Order of Malta

The Order of Malta (Ionites, Hospitallers, Knights of Rhodes) is a spiritual knightly order of St. John, which was founded around 1070 as a brotherhood. The symbol of the Order of Malta is an eight-pointed white cross (Maltese) on a black cloak (Appendix # 5).

At the moment, the Italian Republic recognizes the existence of the Order of Malta on its territory as a sovereign state, as well as the extraterritoriality of its residence in Rome (the Palace of Malta, or the Main Palace in Via Condotti, 68, residence, and the Main Villa on the Aventina). Since 1998, the Order also owns Fort Sant'Angelo, which also has an extraterritorial status for 99 years from the date of the agreement with the government of the Republic of Malta. Thus, the Order formally has a territory over which it exercises its own jurisdiction, however, the question of the actual status of this territory (the Order's own territory or the territory of a diplomatic mission temporarily transferred for its needs) is a subject for abstract legal discussions.

Scientific works there are not so many Russian scientists regarding the international legal status of the Order of Malta. The candidate discloses this issue most fully historical sciences V.A. Zakharov. In this paragraph, we will rely on his articles.

Since the inception of the Order of Malta, its history has been inextricably linked with such a legal category as sovereignty. Its entire history is a struggle for its recognition as a sovereign state.

According to V.A. Zakharov, “we are used to the phrase“ Order of Malta ”in relation only to the Catholic“ Sovereign Order of Malta. ”But at the beginning of its existence, this structure was called the Order of the Hospitallers, later also the Order of the Ionites, then the geographical names of the territories owned by the order were added to it. The Order began to be called the Maltese only after it received the possession of Malta. Subsequently, no longer having territories, it retained this very name. "

The modern name of the Order of Malta sounds in the Italian officially recognized by the order: "Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta", which translates into Russian: "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta".

The main law of the Sovereign Order of Malta since 1961 is its Constitution, which was drawn up with the close participation of Vatican strategists after the crisis that erupted in the Order at the end of World War II.

Article 1 of the 1961 Constitution contained a short and categorical definition "The Order is a legal entity and solemnly recognized as the Holy See. It has the legal qualifications of a subject of international law." Article 3 notes: "The close connection of the two qualities of the Order, which is both religious and sovereign, does not contradict the autonomy of the Order both in relation to the exercise of sovereignty and the associated prerogatives of the Order as a subject of international law in relations with states. ".

Consider some of the historical moments of the creation of the Order of Malta.

Between 1052 and 1066 A wealthy citizen from the Italian city-republic of Amalfa, Constantino di Pantaleone, together with other ascetics built in Jerusalem on the site of an old hospice from the times of Abbot Probus, next to the church of St. John the Baptist, a new home for sick pilgrims. This is where the name of the Hospitallers came from.

In 1099 the Brotherhood of the Hospitallers was transformed into the Manache Order. The political situation in the field of the creation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Crusaders prompted the Order of the Hospitallers to assume military responsibilities to protect not only the pilgrims and the sick, but also the territories obtained as a result of the Crusades. This is how the spiritual-knightly order was formed.

The first document representing the Order of Malta as a subject of international law is the bull Paschalia II of 1113. This document allowed the order to "freely elect its head" regardless of any secular and spiritual authorities.

The legal status of the Order as a member of the international legal community was recognized by the states Western Europe with no restrictions. In this capacity, the Order was represented at the Peace Congress of Westphalia (1643-1648), as well as at the Nuremberg negotiations of the sovereigns. He also takes part in the imprisonment peace treaties in Niinmegen (1678) and in Utrecht (1713), in the signing of international legal agreements with Poland (1774-1776) and with Russia (1797).

From the middle of the XIX century. The order focuses on medical and charitable work. National associations of knights appear: 1859 in Rhine-Westphalia, 1875 - in England, 1877 - in Italy, etc.

Since the end of the XIX century. the residence of the Sovereign Order of Malta is located on the state territory of Italy, the Italian state and its courts have repeatedly dealt with the issue of the international legal status of the Order.

The Council of State of Italy, in its opinion of November 10, 1869, declared that the Order of Malta was a sovereign institution, therefore the decrees of the Grand Master of the Order did not need the exequatur of the King of Italy.

The sovereign position of the Order of Malta is also confirmed in the Convention of the Italian Ministry of War and the Order of February 20, 1884 and in the legislative decrees of the Italian government of October 7, 1923, November 28, 1929 and April 4, 1938.

In the history of the Order of Malta of the twentieth century. there was a period that could well have ended with the loss of the order, both of its sovereignty and of its religious, spiritual and knightly character.

The issue of the sovereignty of the Order of Malta was considered after the Second World War. In 1953, the Commission of the Grand Tribunal adopted a verdict, which once again reaffirmed the sovereignty of the Order of Malta.

In order to declare its sovereignty on a global scale, the Order of Malta made an attempt in the 30s of the twentieth century. then diplomatic relations with the Holy See were first established. In 1937, a similar relationship was formalized with Franco Spain.

In the second half of the twentieth century. diplomatic relations were established between the Order of Malta and with a large number of countries in Latin America and Africa.

However, in 1960 the Order of Malta was declared a corporation, which, from the point of view of international law, cannot be regarded as a religious, military, aristocratic or sovereign community. Salvation came from the Italian government. The relationship between the Italian Republic and the Order of Malta was finally determined by diplomatic notes exchanged between the parties on January 11, 1960.

Thus, the Italian Republic recognized the existence of the Order of Malta in its territory as a sovereign state with which it maintains diplomatic relations. However, state recognition from outside not only European, but also the main world powers still did not follow.

Finally, the issue of the sovereignty of the Order of Malta was resolved with the adoption by the Italian Supreme Court of a ruling, which stated, in particular, the following. "In January 1960, 32 years ago, SMOM and the Italian government signed an agreement in which SMOM is recognized as a state. But this agreement has never received an agreement from the Italian parliament and never had the status of a treaty. In any case, SMOM cannot be a state. because it does not have territory, citizens, and as a result, there is no required conformity. "

Until recently, the life and work of the order was governed by the constitution approved by the Holy See (Apostolic Epistle of June 24, 1961) and the code (set of laws), which entered into force on November 1, 1966, with amendments approved by Pope John Paul II in May 1997. ...

S. M. O. M. has its own courts of first instance and courts of appeal with presidents, judges, prosecutors and assistants with an advisory vote of the Sovereign Council.

Currently, the Order maintains diplomatic relations with more than 120 states.

In the twentieth century. The Order of Malta has not acquired sovereignty, according to experts in international law, at present it is a state-like entity, "Its sovereignty and international legal personality is a legal fiction. This opinion is shared by the UN."

Volkhonka, the very heart of Moscow. The huge windows of the spacious, high-tech office furnished with a stunning view of the Kremlin, sparkling in the distance the golden domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The walls are decorated with impressive works by contemporary Russian artists. We are at the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta in the Russian Federation. We have an appointment with Mr. Gianfranco Facco Bonetti - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Order of Malta to Russia. Facco Bonetti is in Moscow on short visits, although he comes quite often. Constantly represents the interests of the order in Moscow by its first consul, Nicola Savoretti. He is a well-known person in our country - a major Italian entrepreneur, whose business is closely connected with Russia. By his mother, Savoretti is of Russian origin, studied in Moscow for several years, speaks fluent Russian, has close ties with Russian business circles. Mr. Facco Bonetti also knows and loves our country well. For the previous five years, being the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Russia, he traveled a lot to the regions, communicated with people.

The Order of Malta has a unique status as a state-like entity. This Catholic institution is an unofficial channel of contact between the Orthodox Church and the Vatican.

