I became interested in the history of the Order of the Hospitallers when I was going to rest on the island of Rhodes. These knights were based on the island for several centuries and were known as the Knights of Rhodes. But now the Order of Hospitallers is better known as the Order of Malta.
Initially, he united the monks, who at the same time were also warriors - knights. This order of chivalry, which is considered the oldest, was founded during the first crusade in 1113. In that year, Pope Paschal II issued a papal bull.
The symbol of the members of the order is a white eight-pointed cross.
Interior decoration of the Maltese Chapel (St. Petersburg)
Initially, the task of the Order of the Hospitallers was to receive pilgrims on the holy land. The order provided pilgrims with accommodation and medical care. The Latin word "hospital" is translated as "guest". In 1107, King Baldwin I of Jerusalem gave the Order of Ionites (as the order was also called) land in Jerusalem.
At first, the Order of the Hospitallers did not engage in military operations, but over time, the monks began to guard the pilgrims. To do this, they built fortified points and hospitals throughout Europe.
However, Christians in the Middle East did not rule for long. In 1187 Saladin invades the Kingdom of Jerusalem and captures Jerusalem. When Jerusalem fell, the Hospitallers moved their residence to Acre.
The knights of the Order of the Hospitallers left Acre in 1291, first they moved to the island of Cyprus, then in 1307 to which they conquered from Byzantium.
On Rhodes, the order of chivalry reached its peak. Here, in the palace of the Grand Master, the leadership of the Order of the Hospitallers was located: the Master, the Prior and the administration of the Order.
The administration of the Order of Saint John consisted of eight bailiffs: Chief Commander (managed the common property), Marshal (chief of the military staff), Chief Hospitaller (managed hospitals), Drapier (responsible for supplying the armed forces), Chief Admiral (managed the fleet), Turcopolier (managed mercenaries), the Chief Chancellor (managed the office), the Chief Bailiff (responsible in Rhodes for protecting the protection of the castle of St. Peter). Each of the leaders managed branches in Europe.
All members of the Order were divided into three main classes: knights, priests and combat sergeants. Later, a fourth class appeared - sisters.
Knights, depending on their origin, were divided into: full-fledged knights, obedient, devoted and privileged. Of course, in order to occupy a high position in the order, it was necessary to come from a good family, but with talent and perseverance, a knight could make a career.
Street of the Knights of Rhodes After the Order of the Hospitallers left the Holy Land and settled in Rhodes, it became not just a military, but a naval order. It was thanks to the presence of the fleet that the order of St. John survived all the others. The Hospitallers raided Muslim ports and ships, seized rich booty, among which were hostages. Now it would be called piracy.
In 1480, the Turks made an attempt to capture Rhodes, then the knights fought back. However, in 1522 the Ottoman Empire captured the island.
The terms of surrender were very lenient. The Sultan promised that the Catholic faith would be preserved on the island, the churches would not be desecrated, and the Order would be able to leave the island with all their ships, relics, weapons and riches.
The knights, left homeless, began to wander, and the Grand Master negotiated with European monarchs about the place of deployment.
In the end, the Order agreed to the island of Malta, which was granted to them by King Charles V of Sicily on March 24, 1530.
The conditions of ownership were an annual tribute in the form of 1 falcon (paid accurately until 1798), not using the harbor of Malta by ships of the Order in conflict with Sicily and recognition of vassalage from the king of Spain. Although in fact it was assumed that the order fleet would fight Algerian pirates.
picture from the site: http://ru-malta.livejournal.com/193546.html The Hospitallers were also involved in the "ebony" trade, that is, they exported slaves from Africa to America.
Gradually, the Order of Malta became increasingly dependent on the emperor and the Pope. In 1628, the Pope decrees that between the death of one Grand Master and the election of another, the Order is administered directly by the Pope. This made it possible for the Vatican to radically influence the election of a new grandmaster.
Through its representatives, the Vatican gradually took away the property of the Order. The Order is in decline.
When, in the XVII-XVIII centuries, the Mediterranean states created their own navies, the Maltese was no longer needed. In the end, Malta was conquered by Napoleon and the order lost its sovereignty.
By the end of the eighteenth century, the Russian fleet had become the main threat to the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. This led to the rapprochement of the Order of Malta with the Russian Tsar. In 1797, Paul I organized a new main priory on the territory of the Russian Empire and prepared a campaign of ships in defense of the Order of Malta.
However, after his murder in the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle on the night of March 13, 1801, the Order of Malta leaves Russia.
On February 9, 1803, the Pope appoints Giovanni Battista Tommasi as Grandmaster of the Order, who temporarily located the residence of the Order, first in Catania (Catania), then in Messina (Messina) on the island of Sicily.
At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, by the Paris Agreement of the victorious powers on March 30, 1814, Malta was finally recognized as a possession of the British crown.
After his death in 1805, the Thomassy Order ekes out a miserable existence. No more than thirty people with the title of knight and a small number of attendants live in the Residence of the Order. After leaving Malta, the Order no longer has any military force and never will have it again. The head of the order is approved by the Pope and bears the title of Lieutenant of the Master. The Order does not even have the opportunity to invite members of the Order living in the priories to the elections. Actually, the Order exists only nominally.
In 1831, the residence of the Order moved to Rome to the building of the Grand Priory of the Order in Rome, Palazzo Malta (Palazzo Malta) on Hill Street (Aventine Hill), and then to the building of the former residence of the Ambassador of the Order to the Papal Throne, Palazzo Malta on Via Condotti (Palazzo Malta on the via Condotti) near Piazza di Spagna (Piazza di Spagna).
In 1910, the Order organizes a field hospital that will save many lives during the Italo-Libyan war of 1912. Order hospital ship "Regina Margarita" will take out more than 12 thousand wounded from the combat area.
During the First World War in Germany, Austria, France, a whole network of field hospitals of the Order operated.
In the post-war period, the Order continued to be engaged and is still engaged only in humanitarian and medical activities, mainly in countries professing Catholicism.
Today, the Order has about 10,000 members and is second in number among Catholic organizations after the Order of the Jesuits (a purely monastic religious non-military organization).
At present, the Order has 6 Grand Priories (Rome, Venice, Sicily, Austria, Czech Republic, England) and 54 national commanders, one of which is also in Russia.
History of the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Hospital in Jerusalem.
From the beginning of the 4th century, Palestine and Jerusalem became a place of pilgrimage. Streams of pious Christians from all over Europe rushed to the Holy Land to bow to the holy places - the places where, according to the Gospel, Jesus Christ spent his last days.
For some, such a journey was the result of his pious spiritual impulse, for someone an act of repentance, cleansing from sins. In any case, the road was long and difficult: in addition to sailing from European ports to Palestinian ones, it was necessary to move by wagon or on foot, often under the scorching sun, along winding rocky roads, sometimes without any opportunity to replenish their water and food supplies. The distance and difficulty of the journey led to the fact that many pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem seriously ill. Small hospitable houses and monasteries took care of them.
In the middle of the VI century. Pope Gregory the Great sent Abbot Probus to the Holy Land with the aim of restoring old and building new hospices for pilgrims, whose flow to Jerusalem increased significantly.
The pilgrimage did not stop during the period of the Arab conquest of the Middle East. The Arabs at first tolerated the religious manifestations of pilgrims from Europe, which cannot be said about the Seljuk Turks.
In the second half of the XI century. (according to some sources in 1070) a merchant named Mauro, originally from the Italian city-republic of Amalfi, who traded with Asia Minor port cities, received from the Egyptian caliph Bomensor, ruler of Palestine, not far from the Holy Sepulcher - a temple that was built on the site where Jesus Christ was martyred on the cross - permission to open a hospital in Jerusalem (Latin gospitalis - guest) - a hospice for pilgrims traveling to the Holy places. Initially, during its early formation, the hospice was dedicated to the Patriarch of Alexandria, St. John Eleimon, who lived in the 7th century. Pilgrims from Europe called this hospital "Hospital of St. John the Merciful". Later, the patron saint of John became St. John of Jerusalem (Baptist). From here came the name of the brotherhood, caring for the poor and sick pilgrims and showing mercy and compassion to those in need - Johnites or Hospitallers.
Brotherhood of the Hospital of St. John. Fra Gerard.
After some time (according to indirect estimates - until 1080), together with the Benedictine monks, a small brotherhood was created in the newly created hospitable house, which helped the needy poloniki who came from Europe to bow to the Holy Sepulcher, and the hospital itself turned into a small monastery with hospitals, a church St. Mary of the Latin and the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. And all this - at a distance of only "the flight of a stone from the tomb of the Lord."
Fra Gerard (Gerard) de Thorn was elected the first rector of the hospice. Under his leadership, a church was built in the name of St. John the Baptist and a new large hospital, consisting of two separate buildings: for men and for women. The Benedictine monks served in the church of St. John. The day of the birth of John the Baptist among the members of the new brotherhood becomes a particularly revered holiday.
The first monk brothers began to be called the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. The example of Gerard and his comrades inspired many of his contemporaries, who gladly took upon themselves the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and took an oath of the "poor brothers of the hospital of St. John": "To serve as slaves and servants of their masters and masters, which are all the weak and sick ".
The influence of the crusades on the brotherhood of St. John.
In October 1096, in the small French town of Clermont, the Pope of Rome appealed to all believing Christians in Europe to go on a campaign against the Saracens in order to free the Holy Sepulcher from the hands of the infidels. When the crusades began, the importance of the brotherhood of the hospital of St. John could not be overestimated. The sick, the wounded arrived in huge numbers, many needed treatment, care, and often a Christian burial.
