A Colonel of the Strelitzes, the Militia to the Russian Czars

by Thomas Jefferys

This remarkable 18th century engraving by Thomas Jefferys provides a rare and detailed insight into the structure of the military hierarchy prior to the reign of Petrine Russia. The illustration of a Colonel of the Strelitzes is one that depicts the evolution of the Russian military structure away from its origins as an Eastern practice towards modernization.

The Streltsy, or Strelitzes, were elite "musketeers," who made up a standing army founded by Ivan the Terrible. This image portrays the uniform of the colonel with great accuracy, showing the signature features of the kaftan and weapons used by the military force that served as the private military force of the Czar until their disbandment under Peter the Great.