So it is not difficult to guess what interest a Catholic institution, such as the Order of Malta, may have in an Orthodox country. This is an unofficial channel of contacts between the Orthodox Church and the Vatican. When Facco Bonetti was the Italian ambassador, he was repeatedly received by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Representatives of many Catholic orders - Franciscans, Jesuits - have been operating in Russia since the 1990s; last year, a representative office of the most influential Opus Dei was opened. How does the Order of Malta differ from them? It has a unique status of a state-like entity, the status of a permanent observer at the UN and the Council of Europe, diplomatic relations with a hundred countries of the world. They were established with Russia in 1992. And to understand why the knightly order has such privileges, when its territory is 12 times smaller than even the area of \u200b\u200bthe Vatican: a palazzo and a villa in Rome, and the former residence of the Maltese on the island of Malta - Fort Sant'Angelo, transferred to them for use for 99 years, you need refer to its more than nine-century history. Brotherhood of the poor and the merciful. In the XI century, Jerusalem belonged to the Arabs, who did not interfere with the pilgrimage of Europeans to the main shrines of Christianity. Along with the pilgrims, Italian merchants appeared there, who built a shelter with the Church of John the Baptist and a hospital where monks looked after sick pilgrims. Therefore, the members of this order are also called the Johannites or Hospitallers. The status of the order was granted to them by Pope Pascal II in 1113. And since the brotherhood was religious, then all its members took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. With the beginning of the Crusades, wounded knights began to come to the monks, donating significant amounts to the order and protecting the brethren with weapons from the more frequent enemy raids. So the order also acquired a military-knightly status. When the Crusaders were expelled from the Holy Land, the Hospitallers first settled in Cyprus, and then, in 1310, moving to the island of Rhodes, they built a state there with a powerful fleet that controlled the eastern Mediterranean. For two hundred years the order remained an outpost of Catholic Europe on its eastern borders, repelling the brutal raids of the Turks. However, in 1523, after a long and bloody battle, the Johannites were forced to leave Rhodes and wandered for seven years until Emperor Charles V in 1530 handed over the island of Malta to them - then the name of Malta was assigned to the order. For more than two centuries (up to the seizure of the island by Napoleon in 1798), the era of the highest heyday of the Hospitallers' statehood lasted: trade, military affairs and construction developed rapidly, the structure, charter and hierarchy of the order were finally formed. Having lost, for the umpteenth time, their home, the order loses its former power. Only in 1834, having received a palace and a villa in Rome, he begins a new countdown in its history. Grand Master, ladies and gentlemen. Life outside the walls of these two mansions is a mystery sealed with seven seals. It is known that in the palazzo on the most expensive street in Rome, Via Condotti, the head of the order lives - His Eminence the Prince and Grand Master. He is elected for life by the Grand Council of State and rules with the help of the Sovereign Magister Council (government) of the four highest officials (Grand Commander, Grand Chancellor, Hospitaller and Holder of the General Treasury of the Order), plus six members who head the main structures of the organization in different countries - priorates. The Council is elected by the Grand Chapter (Congress), which convenes every five years. The Master and the government, which also sits on Via Condotti, are the core of the order. These people, originating only from the old aristocratic families of Europe, take monastic vows and lead an ascetic lifestyle. All meetings, elections, including knighting, are still held behind tightly closed doors. As the ambassador said, it is impossible to join the order yourself - you can only be called up. But modernity has made its own adjustments to the requirements for the candidate. To become a "cavalier" or "lady", it is not necessary to be of noble origin - there are enough special services to the order. There are 12,500 members of the order in the world today. These are usually chapters royal familieslike the Spanish monarch Juan Carlos, politicians, bankers and businessmen donating to the Johannite treasury. Knights Benefactors. The emblem of the Maltese - a white eight-pointed cross on a red background - can be found today anywhere in the world: the order has its structures in 54 countries, including 47 national associations, and operates in more than 120 countries around the world. In some countries, for example in Germany, the order is the second medical and social structure after the state. How to explain such efficiency of the medieval organization in essence and in its spirit? The fact that she accepted modern realities, shifting the emphasis from the first part of her motto ("protection of faith") to the second ("helping those in need"). Where needed, the Maltese send one-off aid in the form of food, medicine and clothing. In many countries, long-term programs have been launched: polyclinics, free canteens, homes for the elderly and disabled, orphanages, nursing schools and other charitable institutions have been opened. In order for all this extensive economy to work, special structures have been created: the International Hospitaller Committee, Malteser International and the Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta. Relief teams can travel to the disaster area within 48 hours and set up camps for 1,000 people with everything they need. Only volunteers work everywhere, there are about 80,000 of them in all countries. Second coming. In the early 1990s, the Order of Malta also came to Russia: in 1996 it was officially registered as an interregional public charitable organization "Russian Aid Service of the Sovereign Order of Malta (Russian Maltese Aid)". Since the 90s, tons of cargo have been transported in the Russian direction - food, medicine, clothing. Mainly, everything came from Germany and was distributed among those in need in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Smolensk and other cities. In 1995 alone, the Maltese Germans sent humanitarian aid to Russia with a total weight of 700 tons! At first, these were one-time actions, then long-term projects appeared in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Smolensk. The help is only targeted - so it is much more effective, faster, Maltese believe. The diocese of the order of a separate German city helps a separate Russian city: Augsburg - Moscow, Osnabruck - Kaliningrad, Würzburg - St. Petersburg. I am reading a brochure that was given to me at the Embassy of the Order of Malta in Moscow - dry figures and facts of helping our poor and suffering are impressive, but not convincing. I would like to see everything with my own eyes. ... Quiet, built up in the century before last, Tchaikovsky Street in the very center of St. Petersburg. Here, in the basement of a beautiful old house, a dining room for the poor has been operating for 16 years already: from its opening, in fact, the history of the Maltese began in the northern capital. We arrived here early Saturday morning with Irina Tynkova, who is in charge of public relations for Maltese Aid in St. Petersburg. We go into a very small, modestly furnished, but clean and comfortable dining room. No one is here today - the canteen is closed on weekends; on weekdays, at least 500 people come here. Basically, these are elderly people with a small pension, explains Irina, in recent times they were also joined by disabled people and single mothers with many children. It all began with the fact that in 1992 the Germans arrived, went to the district administration, and the latter allocated a room for the dining room in the newly opened House of Veterans. At first, the Germans themselves worked here, then they were replaced by Russian personnel.

… It is difficult for a person from the outside to see all this. Other, a parallel worldthat you prefer not to think about. And he certainly does not fit in with gentlemen and ladies who arrange luxurious receptions and balls in Renaissance palazzo ...

