The Russian Army in the Great Northern War 1700-21: Organization, Material, Training and Combat Experience, Uniforms

Description

The book describes the armed forces of Peter the Great in its entirety, and covers in depth old Russian troops and irregulars, as well as Peter's new standing army (guards, infantry, dragoons, elite units and artillery) and his brand-new force(the navy, with sailing ships and galleys, and marines). Besides the staffing, organization and development of troops, the book gives detailed account of uniforms, weapons and other materiel (both conventional and unusual). Training is described using drill manuals and tactical instructions of the period, and fighting methods actually performed on the battlefield are described - based on first-hand accounts and period observations from Russian, Swedish and impartial sources. Pitched battles that often predominate in descriptions of early-18th century warfare are given their due in the book; however, linear tactics on the field were not the only - nor even the main - type of actions during the Great Northern War, so the author goes into details of the sieges, small war actions and riverine, lake and naval combats. The author brings up materials that were unavailable to English-speaking readers and scholars so far, and the book not only contains the author's own research, but is also based on the most recent works of other Russian scholars who specialize in various aspects of the Petrine military history; this makes the book a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Peter the Great's military force during the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The book is supplemented with numerous contemporary prints and paintings, photos of artefacts and recreated uniform kits, as well as specially-commissioned artwork that has been created by an artist who is knowledgeable in details from that period.

Boris Megorsky was born in Leningrad, USSR in 1978. He lives in St Petersburg, Russia with his beloved wife Olga and three-year-old son Vadim. He did his PhD in Political Science and works in Human Resources, but his true passion has always been military history. As a scholar, he specializes in the everyday life of the Russian Army, its uniforms and siege warfare of the Great Northern War period; he has written dozens of articles and theses on these subjects. His book about the siege of Narva in 1704 was published in Russia in 2016 and, as a re-enactor, he is a member and sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, 1709 ( Russia's leading re-enactment society of the early 1700s). His passion for miniatures makes him pay great attention to details both in research and in reconstructions, be it re-enactors' kit or graphical illustration consultations. He has consulted on a number of films, museum and publishing projects, and has worked with miniature manufacturers and artists.