Creation of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
After the first crusade, the brotherhood naturally needed the protection and patronage of the Christian rulers who conquered Jerusalem from the Saracen enemies. When visiting the Joannite hospice, the first Jerusalem king (also Duke of Lower Lorraine) Godfried of Bouillon donated the village of Salsola, located near Jerusalem, to maintain the hospital. Four crusader priests from the retinue of the king - Raymond de Puy, Dudon de Comps, Conon de Montagu, Gastus - voluntarily remained with Gerard de Thorn, having taken the monastic vows of the Benedictines. In 1099, after the first crusade and the founding of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the pilgrims needed not only treatment and care, but also protection, and therefore the brotherhood of the Johnites was transformed into an Order, the first head of which was Gerard de Thorne. At the same time, black long clothes with an eight-pointed white cross sewn on it, symbolizing the eight beatitudes of Christ, came into use for members of the Order. At first, members of the Order cared for the sick and wounded, and from the first half of the 12th century they began to participate in the war with the Saracens and guard pilgrims who arrived in Palestine in two ways - by land through Asia Minor and Byzantium or along the Mediterranean Sea. The brotherhood began to accept knights as members, obliging them to protect pilgrims along the way. The researcher of medieval monasticism L.P. Karsavin noted: “The ascetic ideal influenced not only the spiritual layers. It also influenced the laity, and from its merger with the ideal of chivalry, a peculiar form was obtained - knightly orders. Not being ascetic yet, and not yet merging with the monastic, the knightly ideal was already the Christian ideal.The knights were, according to ideologists, the defenders of the weak and unarmed, widows and orphans, the defenders of Christianity against infidels and heretics.The mission of protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land, helping those of them who, sick or poor , (1119) it was needed, the protection of the Holy Sepulcher from the infidels stemmed from the ideal of Christian chivalry. Thanks to the dominance of the ascetic worldview, it was combined with the taking of monastic vows, and so the knightly orders arose. "
Almost at the same time, in 1118, the order of the Templars or Templars was founded by nine knights, led by Hugh de Payen (vassal of the Count of Champagne), and later (1198) the Teutonic knightly order was also created.
The first orders of chivalry - the three most famous orders of the Holy Land and the three Spanish orders - arose as the purest embodiment of the medieval spirit in the combination of monastic and knightly ideals, at a time when the battle with Islam was becoming a reality.
The spirit of the Crusades was chiefly military and religious, which is why it gave birth to monastic chivalry, which is the best expression of the mood and interests of an era when Christianity was forced to repulse the armed propaganda of Islam by force of arms.
Almost at the same time, some monks began to gird themselves with a sword around their cassock and some knights put on a monastic cassock over chain mail. In 1104, King Baldwin I of Jerusalem, heir and brother of Godfried of Bouillon, once again recognized and confirmed the privileges of the Brotherhood of Hospitallers as a military-spiritual Order. And in 1107, he allocated a piece of land to the Order (since that time, the Knights Hospitaller began to acquire land in other European countries). In 1113 Pope Paschal II, with his Bull, approved the brotherhood of the Hospital of St. John, took them under his protection and ensured the right to freely choose their superiors, without the interference of any secular or ecclesiastical authorities. The Pope also gave the right to address questions concerning the Order directly to him. Thus, since 1070. a small brotherhood caring for the sick and wounded pilgrims who came from Europe to bow to the Holy Sepulcher, by 1113 a real spiritual and knightly Order had already formed.
Grand Master Raymond de Puy.
In 1120, the first rector of the Jerusalem hospital, Gerard de Thorne, died and the hero of the assault on Jerusalem, Raymond de Puy, from the noble family of Dauphine, was elected in his place. Since that time, the head of the Order began to be called the Grand Master.
Preserving the famous hospital, the Johnites considered the military protection of pilgrims on the roads of the Holy Land leading to Jerusalem to be no less important task for themselves.
For this purpose, the members of the Order were divided into three classes: knights, who had to be of noble birth and perform both military and siding duties; chaplains (priest brothers), who were responsible for the religious activities of the Order, and squires (employees who were supposed to serve the representatives of the first two groups).
To fulfill the tasks of the order, the Grand Master Raymond de Puy compiled the first Charter of the Order - the Rules of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1120, Pope Calistus II, the Pope, approved this Charter.
As already mentioned, the members of the Order were divided into 3 groups: knights, chaplains and squires. Only a hereditary nobleman could become a knight. The inclusion of novice sisters in the Order was also encouraged. All members of the Brotherhood of Hospitallers were required to faithfully serve religious and spiritual ideals. They did not accept into the order those people whose parents were engaged in trade or banking.
During the ceremony of acceptance into the Order, new members took an oath of allegiance to the Grand Master, vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.
On the banner of the Order, approved in 1130 by Pope Innocent II, a white eight-pointed cross was embroidered on a black background. On the Order Seal, a lying patient was depicted with a cross at the head and with a candle at his feet. The black cloth clothing of the Joannites was made following the example of the clothing of John the Baptist, made of camel hair, the narrow sleeves of which symbolized the renunciation of secular life, and the linen white eight-pointed cross on the chest symbolized their chastity. The four directions of the cross spoke of the main Christian virtues - prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, and the eight ends meant the eight beatitudes that were promised by Christ to all the righteous in paradise in the Sermon on the Mount *.
Having turned into a powerful military alliance, the Order began to be called: "Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem." As the glory and merit of the Order grew, more and more aristocrats and knights from all over Europe joined it. During the 30 years of the leadership of the Order by Grand Master Raymond de Puy, the tasks of this brotherhood have far outgrown the local scale of activity. The selfless and bloody armed defense of the Holy Land from the Saracens, who for several centuries have been trying to expand their borders and enter the European Mediterranean. We also note the independence of the Order, from the very beginning separated from all other states, based on papal institutions, as well as the generally recognized right to have an army and conduct military operations. The popes of Rome constantly gave privileges to the Johnites, excluding them from the subordination of local secular and spiritual authorities and giving them the right to collect church tithes in their favor. The priests of the Order reported only to the Chapter and the Grand Master. In 1143, Pope Innocent II issued a special bull, according to which the Order of St. John did not submit to either spiritual or secular authorities - only directly to the pope himself. In 1153 Pope Anastasius IV, with the bull "Christianae Fidei Religio", divided the members of the Order into knights, dressed in red semi-monastic, semi-military clothes with a black cape, and squires. The hierarchy of the Order of St. John - knights, priests and hospital brothers - was approved by the Pope later, in 1259. Further privileges were granted to the Order by Pope Adrian IV, Alexander III, Innocent III, and Pope Clement IV awarded the head of the Order the title: "Grand Master of the Holy Hospital Jerusalem and Rector of the Host of Christ.
Fortress of the Hospitallers.
Pilgrims from Europe were provided with protection, treatment, housing and food in numerous hospitable houses and hospitals. The second main task of the Knights of St. John - the fight against the infidels - also assumed the participation of the Order in all military campaigns and the defense of the crusader states formed in the East. The castles of the Joannites in Palestine and their unparalleled defense have become legendary.
In 1136 Count Raymond of Tripoli instructed the Knights of St. John to defend the fortress of Beth Jibelin, which covered the approaches to the port city of Ascalon in southern Palestine. The knights successfully passed the test and the count handed over several more of his fortresses to the ioannites.
Within a few years, the Order of St. John had about half a thousand members who successfully defended more than fifty fortresses in the Levant alone. In many seaside cities of the East, Byzantium and Western Europe, the St. John opened hospice-hospitals. Johnite fortresses were located on almost all the roads of pilgrims - in Acre, Saida, Tortosa, Antioch - from Edessa to Sinai. The main fortresses of the Order of St. John in the north of Palestine were Krak des Chevaliers and Margat, in the south - the castles of Belvoir and Bet Jibelin.
The ioannites built their fortresses on elevated places, and they dominated the entire surrounding area, allowing them to control the entire territory within a radius of several kilometers. The Arab author, describing the Belver fortress, compared it with an eagle's nest. In fortresses and castles, Johnites, as a rule, always built a second line of fortifications.
The fortress of Krak des Chevaliers, located on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains, was handed over to the Johnites by Count Raymond of Tripoli in 1144 and had powerful double walls built by knights with high towers and a moat punched into the rocks. Inside the fortress (with a total area of about three hectares) there were residential buildings: barracks, the chamber of the Grand Master, grain granaries, a mill, a bakery, an oil mill, and stables. An aqueduct was laid in the fortress, through which drinking water was constantly supplied, sufficient for a 2,000-strong garrison. But no matter how reliable the defense of the fortress and the courage of the Johnites were, the enemy forces were so significant that sometimes their numbers exceeded the number of the Johnites by dozens of times. But not one of the fortresses was surrendered without a fight! Beth Djibelin Castle fell in 1187, Bellver Castle in 1189 after the siege by the troops of Salah ad-Din (which, by the way, not long before (10/2/1187) captured already Christian Jerusalem captured by the crusaders (1099). Krak des Chevaliers from 1110 to 1271 withstood twelve sieges, and only in 1271 was taken by the troops of the Mameluk Sultan of Egypt, Baibars.
The fortress of Margat was handed over to the Hospitallers by Count Raymond III of Tripoli in 1186. This fortress was located south of Antioch, 35 kilometers from the sea, and was built of rocky basalt with double walls and large towers. Inside was a large underground reservoir. The reserves of the fortress allowed the thousandth garrison to withstand a five-year siege. For a long time, the fortress of Margat was one of the main residences of the Order. The Margat Charters adopted in it are known (in which for the first time the knights began to be divided according to nationality into "Languages" or "Nations"). Margat fell after a fierce siege by the Mamelukes of Baybars' successor, Kelauna, in 1285.