How do people who come here find out about the existence of a free canteen? Irina explains: "350 people send social security information to us, 150 come from city parishes - Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran." With city social services and with the Orthodox Church of the Order of Malta in Russia a good relationship (This, it turns out, is why diplomats are needed!) There is even an Orthodox priest on the board of trustees of the canteen - Archpriest Vladimir Sorokin, the former rector of the Higher Orthodox Theological Seminary in St. Petersburg, and now the rector of one of St. Petersburg churches. “People come here not only to eat, but also to socialize. After all, most of our wards are lonely people, ”says Irina. Remove the sign! A very blissful picture is emerging, but is everything so cloudless? “Of course, there are problems,” sighs Irina. “Prices for food are growing, and almost every month we have to ask German benefactors to increase the amount sent for their purchase.” Does our state help? “The regional social security provides a monthly subsidy and also pays for utilities, but still not enough,” says Irina. - A year ago, the entire top floor was bought by one gentleman and is now trying to expel the dining room from this building. You see, he is disturbed by poorly dressed old men who come early and make noise downstairs. They even made us move the entrance to the courtyard and remove the sign. But for now we are holding on. " Our next target is the homeless. On the way to Nochlezhka, a Russian charitable organization created with the support of the Committee for Labor and Social Protection of the Population of St. Petersburg, we stop by the order's office - a small apartment in a typical St. Petersburg house with a gloomy courtyard-well. The furnishings are more than modest, almost ascetic. Tables with computers, on the walls - the emblems of the Order of Malta and photographs dedicated to the activities of the Order in St. Petersburg. Irina comments on each picture: “These are bedridden patients. We help them at home. Here we give food to retirees and single-parent families with disabled children who find themselves without a livelihood. And this is our social taxi. Today we have closed this program, because the same state program has already appeared. By the way, both the dispatcher of the service and the drivers are disabled themselves, they worked on their own cars. " But they opened a new program - for disabled children. Hot tea with soup. I counted four computers. “We have six permanent employees running different programs. The rest are volunteers and workers of polyclinics and hospitals, ”says Irina. Then we go to Borovaya Street, to Nochlezhka. On the way, Irina continues her story: “The day after tomorrow, 20 Germans from those who are helping us will arrive. It has already become a tradition - from time to time to come and watch on the spot how everything works, whether anything else is needed. Surprisingly, these are not millionaires, but the most ordinary people, giving all of us an amazing example of sacrifice, which supports us morally ”. "Nochlezhka" is a quite decent-looking three-storey building with a clean courtyard, where on the edge there are several homeless people with their belongings. Irina approaches an elderly woman who immediately begins to complain about someone. Irina calms her down, at the same time dealing with a bum of an undetermined age. He mutters that he was not given tea and biscuits, and also that he wants to return to Moscow. Two decently dressed men come out to meet us with long-awaited tea for the homeless. It turned out that they themselves are homeless. “If they don’t drink, they can help, we leave them,” says Irina. The Order organizes here daily two hot meals a day: instant, in a glass, lunch and tea. We go into the shelter itself, there are three rooms for men, one for women. Everywhere it is very clean, but still somehow not at ease - homeless people all the same ... Irina feels absolutely natural: she knows everyone by name and patronymic, gives women some photographs. She is here her own person and easily finds the right intonation for communication. The Maltese in "Nochlezhka" have their own first-aid post, where a nurse from the district polyclinic accepts difficult patients: who needs to treat the wound, who needs to dress it. There are even worse cases: consumption, gangrene, AIDS ... The room is very tiny, perfect cleanliness, medicines and medical instruments are neatly laid out. I read, noticing the emblem of the Order of Malta, an ad on the wall: those who wish are invited to wash themselves free of charge in one of the nearby baths: "All those who come are provided with soap, a washcloth, and a disposable sheet." Irina takes me to a new mobile sanitization center with an eight-pointed Maltese cross: “They just brought me in, and will start working on Monday.” … It is difficult for a person from the outside to see all this. Another, parallel world, which you prefer not to think about. And he certainly does not fit in with gentlemen and ladies who arrange luxurious receptions and balls in Renaissance palazzo ... But it is thanks to them and a whole invisible army of volunteers that the Order of Malta has not gone down in history. Russian trace of the shrines of the Hospitallers. The Order of Malta in Russia is still not fully explored topic. When Napoleon conquered Malta, Emperor Paul I sheltered the Knights of Malta and was proclaimed Grand Master in 1798. After the assassination of the emperor, the activities of the order in Russia quickly faded away. But the story didn't end there. Leaving Malta in a hurry, the then Grand Master von Gompesch took with him the relics of the order - the right hand of John the Baptist, the Filerme Icon of the Mother of God, according to legend, written by the Evangelist Luke himself, and a part of the Life-giving Cross. Having renounced power in exile, Gompesh sent these relics to St. Petersburg, where a deputation of knights in a solemn ceremony presented them to Paul I for their support and care. After the assassination of the emperor, the relics were kept in the Winter Palace until 1919. They were solemnly carried out only during religious processions to Pavlovsky Cathedral, where they were exhibited for ten days for worship, and then returned back to the palace. Further, according to one of our leading experts on the Order of Malta, the historian Vladimir Zakharov, events developed as follows. In 1923, the Italian government asked the Bolsheviks to return the relics, but they managed to take them to Estonia. For some time they were kept in the Orthodox Cathedral in Revel, but then they were transported to Denmark by the Empress Dowager - the mother of Nicholas II. After the death of Maria Feodorovna, her daughters gave the shrines to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Metropolitan Anthony, and for some time they were in an Orthodox church in Berlin. Bishop Tikhon handed them over in 1932 to King Alexander of Yugoslavia. During the war, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Gabriel, took them to Montenegro, to the monastery of St. Basil of Ostrog. Here the trail was lost for a long time. Only in 1994 did the church hierarchs of Montenegro declare that the right hand of John the Baptist and a reliquary with a particle of the Tree of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord are in Cetinje, in the monastery of St. Peter of Cetinje. It was believed that one more shrine of the order was lost forever - the medallion of the Grand Master (in the form of a large Maltese cross with the image of the Filermsky icon). It is now known that it is kept in the collection of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin museums. There is also one of the three thrones with Maltese symbols, made by order of Paul I, and his crown with a Maltese cross. The other two thrones are kept in the Hermitage and the Gatchina Museum-Reserve.

The era of the Crusades gave birth to three famous knightly orders - the Templars, Teutons and Hospitallers (the latter are also known as the Order of Malta). The Templars were excellent financiers and money lenders. The Teutons are famous for their policy of ruthless colonization of the Baltic and Slavic lands. Well, the Hospitallers ... What are they famous for?

The Hospitaller Order was founded shortly after the First Crusade (1096-1099) by the knight Pierre-Gerard de Martigues, also known as Gerard the Blessed. Very little is known about the founder of the order. He is believed to have been born in the southern Italian town of Amalfi around 1040. During the Crusade, he and several of his like-minded people founded the first shelters (hospitals) for pilgrims in Jerusalem. The charter of the brotherhood of St. John, which aims at caring for the pilgrims, was approved by Pope Paschal II in 1113. From this moment, the official history of the Order of the Hospitallers begins.

Years of wandering

In European everyday life, the knights of the order were usually called simply Hospitallers, or Johannites. And since the island of Malta became the seat of the order, one more name has been added - the Knights of Malta. By the way, traditionally the Order of Malta is called the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. This is not entirely true: the order itself was originally called Jerusalem. And such a saint as John of Jerusalem does not exist at all.

The patron saint of the order is St. John the Baptist. The full name of the order sounds like this: "Jerusalem, Rhodes and Maltese Sovereign Military Hospitable Order of St. John." The distinctive mark of the Knights Hospitallers was a black cloak with a white cross.

The Hospitallers quickly became one of two (along with the Templars) powerful military structures in Palestine. However, after the crusaders suffered several severe defeats at the hands of the united Muslim forces, the knights gradually abandoned the occupied territories. Jerusalem was lost in 1187. And the last stronghold of the crusaders in Western Asia - the Akra fortress - fell in 1291. The John Knights had to seek refuge in Cyprus. But there they did not stay long. Convinced that the local nobility was not very happy with uninvited guests, the Grand Master of the Order, Guillaume de Villaret, decided to find a more suitable place for his residence. The choice fell on the island of Rhodes. In August 1309, Rhodes was captured by the Hospitallers. Here they first had to face North African pirates. The military experience gained in Palestine allowed the knights to repel their raids with ease. And in the middle of the 15th century, the Hospitallers quite successfully coped with the invasion organized by the Sultan of Egypt.

