Cantonist

Cantonists was a common name in the 19th century for military service obligor, which could not be attributed to the group of volunteers nor that of the mercenaries. The term was coined first by the Polish Colonel R. Pastetzky in 1713.

The term is directly related with the Canton system (also Canton Regulations), which was introduced by Frederick William I, King of Prussia, in 1733. In this mandatory service obligation of all subjects, it was actually a type of compulsory military service.

In Russia cantonists were ( Кантонисты ) child soldiers who were drafted since 1758 every year for military service in the Russian army and were trained by the age of eight on the state's expense. This institution was abolished after the Crimean War in 1856 with the coronation of Alexander II Manifesto. The military personnel then settled in their garrison locations.

Unsafe cantonists were conscripts who evaded military service in a manner which did not meet the ( serious ) offense of desertion. Meyers encyclopedia of 1889 defines it as: "Young people who are beyond the provision, without making himself guilty of desertion; lose the right solution and can be set except new date, their service time is calculated from the next adjustment appointment. "

While the term cantonist can be considered historically, the Unsafe cantonist received outside the original military context. He now called the phrase a little reliable to unreliable person.

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• Military History