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History Of ....

Order of St John

The order of St. John originated in Jerusalem at the end of the 11th century. It began as a hospice to look after the sick and weary pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. There is no precise date for the founding of the hospice. It was certainly running by the time of the First Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem in 1099. The hospice was administered by a group of monks who took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and chose St. John the BAPTIST as their patron Saint. By 1113 Pope Paschal I made the Order independent owing allegiance to the Pope only, and Brother Gerard became the first Master of the hospital.

The Knights Hospitaller ensured that patient received the best food and medicine available, and lain down very strict rules in the Statutes - the Order's rule book - concerning the welfare of the patients.

Raymond Du Puy succeeded Brother Gerard as Master of the Hospital in 1120. During his rule, the Order took on a military role and acquired many castles from which to defend the territory captured by the Crusaders from Muslim attackers. At first mercenary soldiers were employed to fight; later the Brothers themselves became involved in military activity. The Knights Hospitaller, together with the Knights Templar, played a major part in the defense of the Middle Eastern Kingdoms set up by the Crusaders. By the 13th century, their military role dominated the Hospitallers' activity. In the early 12th century, the Knights were given castles and lands to maintain and garrison. Of those under their command, Krak des Chevaliers was the finest, and was held until 1271, when it was surrendered to the Saracens.

After the fall of Acre, the last of the Crusader states, in 1291, the Knights were forced to leave the Holy Land and sailed to Cyprus. In Cyprus, the Knights' headquarters were in Limas sol; they also owned other properties in Nicosia and Colossi. The present keep of colossi Castle dates from the mid-15th century. In 1312 the Templar were dissolved and the Hospitallers, the sole remaining military Order in the East, felt the need for a more stable base from which to carry out military and naval activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In order to identify themselves in battle, the Knights wore red suit coats with a white cross on their front and back. This cross became the coat-of-arms of the Order. Permission to wear red suit coats in battle and black mantles at other times was granted by Pope Alexander IV in 1259. The Sea Gate, Rhodes, provided an excellent base for the Order's defensive operations against the Turks, particularly at sea. The island was captured between 1306 and 1309 and the Order of St. John soon established itself as the sovereign ruler, providing the native Greek population with protection. Trade flourished and settlers, craftsmen, soldiers and mariners from Western Europe were encouraged to settle on the island.

By the late 15th century the Order was divided at its headquarters into eight national Tongues (or branches): Italy, Spain, France, Auvergne, Provence, Portugal, England and Germany. The eight tongues together formed the Convent of the Order. At the head of each Tongue was a Bailiff, who resided at the headquarters of the Order. Each Bailiff administered a different branch: the Chancery, Treasury, the Hospital and so on. In Europe the Order's estates were divided into Priories. Each Priory had its own headquarters. The headquarters of the English Priory was in Clerkenwell, London. The Priories were further divided into Commentaries - properties owned by the Order to provide goods, recruits and income necessary to support the Order's activities in the Mediterranean.

As Turkish power grew in the Mediterranean, the Knights successfully defended Rhodes against many sea-borne Turkish attacks, in particular a siege in 1480. In 1522, however, they were forced to surrender the island together with their castle at Bo drum on the Turkish coast. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, recognizing the Knights as worthy adversaries, granted the Grand Master and his Knights safe passage from the island. When Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, offered the island of Malta to the Order, the Knights were not enthusiastic. The island's defenses were poor and the land was dry and uninviting, although it’s natural harbors were magnificent. They finally settled in Malta in 1530. The Knights built a new city called Valletta after Grand Master Jean de la Valette. He, at the age of 70, successfully led the defense of the island against the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565. The city was laid out on a classically-inspired grid system which allowed all sides of the walled town to be defended efficiently. The Knights improved the entire defensive system in the island and made Malta one of the most impressive examples of fortifications in Europe.

By the end of the 18th century, the wealth of the Order had decreased, first with the loss of the English properties in 1540 with Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, and then with the loss of French properties following the Revolution there in 1789. Napoleon encountered little resistance from the Knights on Malta, most of who were French. The capture of the island signaled the end of the Order as a military force. After a brief period under the protector ship of Tsar Paul I of Russia, the remaining members looked to the Pope for support and finally, in 1834, they settled in Rome. The direct descendant of the medieval religious Hospitallers is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Order of the Catholic Church, which has a humanitarian and charitable role.