Abstract. The article is devoted to the consideration of military-professional education of lower ranks and officers as an integral part of military education in the Russian army of the first half of the 19th century. It is emphasized that it was a rather complex and contradictory process, which depended on the principles of combat training of the Russian army and its tactics on the battlefield, was provided by the military regime that existed at that time and the views of the emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. In conclusion, the article formulates a conclusion that the Russian army of the period under study was a formidable force despite the fact that the vector of military-professional education, from the point of view of modern ideas, was chosen incorrectly. In the army of the first half of the 19th century, which absorbed centuries of experience in combat victories and everyday military service in peacetime, served professionals in military affairs.

Key words: Russian army, professionalism, military education, views of emperors, officers, lower ranks, military regulations, principles, military regime.