In the second half of the seventeenth century, the Moscov Tsardom began to pursue a policy of active expansion in Eastern Europe. This period was an era of constant and prolonged wars for Moscow: with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for control over Ukraine; with Swedish Kingdom for subjugation of the Baltic States; with the Ottoman Empire for conquering southern Ukraine and the Black Sea coast.
The Cossack troops of the Hetmanate were forced to take part in the military campaigns of the Moscow Tsardom. During the Azov campaigns of Peter the 1st, Hetman of Ukraine I. Mazepa also demonstrated his military talents, and in 1700 the tsar awarded him the Order of St. Andrew Pervozvanny, the highest award of the Moscow Tsardom by that time.
Starting in the 16th century, the centre of gravity of world trade gradually shifted from the Mediterranean to the Baltic and North Seas. Since then, the main focus of the diplomatic and military actions of European countries in the 17th and early 18th centuries was the struggle for trade and political dominance in the Baltic region, which by that time was mostly controlled by Swedish Kingdom.
Dissatisfaction with Swedish absolute dominance in the Baltic region led to the creation of the Northern Union in the late 17th century, consisting of Denmark, Saxony and Moscow Tsardom. This alliance later will start one of the biggest military clashes of that time, which will go down in history as the Great Northern War.
The hall’s exposition includes portraits of historical figures, cartographic material, weapons, military armor, a collection of numismatics, copies of documents, and a model of the stern of an early 18th-century warship.