TABLE OF RANKS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE

On January,24, 1722 Peter I retified "The Law About the State Service Order In The Russian Empire" (ranks by seniority and promotion succession), or "Table of Ranks" The base of this law was a numer of similar laws in some European countries, especially in Denmark and Prussia. All ranks in "The Table of Ranks" were of three types: military, civilian and court ones and were subdivided into XIV classes. (The first class was the highest and fourteenth one - the lowest). Military ranks were higher than civilian and even court ones. This seniority gave advantage for military ranks in the main goal - transferring to nobility. And even XIV class of "The Table" ("Praporshik" - ensign) gave the right of the hereditary nobiliary rank (in civilian service the hereditary nobiliary rank was given only from 8 class, and 14 class gave only the right of personal nobility). We translated the main part of the rank names into English. When the ranks had some very special Russian pronunciation we spelled it in Russian way in brackets. From the times of Peter The Great the Table of Ranks was changed many times. Here we give in its last edition of 1900 that worked till the revolution of 1917. Rank Army Civilian INFANTRY, ARTILLERY AND OTHER TROOPS CAVALRY I General-Field-Marshal - Сhancellor, Active Secret Counsellor (Deistvitelny tainy sovetnik) of the I rank II General of Infantry General of Cavalry Active Secret Counsellor (Deistvitelny tainy sovetnik) III Lieutenant-General Secret Counsellor (Tainy soventnik) IV Major-General Active State Counsellor (Deistvitelny statsky sovetnik) V - State Counsellor (Statsky sovetnik) VI Colonel College Counsellor (Kollezhsky sovetnik) VII Lieutenant-Colonel Nadvorny Sovetnik VIII Captain Rotmistr College assessor (Kollezhsky assessor) IX Junior captain (Shtabs-kapitan) Shtabs-rotmistr Titular Counsellor (titulyarny sovetnik) X Lieutenant (Poruchik) College Secretary (Kollezhsky secretar') XI - - XII Second Lieutenant (Podporuchik) Cornet - XIII Ensign (Praporschik) - - XIV - College registrator (Kollezhsky registrator) Addresses To Every Class According To The Regulations I-II III-IV V VI-VII-VIII IX-X-XI-XII-XIII-XIV Vashe Visokoprevoskhoditelstvo (Your High Superiority) Vashe Prevoskhoditelstvo (Your Superiority) Vashe Visokorodie (Your High Birth) Vashe Visokoblagorodie (Your High Nobleness) Vashe Blagorodie (Your Nobleness) According to the law of December,9,1856 the higher ranks for getting the hereditary nobility were fixed: - rank IV for civilian service - rank VI for military service ( marked by colour in the table) The personal nobility might be given for both military and civilian services from - rank IX ( marked by colour in the table) And the ranks from XIV to X got the title "Honorary Citizens". The nobility in Russia was subdived into 2 categories: personal nobility and hereditary nobility. Personal nobility According to the law of 1899 the personal nobility might be given by a special order and by reaching a proper civilian or military rank (in the Table of Ranks) or by getting a State Order. The personal nobility was imparted to a wife by marriage. A personal noble had the same personal rights as a hereditary one, but could not be transferred to children, that got the title and rights of "Honorary citizens". Hereditary nobility. Might be given by service or granted. On the military service it was got by getting the rank of Colonel and the rank IV on the civilian service. And the hereditary nobility was imparted to a wife by marriage and to children by their birth.