The Russian Empire began in 1721 when Russia defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War.
Emperor Peter the Great of Russia carried out a number of reforms that strengthened Russia as a state.
In 1741, Elizabeth of Russia continued the political course of Peter the Great.
The Empress worked on developing culture, education and science in Russia. In 1755, the country's first Moscow University was founded followed by the Russian Academy of Arts.
In 1762, Catherine the Great of Russia ascended the Russian throne. The period of her rule is often referred to as the Golden Age of the Russian Empire. During the Catherinian Era, the Russian Academy was opened as well as the Public Library, one among the very first in Eastern Europe.
Catherine the Great was succeeded by Paul I of Russia. In 1798, Russia joined the anti-French alliance. Russian Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov liberated Northern Italy and famously marched across the Alps.
Emperor Paul I was succeeded by his son Alexander I of Russia who introduced free education, opened new universities and granted the right to own land to peasants voluntarily emancipated by their masters.
Russian explorers Fabian Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev organized The First Russian Antarctic Expedition in 1820.
In 1812 started the French invasion of Russia, known in Russia as the Patriotic War. The Russians won this war by totally destroying Napoleon's Grande Armée.
Alexander I’s brother Nicholas was the next emperor on the Russian throne. During his rule, the railways and the telegraph were introduced.
Alexander II of Russia started the famous Emancipation Reform of 1861 and abolished serfdom on private estates throughout the Russian Empire.
The 19th century is often considered the Golden age of Russian culture. This was the time when it reached new heights and became a part of the world culture.
Alexander II's successor, Alexander III of Russia appealed to all his faithful subjects to serve Russia truly and faithfully.
In 1895 Alexander Popov, a Russian physicist and electrical engineer, was one of the first persons to invent a radio receiving device.
In 1884 Sofia Kovalevskaya became the world's first female professor of mathematics.
During the reign of Alexander III, the first factory acts were introduced in Russia.
The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, a network of railways connecting the European Russia and Ural with the Russian Far East, started in 1887.
Emperor Nicolas II of Russia was crowned in 1896.
In 1897, The Russian Imperial Census was carried out as well as the major currency reform that placed the Russian ruble on the gold standard. Maximum working day regulations were introduced.
By the end of the 19th century, the vast territory of the Russian Empire of 22.4 million km2 was populated by more than 128 million. In 1914, the country was divided into 81 governorates and had 931 cities and towns.
Russo-Maltese relations began in 1697. Boyar Boris Sheremetev visited Malta being part of Peter the Great’s diplomatic mission.
Catherine the Great was interested in making an alliance with the Knights of St. John against the Ottoman Empire.
Russian naval officers were trained in Malta and the Knights served in the Russian Navy.
The French Revolution caused a rapprochement between Russia and the Order. The Knights of St. John, stripped off their lands in France, received financial aid from Paul I. The Russian Emperor also signed a treaty with the order, establishing the Russian priory.
In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Malta. Paul I took Order’s side, declaring Malta a province of the Russian Empire. The Emperor hosted the Knights in Russia, gave them the Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg, and supported them financially. The eight-pointed cross and the crown of Grandmaster of the Order of St. John were incorporated in the coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire. Ferdinand von Hompesch, Malta’s last Grandmaster, was deposed. The relics of the Order were transported to Russia.
Paul I became the de facto Grandmaster of the Order of St. John.
However, Paul’s aim to liberate Malta from Napoleon has not been achieved. The Russian fleet of Admiral Ushakov was outstripped by the British, who captured Malta. Paul I soon was assassinated by a group of plotters. Eventually, by 1817, the relations between the Order and the Russian Empire had come to an end.
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