Crusades II to VIII.
Already in 1124, with the help of the Knights of Johannism, the Arab siege was lifted from the main port of the Kingdom of Jerusalem - Jaffa, and Tire, one of the richest cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, was taken.
In 1137, the troops of the Byzantine emperor John Komnenos briefly captured Antioch, and in December 1144, the troops of the Seljuk emir Imad ad-din defeated the Principality of Edessa - after the appeal of the ambassadors of Christian states in the East to the Pope, Eugene III, in the summer of 1147 began II Crusade, in which the Johnites also took part. The seventy-thousand-strong army of crusaders led by the French king Louis VII and the German king Conrad III Hohenstaufen returned home to Europe with nothing after the unsuccessful siege of Damascus - the II Crusade ended unsuccessfully.
In 1153, the Joannites participated in the capture of Ascalon, an important Egyptian city, in 1168, in the unsuccessful siege of Cairo. By the end of the 12th century, there were more than 600 knights in the Order of St. John.
In 1171 the power in Egypt was seized by the Egyptian vizier Yusuf Salah-ad-din, named Saladin in Europe, who for several years united Syria and Mesopotamia under his control. A fierce struggle between the Mamelukes and the Crusaders began. In 1185, the king of Jerusalem and Salah ad-Din signed a peace treaty for four years. But at the beginning of 1187, the owner of two fortresses - Kerak and Krak de Montreal - Baron Rene of Chatillon attacked the Salah ad-Din caravan, which was going from Cairo to Damascus. Among those captured was the sister of the ruler of Egypt. The Sultan demanded an explanation, but Rene replied that he had not signed the contract and was not complying with it. Salah ad-Din declared a holy war on the crusaders - Jihad.
The 60,000-strong Mameluke army led by Salah ad-Din invaded the land of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and on July 1, 1187 took Tiberias. On July 5, under the same Tiberias, located between Lake Tiberias and Nazareth, the crusaders were utterly defeated by the army of Salah ad-Din - the Jerusalem king Guy de Lusignan, the Grand Master of the Templars and many knights were captured. After the defeat of the crusader army near Hittin, more than 30 knights were executed, Rene of Chatillon Salah ad-Din cut off his head personally. The defeat of the Crusaders at Tiberias had disastrous consequences for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Kingdom has lost the most combat-ready part of its army, if not the entire army. At the same time, roads were opened to all castles, fortresses, cities, proud ports and Jerusalem itself! The existence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was threatened.
After Tiberias, the detachments of Salah ad-Din took the ports of Acre, Toron, Sidon, Beirut, Nazareth, Jaffa and Ascalon - the Jerusalem kingdom was cut off from Europe. In mid-September 1187, Salah ad-Din's army laid siege to Jerusalem. It was useless to defend Jerusalem, and on October 2, after several negotiations, the city surrendered: Jerusalem opened the gates. The inhabitants of Jerusalem could leave the city only by paying a ransom - 10 gold dinars for a man, 5 for a woman and 1 for a child; those who could not do this - became a slave. 3,000 poor people were released just like that.
The Crusaders still had Belfort, Tire, Tripoli, Krak des Chevaliers, Margat and Antioch.
In May 1189, the III Crusade began, led by the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the French king Philip II Augustus and the English king Richard the Lionheart. The Joannite knights also took part in the campaign. On the way, King Richard took the island of Cyprus, which had been set aside from Byzantium, and the former head of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Guido de Lusignan, became its king. On July 11, 1191, the Crusaders stormed Acre, where the main residence of the Order of St. John was located. The residences of the Joannites were also in Tire and Margat. Richard the Lionheart wanted to take Jerusalem, but he could not besiege the city - on September 2, 1192, a peace was concluded with Salah ad-Din, according to which Jerusalem remained with the Mamelukes, and only a narrow coastal strip from Tyre to Jaffa remained behind the crusaders. Plus, Richard had urgent business in his kingdom, in England, and he wanted to sail there as soon as possible. The capital of the Jerusalem kingship was moved to Acre.
The Ioannites also participated in the IV Crusade, which began in 1199. The troops under the leadership of the Italian margrave Boniface of Montferatt and Baldwin of Flanders on the Venetian courts Enrico Dandolo instead of the warriors with Egypt at the request of the pretender to the imperial throne, the Byzantine prince Alexios Angel, son of Emperor Isaac Angel, had just overthrown from the throne by his brother, were tempted by huge money, which Alexei promised to pay them if, with their help, his father would again reign on the throne, and approached Constantinople. Isaac was put back on the throne, but he did not have enough money to pay the debt. Protracted negotiations began, in which Isaac asked to defer the payment of the debt. The Crusaders did not want to wait: the Holy Land was waiting for them. Meanwhile, a prince from the Douk family appeared in Constantinople, who began to preach the hatred of the Greeks for the crusaders, and on top of all this, he also made a sortie against the crusaders, which decided the fate of the empire. The people unanimously supported this prince (his name was Murzufl) and he was proclaimed emperor in the Cathedral of St. Sophia. In addition, he imprisoned the heir to the throne, Alexei Angel, and killed him there. He also wanted to get rid of the leaders of the crusaders: to lure them into a trap by inviting them to a "feast", but he did not succeed. The next day, the Byzantine army itself took hostile action against the Crusaders, attempting to set fire to their ships. The war has begun. Constantinople was besieged from almost all sides. After a short siege, the Crusaders stormed Constantinople on their second attempt. Murzufl fled. The huge wealth of Constantinople at that time was plundered! According to rough estimates, their value was then estimated at 1,100,000 silver marks. The inhabitants of the city were spared. On May 9, Count Baldwin IX of Flanders was chosen emperor of the new Latin Empire. The Crusaders seized and divided among themselves the lands of Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Attica, Boeotia, the Peloponnese and the islands of the Aegean Sea. At the same time, with the participation of the Ioannites, the Principality of Morea was formed on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.
The Order gradually became a major landowner. First, he received possessions both in Palestine (in the conquered lands) and in Europe as a reward for military exploits and services rendered to the monks. Secondly, the knights of honor (or “knights of justice”), who took all the vows (including the vow of poverty), donated their property and real estate to the order. Thirdly, the Order inherited the lands of its dead knights (in the Rules of Raymond de Puy, it was prescribed for a knight setting off to "make a spiritual testament or other order", and very often the knights declared the Order their heir). Each separate domain of the Order was called a commandery, and, as usual, in each such domain (both in Palestine and in Europe), the Order arranged a hospital in honor of St. John of Jerusalem. During the Crusades, there were several states of the Joannites (the state of the Johannites in Akkona with its capital in Acre was the last crusader state in Palestine after the fall of Jerusalem).
During the Fifth Crusade of 1217 and 21. the ioannites participated in the unsuccessful siege of the fortress of Tavor (77 towers), and during the campaign against Mamluk Egypt, they took part in a long siege and capture of the fortress of Damista (Damietta). In 1230, the Johnites made contacts with the Assassins, a secret Muslim organization-state formed at the end of the 11th century in Iran and which had fortresses and castles in Syria and Lebanon.
In August 1244, Jerusalem was taken by the troops of the Egyptian Sultan as-Salih. On October 17, 1244, the united army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was defeated at Harbshah by the troops of the Egyptian Sultan Baibars (Bibars). Of the 7,000 knights, only 33 Templars, 3 Teutons and 27 Joannites survived; about 800 knights were taken prisoner. In 1247, the Egyptians also captured part of Galilee and the city of Ascalon, which was defended by the knights of Johannism.
In 1265, Sultan Baibars (Bibars) took Caesarea and Arsuf, in 1268 - Jaffa, and, worst of all, Antioch, one of the most powerful fortresses in the Middle East, a fortress that the crusaders besieged for 7 months and lost under it half of their armies! Here is how the annals describe the misfortune of Antioch, which Bibars took: “Since the count of Tripoli, the ruler of Antioch, fled from it, the sultan notified him in writing of his victory. “Death,” he wrote, “came from all sides and along all paths; we killed all those whom you chose to guard Antioch; if you saw your knights trampled under the feet of horses, the wives of your subjects sold by auction, overturned crosses and church pulpits, sheets of the Gospel scattered and scattered in the wind, your palaces in flames, the dead burning in the fire of this world, then, you would probably exclaim: “Oh my God! Let me turn to dust! ”Baybars also took the powerful fortress of the Teutonic Order of Montfort. In 1271, the fortress of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, which belonged to the Hospitallers, was taken.
In 1270, the last Crusade took place - the eighth. On July 17, Crusader troops led by Louis IX of France landed in Tunis, where the king died of a fever. The campaign ended in vain, peace was signed - the crusaders could not turn the tide in their favor. In 1285, the troops of Sultan Baibars took Margat, in 1287 - Latakia, in April 1289 - Tripoli.
In 1291, despite all the valor and heroism of the Knights of the Red Cross (Templars) and the Knights of the White Cross (Hospitallers), who fought side by side, there were 7 Muslims for 1 Christian, the battles continued every day and Acre (Ptolemais) was lost in the face of overwhelming numerical superiority of Muslim troops, holding out for about two weeks. The fall of Acre was of great political and military significance - it meant the destruction of the last stronghold of Christians, and their expulsion from the Holy Land. With the fall of Acre, the Kingdom of Jerusalem ceased to exist. With the fall of Acre, the history of the Crusades also ends.
Departure from the Holy Land. Cyprus.
