The Hospitallers on Malta: A New Center of Christian Power
The Knights Hospitaller ruled the island of Malta from 1530 to 1798, a period of more than 250 years. (The standard account in English is David Marcombe’s Leper Knights: The Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem in England (2003), with a different scope from this cluster; for the Order on Malta specifically, the older histories by H. J. A. Sire and Ernle Bradford are still the place to start.) The Hospitallers’ rule of Malta was a major chapter in the history of the Crusades, and it marked the continuation of the Crusading ideal into the early modern period. The Order transformed Malta into a major naval power and a center of Christian resistance to Ottoman expansion. The most famous event of the Hospitallers’ rule was the Great Siege of 1565, when the Ottoman Empire launched a massive attack on the island. The siege was eventually lifted, and the Hospitallers’ victory became a powerful symbol of Christian resistance.
For the broader context, see the main article on the Knights Hospitaller, the Siege of Rhodes (1522) article, and are the Knights Hospitaller still around.
The Hospitallers Arrive in Malta
The Hospitallers arrived in Malta in 1530, after seven years without a permanent home following the loss of Rhodes. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who held the island as part of his Spanish inheritance, granted it to the Hospitallers in return for an annual rent of one falcon (the so-called “Maltese Falcon”). The Hospitallers accepted the gift, and they made Malta their new headquarters.
The island of Malta was a small and relatively poor island in the middle of the Mediterranean. It was strategically located, however, on the route between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe, and it was an ideal base for the Hospitallers’ naval operations. The Order quickly began to build up the island’s defenses, and they transformed Malta into a major naval power.
The Hospitallers’ transformation of Malta was a major undertaking. The Order built a series of impressive fortifications, including the famous Fort St. Elmo, which guarded the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The Order also built a new city, Valletta, which would become the capital of Malta and one of the most impressive cities of the early modern period. Valletta is named after Jean de Valette, the Grand Master who led the defense of Malta during the Great Siege of 1565.
The Great Siege of 1565
The Great Siege of 1565 is the most famous event in Hospitaller history. The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, determined to remove the Hospitaller threat to Ottoman naval power, launched a massive attack on Malta with a fleet of some 200 ships and an army of perhaps 30,000 to 40,000 troops. The Hospitaller garrison, led by Grand Master Jean de Valette, numbered only about 6,000 to 9,000 knights, soldiers, and local militia.
The siege began in May 1565, when the Ottoman army landed on the island. The Ottomans focused their attack on the Fort St. Elmo, which guarded the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The fort was defended by a small garrison, and it fell in June 1565 after a fierce resistance. The fall of Fort St. Elmo was a serious blow, but the Hospitallers were determined to continue the defense.
The siege continued for several months, with both sides suffering heavy losses. The Ottoman army made several attacks on the other fortifications, including Fort St. Angelo and the Senglea peninsula, but they were unable to break through the Hospitaller defenses. The Hospitallers’ resistance was aided by the arrival of a relief force from Sicily in September 1565, and the Ottoman army was forced to withdraw.
The Great Siege was a major victory for the Hospitallers and a serious defeat for the Ottoman Empire. The siege marked the end of Ottoman expansion in the Western Mediterranean, and it became a powerful symbol of Christian resistance to Ottoman power. The siege is also famous for the bravery of the Hospitaller knights, and it has been the subject of numerous works of literature, art, and film.
The Building of Valletta
After the Great Siege, the Hospitallers decided to build a new capital for Malta, on a peninsula that commanded the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The new city, named Valletta after the Grand Master Jean de Valette, was designed by the Italian architect Francesco Laparelli, and it was one of the first planned cities of the early modern period. Valletta was built according to a strict grid pattern, with wide streets and impressive fortifications.
Valletta became one of the most important cities of the early modern period. The city was home to the Order’s headquarters, the Palace of the Grand Master, which still stands in the center of the city. The city also had a number of important auberges, the residences of the different linguistic groups of the Order, including the Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English knights. The city had a number of important churches, including the Conventual Church of the Order, which is now the co-cathedral of Malta.
Valletta was also a major center of culture and learning. The city had a number of important schools and hospitals, and it was a center of the Order’s diplomatic and military activities. The city was a major trading center, and it was home to a diverse population of knights, soldiers, merchants, and craftsmen. The city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is one of the most impressive historic cities in the world.
The Decline of the Order
The Hospitallers’ rule of Malta was marked by both achievement and decline. The Order continued to be a major naval power, and it played an important role in the defense of the Western Mediterranean. The Order’s naval activities, however, were increasingly expensive, and the Order’s finances were often strained. The Order also had to contend with the rise of new military powers, including France and Spain, and the Order’s role in European politics was increasingly limited.
The Order’s rule of Malta was also marked by internal conflicts. The Order was divided into several linguistic groups, and the different groups often had different priorities. The Order also had to deal with the rise of Protestantism, which weakened the Order’s recruitment in Northern Europe. The Order’s response to the challenges of the early modern period was often ineffective, and the Order gradually declined in power and prestige.
The most serious blow to the Order came in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt, captured Malta. The Order’s knights were allowed to leave the island, and the Order was without a territorial base for the first time in seven centuries. The Order regrouped in Rome, where it has continued to operate in some form to the present day. The modern Order is examined in are the Knights Hospitaller still around.
The Legacy of the Hospitallers on Malta
The legacy of the Knights Hospitaller on Malta is profound. The Order transformed the island from a small and relatively poor place into a major naval power and a center of European culture. The Order’s fortifications, churches, and palaces are still standing, and they are a major part of Malta’s cultural heritage. Valletta, the capital of Malta, is one of the best-preserved historic cities in the world, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The legacy of the Order is also significant for the development of the modern Maltese state. The Maltese legal system, the Maltese language, and the Maltese identity all bear the marks of the Order’s long rule. The Order’s influence on Malta can still be seen in the island’s architecture, in its cuisine, and in its culture. The Hospitallers, in this sense, were a major factor in the development of the modern Maltese nation.
The most important modern work on the Hospitallers on Malta is David Marcombe’s Leper Knights (2000), which provides a detailed and balanced account of the Order’s rule. Marcombe’s work is the most comprehensive and the most authoritative, and it has helped to refine our understanding of the Order. Other important works include those by Charles Savona-Ventura, who has written on the medical history of the Order, and Victor Mallia-Milanes, who has written on the Order’s military activities.