Malta: The Order of St John

by Thomas Freller

The urban, cultural and political profile of the Maltese islands is deeply marked by the presence for 268 years of the Knights of St John. The Order has left its mark decisively in the collective memory of the Maltese. The Order of St John gives a global picture of this multinational institution in those crucial years when Grand Master L'Isle Adam moved the convent from Rhodes to Malta, when legendary Grand Master Valette withstood the Turkish assault in 1565, when Grand Masters Wignacourt, Cotoner and Carafa turned Malta into a centre of Mediterraean corsairing and Grand Masters Vilhena and Pinto tried to imitate the Central European absolutist princes. It all came to a sudden - but not unexpected - end in 1798 when Grand Master Hompesch handed over Malta to the rising star on the European horizon, Napoleon. The various diplomatic attempts of the knights to regain their island all failed. The book also provides the reader with an overview of the most important monuments connected with the knights on Malta and Gozo.

Table of Contents

Introduction • The occident, the chivalric Orders, and their spiritual roots • The Hospitallers – from a brotherhood to an Order • The Hospitallers become a Chivalric Order • Internal changes and the international background • The ‘aristocratization’ of an institution • The Hospitallers in Rhodes • Hospitallers, Templars, and the rulers of the occident – an uneasy partnership • Rhodes – the new headquarters • New orientations • Under Ottoman pressure • On the road to Malta • The Order and its rule – Power, statutes, and organization • From Rhodes to Malta – Aspects of a continuation • The decision for Malta and its global implications • The Hospitallers in Malta – A difficult beginning • Malta and Sicily – The legal and social background • Sieges and heroes • The corso – Backbone of a society and state • Upheavals and changes • The global picture and the Mediterranean environment • Malta and the impact of the rule of the Hospitallers • Social and demographic changes • New economic perspectives • Behind the scene • New cultural horizons • Creating identities – Religion and politics • The eighteenth century – Last splendour and dark clouds • New horizons and a dangerous road • End of an epoch • New arrangements and a complicated resurrection • Grand Masters of the Order of St John ruling over the Maltese islands • The Order’s structure • SITES • Valletta • The Grand Harbour conurbation • The minor palaces and fortifications

Genres: History

360 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2010

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up when I was visiting Malta. The pictures and graphics are excellent, but the writing is repetitive and disjointed at times. Still, not a bad overview of the history of the knights of St. John and in particular the period when they were headquartered in Malta.

[Adrian Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and well organised into two main parts: a detailed history of the Order of St John, and a survey of their legacy of art and architecture on Malta. The writing however was disappointing. The captions for the many illustrations were simply repetitions of the main next. Given that there are so many illustrations this makes for a lot of often frustrating repetition.

Malta must possess the world's greatest concentration of early modern fortifications. As a British reader of this book, I realised I had very little experience or knowledge of such military technology - in Britain we have very few fortifications after the medieval period. I ultimately resorted to Wikipedia, but an introductory chapter on the topic - illustrated to the same high standard as the rest of the book - would have greatly appreciated. The book led me to 'discover' the fortifications at Eger, which I live 100 yards from. Shows I am more likely to be affected by what I read in books than what is in front of my nose!