At the end of the XIII century. Johnites moved to Cyprus, captured back in 1191. detachments of the English king Richard the Lionheart and sold to the Templars, who then ceded the island to the King of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Guy de Lusignan (this dynasty held the island until 1489), through the efforts of the Grand Master of the Hospitallers Jean de Villiers, the Hospitallers in Cyprus already had castles in Nicosia, Kolossi and other places. The withdrawal to Cyprus was quite combative: “Grand Master Jean de Villiers and his knights cut their way to the order galley, while from the deck the archers covering their valiant withdrawal rained down hails of arrows on the enemy, who sought to destroy the last of the surviving heroes of the Great Christian Armies Defeated and wounded, but not subjugated or broken, the knights landed in Cyprus, where King Guy de Lusignan greeted them friendly.The Order became a vassal of the King of Cyprus and received from him the fief of Limassol (Limisso) as a fief (feud).
Exiled from Jerusalem, the Order of St. Samson merged with the Order of the Hospitallers, and this union became known as the "Knights of Cyprus". In 1291 King of Cyprus Anri II Lusignan presented the knights with the city of Limisso, (which was approved by Pope Clement V), where then for eighteen years the residence of the Order was.
A General Chapter was held at Limiss, so that since the founding of the Order there had not been such a crowded meeting. Some of the cavaliers advised the Grand Master to move to Italy, but he and the other senior cavaliers, having the object of ever returning the Promised Land, rejected the proposal of the former, and decided to stay in Limiss for a while. Here the Grand Master founded a hotel for the poor and strangers, ordered the cavaliers to arm the ships on which they arrived in Cyprus, and use them to protect the pilgrims, who, even after the final loss of Christians
Jerusalem, they did not stop visiting the Holy places. Soon after this, the knights went to sea, where, gathering strangers, they escorted them to their fatherland and fought for them with the corsairs, they received great booty, which increased the weapons of the Order so that in a short time many ships left the harbor, and the flag of the Order of St. John on all the seas was in great respect. Due to the inconstancy of the king of Cyprus, he continued to have incessant disagreements with the gentlemen, which is why the Grand Master decided to change his place. He turned his gaze to the island, which was then owned by Leon Gallus, who had fallen away from the Greek emperor. Gallus, having gathered the Turks and the Saracens, armed himself and resisted the cavaliers in the complete conquest of the island for more than two years. The islands of Nissaro, Episcopia, Colchis, Simia, Tilo, Leros, Kalalu and Kos also swore allegiance to the Grand Master.
In accordance with medieval fief law, the Order, although it retained a certain freedom in solving its own affairs, was forced to be in a certain dependence on its lord, which was expressed, in particular, in paying tribute and performing military service. But the Grand Master Guillaume de Villaret did not have a relationship with the lord de Lusignan, and the proud knight began to look for another place for himself.
Relocation to Rhodes.
Twenty years in Cyprus allowed the Order to recuperate. The treasury was filled with numerous receipts from Europe, as well as booty from naval victories over corsairs and Turks. The influx of new knights from Europe increased. The Order regained its former power. While the Knights Templar and Teutonic Orders, after the loss of the Holy Land, moved to the home countries of their knights and, despite their importance, eventually found themselves dependent on their lords, the Knights of the Order of St. John did not want to have a lord and decided to conquer the island of Rhodes . In 1307-1309, the Hospitallers conquered the island of Rhodes and subsequently founded a powerful fortress and hospital there. And in 1310. The headquarters of the Order was officially transferred to Rhodes. The first concern of the knights was the strengthening of the old Byzantine fortifications of the island and the construction of a hospital.
The renewal of the defensive fortifications was by no means an empty precaution. Already two years after the knights settled in Rhodes, the Turks made an attempt to take possession of the island of Amorgos, which lay a hundred miles northwest of Rhodes. Grand Master Fulk de Villaret threw all available forces of the Order to defeat the Turks. In a naval battle off the coast of Amorgos, the Turks lost their entire fleet.
Military operations against the Turks, which were conducted almost continuously until the last quarter of the 15th century, gave birth to their heroes. One of them was Dieudonné de Gauzon, who was elected Grand Master in 1346. Under the leadership of de Gozon, the knights won an impressive victory over the Turkish fleet off the coast of Smyrna. This city remained their outpost in Asia Minor until it fell under the blows of Timur's armies in 1402.
The second half of the 14th century was marked by the last attempts of Europe to take revenge for the defeat of the Crusaders. In 1365, Pope Urban V called for a new crusade against the infidels. The preparations for it were led by the King of Cyprus, Peter I. In the summer of 1365, an armada of sailboats, galleys and transport ships gathered off the coast of Cyprus, carrying knights and warriors from different European countries. There were also galleys of the Order of St. John. The Turks had no doubt that the main blow would be inflicted on Syria. However, the ships of the crusaders headed towards Alexandria, which remained one of the most beautiful and richest cities in North Africa. The city was taken by storm, plundered, put to fire and sword. Crusaders with merciless barbarity exterminated the civilian population, making no distinction between Muslims, Christians and Jews. When the crusader ships loaded with rich booty returned to Cyprus, it became clear that any attempt to build on the first success was doomed to failure. Most of the crusader army deserted. However, the Arabs and Turks remembered for a long time the ruthless massacre carried out by the crusaders in Alexandria. After 60 years, they captured and devastated Cyprus. With the fall of Cyprus, the last Latin kingdom disappeared from the map of the eastern Mediterranean. The Order of St. John was left face to face with the growing power of the Ottoman Turks.
Two years after the sack of Alexandria, the Hospitallers undertook a successful sea expedition to the coast of Syria. The landing force, landed from the order galleys, returned with rich booty. Since then, sea raids on the cities of the Levant, Egypt and Asia Minor began to be made regularly. The knights realized that the best way to deal with an enemy outnumbered was a surprise attack.
At the end of the 14th century, the Order of St. John took part in the last attempt in medieval Europe to revive the spirit of the Crusades. An army of one hundred thousand, under the command of the eldest son of the Duke of Burgundy, set out on a campaign, intending to oust the Turks from the territories occupied by them beyond the Danube. The crusaders cherished the hope of repeating the success of the first crusade, passing through Anatolia to Jerusalem. Together with the Genoese and Venetians, the Hospitallers were to provide support from the sea. The Order's fleet under the command of Grand Master Philibert de Nayac entered the Black Sea through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus and anchored at the mouth of the Danube. However, he did not have to participate in hostilities. A huge, but poorly organized and extremely undisciplined army of the crusaders was utterly defeated by the light cavalry of the Turks near the city of Nicopolis. "The campaign against Nikopolis was the largest and last of the crusades. Its sad outcome repeated with depressing accuracy the history of the previous crusades, which was extremely unfavorable for Europe," wrote the famous English historian Stephen Runciman.
The capture of Baghdad by Timur's troops in 1392 complicated the situation in the Levant to the limit. In 1403, the Hospitallers, who never hesitated before entering into temporary alliances with their yesterday's enemies against a powerful new enemy, agree on joint actions with the Egyptian Mamluks. Under the terms of the agreement, the Order receives the right to open its offices in Damietta and Ramla and restore its old Hospital in Jerusalem. An agreement with the Mamluks brings the Order almost four decades of peaceful respite. Nevertheless, work on the construction of new fortifications on Rhodes continues, and galleys regularly go to sea from the port of Mandraccio.
By the middle of the 15th century, the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean had changed not in favor of the Hospitallers. The capture of Constantinople in 1453 by the victorious troops of Sultan Mehmet II sounded a signal of mortal danger for the Order. Mehmet II was a skilled commander, an educated man, knew several languages, and the conquest of Rhodes was only a matter of time for him. The Hospitallers are in mortal danger...
Mehmet II sent a 70,000-strong army to conquer the citadel of the Hospitallers. The Grand Master of the Order was then Pierre D "Aubusson. He could only oppose the relics of the Turkish army with 600 knights, including squires, and from 1.5 to 2 thousand hired foreign troops. The local population also fought on the side of the knights, who were given weapons. The number of slaves who also participated in hostilities was not taken into account in those days.
In mid-July, the huge numerical superiority of the Turks and the power of their artillery began to affect the course of the siege. The southern walls of the city, surrounding the so-called Jewish quarter, were practically destroyed. The defenders of Rhodes were on the verge of defeat. On July 27, when the bashi-bazouks, the vanguard of the Turkish army, went on the attack, it seemed that nothing could save the hospitalists. The few knights remaining in the ranks fought desperately in the openings of the dilapidated walls. D "Aubusson personally led the defenders in the most dangerous direction. In a fierce battle, he was wounded four times, but continued to fight until he fell, pierced by the Janissary's spear.
The unparalleled courage of the Hospitallers decided the outcome of the battle. The demoralized bashi-bazouks rolled back in panic, crushing the approaching reinforcements. An unimaginable dump began, in which the Turks lost at least 5 thousand people. Fearing a complete defeat, the commander-in-chief of the Turkish troops, Misak Pasha, was forced to give a signal to retreat. The next morning, the Turks boarded the ships that were waiting for them and departed home. On the way, Misak Pasha died of dysentery.
Grand Master d "Aubusson survived. Skillful surgeons of the Order Hospital managed to heal his wounds, including a through wound to the chest that hit his right lung.
As news of the Order's victory reached the royal houses of Europe, financial and military aid poured into Rhodes. Pierre d "Aubusson immediately launched extensive work to restore the destroyed fortifications of Rhodes. He understood that sooner or later the Order had to meet in a decisive battle with the Turks.
After the death of Mehmet II, he left 2 sons - Cem and Bayazid, each of whom claimed power. Bayezid won. Bayazid intended to make many campaigns in various directions against Europe, but due to his lazy and inactive nature, success in the war with Europe did not follow. "He was an insignificant man who neglected the worries of war for the pleasures of the Seraglio." - So Philippe de Comines wrote about him.
