THE ORDER OF MALTA OF XVI - XVIII CENTURIES: IN SEARCH OF THE UNION WITH RUSSIA

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems of interaction between the Order of Malta and Russia from the first episodic contacts to the formation of stable ties in the XVI-XVIII centuries. The struggle of the Knights Hospitallers against the Ottoman fleet, the release of Russian captives from Turkish captivity, the participation of Maltian gentlemen of Polish origin in the conflicts of Eastern European countries. A separate aspect is devoted to the first official visits of royal subjects to Malta during the reign of Peter I.