The Rhodes period ended with the emergence of the mighty Ottoman Empire on the horizon. In 1480, the blow was struck by Sultan Mehmed II, who had previously conquered the Byzantine Empire. And in 1522, the huge Turkish army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent still squeezed the knights from the island. The Hospitallers became "homeless" again. Only after seven years of wandering, in 1530, the Hospitallers settled in Malta. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V generously "presented" this island to them. The symbolic payment for the "gift" was one Maltese falcon, which the order was to present to the royal representative every year on All Saints Day.

Trick gift

Of course, Charles V made his generous gift, guided by more than one "Christian sympathy". In order to realize all the insidiousness of the royal gift, one must understand what the Mediterranean Sea was like in the 16th century. It was a real snake ball - seething and deadly.

The entire Mediterranean was teeming with Barbary pirates - that is how people from the Muslim regions of North Africa were called. The harbors of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya served as a haven for thousands and thousands of ferocious brigandsthat kept the whole of southern Europe at bay.

The main purpose of their raids was the coastal settlements of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France. These countries had a particularly hard time, although more distant states also got it - Muslim corsairs even sailed to England, Ireland and Iceland!

The goals of the pirate raids were simple: gold and slaves! Moreover, the hunt for slaves can even be put in the first place. The Berberians organized special raids, during which they combed the coastal lands of Europe, trying to capture as many Christian captives as possible. The captured "live goods" were sold in the slave markets of Morocco, Algeria, Turkey. According to historians, Barbary pirates captured and sold into slavery at least one million Europeans. And this at a time when the population of Europe was not very large!

For major operations scattered pirate squadrons united in whole flotillas of tens and hundreds of ships. And if you also take into account that the Ottoman Empire actively helped the pirates-co-religionists, then you can understand the full extent of the danger that Europe was then exposed to. Having presented the Hospitallers with an island in the very center of the Mediterranean Sea, at the crossroads between Tunisia and Sicily, the emperor threw the knights into the very epicenter of a fierce battle. Willy-nilly, the Hospitallers had to serve as a shield of Europe against the onslaught of Muslim corsairs ... This was quite within their power. Moreover, they learned to resist pirate raids even during the defense of Rhodes.

Mediterranean shield

The Knights of Malta fulfilled their mission with honor. Here is the answer to the question: "What are the Hospitallers famous for?" Years of stubborn struggle with the terrible Barbary pirates - that's what gave the order the right to historical immortality.

A paradoxical situation arose: the Knights Hospitallers wrote the most glorious pages in their history when the era of chivalry had actually come to an end. Knightly orders either ceased to exist (like the Templars), or abandoned any independent role, merging into centralized states (like the Teutons). But for the Hospitallers, the 16th century turned out to be a truly "golden age" ...

Taking possession of Malta, the Hospitallers challenged the thugs of North Africa. The Maltese have created their own fleet, which has become one of the key figures on the geopolitical "chessboard" of the Mediterranean. The once exclusively land-based order of the knights-kings-cavalry has now become the order of the sailors. Serious changes were made to the charter of the order: now only one who had participated in the sea campaigns of the order for at least three years could become a full-fledged Maltese knight.

Of course, there is no need to idealize the Knights of Malta. They fought with pirates using the same pirate methods. The extermination of entire settlements along with the inhabitants, cruel executions and torture, robbery and violence - all this was also in the practice of the Christian knights. Such were the cruel morals of the time.

The knights of Malta did not disdain to go out on the sea "high road" themselves: the leadership of the order encouraged corsairs in every possible way. Contrary to the vow of poverty, which was given by all members of the military-monastic orders, ordinary knights allowed themselves to keep a part of the loot. The master of the order even turned a blind eye to the slave market that existed in Malta (in this market, of course, not Christians were sold, but captured Muslims).

Toughie

In 1565, the Hospitallers won the greatest victory in their history. An army of 40,000, made up of Turks and Barbary pirates, landed in Malta to end the small island that had become big problem... The Maltese could oppose them at most 700 knights and about 8 thousand soldiers (half of them were not professional warriors, but "people's militias"), Armada was sent by the same Suleiman the Magnificent, who had already defeated the Johannites once.

The fortifications of the Knights of Malta on the island consisted of two forts: the auxiliary fort of St. Elmo (St. Elmo) and the main fort of St. Angel (St. Angelo). The Muslims turned their first blow to Fort Saint-Elm, hoping to quickly deal with it, and then collapse on the main fortifications. But the defenders of Saint Elmo showed just wonders of courage and fortitude - the fort lasted 31 days!

When the attackers finally burst inside, only 60 wounded fighters remained alive. All of them had their heads chopped off, and their bodies were nailed to wooden crosses and sent by water to Fort Sant'Angelo. When the waves brought the terrible Turkish "parcels" to the walls of the fortress, a terrible howl rose over the bastions - his wife and mother dead defenders Saint Elmo mourned their men. The grand master of the order, stern Jean de la Valette, in response ordered the immediate execution of all Turkish prisoners, then their heads were loaded with guns and fired towards the Turkish positions.

According to legend, the leader of the Turkish army Mustafa Pasha, standing among the ruins of St. Elmo and looking at the Fort of Sant'Angelo, said: "If such a little son cost us so much, what price should we pay for our father?"

Indeed, all attempts to take Sant'Angelo have failed. The Knights of Malta fought fiercely.

The elderly Grand Master Jean de la Valette himself (he was already over 70 years old!), Sword in hand, rushed into the thick of the battle, dragging the fighters along with him. The Maltese did not take prisoners, not listening to any requests for mercy.

The attempt to land troops on boats by the Turks also failed - the indigenous inhabitants of Malta interfered. Excellent swimmers, they threw the Turks from boats and fought hand-to-hand with them right in the water, where they had a clear advantage. Fort Sant'Angelo managed to hold out until the arrival of reinforcements from Spain.

When the Spanish flotilla appeared on the horizon, hurrying to help the Maltese, the Turks realized that their cause was lost. The Ottomans had no choice but to lift the siege. By that time, the Maltese had no more than 600 people in the ranks. It should be noted that the help sent by the Spaniards was very small. But the Turks, of course, could not know this.

Shards of former greatness

The great siege of Malta thundered throughout Europe. After her, the prestige of the Order of Malta rose as never before. However, "from the top of the mountain, only a descent is possible. At the end of the 16th century, the order began to decline gradually.

Reformation in a number of European countries led to the confiscation of possessions catholic church and its units, which was also considered the Order of the Hospitallers. This dealt a severe blow to the finances of the Maltese. The glory of invincible warriors has also receded into the past. The relatively small brotherhood of knights was lost against the backdrop of massive European armies. And the pirate threat was not nearly as acute as before. All this led to decline.

By the end of the 18th century, the Order of Malta was only a pale shadow of the former mighty organization. The final point in the existence of the knightly state was set by Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1798, on his way to Egypt, he captured Malta without a fight. The leadership of the order explained this amazing surrender of the strongest fortifications by the fact that "the charter of the order prohibits the Hospitallers from fighting Christians, which, no doubt, are the French."

But here, too, the Hospitallers managed to leave a mark in history, turning an unusual combination. Having rushed around the European courts in an attempt to find the august patrons, the top of the order suddenly made a completely unexpected diplomatic "somersault". She offered the title of Grand Master of the Order ... to the Russian Emperor Paul I. The delicacy of the situation was that the Order of Malta was exclusively Catholic. In addition, members of the order took a vow of celibacy. Paul was Orthodox (that is, from the point of view of the Catholic clergy, a heretic), and besides, he was also married a second marriage. But what cannot you do for your own salvation!

