The Anglican-Orthodox Contacts from Peter I to Alexander II (political aspect)

The article provides an overview of the main stages in the development of the issue of Anglican-Orthodox rapprochement, which began in the era of Peter I and reached its apogee in the 2nd half of the 19th century, when the Anglican Episcopal Churches of England and the North American United States considered the possibility of reunification with the Orthodox Greco-Eastern Church. Particular attention is paid to the foreign policy aspect of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue in the 19th century, when the development of the missionary activity of the Anglican Churches of England and North America in the countries of the Middle East was carried out in the political interests of Great Britain and the United States. Foreign missionary activity of the Anglican Churches throughout the 19th century casts doubt on the purely ecclesiastical nature of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue, which received a mixed assessment in Russian synodal and diplomatic circles.