Obsolete, popular a couple of hundred years ago, words have not yet finally come out of the vocabulary of modern man. Quite often you can hear someone called “Arkharovets”. Who is it? What does this word mean, far from everyone knows. Often so called mischievous and dissolute people, buoys and rowdy. But is it really so?
Today we will try to understand who the Arkharovites are and where they came from? Are these bandits “off the road” or very positive citizens? There are several opinions on this subject, and we will understand them.
Empty speculation
So, Arkharovets - who is he? There are several “empty” versions, as scientists call them. Some people believe that this word comes from the name of the breed of mountain goats and rams. But historians refute this theory, saying that poor mountain argali have nothing to do with recklessness and mischief of people.
There is another opinion as to what the word “Arkharovets” means. They say that they call people who live in the city of Arkharov. But in fact, there is no such city on the Russian map. There is only a village with a similar name - Arkhar, which is in the Amur region, but it has nothing to do with the Arkharovites. And the inhabitants there are called Arkharins, but not Arkharians.
Word history
So still, what does this word mean? Arkharovtsy, according to historians, appeared during the reign of Catherine the Great. It was at that time that Nikolai Arkharov lived in the world.
The childhood of Arkharov
Not so often in those days there was an amazing story of the ascent, as they say, from mud to riches. Nikolai Petrovich, born in 1742, lived among the yard mob. He spent a lot of time among the hooligans, fought well and could speak a “hair dryer”. Without any special military education, only thanks to physical data and oratory, he rose to the rank of general infantry. Although he began as an ordinary soldier of fifteen years in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment.
Historians claim that it was he who helped the queen to ascend the throne and suppress many riots. After the suppression of the "plague" rebellion in the capital, he was appointed to the position of Chief Police Officer. But where did the word that we are talking about today come from, and who was called the Arkharovites?
Creation of a “team”
After the appointment, Nikolai Petrovich gathered around himself a lot of friends and like-minded people. Most of them, as the story goes, were of the same origin as himself. Plus, there were many criminals in the team of Chief Police Officer. The Arkharov team was engaged in the traditional disclosure of thefts and criminal offenses. However, the methods that were used in the work could not be called traditional. A huge network of informants and shadow assistants helped solve cases almost on the day of the crime.
The head of state of Russia often resorted to the help of Arkharov and his team when thefts and robberies occurred in the palace. Everyone around knew that the case would certainly be solved if the team of chief police chief participated in it. The whole team was called "Arkharovtsy". That is, Arkharovets - who is this? This is a single member of the gang team of Nikolai Petrovich. It was rumored that he was able, simply by emotions on the face of a suspected person, to determine whether he was guilty of a crime or not.
It was noted that, despite the steep disposition and peculiar methods of conducting his affairs, Arkharov was a very executive person. Therefore, we can say that Arkharovets is not just a serious person with an extraordinary approach to solving problems, but a responsible and thorough person.
Place in history
Experts say that Arkharov did a lot of good for the state of those times, not only virtually eliminating crime in the capital and beyond, but also preventing the plunder of the state treasury. In those days, as historians say, even streetlights were lit again, although before the appointment of Nikolai Petrovich as the governor, such an offspring did not happen due to bureaucratic theft. In the letters written by the empress, respect and trust are felt. Historians say that this attitude to Catherine’s subordinates was a rather rare occurrence.
Common word
The Arkharovites were called the best in the investigation. Their fame spread in those days far beyond the borders of the Russian Empire. Even the chief police officer in France sent letters with rave reviews about the work of Arkharov’s team. It was then that the word became a household word and did not descend from the languages of citizens.
But there is also the flip side of the coin (according to experts), which contributed to the memorization of the word "Arkharovets". Who is it? Who was the man who was called so for the country's population? If the first half of the people practically idolized the investigation led by Nikolai Petrovich, the second half was elementary afraid and did not welcome the methods by which cases were solved. The regiment entrusted to him behaved quite rudely and unbridledly. The measures to restore order were quite tough and severe.
Hence we can say that the word can also mean a rude, cheeky and purposeful person. A man, by any means, even resorting to cruelty, reaching his goal.
Such a contradictory memory has been preserved about this man, his work and team. Despite the fact that Paul the First came to the throne exiled him, having dismissed the regiment, the glory of this man remained alive until now. And the common word "Arkharovets" says a lot.