Paul I, having a craving for everything Western, happily agreed to this proposal. The former palace of Count Vorontsov on Sadovaya Street was allocated for the residence of the order, where the Russian Grand Priory of the Order of Malta was located (now the Suvorov School is located in this building). And the Maltese cross of St. John was included in the list of awards of the Russian Empire.

However, the Russian period in the history of the Order of Malta did not last long. After the assassination of Paul I in 1801, his successor, Emperor Alexander I, stopped all this flirtation with chivalry. The Hospitallers were expelled from Russia.

The Order of Malta still exists today - its branches are scattered throughout Europe. But now it is a purely charitable organization with no influence on politics. The Hospitallers are back where they started. Medical practice, caring for the sick and wounded again became the main concern of the Hospitable Order of St. John ...

History of the Order of Malta from creation to the beginning of the Great Siege

The land of Palestine, where Jesus lived, died and rose again, has always been considered the Holy Land. For centuries, people from the west have made pilgrimages to the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places. Even when Jerusalem first fell into the hands of Muslims in the 7th century, and obstacles arose for pilgrims, especially individual ones, the pilgrimage continued. For such pilgrims, Charlemagne opened shelters in Jerusalem. However, at the beginning of the 11th century, with the arrival of new Muslim rulers, the situation changed. The pilgrims began to be mistreated and harassed in every possible way. In the end, Caliph Hakim Fatimit, a fanatic and insane tyrant, in 1009 razed the Holy Sepulcher to the ground and destroyed all Christian shrines.

Thirty years after the death of Hakim, several merchants from Amalfi (in Italy) managed to restore the shelters and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. However, the obstacles in the way of pilgrims and Christians in Palestine were not removed. This situation agitated Europe, and many European princes - adventurers, incited by the fiery appeals of the English preacher Peter the Hermit and Pope Urban II, were tempted to go on the Crusade and recapture the holy places from the Saracens. The first attempt of the Crusade, undertaken in 1096, ended sadly, but a new army followed and continued the struggle in 1097. This time the campaign was successful and two years later Jerusalem fell at the feet of the Christians.

This fortunate turn of events inspired the Amalfian congregation to become “Hospitallers,” ministers of the Jerusalem Benedictine Hospital dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and rally around its leader, Brother Gerard of Saxony. He was a Benedictine who expanded the congregation and turned it into the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (1110-1120). The grateful lords and princes, who had healed their wounds in the hospital, soon began to place part of their property in the newly founded Order, not only locally, but also in subsidiaries that were later formed in different parts of Europe. In 1113, Pope Pascal II took the Order under his patronage and, as a reward for its service, gave it a new, more militant status in the person of Brother Gerard. The original document attesting this important moment in the history of the Order is in the Library of Malta. It says: "Pope Pascal II bestows upon his venerable son Gerard, the founder and provost of the Hospital in Jerusalem, a charter for the establishment of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem on both sides of the sea, in Europe and Asia."

With the resumption of the war with the Saracens, some of the Order's knights became warriors, they, together with new followers, formed the basis of the Order of the Temple Knights or Templars. This Order soon gained great strength and importance when its knights were called to fight the Muslims directly. Many forts and castles built by the Templars in Palestine, Syria and Jordan during the years of this struggle remained of great strategic importance.

Nevertheless, the Crusade of 1147 ended in failure, and the necessary forces for the next gathered only by 1189.This time, among the other leaders was King Richard I of England, who was soon named the Lionheart, thanks to whom, in the main, success was achieved. ... However, strife among the leaders harmed the Order more than battle fatigue. The chivalrous prowess behind the Crusade began to fade, and soon Richard was left alone in his struggle. His steadfastness and dedication to his goal, coupled with tremendous energy and self-sacrifice, led to victory at the Battle of Acre. However, this was the last thing he could do. Richard soon left Palestine, and his departure meant the end of the entire Crusade.

After the Templars moved to Cyprus in 1191, the Hospitaller Knights, who were more concerned with caring for the wounded and sick, took up arms to protect the pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. Strengthened military significance Its second head is Raymond de Puy. He first became known as the Grand Master (1125-1158) and continued to increase the strength, influence and power of the Order. Now the Order began to bear the character of a knight's, but its members took three monastic vows: chastity, obedience and poverty.

However, after the Muslims, having deployed another active action, in 1291 seized the last possessions of Christians, and the stay in Palestine became impossible, the Order moved to Cyprus. However, this was an unfortunate decision, since in Cyprus the Order did not have the opportunity to reorganize and improve. Moreover, the situation was aggravated by the fact that the Templars, who had moved to the island a century earlier, were seized with a thirst for power, professed the ideas of Freemasonry, weaved secret intrigues, going against the ideals of the Order. All this forced the Knights of the Order to seek a new refuge.

It took 19 years for this, and in 1308 they found an ideal place on the Byzantine island of Rhodes and achieved territorial independence. A year after the Knights of St. John moved to Rhodes, in 1309, the Templars were so mired in their intrigues that their organization was banned, and five years later, in 1314, their last grandmaster, Jacques de Molay, was burned to death in Paris. The Hospitallers inherited a significant portion of their property. More important, however, the Order of St. John was able to attract young European aristocrats and move forward with the necessary reorganization.

The order received Rhodes - a very fertile and one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean. Another important factor was that its geological structure represented many places where the knights could build the necessary fortifications, as well as a large amount of sturdy building material. With the settlement in a new place, the then Grand Master, Fouquet de Villaret (1305-1319), completely coped with the reorganization, and the Order continued to develop, based on the same old vows of chastity, obedience and poverty.

The Knights of the Order were divided into five groups. The first were the Military Knights of Justice who dominated the Order. All of them were aristocrats, at least in the fourth generation, which was confirmed by the fact that they were the sons of the most famous families of Europe. All of them, without exception, were called into the Order only after careful consideration. Candidates who passed the test went through the rite of passage to the Knights with great fanfare. Accompanied by the Knight Grand Cross who was conducting their initiation, they went bareheaded into the armory and dressed in accordance with their new status. Their comrades invited them to the Hall of the Courtyard, where they sat on a carpet laid on the ground and received bread, salt and a glass of water. The knight who presided over the ceremony later gave a banquet in honor of the new Knights and their friends, which also allowed one to feel the asceticism corresponding to the ceremony. New initiates became novices for a year, after which they were attracted by the Convention - the main structure of the Order for military service... Each year of service was called "caravan". After three such "caravans," the Knight received at least two years a seat in the Convention. Having fulfilled his duties in the Order in this way, the Knight was free to return home to Europe, but could be summoned by the Grand Master if necessary. Knights from the first group could be promoted to high positions of Bailiff, Commander or Prior.

A second group of Knights remained for spiritual service as Chaplains of Obedience. Service in hospitals or order churches was usual for them, however, they were not completely exempt from service in the "caravan". These Knights could have been elected to the office of Prior or even Bishop of the Order.

The third group consisted of the Serving Brothers, recruited for military service from respected but not necessarily aristocratic families.

The fourth and fifth were the Honorary Knights, distinguished by the ranks of the Magisterial Knights and the Knights of Grace, who were elected Grandmasters.

Another classification was based on the nationality by which the Knights belonged to one of the eight "Languages". These were: Aragon, Auvergne, Castile, England (with Ireland and Scotland), France, Germany, Italy and Provence. The presence of three French "Languages" was no coincidence, since the French were numerically significantly predominant in the Order.

