Modern Russia began with the reign of Peter the Great (1689-1725). Using both wisdom and violence, he initiated the reforms which, inside 50 years, converted a medieval state into a European power. Securing his power was one of the key factors in Peter’s design for vanquishing the old and traditional structures in Russia; the other was the army, which he reformed. He disbanded the traditional streltzi infantry units, and engaged the services of many veteran German, French and Scottish officers, who were familiar with modern military thinking. The Russian army was then organized on the model used by many western armies.

Peter’s tour of European courts in 1697, and the large number of foreign officers in his army – one of them, Scotsman Patrick Gordon, attained the rank of general – led Peter to base his court also on the European model. He was a man who learned from experience: in the struggle for the throne, he had nearly been killed by the palace guards, so he chose 71 of the more distinguished noblemen from his dragoon regiments and formed a royal bodyguard called the Kavalergvardia. Ordinary troopers in this unit held the rank of captain, corporals were lieutenant-colonels, and so on, so the usual complement was: one captain (Peter), one captain-lieutenant (field marshal), one lieutenant (lieutenant-general), one sergeant (colonel), three corporals (lieutenant-colonels) and 60 troopers (captains). After the accession of Catherine the Great (1762-96) the Kavalergvardia was renamed the Corps des Chevaliers-Gardes.

The map of Europe began changing during the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1800). Napoleon Bonaparte, at the head of the French expedition to Egypt in 1798, seized Malta from the Order of St John. Looking for an ally, Volhynian Prory of the Maltese Order offered the grand mastership to Emperor Paul I of Russia (1796-1801), who accepted, and declared war on Napoleon.

In 1799, Paul, fearing for his life (not unreasonably, as two rulers before him had been murdered), disbanded the existing squadron of Chevaliers-Gardes, and formed his own bodyguard under the same name, with one general, two colonels, five officers, nine NCOs, one trumpeter and 75 troopers. As grand master of the Maltese Order, he decreed that his Gardes should wear the Maltese Cross on their breasts and backs, while retaining the chipyer star with the two-headed eagle on the saddle-cloths. In 1800, two more squadrons were added to the palace contingent, and they were designated senior regiment of guard cuirassiers. Each squadron of the Regiment des Chevaliers-Gardes had a standard of the vexillum type, in shape and name similar to those of the Roman legions. They were of rosepink brocade, with a white cross and a silver fringe.

In 1805, the complement of the Chevaliers-Gardes was increased to five squadrons and 875 men. The same year, at Austerlitz, their charge routed a French infantry battalion, but they suffered serious losses in a counterattack by the Grenadiers à Cheval of the imperial guard.