In Russia, from the time of Alexander I to the 1917 revolution, the St. George Cross was the most coveted award for any military man. Only the most courageous soldiers managed to become a complete St. George Knight. It is interesting that many of them have already successfully served in the Soviet army and held the highest command posts.
The four degrees of the St. George Cross existed for a little less than 60 years, on the eve of the October Revolution of 1917, but many managed to become knights of the order - the full list includes more than 2,000 surnames. Who established this award? What do each of the 4 degrees mean? Who managed to deserve all 4 Orders of St. George with their feats of arms?
History of the establishment of the Order of St. George
The St. George Cross is the most famous and significant award, and not only in Russia. It was the most revered order during the time of the Russian Empire. A lot of controversy arises around who exactly it was established by. Most sources claim that he was included in the list of awards during the reign of Alexander I.
Initially, the order was called the "Insignia of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George". In the list of awards of the Russian Empire, he appeared in 1807 by decree of the Emperor Alexander I.
The idea to award such an order only to the officers very quickly outlived its usefulness, and it was decided to use the award to “encourage courage even in lower ranks, encourage courage among young men in the ranks of the Russian Army, Navy and Guards.
But there were differences in terms of the order of awarding the St. George Cross. It could be received, in contrast to the soldier's and officer's medals, for a specific feat, confirmed by indisputable facts.
The list of feats of arms was determined, approved by Emperor Alexander I and regulated in a statute - a set of military regulations and rules that was used before the 1917 revolution in the Russian Empire.
Description of the St. George Cross
The award was a cross with "blades" expanding towards the end. In the center of the order was a medallion with the image of St. George on the obverse (obverse) and the symbolism "SG" on the reverse (reverse). In the spring of 1856, Alexander II already signed a decree on the delimitation of the order into 4 degrees - the first two were to be cast from gold, and the third and fourth - from silver.
There were other visual differences between them:
- The first (highest) degree - a gold cross with a bow, with the image of St. George and his monogram, the number on the reverse side, under which he is entered in the register,
- The second degree - a cross made of gold, but without a bow, with a serial number and the mark "2nd grade",
- The third degree - a cross made of silver with the corresponding marks about the degree and number,
- 4th degree - a silver cross, on a ribbon, like others, with the number and order of the degree.
The degrees had nothing to do with the order of awarding. The decision about which of the degrees is worthy of a warrior who showed valor on the battlefield or performed a feat was made on the basis of how significant the act was.
According to the statute, the gentlemen were supposed to wear the St. George cross on a special ribbon - black with orange stripes. In addition to the award itself, officers and soldiers received significant social benefits - a life pension, the amount of which depended on the significance (degree) of the order.
List of complete St. George Knights
In historical sources, such famous people as Kutuzov, Barclay-le-Tolly, Paskevich and Dibich are ranked among the complete Georgievsky knights. According to these data, the order was put into circulation much earlier than Alexander I ascended the throne, that is, it is possible that the decree on the introduction of the Order of St. George into the list of awards was not signed by him.
Most of the St. George's crosses were received by participants in hostilities during the First World War. Some of the full cavaliers continued their military service after the revolution, in the ranks of the Soviet Army. The most famous of them for contemporaries were
- Budyonny,
- Lazarenko,
- Malinovsky,
- Nedorubov,
- Meshryakov,
- Tyulenev.
Seven of the full knights of the St. George Cross, after moving to the Soviet army, received another high military award - they became Heroes of the USSR for their feats of arms.
Full Knight of the Order of St. George S. M. Budyonny
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny received all 4 degrees of the St. George Cross for feats of arms during the Japanese-Russian and the First World War. He took part in battles on the Caucasian, Austrian and German fronts.
It is noteworthy that in Budyonny's "piggy bank" there are actually five St. George's crosses. He received the first for the capture of a convoy and 8 soldiers accompanying him. But after the awarding, Semyon Mikhailovich hit the officer and was deprived of his first St. George's Cross.
The next orders with St. George Budyonny received for exploits in the battles for Mendelidzh and Van. His courage and willingness to take part in battles along with ordinary soldiers did not go unnoticed, past mistakes were forgotten.
After the revolution, Semyon Mikhailovich took the side of the "Soviets", initiated the creation of a cavalry army, and already in 1935 he received one of the highest military ranks - he became a marshal.
During the Second World War, Budyonny fell into "disgrace" and was removed from command. But after the war, he became three times Hero of the USSR, when all his merits on the way to victory over fascism were appreciated.
Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich
Rodion Yakovlevich received his first "George" at the age of 17. He got to the front as a boy, attributing 2 years to himself. The rat path of Malinovsky threw him to France, Germany, Spain, and everywhere his merits were marked with the highest awards.
In addition to all 4 St. George's crosses, in his "piggy bank" there are 2 Gold stars of the Hero of the USSR. It was under his command that the Soviet Army recaptured Odessa from the Nazis, turned the tide of the war at Stalingrad, and drove the German army out of Vienna and Budapest.
Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev
I. V. Tyulenev - hereditary military man. During the First World War, he went from a simple soldier to a warrant officer, he received all 4 St. George's crosses for battles on the territory of Poland.
He did not leave military service after the revolution. During the Second World War, Ivan Vladimirovich commanded the Southern Front. After being wounded, he was entrusted with the formation of new divisions from recruits from the Urals.
In 1942 Tyulenev was transferred to the Caucasus, where he began to strengthen the Main Range. These tactical measures made it possible to stop the movement of the Nazis in this direction, for which Ivan Vladimirovich received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Lazarenko Ivan Sidorovich
Lazarenko received all 4 St. George crosses for participation in the First World War. He was a native of the Kuban village, a real Cossack who did not know cowardice and compromise in relation to the enemy.
In 1917 he joined the Red Army, commanded a platoon, and then a squadron, a division. Already being famous, having a high military rank, he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy.
In addition to 4 Orders of St. George, Lazarenko also had several significant Soviet awards - the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner and the First Class of the Patriotic War, the Gold Star medal and others. Ivan Sidorovich Lazarenko died in June 1944, near Mogilev.
After the October Revolution and the coming to power of the "Soviets", the St. George's Cross for some time was deleted from the list of military awards. It has now been returned to the registry. Those who show valor and perform feats for the good of Russia have the right to receive it again. The latter were awarded this high honor to participants in armed military conflicts in Ossetia, Chechnya, and Syria. The award is presented by the current President of the Russian Federation in a specially designed Kremlin apartment.
