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The Malta Study Center
Brief History of the Order of St. John
The Origins of the Order of St. John The first recorded master of the Order is known only by the name of Gerard. He ran a pilgrim's hospice in Jerusalem at the time of the first Crusade in 1099. In 1113, Gerard and his hospital received papal recognition as a religious order. Gradually, the order assumed military responsibilities to defend pilgrims and to protect Christian land from the Muslims. The Order of the Hospital, likethe Order of the Temple, played an important role in fighting the crusades. But the Hospitallers continued to provide medical services and hospitality for travelers. Selected readings:
The Knights in Rhodes The Christian kingdoms in the Latin East ended with the fall of Acre in 1291. The Knights of the Hospital first fled to Cyprus, but they conquered the island of Rhodes in 1310. In Rhodes the Knights ruled their own kingdom and defended western Europe against the expanding Ottoman Empire. At this time the Order organized itself into the seven tongues (or langues): Provence, Auvergne, France, Spain, Italy, England, and Germany. Later the Spanish tongue was divided in two (Aragon and Castile-León) creating eight tongues in all. In 1480, the Knights successfully defended the city of Rhodes against a Turkish assault, but the Turks returned and captured the island in 1522. The Knights withdrew from Rhodes looking for a new home base. To prevent the further spread of the Ottoman Empire, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gave the island of Malta to the Knights. Selected readings:
The Siege of 1565 After the Knights left Rhodes in 1522, the island of Malta became Christian Europe's next line of defense against the Ottoman Turks. The Siege of Malta in 1565 began in May with the arrival of 40,000 Ottoman Turks led by Dragut, the Governor of Tripoli. Although heavily undermanned, Grand Master Jean la Valette successfully defended Malta from the Turks until early September. The critical and decisive moment of the siege came on September 7, 1565. On that day, 8,000 additional troops led by Garcia de Toledo landed in Mellieha Bay. The arrival of these reinforcements forced the Turks to end the siege the following day. Selected readings: Primary Sources Narrative
The Building of Valletta Grandmaster Jean la Valette built Valletta after the Great Siege of 1565. He realized the Knights needed a new city with strong defenses in case the Turks returned. The architects of Valletta were Francisco Laparelli, a pupil of Michelangelo, and Girolamo Cassar. Francisco Laparelli chose the Sciberras peninsula as the site of the Knights' new city. The Sciberras peninsula, with its elevation above the harbor and its narrow connection to the mainland, provided natural defenses. To further enhance these defenses, the architects planned a series of walls and ditches. France, Spain, Portugal, and the Papacy donated large amounts of money to the Knights to construct Valletta. Construction began on March 28, 1566. Although La Valette started the construction, he died in 1568 and did not live to see the completion of the city named in his honor. Valletta was the first planned city in western Europe
built on a grid system. As was the case in Rhodes, the city was split amongst
the tongues. Each
tongue constructed its own auberge and adjoining churches. The Knights of Malta
continually refortified Valletta until its surrender to the French in 1798.
The Hospital By the twelfth century, there was a tradition of hospices in Jerusalem for weary Christian pilgrims. These hospices provided a place to rest, to recover, or to die in dignity. In 1113, Pope Paschal II granted a papal bull to Brother Gerard, founder of the Hospital of St. John. This papal recognition marked the beginning of the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St. John. Throughout the tumultuous history of the Order, the Knights always maintained a hospital, and hospitaller work continues today as the foremost mission of the modern Knights. The Knights in Malta constructed a new hospital, the Sacra Infermeria, after they moved to Valletta. The new hospital was not completed until 1575, three years after the city was built. The original hospital was a single long ward, although later additions included isolation wards for the patients with contagious diseases and mental illnesses. The hospital in Valletta received honors for being one of the best hospitals in all of Europe, possibly because it innovated higher standards of hygiene. Unfortunately, the Sacra Infermeria was terribly damaged during World War II. It has been rebuilt and was reopened in 1979 as the Mediterranean Conference Center. Today the Knights of Malta continue their long tradition of hospital work. Their work includes relief efforts for refugees, ambulance services, food relief to the starving, disease control in Africa, and aid to Latin America and elsewhere in the world. Other related links on the Hospital of the Order of St. John: Archives of the Hospital Selected readings:
The Conventual Church In Valletta the Order built the Church of St. John as the Conventual Church of the Order. Although each tongue had its own church, the Conventual church was the location of services that involved all the knights of Malta. Each grandmaster gave a gift to the Conventual Church upon his elevation; upon his death he was buried in the crypt underneath the church. Notable knights were buried under the floor of the church. Napoleon Bonaparte confiscated many of the precious items in the church in 1798 and melted them down for bullion. What remains today, including the empty reliquary of the arm of St. John the Baptist, is on display in the museum of the Conventual Church. Today, the church is operated by the diocese of Malta and has the status of co-cathedral with the Cathedral of Mdina. Visitors are still impressed by the more than 400 inlaid marble slabs that make up the floor of the church. These slabs mark the tombs of the knights. Related links: Archives of the Conventual Church Selected readings:
The Navy of the Order of St. John The Order of St. John first obtained ships to transport pilgrims to the Holy Land. But after the loss of the Christian kingdoms in 1291, the Knights of St. John adapted to naval warfare. They needed a fleet to defend the island of Rhodes and to attack Turkish corsairs, which were a constant threat to Christian shipping. The Navy of the Order became an integral part of the organization, and young Knights served in the galleys to prove their worth. The main attraction of Malta to the Knights was the fine harbor in Valletta. From the 16th century until the 18th century the Knights of Malta fought Algerian and Barbary corsairs. Related links: Achives of the Navy Selected readings: Secondary works:
The Maltese Inquisition The Maltese Inquisition, an extension of the Roman Inquisition, began in 1562. Its purpose was to suppress heresy in the Catholic Church in Malta. Protestantism was not widespread in Malta, but Malta's location at the center of the Mediterranean meant that travelers brought different religious ideas into the island. By the seventeenth century, the Maltese Inquisition investigated the use of Muslim magic, brought to Malta by its Muslim slaves. Foreign sailors who blasphemed or Maltese husbands who demanded meat on Friday also found themselves before the Inquisitor. But unlike the Spanish Inquisition, the Maltese Inquisition did not enforce political control. As a result, the Inquisition did not terrorize the lives of the Maltese like it did the Spanish. Instead, it seems that the Maltese Inquisition existed to monitor the Knights of Malta and to adjudicate between the Grandmaster and the Bishop. The job of Inquisitor of Malta often led to higher positions in the Church. From this post, two Inquisitors became Pope (Alexander VII and Innocent XII) and twenty-two Inquisitors became Cardinals. The Inquisition on Malta lasted until 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte abolished it. Related links: The Archives of the Inquistion [Mdina, Cathedral Museum] Selected readings: Primary Sources:
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