The real threat followed the accession of Selim, the son of Bayezid. Having shaken the power of the Mamluks, Selim took possession of Palestine, and the banner of the crescent moon was hoisted on the walls of Jerusalem. And Selim, following the example of Omar, defiled the shrine of the Holy Sepulcher with his presence. Selim, the conqueror of Persia, the ruler of Egypt, was preparing to direct all his forces against the Christians. When Europe found out that Jerusalem was in the power of the Turks, it seemed to her that the holy land for the first time fell under the yoke of the infidels and very little then remained to excite the spirit of the ancient crusades in Europe.
At the 5th Lateran Council, Pope Leo X began to preach a crusade against the Turks and sent legates to all European countries that could fight back. He also proclaimed a truce between all European states for 5 years, because. the situation in Europe at that time was unstable. And those sovereigns who would not observe the truce, the pope threatened to excommunicate. European monarchs did not resist such tough behavior of the pope and gave him consent. A crusade was preached throughout Europe, taxes and donations were intensively collected, spiritual processions were made. Finally, a war plan was drawn up. But all these preparations were in vain - the peace between the Christian monarchs was soon broken and everyone used those armies that were directed against the Turks for their own purposes. Finally, the rivalry between Charles V and Francis I carried the war to Europe and everyone stopped thinking about the crusade. The "crusade" of Leo X was aroused only by the militant fanaticism of the Turks against the Christians. Selim's successor, Suleiman, took possession of Belgrade and sent the Ottoman forces back to Rhodes.
In June 1522, the Turkish fleet, consisting of 700 ships, carrying a 200,000th army, headed for the shores of Rhodes. The Sultan personally led a huge army, which was supposed to put an end to the troublemakers of the Ottoman Empire. They alone could not withstand the siege and turned to the West for help. Help did not come. They had to oppose the enemy with their small army and courage. For 6 months they heroically held the island, besieged by hordes of Ottoman troops! The knights showed miracles of heroism, but the army of Suleiman the Magnificent was too numerous. In an effort to avoid the wholesale extermination of the knights, Grand Master Philippe Villiers de Lisle Adam decided to enter into negotiations with the Sultan, who offered the Hospitallers to make peace on honorable terms. On January 1, 1523, the Hospitallers left Rhodes forever. The Hospitallers held Rhodes for more than 200 years, repelling various onslaughts and actively fighting against pirates and Turks.
And when these remnants of the Christian chivalry were expelled from the island and sought refuge in Italy, tears flowed from the eyes of the pope and the bishops when the Hospitallers told them about their disasters endured in Rhodes. But this compassion of the pastors of the Christian church was not enough to deliver to the knights what they asked of the sovereigns of Europe, namely: a corner of the earth, some deserted island in the Mediterranean, where they could continue to fight the Turks.
Tripoli and Malta.
The path of the Hospitallers from Rhodes to the shores of Europe was long and difficult. Their fleet consisted of 50 ships of all shapes and sizes, including 17 transports leased from the Rhodians. There were about 5,000 people on board, including the sick and wounded. On the island of Candia, a solemn reception was given to the hospitallers. However, the knights behaved with restraint. They remembered that the Venetians, who owned the island, refused to help them during the siege of Rhodes. Two months passed for the repair of ships. Only in March 1523 did the Hospitallers continue their journey. Two months later they were in Messina. However, here too the knights failed. A plague raged along the coast of southern Italy. For six months, the Hospitallers, fleeing the epidemic, moved from Naples to Vitterbo, from Vitterbo to Villa Franche, until they finally settled in Nice, which at that time was in the possession of the Duke of Savoy.
European monarchs paid tribute to the courage shown by the Hospitallers in the defense of Rhodes. However, no one was in a hurry to come to the aid of the wandering knights. France and Spain, for example, were at war. The "most Christian" king of France, Francis I, who had been a prisoner in Madrid, was looking for ways of reconciliation with the Magnificent Porte. In this situation, the Hospitallers, bearers of the long-extinguished spirit of the Crusades, looked like a medieval anachronism.
It is difficult to say how the fate of the Order would have developed if not for the outstanding diplomatic talent of the Grand Master de Lisle Adam. The Viceroy of Sicily made it clear to the Grand Master that the Order could count on his patronage if it agreed to choose Tripoli, the new North African possession of the Spanish crown, as its seat. The Viceroy made it clear that the capture of Tripoli in Madrid was seen as the first step towards the conquest of Egypt.
The idea of going to North Africa was not met with enthusiasm by the Hospitallers. Tripoli, known for harsh living conditions, of course, could not be compared with Rhodes. However, in October 1523 another proposal was received. This time it came personally from Charles V. As compensation, the king offered the knights the islands of the Maltese archipelago. At the end of June 1524, eight knights, representing each of the languages included in the Order, visited Malta and Tripoli to familiarize themselves with the conditions there on the spot. The hospitals did not like the harsh rocky island at first sight, but the sight of Tripoli plunged them into even greater disappointment. Their report stated that Tripoli, with its weak fortifications, was unthinkable to be defended for a long time by the forces of the Order. The chapter of the order rejected the proposal of the Spanish king.
Sequel will be ready soon
note 1
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
approx. Information taken from various sources
The ancient chronicler of Tire noted that “the Latins changed the Greek name of St. John to John Lemonnier (“the Merciful”); the name of the Joannites allegedly came from him.
So the Johnites received a more powerful heavenly patron without changing their name.
Administration(Adminsitration) The Order consists of eight Bailiffs responsible for specific activities of the Order:- Chief Commander The Grand Commander, who, together with the Treasurer, administers the common property, oversees the Accounts committee, acts as the Master of the Artillery, and appoints some priests.
- Marshal(Marshal), later Grand Marshal, who acts as chief of the military staff and deals with all military matters.
- Hospitaller(Hospitaller) or Grand Hospitaller, who manages the operation of hospitals and hospitals.
- drapier(Drapier), since 1539 the Grand Conservator, who is responsible for the supply of the armed forces of the Order and is responsible for the maintenance of some formations.
- Admiral(Admiral), or Chief Admiral (Grand Admiral), a position that appeared when the Order left the Holy Land and who is in command of the galleys.
- Turkopolier(Turcopolier or Turcopilier), who commands the Turcopoles, i.e. hired soldiers from the local population in Palestine and Rhodes and Malta, and is responsible for the Coast Guard.
- Chief Chancellor(Grand Chancellor), who signs all orders of the government, puts official seals and supervises the implementation of all decrees and decrees.
- Chief Bailiff(Grand Bailiff) since 1428, responsible in Rhodes for protecting the defense of the Castle of Saint Peter and later the island of Gozo.
Each of the Lanjis controlled one of the eight highest leaders of the order:
- Provence(Provence) - Grand Commander,
- Avignon(Auvergne) - Marshal (Marshal),
- France- Hospitaller
- Italy- Admiral
- Aragon(Aragon) - Drapier (later Grand Conservator),
- England- Turcopilier,
- Germany- Grand Bailiff (a post invented to please the Germans),
- Castile(Castille)-Portugal - Grand Chancellor.
Greece, on the other hand, I have always associated only with the ruins of ancient ancient cities, with their unchanging acropolises and amphitheaters, baths and gymnasiums. However, when about two years ago I began to seriously study the history of the Knights of Malta, then, to my shame, I realized all the one-sidedness of my previous views on the historical heritage of Greece.
Thank you very much for the stories about the trips sent to the contest “The Story of My Journey” to my e-mail: [email protected].
Today Alexey Batuev will talk about Greece.
If in the recent past I was asked where most of the places associated with medieval romance are located, I would answer without a shadow of a doubt: “Of course, castles, knights, beautiful ladies, troubadours are, first of all, Western Europe.” Greece, on the other hand, I have always associated only with the ruins of ancient ancient cities, with their unchanging acropolises and amphitheaters, baths and gymnasiums. However, when about two years ago I began to seriously study the history of the Knights of Malta, then, to my shame, I realized all the one-sidedness of my previous views on the historical heritage of Greece.
The thing is that the knights of Malta, closer to us in time, were formerly knights of Rhodes and for two centuries owned the islands of the Dodecanese archipelago located in the Aegean Sea, as well as several fortresses on the Asia Minor coast, including Smyrna (now the Turkish city of Izmir) . Their capital was the city of Rhodes, the main city of the island of the same name. In this city, the knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who were therefore also called Johnites, built one of the largest and most powerful fortresses in Europe. This fortress stands in Rhodes to this day in almost unchanged form since the Middle Ages.
When I learned all this, I was seized by the "fixed idea" - by all means to go there. Fortunately, this year, for the first time, several tour operators provided direct flights from Perm to Rhodes, and at the end of September, my wife and I went to the “island of the sun”. So Rhodes is nicknamed because the god of the sun Helios was considered its patron in ancient times. Indeed, the island has more than 300 sunny days a year. Rhodes is very good because during your stay on it you can combine a beach holiday with sightseeing of numerous attractions. Holidays in Rhodes is a very broad topic, so I will try to highlight only one of its aspects - the chivalrous heritage.
Knights on Rhodes. A bit of history.
The military-spiritual knightly order of St. John of Jerusalem was reorganized from the former merchant brotherhood, which, even before the start of the Crusades, built a monastery and a hospital in Jerusalem for the treatment of pilgrims who traveled from Western Europe to the Holy Land - Palestine - to worship the Holy Sepulcher. Since initially the main goal of the brotherhood, and later the Order, was the construction of hospitals, members of the Order were called hospitallers. In addition to building hospitals, the Order was engaged in charitable activities and helping the poor. So, for example, at the hospitals of the Knights of St. John, three days a week, any poor person could receive free food. The Order could afford it, because. had significant financial resources. As a rule, each knight entering the Order transferred all his property to the Order. Considerable funds were donated by the head of the Catholic Church - the Pope and the rulers of European states.
