The important role of the druzhina institute in the development of feudal relations in Russia is noted by almost all researchers. In the works of B. D. Grekov, S. V. Yushkov, V. V. Mavrodin, B. A. Romanov, B. A. Rybakov, the position and social function of the druzhina in the early feudal society of Kievan Rus are considered in detail, and a complex of issues concerning the internal structure of the Old Russian druzhina of the X-XIII centuries is highlighted. But a special study of the place and role of the squad in the formation of class society in Russia has not yet been undertaken. This article attempts to trace the evolution of the squad in connection with the process of class formation. A squad is usually called a permanent organization of professional soldiers headed by a military leader (king, prince), which existed among a number of peoples during the transition from the primitive communal system to feudalism. This is often also the name given to military detachments that are assembled only for the duration of military operations (in pre-capitalist societies at various stages of their development). The difference lies in the fact that for the period of formation of early medieval states, the druzhina was characterized as a constantly functioning institution, and its members represented a special social stratum, a special type of nobility, different from the tribal one. This is the military-service (or military-squad) nobility, which in the process of class formation turns into the main part of the ruling class of feudal society, thereby determining the military-service character of the secular part of this class, characteristic of all medieval class societies in Europe. Further, the term "druzhina "is used in the first sense - as a synonym for the concept of"military-druzhinnaya nobility". The origin of the druzhina was determined by a certain level of development of society: the appearance of a surplus product sufficient for the maintenance of vigilantes as ... Read more