Leadership was exercised by a Grand Master, who was elected by the Knights on the basis of many years of successful service in top positions... The Grandmaster was also the President of the Supreme Council, which also included: the Bishop of the Order, the Priors, the Bailiff, the Knights of the Grand Cross and the Deans of the Tongues. While the Supreme Council performed normal administrative functions, General meeting members of the Order were convened every five years, and sometimes once every ten years. These gatherings were reported a year in advance, allowing the Tongues and individual Knights to prepare draft reforms for consideration.

The emblem of the Order was an eight-pointed cross, introduced by Grand Master Raymond de Puy, symbolizing the eight virtues (Beatitudes), the four sides of the cross also signified the four virtues: Prudence, Moderation, Courage and Justice. The oaths taken by the Knights upon joining the Order gave it a religious character. The new initiates were supposed to hug and kiss each other as a sign of friendship, peace and brotherly love. From now on they called each other “brothers”.

With the transfer of Rhodes from the Byzantines to the management of the Order, the Knights began to seek recognition of their independence. All Christian forces and Catholic nations came to regard the Order in its full definition as the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In this regard, the Grandmaster became known as the Prince of Rhodes. The Order continued to grow into a more powerful and richer organization of the nobility, bound by celibacy and commitments to help the poor, heal the sick, and wage a constant war against Muslims in the Mediterranean. This last oath was impossible to keep strictly, since, based on the island, the Knights could not continue successful operations on land. Despite this, they continued to stockpile and maintain their weapons, including chain mail and plate armor, both for themselves and for their horses. Each Knight had three horses: war, race and pack, and also kept servants who carried a shield and a banner. In addition, the Knights soon began to build more galleys and other ships, making it possible to intensify attacks on enemy sea routes from and near Turkey. Over time, the Knights acquired seafaring experience and other abilities that allowed them to turn into Christian corsairs.

Although the spirit of the Crusades was lost for a long time, and the Christian states began to maintain peaceful relations with Muslims and Mongol invaders, the Order never left the sense of danger to Christianity, and he kept his oath to fight Islam, regardless of the presence or absence of allies. The first naval operation on the account of the Knights of Rhodes was the destruction in 1312 by a small detachment led by Grandmaster Fouquet de Wiyare himself, formerly one of the Order's admirals, 23 Turkish coasters. Soon, competing with him, Grand Commander Albert Schwarzburg, supported by the Genoese corsairs, led a combined fleet of 24 galleys and defeated 50 Turkish ships from Ephesus. Less than a year later, with eight ships of the Order and six Genoese galleys, he defeated a fleet of 80 Turkish ships.

In 1334, in Avignon, an alliance was concluded between the king of France, Venice, the Pope's fleet and the king of Cyprus to try to light a fire under the banner of the Knights of the Order. Crusade... Meanwhile, in a naval battle, they destroyed the Turkish fleet in the Gulf of Smyrna and forced the city itself to surrender. It seemed that the XIV century. each of the nations on the side of the Christians sought to attack the Muslims, and the order led these actions or provided their ships. The galleys of the Knights of the Order, in which they made swift and fearless attacks, avoiding the possibility of defeat, were popular in Europe. Reports of their exploits were published on large sheets in Naples, Marseille and Venice and became legendary. But the galleys required strong people... They were filled with slave rowers, warriors, sailors, and also loaded with weapons and provisions, so there was often nowhere to sleep. There was no protection from the scorching sun, rain and sea water. Foods drenched during a sudden storm became unusable, people got sick. After successful operations, the galleys became even more crowded with captives and trophies. The feats of the Order of those times continued to amaze, even considering the weakening of the Order in opposition to the power of Islam. In 1347 Fra Arnaldo de Perez Torres Catalan burned hundreds of Turkish ships at Imbros. Ten years later, the combined fleet of the Order and Venice, under the command of Raymond Berenger, (the future Grand Master in 1365-1374) destroyed 35 Muslim ships. In 1361, one of the admirals Ferlino d'Ayraska, at the head of a squadron, with the help of Christian corsairs, captured Adalia. But the greatest success came in 1365, when, with only 16 galleys, he sacked Alexandria.

Not all of the Order's actions were exclusively military in nature. Knights often became Christian corsairs, attacking and capturing Muslim ships returning to their ports with cargoes of spices, silk, gold and precious stones. Prey was captured, the crews turned into slaves for the galleys. In 1393 and 1399. The Order's galleys broke into the Black Sea and attacked the hornets' nests of the Muslim corsairs that had long existed here. The first time the Knights failed, they lost Grandmaster Heredia and many Knights to their enemies. However, on the second attempt, success was achieved.

However, all these sorties, no matter how much damage they caused to the Muslim fleet and their pride, could not prevent the steady growth of their power in the 15th century.

The beginning of the turning point was the capture of Castelrosso by the Egyptian Mamelukes, an isolated post of the Knights in 1440. Enemies on 19 ships laid siege to Rhodes itself, but the Knights, led by Grandmaster Jean de Lastic (1437-1454), repulsed the attack and pursued the enemy to Anatolia, where they landed on coast and killed 700 people. In 1444, a new attempt was made to besiege Rhodes, which the Knights also repulsed. However, at this moment, Christianity was threatened by the Turks under the leadership of Mehmed II Fatih the Conqueror. Starting with the capture of Constantinople in 1453, he also captured the islands of Kos, Lemnos and Lesbos in four years.

These Muslim successes created a number of potential bases around Rhodes for attacks on the island and the Knights' headquarters. In 1462 the General Assembly of the Order met specially to discuss this situation. The conclusion was that Rhodes is well fortified and that these fortifications are good support for the fleet. Two years later, the Pope tried to raise a combined fleet against the Muslims. However, due to internal disagreements all Christian powers refused. Henceforth, the Order was left alone in the face of the Islamic threat.

In 1480 Rhodes was again besieged, but the knights managed to withstand, although they suffered significant losses.

The order received a respite when, after the death of Mehmed II in 1481, his sons began to fight each other. Under the leadership of Grandmaster Pierre d'Aubusson (1476-1503), the Knights used this time to strengthen their forces as much as possible. This was confirmed by the capture by Admiral Ludovicus di Scalenge of a large number of Turkish ships in 1502. Five years later, the Order achieved its greatest victory in a merciless battle with the united Muslim fleet at Alexandretta. However, this was the last victory of the Knights and the end of the Order's stay in Rhodes, which lasted more than two centuries.

Suleiman the Magnificent, the grandson of Mehmed II, the powerful Sultan of the Ottomans, did not forget about the Order for a minute. He had always admired the valor of the Knights and, after assuming the throne, respected them and their new Grand Master Philippe Viyère de l'Ile Adam (1521-1534). However, such feelings did not prevent him from continuing the work of his ancestors, seeking to throw the Knights from Rhodes. He bided his time, gathered his forces and began his attack on Rhodes in 1522. The Order's fleet at that moment was in a state of retraining and was weakened. In order not to dissipate forces, L'Il Adam removed his knights from the ships and strengthened the garrison of the island. Suleiman laid siege to Rhodes. The huge Turkish army was opposed by 600 knights and about 7000 soldiers. After six months of siege, the exhausted and half-starved Knights, who had lost most of the soldiers and 240 "brothers" betrayed by one of them, d'Amaral, were forced to surrender on Christmas 1522. The brave defense awakened Suleiman's nobility, and he not only allowed the Grandmaster, along with the rest The knights could leave Rhodes without hindrance, but also showed them honors when they left the island for their galleys.

