Hospitaller Malta
Malta, 1530–1798. Draft, not yet reviewed
Hospitaller Malta, known in Maltese history as the Knights' Period, was a de facto state which existed between 1530 and 1798 when the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo were ruled by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. It was formally a vassal state of the Kingdom of Sicily, and it came into being when Emperor Charles V granted the islands as well as the city of Tripoli in modern Libya to the Order, following the latter's loss of Rhodes in 1522. An Ottoman attempt to take Malta in 1565 failed. Following the 1565 siege, the Order decided to settle permanently in Malta and began to construct a new capital city, Valletta.
Seat of power: Valletta
Rulers
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1521–1534
He commanded the Order during Sultan Suleiman's long and bloody Siege of Rhodes in 1522, when 600 knights and 4500 soldiers resisted an invading force of about 100,000 men for six months. In 1530 de L'Isle-Adam obtained the islands of Malta and Gozo and the North African port city of Tripoli as fief for the Order from Emperor Charles V and established the Order, henceforth known as the Maltese Knights, in their new base.
Portrait of Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Juan de Homedes y Coscon
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1536–1553
In July 1551, the Ottomans attempted to take Malta but were deterred and so they attacked the sister island of Gozo, which capitulated after some days of fierce fighting. Nearly the entire population of the island were taken as slaves, including the governor Gelatian de Sessa and other knights.
Portrait of Juan de Homedes y Coscon: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Jean de Valette Parisot
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1557–1568
As Grand Master, Valette became the Order's hero and most illustrious leader, commanding the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, sometimes regarded as one of the greatest sieges of all time. The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by Grandmaster La Valette in 1566.
Portrait of Jean de Valette Parisot: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Jean de la Cassière
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1572–1581
He commissioned the building of the Conventual Church of the Order (now Saint John's Co-Cathedral) in Valletta, Malta, and is buried in its crypt. The early years of his reign as Grand Master were marked by numerous disputes and quarrels between the Order and Bishop of Malta Martín Royas de Portalrubio over the latter's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Portrait of Jean de la Cassière: Vertot abbé de, 1655-1735; Cavagna Sangiuliani di Gualdana, Antonio, conte, 1843-1913, former owner. IU-R, No restrictions, file
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Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1582–1595
He was the 52nd Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1582 and 1595. He is mainly remembered for the reconstruction of the hunting lodge at Boschetto which was renamed Verdala Palace in his honour.
Portrait of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, file
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Alof of Wignacourt
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1601–1622
Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was popular with the Maltese people. Wignacourt is mostly remembered for the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct as well as a series of coastal towers which also bear his name. He was patron of Caravaggio following the artist's arrival in Malta in 1607 until his arrest and subsequent expulsion from the Order in 1608.
Portrait of Alof of Wignacourt: Unidentified painter, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Anthony of Paule
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1623–1636
He is said to have made more resources available to the Order, thus strengthening it. He also sought to fortify ramparts which the Order had erected for defense against the Ottoman Empire. The town of Paola, Malta, was named after the Grandmaster, who laid its foundation stone in 1626.
Portrait of Anthony of Paule: Vertot abbé de, 1655-1735; Cavagna Sangiuliani di Gualdana, Antonio, conte, 1843-1913, former owner. IU-R, No restrictions, file
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Giovanni Paolo Lascaris
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1636–1657
Lascaris commissioned a series of towers as fortifications around the island of Malta, now known as the Lascaris towers. In 1639, Lascaris implemented a ban on women wearing masks or attending masked balls during carnivale.
Portrait of Giovanni Paolo Lascaris: Carlo F. Polizzi, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Nicolas Cotoner
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1663–1680
In 1669, after the fall of Candia, Nicolas Cotoner improved the fortifications of Malta due to fears of an Ottoman attack. He funded the construction of the Cottonera Lines, which were named in his honour. In 1674 he funded in Malta a school of Anatomy and Medicine as an annex of the Sacra Infermeria.
Gregorio Carafa
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1680–1690
He was a nobleman from the House of Carafa and the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1680 to his death in 1690. In 1656, he became the commander for the 7 Maltese galleys at the Battle of the Dardanelles.
Portrait of Gregorio Carafa: Artiste anonyme, XVIIe siècle, Public domain, file
Adrian of Wignacourt
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1690–1697
He was the 63rd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 1690 to 1697. He was elected Grand Master after the death of Fra Gregorio Carafa in 1690.
Portrait of Adrian of Wignacourt: Unidentified painter, Public domain, file
Raymond Perellos of Roccaful
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1697–1720
Malta had organised the Consulato del Mare (Consulate of the Sea) for the first time on 1 September 1697 per initiative of Grandmaster Perellós. Perellós established foreign relations between Malta and Russia for the first time in 1698. During his rule the coastal fortifications of Malta were strengthened by the construction of batteries, redoubts, and entrenchments.
Portrait of Raymond Perellos of Roccaful: Unidentified painter, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
António Manoel de Vilhena
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1722–1736
Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was benevolent and popular with the Maltese people. Vilhena is mostly remembered for the founding of Floriana, the construction of Fort Manoel and the Manoel Theatre, and the renovation of the city of Mdina.
Portrait of António Manoel de Vilhena: Unidentified painter, Public domain, file
Manuel Pinto da Fonseca
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1741–1773
He undertook many building projects, introducing the Baroque style throughout Malta. The cost of these projects contributed to bankrupting the Order in the decades following his death.
Portrait of Manuel Pinto da Fonseca: Pierre Bernard, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc
Grand Master of Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1775–1797
Rohan sought to win the respect of the people of the island of Malta, and he became a popular Grand Master. He was elected Grand Master on 12 November 1775, and the following year he convoked a Chapter General of the Order, the first to be held since 1631.
Portrait of Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc: Unidentified painter, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
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Culture
- For the next two centuries, Malta went through a Golden Age, characterized by a flourishing of the arts, architecture, and an overall improvement in Maltese society.
- In the mid-17th century, the Order was the de jure proprietor over some islands in the Caribbean, making it the smallest state to colonize the Americas.
- In the 17th century, the interior of St John's Co-Cathedral was redecorated in the Baroque style by Mattia Preti and other artists.
- In 1565 Suleiman sent an invasion force of about 40,000 men to besiege the 700 knights and 8,000 soldiers and expel them from Malta.
Picture
St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta was built by the Order of St. John between 1573 and 1578.
Image: Matthew Axiak, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.