Russian Imperial Guard
| Imperial Guard Лейб-гвардия | |
|---|---|
Leib Guards reception at the Constantine Palace | |
| Active | 1683–1917 |
| Country | Russian Empire |
| Allegiance | Emperor of Russia Russian Empire |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Army |
| Type | Army aviation Artillery Cavalry Horse artillery Imperial guard Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Russian Armed Forces |
|---|
| Staff |
| Services (vid) |
| Independent troops (rod) |
| Special operations force (sof) |
| Other troops |
| Military districts |
| History of the Russian military |
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The Russian Imperial Guard, officially known as the Leib Guard (Russian: Лейб-гвардия Leyb-gvardiya, from German Leib "body"; cf. Life Guards / Bodyguard), were combined Imperial Russian Army forces units serving as counterintelligence for preventing sabotage of important imperial palaces, personal guards of the Emperor of Russia and the Russian imperial family, public security in the capital and leaders in spearheading attacks on the battlefield. Peter I founded the first such units in 1683 to replace the politically-motivated Streltsy.
The Imperial Guard subsequently increased in size and diversity to become an elite corps of all branches within the Imperial Russian Army, rather than household troops in direct attendance on the Tsar. Numerous links were however maintained with the imperial family, and the bulk of the Imperial Guard's regiments were stationed in and around the capital, Saint Petersburg, in peacetime. The Imperial Guard was disbanded in 1917 following the Russian Revolution.