The order was defeated, but not dishonored. His high prestige was preserved, and although the Order was in disarray, this offered a chance to recover and continue the struggle. But there was one urgent matter - to find a new home.

Emperor Charles V of Spain, who also wore the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, who also ruled Castile, Aragon, Burgundy, the Austrian possessions of the House of Habsburgs, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sardinia, Sicily, most of Italy and the Spanish possessions in North Africa and the New World, invited The Order of Saint John used Sicily as a temporary home in search of a new home.

The knights hoisted their banner in their temporary monastery in Syracuse. They took with them everything they could take from Rhodes, including the galleys, many of which were privately owned by the knights. Both the Order and individual knights used various European shipyards to build their large ships, and it so happened that on January 1, 1523, when the evacuation from Rhodes took place, the Santa Anna karakka was launched in Nice, which was built for the Order. ... She was sent to Syracuse and joined the remnants of the fleet there. It will not be superfluous to tell more about this karakka, since she had to play an important role in the history of the Order.

The Karakkas were heavy ships used to transport troops and equipment, as well as other cargo that could not be transported in galleys. They were, of course, not so mobile and fast, but better armed, which made them very useful as an addition to the main fleet. The Santa Anna measured 132 feet. (40.2 m) long and 40 ft. (12.2 m) wide, superstructures towered 75 feet above the waterline. (22.9 m). She could take on board 4 tons of cargo and supplies for a six-month voyage. Among other things, this ship had a metalworking workshop, a bakery and a church. The armament consisted of 50 long-barreled cannons and a large number of falconets and half-cannons, the arsenal contained personal weapons for 500 people. The ship had a crew of 300 people, but could accommodate an additional 400 light infantry or cavalry. However, the most important feature of the Santa Anna was the cannonball-resistant metal sheathing. This was the first ship armed and protected in this way at that time. The order also had three other karakki: "Santa Caterina", "San Giovanni" and "Santa Maria", captured earlier from the Muslims.

Since all the Knights could not gather in Syracuse, other temporary camps arose, organized in Candia, Messina, Civitavecchia, Viterbo, as well as in neighboring France at Villefranche and Nice. The council met periodically in Syracuse aboard the Santa Anna. Naturally, the most frequently discussed issue at these meetings was the search for a new home. However, Grandmaster de l'Ile Adam believed that before looking for a new location, help and support had to be found to attack and liberate Rhodes. In search of such support, he moved from one European court to another. Since the representation of the French Knights in the Order was the largest, the first to seek help from the king of France. However, Francis I was more interested in getting Suleiman's support against his opponent, Charles V. Wherever L'Il Adam turned, he was refused everywhere. It seemed that although respect for the Order remained, it was no longer popular. Perhaps because the Order, which remained loyal to the Pope and its oath to fight only with infidels, could not be useful for solving someone's national interests. Moreover, nationalism at that time was becoming the main dominant in European affairs. On the other hand, all of Europe shuddered with fear of Suleiman the Magnificent, who, during his reign, not only conquered the peoples of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea coast, but also reached Belgrade and Budapest with his armies, leading his Ottoman Empire to the pinnacle of glory. It was only when l'Ile Adam got to King Henry VIII of England that he received a slightly different answer. His position did not differ from others, besides, the English monarch was going to marry and, due to his matrimonial affairs, then already began his litigation with the Pope, so the Order appeared in England in a bad light. However, Henry VIII honorably received L'Ile Adam at St. James's palace and at the end handed him weapons and ammunition worth 20,000 crowns. The amount was significant, but it was very little help for the project, as the Grandmaster was expecting help from ships and troops. Later, 19 guns given by the King of England were taken to Malta by Knight Sir John Sutter in January 1530, and then used to defend Tripoli. Recently, one of these guns was raised from the bottom of the harbor of Famagusta (Cyprus). It was identified because, along with the Tudor emblem, it also bore the Grandmaster's coat of arms.

L'Il Adam returned to Sicily very disappointed. He understood that he would have to abandon plans to attack Rhodes, as well as the fact that the Knights became more and more interested in worldly affairs and break their vows. Idleness led their organization to decline. He realized that if a new home was not found soon, the Order would most likely fall apart.

His worries and disappointments, shared by the Knights, became known to Charles V. After several years of the Order's stay in Sicily, it seemed inconvenient for him to leave the Knights without his attention. Then someone convinced him to transfer Malta and the neighboring island of Gozo to the Order. The emperor was inclined to agree. He knew that these deserted rocky islands, devoid of vegetation, with scarce soils and lack of water, he could not use in any way. However, he wanted to get something in return. He did not mean money, but he wanted to throw a heavy burden off his shoulders. Malta has always been the target of pirate raids, making its possession all the more useless. But even greater headache Tripoli brought him, and he made great efforts to support this Christian enclave among the Muslim states of North Africa. Why not hand over his protection to the knights as payment for resettlement to Malta? This idea came to him and was offered to the Order.

L'Il Adam was not happy with this proposal. He immediately understood what problems it would bring. But he did not give up completely. Time passed quickly, and even his very stay in Sicily depended on the emperor's disposition. Finally, he asked for time to collect information about Malta. However, when he received them from an expedition immediately sent to Malta, he was even more alarmed. The island of Malta, according to the report, is a soft sandstone mountain about seven leagues (30 km) long and three to four wide (15 km). Its desert surface is covered with 3-4 feet (approx. 1.5 m) of soil, which is very rocky and unsuitable for farming. Where possible, the Maltese grow cotton and caraway seeds, which they exchange for grain, and also cultivate some fruits. With the exception of a few springs, there is no running water, and 12,000 inhabitants in Malta and another 5,000 in Gozo are mostly peasants living in primitive villages. There is only one city here, which is the capital. There are only two castles for protection, where the inhabitants find refuge during pirate raids. The gloomy picture presented had only one bright spot, the report convinced that the island of Malta had two vast harbors, capable of accommodating a large number of galleys. It gave naval forces The Order is a good base, and l'Il Adam could not help but think that the property of the Order could now be replenished mainly due to the corsair. This required ships and, accordingly, a harbor. This circumstance was the only positive one in his thoughts. However, L'Il Adam would not have accepted the Emperor's proposal under other circumstances, but now they put a lot of pressure on his decision. Another circumstance that could not be ignored was the fact that some Knights were already beginning to leave the Convention, returning to weakened subsidiary branches (Commander) in Europe, and this could serve as the first sign of the disintegration of the Order. The impoverishment of the Order left no choice, l'Il Adam accepted the offer.

The document in the form of a rescript of Charles V, now presented in the National Library of Malta, provided by l'Ile Adam, read: “are given to the Knights so that they can freely fulfill their Sacred Duty for the good of all Christianity and use their forces and troops against the treacherous enemies of the Holy Faith - the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino in exchange for the provision of a falcon to Carlos, Viceroy of Sicily, annually on All Saints Day (November 1). It also implied the obligatory, although not specially marked, dubious "gift" in the form of Tripoli.

When the Maltese found out about this, they were justly outraged, since in 1428 King Alfonso V of Aragon confirmed their ancient privileges, paid 30,000 gold florins, the amount for which the needy monarch mortgaged the islands to Don Gonsalvo Monroy, and swore on the four Gospels that The Maltese Islands will never be transferred to another owner. Ironically enough, this Great Charter of Maltese Liberties is now also on display in the Maltese Library alongside the mentioned rescript of Charles V. The Maltese sent an embassy with a protest to the Viceroy of Sicily, but when it arrived, the Order's galleys were already in Syracuse, and Grandmaster L'Il Adam had already been exposed to authority over Malta through his representative, the bailiff. On October 26, 1530, Grandmaster l'Ile Adam and his Knights departed in the “Saint Anne” carrack for the Grand Harbor of Malta, to their new home.

