National Units of the Russian Imperial Guard under Nicholas I: Plans and Implementation

The article analyzes the policy of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I on the formation of national military units in the Russian Imperial Guard. The author of the article conducts an analysis of all national military units created and functioning during the era of Emperor Nicholas I. The author examines the objectives of the creation of each of the national units, the real difficulties in the formation and functioning of such units. The author con-cludes that the first initiatives to create national military units date back to the reign of Emperor Alexander I. The author notes that the creator of the new military units was not only the emperor. Local national elites could be interested in forming new guard units from representatives of their region. The newly created Finnish national units have made a significant contribution to the development of small arms in the Russian army. The Guards Caucasian Squadron played an important role in the formation of a new military and administrative elite for Transcaucasia as a region of the Russian Empire.