(^76) Muscovite Roots, 1462-1689
1470s, when Aristotele Fieravanti (1415120-86), the Italian architect and
military engineer, came to Moscow; best known for his work on the Kremlin,
he also participated personally in Ivan Ill's campaigns against Novgorod,
Tvpr' -. .. , <1nrl .... J(<>?<>n'87 -----···
The heavy artillery pieces of the period were difficult to''l{ansport-as we
have seen, hordes of labourers were drafted for the purpose-~d of little use
in the field. They were mainly kept in various fortresses, and it, was here that
the pushkari went about their duties. Like the musketeers and senjce Cossacks
they formed a closed corps, in the sense that new recruits were normally drawn
from the families of those already enrolled and that they lived in their own settle-
ments (slobody). There were even self-contained sub-categories of artillery-
men: zatinshchiki, who looked after smaller-calibre weapons, and vorotniki,
or fortress gate-guards. The existence of such social barriers, together with the
possession of specialized knowledge, contributed to the development of a cer-
tain esprit de corps. It may also have mattered that 'whereas the stre/'tsy and
service Cossacks were recruited from various social groups, the artillerymen ...
consisted almost exclusively of townspeople, especially artisans'^88 -although
one should guard against anachronistic reasoning here. Guild associations
were weak in Russian towns, and the ties formed among artillerymen will have
been of a service rather than a professional character. Professionalization was
also hindered by the limited facilities for training, the lack of mathematical
knowledge, and the diversity of calibres among the weapons which artillery-
men were required to maintain and operate ..
It is not clear whether social promotion was easier in this branch of service
than in others. The officers, as one would expect, held noble rank; some of
them deserve to be called specialists, since they served for considerable lengths
of time in the Artillery Office (Pushkarskiy prikaz), the relevant government
department, or in the field as 'commanders of artillery' (voyevody u naryada).^89
The master founders were as a rule civilians.
Artillerymen received a cash payment in addition to their small land
allotments. These sums increased from about 2 roubles annually in Ivan IV's
reign to 5 roubles (plus an allowance of uniform cloth) in-that of Alexis^90 -
which suggests that in official circles their work continued to be appreciated.
They were less likely to be transferred to the new-model forces, which contained
no counterpart to their branch as it did for the infantry and cavalry. This
organizational continuity lasted into the Imperial era: although artillerymen
ceased to form a distinct caste after Peter's reforms, the Artillery Department
(^87) Alef, 'Muse. Mil. Reforms', pp. 79-80; Hellie, Enserfment, p. IS4. Some nationalist
historians have advanced large claims for Russia's technical proficiency vis+vis Western coun-
tries in this period, but, as T. Esper observes. 'the arguments supporting such claims ... are not
cogent, if only because such superior weapons would have ... been copied in other countries':
'Mil. Self-sufficiency', p. 196.
88 Yepifanov, 'Voysko', p. )57.
89 Ibid., p. 356.
90 Hellie, Enserfment, p. 157.
wang
(Wang)
#1