After the start of the Crusades, the Knights Hospitaller began to perform the functions of an armed guard of pilgrims, and gradually their detachments began to play an increasing role in the wars of the crusaders with Muslims.
Knights Hospitaller of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
The steadfastness and military prowess of the Hospitallers has since become widely known throughout the Christian world. The fortresses they owned in Syria and Palestine were among the last to fall under the blows of the Muslims. At the end of the crusading era, the knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, among the last, were evacuated from Palestine with a fight and sailed to the island of Cyprus. For 18 years they were vassals of the ruler of the Kingdom of Cyprus, which was the last fragment of the crusader states in the Middle East.
In 1319, the Hospitallers captured the island of Rhodes, which had previously been owned by a Byzantine nobleman, who was mainly engaged in sea robbery. This year the Order left Cyprus, and the chivalric era began in Rhodes. The Hospitallers, they are also Johnites, who had previously gained fame in land battles, created a powerful navy, and became such seasoned sailors that over the next centuries, first in Rhodes and then in Malta, they did not know defeat at sea. On Rhodes and neighboring islands, they built numerous castles, the garrisons of which successfully repulsed enemy landings. The fortress of Rhodes, according to contemporaries, was the largest and most powerful fortress in Europe. The Knights of St. John brought a lot of trouble to the Turks and Egyptian Mameluks, raiding the coast of Asia Minor and Egypt, sinking or capturing the ships of Muslim states. Got from them and North African pirates. For two centuries, Rhodes was a sick thorn in the body of the Muslim East.
Hard times for the knights came after the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. In 1480, Rhodes successfully withstood a long Turkish siege. In 1522, the 100,000-strong army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent again laid siege to Rhodes, the fortress of which was defended by a garrison of only 7,000 people. After a six-month siege, the knights no longer had the strength and ability to defend the fortress. But the Turks, who learned about this from the betrayer of the Order of the Great Chancellor, in the conditions of the already come winter, having suffered huge losses during numerous assaults, did not have the strength to continue the siege. During the negotiations, an agreement was reached on the honorable surrender of the fortress. The Turks released everyone who wished to leave the fortress, with banners, weapons and cannons, and provided ships to sail from the island. The knights and those of the inhabitants of Rhodes who wished to leave the island sailed first to Sicily and then to Malta. So the Rhodes knights turned into the Maltese. But that's another story.
Modern Rhodes. Knightly legacy.
On the island here and there you can see the emblem in the form of an eight-pointed cross. In our time, this cross is called the Maltese.
Fragment of the monastery complex in Filerimos
This cross was originally present on the coat of arms of the Italian city of Amalfi, whose merchants founded the brotherhood of St. John of Jerusalem. Therefore, the distinctive sign of this brotherhood, and then the Order of the Knights Hospitallers that grew out of it, became a white eight-pointed cross. The order banner in the Middle Ages looked about the same as the so-called “cheap” (another name for this flag is “convenient”) Maltese flag looks like in our time. This is not the national flag of Malta, but the flag flown by foreign vessels registered in Malta for the purpose of tax optimization. Like, for example, this cruise ship, which fell into our lens, belongs to one of the largest travel companies in Europe - the German concern TUI, assigned to the port of the Maltese capital Valletta.
A ship flying the Maltese flag in the port of Rhodes
In the Old Town of Rhodes there are many shops selling souvenirs that reflect
chivalric theme.
Souvenir shop in the Old Town of Rhodes
"Knightly" Rhodes souvenirs
Almost every shop in the tourist part of the city sells the book "Knightly Rhodes", published in most European languages, including Russian.
But the most important reminder of the knightly past of Rhodes is, of course, the fortress, striking in its size and power. In my opinion, it is better to start acquaintance with it from the embankment of the Mandraki harbor, where the advanced fortification of the fortress, Fort St. Nicholas, is located. This fort defended the entrance to the harbor and, when attacked by the enemy, always took the first blow.
Saint Nicholas Fort and Mandraki harbor entrance
On the pier connecting the fort of St. Nicholas with the embankment, there are three mills preserved from knightly times. In those ancient times, the grain brought to Rhodes was unloaded from ships on this pier and immediately ground.
Medieval windmills on the pier of Mandraki harbor
The fortress has many gates. To get acquainted with it, it is better to enter either through the gates of Eleftherias (Freedom) from the side of the harbor of Mandraki, or through the gates of D'Amboise, named after one of the Grand Masters of the Order.
Gate of Eleftherias (view from the fortress)
Entrance to the fortress from the side of the gate d'Amboise
These two gates are closest to the main attractions of the fortress - the Palace of the Grand Masters and the building of the Archaeological Museum, which housed the main knight's Hospital in the knightly era. These two attractions are interconnected by another attraction - Knights Street (the second name of the street is Hippoton).
Street of the Knights (Ippoton)
On the Street of the Knights, there were residences of the "languages" of the Order of St. John. "Languages" were divisions of the Order, formed on the principle of compatriots. Each of the "languages" of the Order included knights who came from one country or region. For example, one of the eight order "languages" was the "language" of France, but along with this separate "languages" were represented by two French regions - Auvergne and Provence. The Iberian Peninsula was represented by two "languages" - the "language" of Castile and Portugal and the "language" of Aragon and Navarre. Another three "languages" were immigrants from Italy, England and Germany. The head of each "language" held one of the highest leadership positions in the Order. Each "language" was assigned a section of the fortress wall of the Rhodes fortress, for the defense of which this "language" was responsible.
The residences of the "tongues" on the street of the Knights were not barracks, but rather what are called clubs in our time. The knights of each community gathered in their residence for joint meals and any internal social events.
The next photo shows the entrance to the Street of the Knights, which is located closer to the Eleftherias Gate. The building on the right with an “i” in the window is a tourist information center where you can get a free map of the island of Rhodes, a map of the city of Rhodes and a very detailed map of the Old Town of Rhodes in Russian. The building on the left is the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes (former Order Hospital).
Entrance to the Street of the Knights from Eleftherias Gate
The Hospital of Rhodes was the largest of the order's hospitals.
Entrance to the Archaeological Museum (Hospital)
Inner courtyard of the Archaeological Museum (Hospital)
Hospital ward of the former Hospital of the Order of St. John
One of the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum - "Aphrodite with flowing hair"
After walking from the Hospital along the 200-meter street of the Knights to its opposite end, you can go to the entrance to the Palace of the Grand Masters.
Entrance to the Palace of the Grand Masters
Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Masters
One of the main decorations of the interior of the Palace are the mosaic floors from the island of Kos.
Mosaic floor in one of the halls of the Palace of the Grand Masters
These floors appeared in the palace during the restoration carried out by the Italians during their occupation of the Dodecanese archipelago from 1912 to 1947. In fairness, it should be noted that the Italians did a lot of good things in Rhodes during this period, but this, as they say, is a separate story.
The Palace of the Grand Masters can be visited daily, in the Archaeological Museum (Hospital) the day off is on Monday. The entrance fee is 3 euros to the Archaeological Museum and 6 euros to the Palace of the Grand Masters. We inspected these objects on the last Sunday of the month (September 29, 2013). The entrance was free.
To the left of the entrance to the Palace there is a small open area, on the opposite side of which there are double-leaf lattice doors. This is the entrance to the fortress walls. It is open from Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 to 15:00. Entrance ticket costs 2 euros, sold at the box office of the Palace of the Grand Masters.
Entrance to the walls of the Rhodes fortress
Inside the fortress, the Old City has changed little over the past five centuries. Most of it consists of narrow medieval streets, in the houses of which local residents still live.
Medieval street in the Old Town of Rhodes
The fortress has very strong outer walls, both from the side of the sea,
View of the fortress from the sea
as well as from the sushi side. The length of the walls along the perimeter is approximately 4 kilometers.
Fortifications of the Rhodes fortress
An unforgettable experience for lovers of history will be delivered by a walk along the moat. The most convenient entrance to the moat is from the side of the Mandraki harbor embankment, although you can go down into it in other places of the fortress.
The moat of the Rhodes fortress
The following photo shows the ditch in its widest part - at the gates of d'Amboise. On the left you can see the lush crowns of the trees of the park hanging over the outer wall of the moat, which stretches along the moat along the perimeter of the fortress.
Moat near the gates of d'Amboise
On a hot day, the fortress walls and the moat can be viewed by walking through this shady park.
View of the fortress walls and moat from the park above the moat
To make the defense more effective, the Knights of St. John built many other castles along the coast of the island. Of these, the best preserved to this day on the west coast is the castle of Monolithos and on the east coast - the fortress of the city of Lindos.
Monolithos Castle
The picture of Monolithos Castle, standing on a high sheer cliff, was taken from above, from an observation deck located on a mountain road along which tour buses run. Those who want to take a closer look at this castle can only get to it by car. Large buses do not have the opportunity to drive up to Monolithos - the road does not allow it.
The fortress in Lindos is more impressive than the castle of Monolithos, but significantly inferior to the Rhodes fortress. Getting to Lindos from Rhodes is very easy - regular buses run very often, every half an hour. Travel time is about 1.5 hours, the cost of a one-way ticket is 5 euros. The entrance ticket to the fortress costs 6 euros.
The fortress of Lindos stands on top of a high mountain.
Walls of the Lindos fortress
but nothing remained from the knightly era inside, except for a pile of stones.
