Officer ranks under Peter the Great's �Table of Ranks� of 1722

Officer Ranks under Peter the Great's �Table of Ranks� of 1722

The Russian official rank system was based on Peter the Great's decree of 4 February 1722 that provided a system for equivalencies of ranks among the army branches and the civilian service. The Table comprised of 14 classes of ranks and civilian positions, although it did not extend top the lower levels of service. It remained in effect with slight modifications until the October Revolution of 1917.

As Peter the Great launched his reforms in Russia in early 1700s, it became evident that a new system of promotion was required to organize his new army and society. That was particularly important for the nobility who were obliged under Peter's decrees to serve in the army. In addition, as he formed his army along the European lines, Peter the Great endeavored to simplify the transfers from one branch of service to another as well as determining the precedence of the officials in civilian service and court.

The Table comprised of 14 chins � classes of ranks and included some 262-service titles. It was organized by the military branches (Infantry, Cavalry, Guard, Artillery, Navy), civilian and court positions. The classes were numbered in ascending order from the highest rank to the lowest. A proper system of addressing the ranks was also set up. The Guards, a privileged corps, was given higher classes of ranks than at equivalent rank in the other branches of the military. The Table of Ranks was particularly beneficial for the non-nobles because it allowed sons of secretaries and scribes to achieve promotions through the ranks.

While working with the Table, one must remember to consider the rank (chin) and position (dolzhnost). The Table established a relative correspondence between the two and one could not be considered for a position unless he held appropriate class of rank. In addition, being promoted to a higher class also meant promotion in position. A person had to pass through each rank, while three-four years was an average tenure for each class.

The Table was modified several times over the period of almost two centuries. In the late 19^th Century, the table in fact contained twelve ranks and many titles of civilian positions were simplified. The Table of Ranks was abolished by the decrees of 23 November and 29 December 1917 by the Bolshevik government.

Addressing the Ranks

Classes of Ranks	Addressing Form
Classes I and II	Your High Excellency (Vashe vysokoprevoskhoditelstvo)
Classes III and IV	Your Excellency (Vashe prevoskhoditelstvo)
Class V	Your Highly Born (Vashe vysokorodie)
Classes VI, VII and VIII	Your Right Highly Born (Vashe vysokoblagorodie)
Classes XI, X, XI, XII, XIII and XIV	Your Wellborn (Vashe blagorodie)

Officer Ranks under Peter the Great's �Table of Ranks� of 1722

Class	Infantry/Cavalry	Guard	Artillery	Navy	Civil
I	General Field Marshal; Field Marshal	-	-	General Admiral	Chancellor, Actual Privy Counsellor First Class
II	1791-1796 � General-en-chef; After 1796, General of Cavalry; of Infantry	-	General Feldzeugmeister	Admiral	Actual Privy Counsellor
III	Lieutenant General; General Kriegscommissar	-	Lieutenant General	Vice Admiral, General Kriegscommissar	Procurator-General
IV	Major General	Colonel	Major General of Artillery; Major General of Fortifications	Rear Admiral; Sautbenacht; Ober-zeugmeister	Until 1724 � College President, Privy Counsellor
V	1722-1799: Brigadier, Oberster-Kriegscommissar, General Proviantmeister	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel of Artillery	1722-1799: Captain Commander, Captain of Cronsdat Port, Intendant, Zeugmeister, Ober-ster- Kriegscommissar	Herald Master
VI	Colonel, Treasurer, Ober-Proviantmaster, Ober-Commissar, General Adjutant, General-Quartermeister-Lieutenant	Major	Lieutenant Colonel of Artillery, Engineer Colonel, Ober-Commissar	Captain (1^st class), captain of other ports, Intendant of St. Petersburg warf, Treasurer, Ober-Proviantmeister, Ober-Commissar	College Procurator
VII	Lieutenant Colonel, Auditor General, General-Quartermeister-Lieutenant, General Wagonmeister, General-Helvadiger, General Adjutant to the General Fieldmarshal, Controller	Captain	Major of Artillery, Engineer Lieutenant Colonel, Ober-Controller	Captain (2^nd class), Controller	Senior Secretary of Colleges of War, Admiralty and Foreign Affairs
VIII	Major, General Adjutant to full General, General Auditor, Ober-Quartermeister, Zalmeister In 1731-1797-premier and second majors	Lieutenant Captain	Captain of Artillery, Engineer Major, Ober-Zeichwarter, Controller	Captain (3^rd class), Ship Master	Secretary of other Colleges
IX	Captain, Flugel Adjutant to General Fieldmarshal or full General, Adjutant to Lieutenant General, Ober-Proviantmeister, General-Staff-Quartermeister, Ober-Auditor, Field Postmeister	Lieutenant	Lieutenant Captain of Artillery, Engineer Captain, Ober-Auditor, Quartermeister	Lieutenant Captain, Gallery Master	Titular Counsellor
X	Lieutenant Captain	Under Lieutenant	Lieutenant, Engineer Lieutenant-Captain	Lieutenant	College Secretary
XI	-	-	-	Ship Secretary	Ship's secretary
XII	Lieutenant	Fendrik	Under Lieutenant, Engineer Lieutenant, Wagonmeister	Under Lieutenant, Skipper (1^st class)	Provincial Secretary
XIII	Under Lieutenant, Flugel Adjutant to Lieutenant General	-	Junker, Engineer Unter-Lieutenant	-	Provincial secretary, Senate Secretary, Synodal registrar, Cabinet Registrar
XIV	Fendrik, Flugel Adjutant to Major General or Brigadier	-	Engineer Fendrik	Ship Commissar, Skipper (2^nd class)	College Registrar

Bibliography:

S.M. Troitsky, Russkii absolutism i dvoriantsvo XVIII v. [Russian Absolutism and the Nobility in XVIII Century] (Moscow, 1974)

Wlater M. Pintner and Don Karl Rowney, Russian Officialdom: the Bureaucratization of Russian Society From the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century (Chapel Hill, NC, 1980)

James Hassel, �Implementation of the Table of Ranks During the Eighteenth Century�, Slavic Review, XXIX 2 (1970) 283-95.

Placed on the Napoleon Series: September 2003