History of the Order

1050 Jerusalem

The birth of the Order dates back to around 1050. According to the chronicles, merchants from the ancient Marine Republic of Amalfi obtained from the Caliph of Egypt the authorization to build a church, convent and hospital in Jerusalem, to care for pilgrims of any religious faith or race. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem - the monastic community that ran the hospital for the pilgrims in the Holy Land - became independent under the guidance of the Blessed Gérard. With the Bull of 15 February 1113, Pope Paschal II approved the foundation of the Hospital and placed it under the aegis of the Holy See, granting it the right to freely elect its superiors without any interference by other secular or religious authorities. By virtue of the Papal Bull, the Hospital became an Order exempt from the Church.

The role of the Order was to participate in the military defense of the sick, the pilgrims and the territories that the Crusaders had conquered from the Moslems. The Order thus became both religious and military. All the Knights were Religious, bound by the three monastic vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

As time went on, the Order adopted the white eight-pointed Cross that is still the symbol of St. John today, and broadened its charitable mission to include the duty of protecting Christendom.

1310 - Rhodes

When the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land fell in 1291, the Order settled first in Cyprus and then, in 1310, led by the Grand Master Fra' Foulques de Villaret, on the island of Rhodes.

From that moment on, the defense of the Christian world required the organization of a naval force. So the Order built a powerful fleet and sailed the Eastern Mediterranean, fighting many famous battles for the sake of Christendom - for example, the Crusades in Syria and Egypt.
The independence from other nations granted by Pontifical deed, and the universally recognized right to maintain and deploy armed forces, were the grounds for the international sovereignty of the Order from its beginning.
In the early 14th Century, the members of the Order who came to Rhodes from all over Europe and the institutions of the Order in Europe were grouped according to languages spoken. There were thus, initially, seven such groups of Langues (Tongues): Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon (Navarre), England (with Scotland and Ireland) and Germany. In 1492 Castille and Portugal split off from the Langue of Aragon and constituted the eighth Langue. Each Langue included the Priories or Grandpriories, Bailiwicks and Commanderies.

The Order was governed by the Grand Master (the Prince of Rhodes) and the Council, minted its own money and maintained diplomatic relations with other States. The high offices of the Order were given to representatives of different Langues; and the seat of the Order, the Convent, was composed of various nationalities.

1530 - Malta

After six months of siege and fierce combats against the fleet and army of Sultan Soliman the Magnificent, the Knights were forced to surrender in 1523. They left Rhodes with military honours.
The Order remained without a territory of its own until 1530, when the Grand Master Fra' Philippe de Villiers de l'Isle Adam took possession of the island of Malta, a gift of the Emperor Charles V with the approval of Pope Clement VII.
It was established that the Order should remain neutral in any war between Christian nations.
In 1565 the Knights, led by the Grand Master Fra' Jean de la Vallette (after whom the capital of Malta, Valletta, was named), defended the island from attack and the Great Siege carried by the Turks (which lasted over three months).

1571 - The Battle of Lepanto

The fleet of the Order, then one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean, contributed to the ultimate destruction of the Ottoman naval power in the battle of Lepanto in 1571.

1798 - in exile

Two hundred years later, in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the island during his Egyptian campaign. The Knights, because of the Rule of the Order that prohibited them to raise weapons against other Christians, were forced to leave Malta. In 1800 the British occupied Malta, but although the sovereign rights of the Order in the island of Malta had been recognized with the Treaty of Amiens (1802), the Order was never allowed to return to Malta.

1834 - Rome

After having temporarily resided in Messina, Catania and Ferrara, in 1834 the Order settled in Rome, where it owned the Palace of Malta in Via Condotti 68 and the Villa on the Aventine, both of which have extraterritoriality status.

The 20th and 21th Century

From then, the original hospitaller mission became the main activity of the Order, and grew stronger throughout the last century, especially because of the contribution of the activities carried out by the Grandpriories and National Associations in the various countries of the world.
Large-scale hospitaller and charitable activities were carried out during World Wars I and II under Grand Master Fra' Ludovico Chigi della Rovere Albani and further intensified under Grand Master Fra' Angelo de Mojana di Cologna (1962-1988), whom the current Prince and Grand Master Fra' Andrew Bertie has succeeded.
To discover more about the current activities of the Order, please visit the Activities of the Order section.

