01 103 Book illustrations of Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops

A ''rynda'' (, ) was a

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...

of the Russian

grand prince Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...

s and

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

s in the 16th and 17th centuries; the position was abolished by Peter I in 1698.

History and appearance

Boguszowicz Reception of the Polish envoys

The term ''rynda'' first appears in around 1380 and are mentioned to have been present at the

Battle of Kulikovo The Battle of Kulikovo () was fought between the forces of Mamai, a powerful Mongol military commander of the Golden Horde, and Russian forces led by Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, Dmitry of Moscow. The battle took place on 8 September 1380, at Ku ...

, though did not exist as a unit it seems until the 16th century. ''Ryndy'' were selected from young men of noble origin. ''Ryndy'' acted as bodyguards to the Russian court and accompanied the tsar on journeys and diplomatic missions, and would carry his weapons and armour and accompany him into battle. They were not

court official A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

s and were not paid for their service, being accommodated in the royal household. The position was abolished by reforms of

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

in 1698. The ''ryndy'' wore white damask

kaftan A kaftan or caftan (; , ; , ; ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's long suit ...

s trimmed with ermine and embroidered with silver lacing, white boots and tall gorlatnayas made of white fox fur. Their status was indicated by silk and gold sashes worn around their waists and golden chains worn around the torso. ''Ryndy'' carried heavily decorated

bardiche A bardiche , berdiche, bardische, bardeche, or berdish is a type of polearm used from the 14th to 17th centuries in Europe. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth axe or Dane axe, the bardiche proper appears around 1400, but there are ...

s with gold and silver appliqués and bejewelled handles. Examples of these still exists in the

Kremlin Armoury The Kremlin ArmouryOfficially called the "Armoury Chamber" but also known as the cannon yard, the "Armoury Palace", the "Moscow Armoury", the "Armoury Museum", and the "Moscow Armoury Museum" but different from the Kremlin Arsenal. () is one of ...

In culture

A colloquial name of the

ship's bell A ship's bell is a bell on a ship that is used for the indication of time as well as other traditional functions. The bell itself is usually made of brass or bronze, and normally has the ship's name engraved or cast on it. Strikes Timing of shi ...

in Russian is "rynda". There are anecdotes about the origin of the term, including the following one. During the times of

, Russian sailors were trained by foreign officers, and commands on a ship were uttered in English, in particular, the command "ring the bell!". As it happened with many foreign naval terms, to the Russian ear it transformed into "рынду бей!" (''ryndu bey!''), literally meaning "hit a rynda!".Sarah Whittall, ''A Study of English Nautical Loanwords in the Russian Language of the Eighteenth Century'', 1985, , p. 24

References

Obsolete occupations Tsardom of Russia Bodyguards {{Russia-mil-stub

History and appearance

In culture

See also

References