But from earlier times, the ancient acropolis, quite well restored, has been preserved inside the fortress. This acropolis in Greece is the second largest after the Athenian Parthenon.
Acropolis of Lindos
Very beautiful views open from the walls of the fortress.
View from the fortress to St. Paul's Bay
View from the fortress on the bay of Lindos
There are ruins of several more castles on the island, but due to the fact that no restorer has set foot on their stones, they are absolutely not interesting for inspection.
On this topic, "Knights on Rhodes", perhaps, can be closed. In my report, I deliberately avoided details and did not seek to make a guide out of it. I just wanted to show that Rhodes is not only hot sun, beautiful sea and amazing Greek cuisine. Rhodes has a lot to please not only the mortal body, but also to please the soul.
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Hospitallers
Like other knightly orders, the Order of Malta appeared during the period of the Crusades for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher. “The first orders of chivalry,” noted historians of the 19th century, “arose as the purest embodiment of the medieval spirit in the combination of monastic and knightly ideals, at a time when the battle with Islam was becoming a reality.
The spirit of the Crusades was chiefly military and religious, so it gave rise to monastic chivalry." Throughout its long history, the order was forced to change its location, and the brothers were often named on a geographical basis (“knights of Cyprus”, “knights of Rhodes”, “knights of Malta”), while always remaining Johnites or hospitallers.
The existence of the Order of Malta is divided into 5 main stages: the initial period in Jerusalem - 1198-1291; settlement in Cyprus - 1291-1310; stay on Rhodes - 1310-1522; stay in Malta - 1522-1798; stay in Russia - 1798-1817; troubled times - from 1817 to the present day in Rome on Condotti.
In addition to these dates, historians have identified several intermediate periods when the order did not have a permanent residence. The Brotherhood performed its functions without losing its former status, however, it considered its main task to be resettlement or the conquest of a certain area.
In the IV century, pious Christians from Europe rushed to Palestine, wanting to bow to the holy relics and places where, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ spent his last days.
For some, such a journey was the result of religious zeal, for others - repentance and cleansing from sins. Unable to withstand all the difficulties of a long journey, many pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem seriously ill.
Prayers arrived in huge crowds; many needed treatment, care, and often a Christian burial. Small hospitable houses and monasteries took care of them. Subsequently, these institutions were transformed into hospices (hospitals), arranged specifically for pilgrims, whose flow to Jerusalem increased every year. The pilgrimage did not stop during the period of Arab domination, as the Muslims were tolerant of the religious zeal of the Europeans.
Around 1048-1070, a merchant named Mauro, who arrived from the Italian city of Amalfi, received permission from the Egyptian Caliph Bomensor to open a hospital in Jerusalem.
The hospitable house, located "only a stone's throw from the tomb of the Lord," was dedicated to St. John Eleimon, Patriarch of Alexandria, who lived in the 7th century. Wanderers called this house the hospital of St. John the Merciful. A well-known chronicler wrote: “The Latins changed the Greek name of St. John to John Lemonnier (“merciful”); the name of the Joannites allegedly came from him. Subsequently, Saint John of Jerusalem (the Baptist) became their patron.
The small brotherhood caring for the sick and wounded pilgrims gradually increased, and the hospital itself soon turned into a monastery with hospitals, a church and a chapel. The first rector of the hospital was Gerard de Thorne, who carried out many transformations that influenced the further existence of the monastic union. On his initiative, the brothers received a more powerful heavenly patron - John of Jerusalem - and began to be called Hospitallers (Joannites).
Under the leadership of Gerard de Thorn, the monks built a church in the name of St. John the Baptist and a large hospital building. The new house consisted of two separate buildings: for men and for women. In the church of St. John, the day of the patron saint was solemnly celebrated. The example of Gerard de Thorne inspired many knights who happily took the monastic vow of celibacy, non-possession and obedience. In addition, the brothers read prayers 7 times a day, did a lot of physical and mental work. The oath of the "poor brothers of St. John's Hospital" contained the following words: "To serve as slaves and servants to their masters and masters, which are all the weak and sick."
When the Crusades began, the activities of the inhabitants of the hospital of St. John could not be overestimated. The brothers played an important role in the development of Catholic theology, organization and strengthening of the Catholic Church and the papacy, defending its claims to dominance in Europe.
One day, the first king of Jerusalem, Gottfried of Bouillon, visited the hospice of the Joannites. The duke was delighted with the idea and promised to assist in the development of the brotherhood. In support of his words, he gave the hospitallers the village of Salsola, located near Jerusalem. On that day, the knights from the retinue of the king - Raymond de Puy, Dudon de Comps, Conon de Montagu and Gastus - remained in the brotherhood, having taken a monastic vow.
In 1099, the Johnites were able to officially record their activities by establishing an order. The first leader of the Joannites was Gerard de Thorn, who ordered each brother to constantly wear a long black dress with an eight-pointed cross sewn on it. If at first the hospitaller monks were limited to caring for the sick and wounded, then from the first half of the 12th century they began to participate in the war. This was the main difference between spiritual and chivalric orders from ordinary monastic ones (Augustinians, Benedictines, Franciscans), where they took only a vow of poverty, obedience and chastity. The Johnites, moreover, swore an oath to fight against the "infidels". At that time, it happened that other monks "girded themselves with a sword around their cassock", and some knights put on a monastic cassock over armor.
“The ascetic ideal influenced not only the church layers,” wrote one famous historian, “it also influenced the laity, and from its fusion with the ideal of chivalry, a peculiar form was obtained - knightly orders. Not yet ascetic and not yet merging with the monastic, the knightly ideal was already a Christian ideal. The knights were, according to the ideologists, the defenders of the weak and unarmed, widows and orphans, the defenders of Christianity against the "infidels" and heretics. The mission of protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land, helping the sick or the poor, protecting the Holy Sepulcher from the "infidels" stemmed from the ideal of Christian chivalry. Thanks to the dominance of the ascetic worldview, it was combined with the taking of monastic vows.
In 1104, Baldwin I confirmed the privileges of the Hospitallers as a military spiritual order. He gave the monks-knights a plot of land, setting a precedent for the acquisition of property in other European countries.
In 1113, Pope Paschal II took the Joannites under his patronage, who approved the name "brotherhood of the hospital of St. John." The pontiff secured the right to freely choose his leaders without fear of interference by secular or ecclesiastical authorities, as well as the right to address all issues directly to the Pope.
Gerard de Thorne died in 1120, making way for Raymond de Puy, the hero of the Jerusalem assault, who came from the ancient noble family of the Dauphine. From that time on, the head of the order became known as the Grand Master. For the military protection of pilgrims on the roads of Palestine, the members of the order were divided into three classes: knights, chaplains and squires. The highest rank included knights, who had to be of noble birth and perform both military and other duties. The chaplains were responsible for the religious activities of the fraternity. The squires were employees called upon to serve representatives of higher ranks.
In the first year of his reign, the Grand Master approved the first statute of the order, called the Rules of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. From the moment the charter was approved by the pope, each brother was obliged to sacredly keep three vows: chastity, obedience and voluntary poverty without possessive acquisitiveness. The monk "stands firmly for the Christian faith, always adhered to justice, helped the offended, defended and liberated the oppressed, persecuted pagans," infidels "and Mohammedans, took care of widows and orphans."
According to the new rules, "anyone who is burdened with debts, inscribed in another order or indebted to matrimony or civic debts" was not accepted into the order. Regarding vestments, the statute speaks of “cavalier, black with the sign of a white cross on the left side” clothing. For the war, a “red-colored dress with a white cross” was envisaged.
On the red banner of the Order of the Hospitallers, approved by Pope Innocent II, a white eight-pointed cross was embroidered. The order seal depicted a lying patient with a cross at the head and with a candle at his feet. The main principle of activity was the service to religious and spiritual ideals put forward by the founders of the monastic brotherhood.
Only a hereditary nobleman could become a knight. The inclusion of novice sisters into the members of the order was encouraged; children of merchants or bankers were not accepted.
The black cloth clothes of the hospitallers were sewn, following the example of the mantle of John the Baptist, from coarse camel hair. The narrow sleeves of the dress symbolized the renunciation of secular life, and the white linen eight-pointed cross on the chest symbolized chastity. The four directions of the cross personified the main Christian virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. Eight endings meant earthly blessings promised by Christ to all the righteous in the Sermon on the Mount. In 1153, by decree of Pope Anastasius IV, the brothers were divided into knights, dressed in a red monastic military uniform with a black cape, and squires.
In the first decades of their existence, the Johnites, like most monastic orders, were an integral part of a strict church hierarchy. And although by their legal nature they were a religious association, nevertheless, there were differences from other orders. Most importantly, the Hospitallers did not live in a Christian country, but outside it, in the territory under the domination of Muslim rulers.
The firm hierarchy of the order of the Johnites, which existed for several centuries, was approved by the Pope only in 1259. In accordance with the bull, the members of the brotherhood were divided into knights, priests and hospital brothers. Further privileges were granted by Popes Adrian IV, Alexander III, Innocent III. Pope Clement IV conferred on the head of the order the title of Grand Master of the Holy Hospital of Jerusalem and Rector of the Host of Christ. Over time, turning into a powerful military alliance, the order became known as the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
Over the 30 years of Raymond de Puy's administration, the tasks of the brotherhood have far outgrown the previous scale of activity. As fame and merit increased, more and more noble aristocrats and knights from all over Europe joined the Johnites.
The selfless and bloody struggle with the Saracens did not stop, who for several centuries tried to expand their borders and enter the European Mediterranean.
