of conscription (compulsory service for nobles also remained until the mid-18th century). Later it was transformed as a result of the military reform carried out in the 1860s—1870s, during the reign of Alexander II, who, among other things, introduced universal conscription, reduced the number of the guard, army and navy in peacetime by 40% and the terms services, as well as the armed forces were equipped with the latest weapons.