Orders of St. John

Apart from the Order of Malta, there are only four other Orders of St. John in the world recognized by the Holy See as orders of knighthood. These are distinguished from other national Orders by their Christian faith and their traditions of lay Christian orders.
The four Orders of St. John of Jerusalem are associated with the Order of Malta in the Alliance of the Orders of St. John and share the same historical tradition and the same mission: giving assistance to the sick and the poor. They are recognized by the sovereign authorities of the countries they are based in.

The following is a brief description of the four Orders of St. John recognized by the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Bailiwick of Brandenburg of St. John and Jerusalem

The Order of St. John had settled in Germany during the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 16th century, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order became protestant, under the protection of the Margraves of Brandenburg, who were to become kings of Prussia. The Bailiwick still carried on friendly relations with the Sovereign Order of Malta. In 1811 it was suppressed by the king of Prussia who later founded the Royal Prussian Order of St. John as an Order of merit. In 1852 the order regained the name of Bailiwick of Brandenburg and became a noble Order of Prussia.
In 1918, after the fall of the monarchy, it was separated from the State and became independent. It is present in Austria, Canada and the United States and also works in Germany with hospitals and senior nursing homes. It collaborates with the Sovereign Order of Malta in providing an important ambulance service. It has independent affiliations in Finland, France, Hungary and Switzerland.

Order of St. John of the Netherlands

The Order of St. John started to spread across the Netherlands in the 12th century. As the Prussian king suppressed the Bailiwick of Brandenburg in 1811, a number of Dutch members got together to found it again in 1852. In 1909 an affiliation was created in the Kingdom of Holland. In 1946 the entity separated from the German Order and was annexed to the Dutch Crown, but not as a State Order.
This Order presently runs hospitals and hospices and collaborates with the Sovereign Order of Malta in various charitable activities.

Order of St. John of Sweden

The Order of St. John settled in Scandinavia in the 12th century and became protestant in 1530. The new Order of Sweden belonged initially to the Bailiwick of Brandenburg and was re-organized in 1920 as dependent on the German Order but under the protection of the Swedish Crown. It became independent from the German Order in 1946, with the protection of the king of Sweden. Today this Order provides care to the elderly and the sick and collaborates with Swedish hospitals, with charitable organizations and with Christian communities. It is also involved in international activities in favour of refugees and political prisoners.

Venerable Order of St. John

The Order of St. John settled in the British Isles in the 12th century and, except for a short period during the reign of Queen Mary, it ceased to exist under Henry VIII. The Venerable Order developed after an unsuccessful attempt to restore the Order of St. John in the United Kingdom in 1830. It was only in 1870 that it was established as a humanitarian foundation. In 1888 the Order was recognized by Queen Victoria not as a State Order but as an Order of the Crown. It is very well known today for its ambulance services, active in many countries, for the ophthalmic hospital in Jerusalem and its first-aid and nursing services. The Venerable Order has priories and associations in some 40 countries, mostly English-speaking. Among all the Orders of St. John, this is the only one that provides for no restrictions in the admission procedure.

Self-Styled Orders

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta wishes to point out the proliferation all over the world of bodies and associations which, using symbols and names not unlike those of the Order, are trying to represent themselves as legitimate and recognized orders of Saint John. Besides creating misunderstanding and confusion, they hurt the good will the Order has established over many years.

These organizations have no connection whatsoever with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta whose headquarters is located in Rome, at Via Condotti 68, and which maintains formal diplomatic relations with over 90 States and International Organizations. It is also recognized by the United Nations, and by the Holy See.

Caution is strongly recommended when considering proposals or appeals from organizations claiming to be the "Order of Malta" or the Order of Saint John.
Please have their authenticity confirmed by one of our Grand Priory, National Associations or Diplomatic Missions. For a complete list of the Order's entities, please visit the "Around the World" section on the Orders' Official Site at www.orderofmalta.org.