Pososhniye lyudi
Encyclopedia
The Pososhniye lyudi was a collective name for the conscripts in the Russian army
of the 16th-17th centuries, called up for military service
from each sokha (the word pososhniye is a derivative from sokha, hence the term). The term pososhnaya sluzhba (sokha-based military service) first appeared at the turn of the 15th century. The pososhniye lyudi were called up for service by the order of the tsar
. According to the 1547 ukase
, the army officials had to travel to villages and enlist for the Kazan campaign two people from each sokha (mounted and unmounted). The sloboda
s had to provide one man from ten households. The pososhniye lyudi (also known as posokha and pososhnaya rat' ) were used as infantry
and performed auxiliary functions, such as the construction of fortifications, servicing of siege engine
s, artillery
weapons etc. In the 16th century, the pososhniye lyudi were used for construction or repairs in peacetime, as well.
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
of the 16th-17th centuries, called up for military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
from each sokha (the word pososhniye is a derivative from sokha, hence the term). The term pososhnaya sluzhba (sokha-based military service) first appeared at the turn of the 15th century. The pososhniye lyudi were called up for service by the order of the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. According to the 1547 ukase
Ukase
A ukase , in Imperial Russia, was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader that had the force of law...
, the army officials had to travel to villages and enlist for the Kazan campaign two people from each sokha (mounted and unmounted). The sloboda
Sloboda
Sloboda was a kind of settlement in the history of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be vaguely translated as "free settlement"....
s had to provide one man from ten households. The pososhniye lyudi (also known as posokha and pososhnaya rat' ) were used as infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and performed auxiliary functions, such as the construction of fortifications, servicing of siege engine
Siege engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
s, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
weapons etc. In the 16th century, the pososhniye lyudi were used for construction or repairs in peacetime, as well.