Gallant grooms and ladies' men: why the hussars were in no hurry to get married
Gallant grooms and ladies' men: why the hussars were in no hurry to get married

Video: Gallant grooms and ladies' men: why the hussars were in no hurry to get married

Video: Gallant grooms and ladies' men: why the hussars were in no hurry to get married
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Officers of the hussar regiment
Officers of the hussar regiment

Uniform men have always driven beautiful ladies crazy, and the brave hussars on this list were out of competition. In literature and cinema, the image of the Russian officer has developed as a brave grunt, reveler and ladies' man, ready to turn the head of any beauty, but at the same time not to marry. This behavior could be explained by the frivolity and love of freedom of the hussars, but they (and all the other servicemen) not only did not want to offer the ladies a hand and heart, but they could not. There was a special reason for that.

Hussars in tsarist Russia could not marry without the permission of their superiors
Hussars in tsarist Russia could not marry without the permission of their superiors

In tsarist Russia, officers had to serve the Fatherland selflessly, giving themselves all without a trace. And these are not big words, everything actually happened. None of the soldiers or senior officials could marry of their own free will. In order to get a wife, a serviceman had to fulfill many conditions and obtain no less permission from the commanders.

Portrait of Colonel of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment Denis Davydov. O. L. Kiprensky, 1809
Portrait of Colonel of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment Denis Davydov. O. L. Kiprensky, 1809

Peter I was the first to regulate the right to marry. He forbade soldiers who did not have an officer's rank and "did not understand the letter" to marry. In the army of that time, every second could not read and write, so the emperor, by his decree, tried to kill two birds with one stone: to control the number of marriages in the army and to increase literacy. Military commanders gave permission to marry, taking into account the financial situation of the groom and the origin of the bride.

Russian Emperor Paul I
Russian Emperor Paul I

When Paul I sat on the throne, he decided to deal with the issue of the marriage of soldiers and officers himself. Generals and staff officers had to obtain permission to marry personally from the emperor. It often happened that Paul I arranged marriages at his own whim, believing that he knew better who would live with whom in peace and harmony. This is how the sovereign married General Peter Bagration to his distant relative Catherine Skavronskaya. This marriage did not bring happiness to either one or the other. Bagration was a soldier to his fingertips, and his wife loved to shine at balls. While the general disappeared in the service, his wife traveled around Europe, changing lovers like gloves. The husband has become a "provider of finance."

General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration and his wife Ekaterina Skavronskaya
General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration and his wife Ekaterina Skavronskaya
Left: Colonel of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment N. I. Bukharov (1838), right: Officer of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment P. P. Lachinov (1814)
Left: Colonel of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment N. I. Bukharov (1838), right: Officer of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment P. P. Lachinov (1814)

Under Paul I, there was an unspoken rule: it was possible to marry only if received in the command of a company or after retirement. Russia constantly took part in bloody wars, therefore, in case of marriage of soldiers, many wives would remain widows, having no means of subsistence. The survivor's pension was not due to them then.

Hussar wedding
Hussar wedding

During the Napoleonic wars, many officers returned from Europe to their homeland with their wives - French, Polish, German. The commander of the cavalry division, General A. H. Benckendorff, realizing that the situation was becoming uncontrollable, wrote:

At the same time, the general spoke about the adoption of appropriate measures:

Hussar wedding before the hike
Hussar wedding before the hike

A decree was adopted on the age limit for officers. It was possible to marry only after 30 years, and besides, it was required to have an income of at least 115 rubles a month (for the highest command personnel, the amount increased significantly). That is why most of the officers in the Russian army were bachelors and without a twinge of conscience they visited brothels, looked after married women and arranged carousing.

Still from the film "Hussar Ballad" (1962)
Still from the film "Hussar Ballad" (1962)

When it comes to hussars, then the famous film "The Hussar Ballad" by Eldar Ryazanov immediately comes to mind. But after all the main character Shurochka Azarova had a real prototype - a cavalry girl. But everything turned out not so happily for her as in the film.

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