Most of the Maltese population was going through difficult times at that time. Their life was a routine grueling struggle for existence, accompanied by constant attacks by Muslim corsairs, taking people into slavery. These people didn't care who ruled their country. However, there was also a minority, including most of the noble families and citizens who grew up free, who quickly realized that with the arrival of the Knights, they could lose their political rights. They immediately began to look at the Knights with suspicion. This position of the Maltese was also reflected in the "arrogance of the Knights" noticed by the Maltese historian who arrived in Malta. Most likely, this can be explained by the fact that some were expecting the arrival of the Knights, entwined with the laurels of numerous exploits, but the rumor quickly spread that many of them violated their vows and celibacy, inclined to Freemasonry, as happened with the Templars. Such ideas were partially supported by the clergy, who feared new rulers who were under the direct patronage of the Pope. In addition, the Knights did not take much of their property to Malta; they brought only a holy icon containing the hand of St. John, a silver processional cross kept in the Cathedral of Mdina, and some ritual vestments and objects. The most important things that they could not leave behind and that came with them are now stored in Malta. The Knights were supposed to start all over again. And they started.

For more than 400 years, the Maltese ruled the country themselves through an autonomous commune called the Universita, represented by four members who held the title of "Giurati" (highest members of the municipality), chaired by the Captain of the Wand (della Verga). He was so called because of the staff that the page always carried in front of him, and was also called in Arabic by the title of Hakem. This position was elective, but became practically hereditary in the De Nava family, the owners of Fort San Angelo. The presence of a parliament was to guarantee the privileges of the Maltese, and they hoped that this situation would not change.

Grandmaster l'Il Adam officially took over Malta in Mdina, a medieval city that was then the capital of the island. The investiture procedure was carried out with great pomp and ceremonies, which were also attended by important members of the Maltese society. But the climax came when l'Il Adam proceeded to the city gates under the canopy carried by Giurati and swore an oath on the great cross of the cathedral and the cross of the Order to maintain privileges and treat the islands as promised by the king of Aragon and Sicily. After that, the Captain of the Wand knelt down, kissed the Grandmaster's hand and handed over the silver keys. This meant that the gates of the city were open, and the Grandmaster could enter them with fireworks and the ringing of bells.

Mdina was the only Maltese city. Its name meant a fortified city in Arabic. But in 1428, after the Maltese expressed dissatisfaction with their ruler, the king of Aragon and Sicily, Alfonso V, about the fact that he, in need of money, mortgaged the island to his aristocrats, the king accepted their protest and confirmed their ancient privileges. On this occasion, he called Mdina "a noble gem in his crown," and the Maltese began to call their city Notable, although the name Mdina remained in common use.

The Knights were supposed to make the only city their headquarters. Instead, they settled in Birgu, a small village located, however, on the banks of the Grand Harbor, under the protection of Fort San Angelo. They made their choice, since they could keep their ships in Birgu and maritime services close at hand in case of need. Although the village of Birgu was inconvenient and unsuitable for their buildings, this did not stop the Knights, and they immediately began to do whatever was necessary. In the narrow streets of Birgu, they began to build their Compounds, one for each Language. Where possible, they rented premises, as they did in Rhodes. They also continued to build fortifications and equip them in case of a possible attack. Birgu already possessed the magnificent Church of St. Lawrence, erected in 1090 at the court of Roger of Normandy and has been decorated all these years. The Knights turned it into the main church of the Order.

L'Il Adam, realizing the need for defensive structures, began work to strengthen Fort San Angelo. This fortress, which defended the Great Harbor, served this purpose even under the Carthaginians, and then under the Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Angevins and Aragonese. The grandmaster attached great importance to this fort, settled in it himself, settling in a house built about a hundred years ago for the De Nava family, the owners of the fort, and also rebuilt the old chapel, dedicating it to St. Anna. Also, work was carried out on the walls of Mdina, which, while remaining the capital of the island, also needed strengthening.

It was a good start, no doubt discussed among the majority of the islanders, who still had doubts about the prospects of the Order in Malta. However, after a while, the attitude began to improve.

The celebration of the Presentation especially helped the rapprochement of the Knights and the Maltese. At this annual event on February 2, the parish priests of Malta and Gozo met with the Grand Master and presented him decorated candles. The grandmaster addressed the audience with a speech about pressing matters and discussed with them the possibilities of cooperation between the secular authorities and the church for the benefit of the people.

The order began to mint coins: skudo, tari, carlino and grano. These names survived in Malta even five centuries later.

The construction gave the Maltese a lot of work, although each Order Language had its own knights, warriors, priests, mechanics, military engineers and sailors. All these newcomers mixed with the people, but brought new meaning to the life of the islanders.

L'Ile Adam should have been pleased, as the Order's move to Malta seemed to be going well. But he was not happy, because he did not throw Rhodes out of his head and hoped that one day he could recapture his former home. His hopes were strengthened when his galleys left Malta for the first time to confront the Muslims. Five galleys of the Order under the command of Admiral Bernardo Salvati with two Genoese ships suddenly attacked the Turkish fleet at Modon and destroyed it. They then captured the city and returned to Malta with booty and 800 Turkish prisoners. A little later, Salvatti, along with the great Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, attacked Coron.

These two naval actions raised the spirit of l'Ile Adam and proved the Order's valor, which was especially important for its future in Malta. However, difficulties of a different kind began to arise. After an altercation with the Pope, King Henry VIII of England in 1532 proclaimed himself the head of the Church of England and began to obstruct further development English branch of the Order. This was reflected in the fact that young English aristocrats sent by the High Prior began to arrive in Malta. The members of the English "Tongue" were aristocrats who were born in England, Scotland or Ireland and who invested part of the property in the corresponding commandorium or monastery. However, some of the knights who arrived in Malta at this time could not document this. For those who joined the Order, l'Il Adam gave the opportunity to receive such documents within six months, but for candidates and newcomers, the General Assembly demanded the immediate presentation of such documents. As a result, many were forced to return back, and the High Prior had to pay the transport costs.

What worried l'Il Adam most, however, was the insubordination of some of the young Knights, who were no longer trained under the strict authority of the Order and were fighting off their hands. Some of them, with their recklessness, overstepped all permissible limits. In this regard, the General Assembly has added additions to the disciplinary code. The article read: “If someone enters a citizen's house without an invitation and without the consent of the owner, or breaks order during folk festivals, dances, weddings and similar events, he will be deprived of two years of seniority (“ seniority ”of service) without hope of forgiveness. In addition, if someone breaks the doors or windows of citizens' houses day or night, he will also serve a sentence, such as will be imposed by the Grand Master. " It was almost impossible to prevent a duel among hot-tempered and cocky youths, always ready to insult an opponent and respecting personal courage to all other virtues.

L'Il Adam died on August 21, 1534. He was succeeded by the Italian Pietro del Ponte, who also died a year later. The same happened with the next Grandmaster, a Frenchman, Didier de Saint Jaillet, who died in 1536.

The new Grandmaster (1536-1553) was the Spaniard Juan d'Omedes. It was the Knight of the "old model", who, like l'Ile Adam, did not accept in his soul the expulsion from Rhodes, but fully realized the inevitability of the Order's presence in Malta. Just like l'Ile Adam, he was an adherent of strict discipline, however, unlike his predecessor, he did not allow the Knights any liberties. He punished when necessary. The punishments in the Order were not easy. When Knight Oswald Messingbird got into a fight with John Bebington during Ace