The main merit of the first Grand Master was the independence of the order, as well as the generally recognized right to have an army and conduct military operations.
The popes of Rome willingly gave privileges to the Johnites, first excluding them from subordination to the local secular and spiritual authorities, then rewarding them with the right to collect church tithes in their favor. Order priests reported only to their chapter and the Grand Master.
Activities to ensure the defense of personal possessions began in 1136, when Count Raymond of Tripoli entrusted the ioannites with the protection of the Beth Jibelin fortress, which covered the approaches to Ascalon.
The knights successfully coped with the task, and Raimund gave them several more of his castles. A few years later, about a thousand brothers were engaged in the defense of more than 50 fortresses in the Levant. The stronghold in the north of Palestine and the most famous stronghold of the Order of the Hospitallers was the castle of Krak des Chevaliers. In the same region was the powerful fortress of Margat, and in the south - Belver and Beth Jibelin. The impregnable castles of the ioannites traditionally had a second line of fortifications and towered above the area, allowing them to control the entire surrounding territory. The Arab historian poetically compared the fortress of Belver with an eagle's nest.
Krak des Chevaliers became the property of the order in 1144 by decision of Raymond II of Tripoli. The castle was located on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains, was protected by powerful double walls with high towers and surrounded by a moat cut into the rocks.
On the territory of the fortress there were residential buildings, barracks for two thousand soldiers, the chamber of the grand master, grain granaries, a mill, a bakery, an oil mill, and stables. An aqueduct was laid along the wide wall, through which drinking water was constantly supplied to the city. Until 1271, Krak des Chevaliers withstood twelve sieges, but in 1271 was captured by the troops of Sultan Baybars.
Margat Castle was handed over to the Hospitallers by Count Raymond III of Tripoli in 1186. This fortress with double walls and large towers was located south of Antioch, 35 kilometers from the sea, and was built of rocky basalt. Inside was a large underground reservoir. Food supplies allowed the thousandth garrison to withstand a five-year siege. For a long time, the Margat fortress was one of the main residences of the head of the order. It was here that the brothers adopted the famous Margat statutes, in which the knights began to be divided according to nationality.
Margat fell in 1285, after a fierce battle with the Mamelukes, only ruins remained of the majestic fortress. Beth Jibelin Castle was destroyed in 1187, and Belver in 1189, after being stormed by Saladin's troops.
At the beginning of June 1306, 35 knights and 500 infantry, sailing on six ships, landed on Rhodes. Grand Master Fouquet de Villare immediately noted the convenient position of two magnificent harbors: Porto del Mand Raccio on the northern tip of the island and Porto Mercontillo on the south. The Ioannites finally conquered Rhodes and the neighboring islands in 1309, after numerous battles with the Turks and Saracens. A year later, Pope Clement V approved the actions of Fouquet de Villaret, approving the title of sovereign of Rhodes and starting the construction of a new residence.
Soon a large hospice was opened on the island, new defensive structures were built, a magnificent palace of the ruler, warehouses, schools, and most importantly, a powerful fleet was created. For more than two centuries, the ships of the order patrolled the Mediterranean as a sea escort, protecting merchant ships from Turkish corsairs, thanks to which the knights began to be deservedly called the sea shield of Europe.
The fleet of the Johnites united the best achievements of world navigation. Large, wind-independent galleys with sheathed armor and 50 rowers in two rows were a formidable force for the enemy. The crew consisted of several knights, 50 sailors and 200 soldiers. The largest ship, St. Anna, built at the beginning of the 15th century, was rightfully considered the lead battleship. The Ioannites fought with the Turks, with the Mamelukes, making raids in Syria and Lebanon, without fail using the famous "Greek fire" in battles.
In 1310, the Rhodian fleet defeated the Turkish flotilla in battle near the island of Amorgos, repeating their success near the island of Chios. In 1320, 80 Turkish ships sank near Rhodes, wrecked by 30 ships of the knights. The invincible fleet of the order took part in the capture of the fortress of Smyrna, which belonged to the Turkish emir Umur Pasha, in naval battles for the island of Imroz, in the defeat of the Egyptian fleet and in the capture of Alexandria. The Johnites were well versed in the tactics of raiding the fortified cities of the Levant, Asia Minor and Egypt. Constant wars only strengthened the military power of the order fleet.
On Rhodes, the structure of the order as a military-spiritual organization was finally formed. The order of the knights of the hospital of St. John was completely independent of any authority and therefore began to be called sovereign (sovereign). The Order had many secular rights - such as the ability to exchange ambassadors and conclude treaties with other states. All rules, positions and ceremonies were presented in a special "Regulations on division and resolutions."
The distribution of posts according to the "Pillars of Languages" provided for the following conditions.
1. "Knights in justice", occupying all positions in the order, had to have eight generations of noble blood. The Germans were required to show evidence of origin up to the 16th generation, from the Spaniards and Italians - up to the 4th.
2. "Knights by mercy" were accepted as an exception for military exploits without proof of their noble origin. For them, the lack of purity of blood was allowed.
3. "Knights of piety", not required to take monastic vows, appeared in the order much later.
For the first five years, the knights lived in an order hostel, eating at a common table. The daily diet included 400 grams of meat, a glass of wine and 6 loaves of bread. On holidays, meat was replaced with fish and eggs. Ceremonial and ordinary robes were established by Gerard de Thorne, but Pope Alexander IV made several changes. So, the knight brothers wore a red military cassock with a white linen cross and a black order cloak, before the battle they put on a crimson velvet cape with a white silk cross on their chest. The rest of the monks wore a black cassock in peacetime, and a black cloak during wartime.
In addition to the white cross on their clothes, the knights relied on a silver cross of the same shape - first on the rosary, and then on the chest. The wearing of silver crosses was officially established by the order chapter only in 1631. Subsequently, the signs made of precious metal were replaced with white-enamelled crosses, decorated with lilies in the corners. The highest dignitaries relied on large golden crosses, which were worn on a black ribbon (on a golden chain). The servant brothers wore the cuirass of a knight. This was the name of a half-cross without two upper corners.
“The external distinction of the Cavaliers of St. John of Jerusalem,” wrote the author of one of the chronicles, “in addition to two linen crosses, was a gold eight-pointed, white-enamelled cross on a black moiré ribbon or on a gold chain. Above the cross, worn around the neck, was a golden crown, and above it, already on a ribbon, a golden image of military fittings. The main sign of the order, which determined belonging to it, was a white linen cross in place of the heart and on the left side of the cloak.
In the XIV century, the order became so numerous that the Grand Master proposed to divide it (on a national basis) into parts, the so-called nations (languages). In the initial version, there were 8 nations for the knights of Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon with Catalonia and Navarre, Castile with Portugal, Germany and England with Ireland and Scotland. Only a member of one of these nations could become a Knight of Rhodes, each of which consisted of priors, grand priors, bailages and commanders (komturstva). European divisions deducted part of their income to the order treasury.
The first possessions outside of Palestine were the priory of Saint-Gilles in Provence and several commanderies located in Champagne and Aquitaine. At the beginning of the 14th century, there were 30 priories in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and even in distant Poland. The lands in the national brotherhoods were leased to persons who undertook to pay taxes annually for the use of the land.
The priories consisted of commanderships and united into judicial districts (balyages). Judges (balls) could be capitular, monastic and "baly by mercy" (honorary). Commander-in-chiefs were called mentors (commanders). They disposed of the real estate of the order and were the heads of educational institutions. These posts were given for special merit. Commanders were subordinate to the Grand Priors, Priors and Provincials.
The head of the order, the Grand Master, was elected for life; elections were held within three days of the predecessor's death. The head had a decisive vote on all issues, made all appointments to positions and conferred honorary titles. Under the condition of an open vacancy, the Grand Master allocated possession (main commandership) to the most prominent knight, receiving taxes at his personal disposal.
The supreme power was exercised by the sacred chapter, which met by the Grand Master once every 3 years. The chapter was subject to a permanent council, consisting of the supreme leader, eight pillars, provincial priors and chapter balls. Eight main dignitaries of the order (piliers, or pillars of nations) were selected from the monastery balls. The Grand Master led the council and chapter together with the rulers (pillars) of the nations of Provence, Auvergne, France, Aragon, Castile, Italy, England, Germany.
The honorary position of treasurer was held by the great commander (pillar of Provence), who was also the first assistant to the grand master. The choice of this particular French province is due to the opinion about the Provençal origin of Gerard, the founder of the order.
· The Great Hospitaller (hospiter) - the pillar of France - was responsible for hospitals, in particular for doctors, proper care and the purchase of medicines.
· The great conservator (drapier) - the pillar of Aragon - was the intendant, who controlled the annual payments to the knights for their personal needs.
· The Grand Chancellor - the pillar of Castile - was responsible for foreign affairs, prepared agreements, decrees, decisions of the rulers, signed them together with the Grand Master. In addition, he was in charge of the State Archives.
· The great admiral - the pillar of Italy - commanded officers and rank and file crews, mercenaries serving on ships. He supervised all the ships of the fleet, but he carried out the supply of the armed forces with the Grand Commander.
· The Grand Marshal - the pillar of Auvergne - commanded the infantry, was the chairman of the arbitration court, resolving disagreements between the knights.
· Turcopolier - the pillar of England - commanded the cavalry, guard troops and auxiliary forces of the Order.
· The Great Bali - the pillar of Germany - was responsible for the construction and preservation of defensive structures, providing the army with ammunition and food.
· The chief orderly (infermerary) appeared in the 15th century and was considered the most honorable position.
The division of higher posts between representatives of different nations made it possible to achieve a concentration of forces in the right situation, which contributed to the strengthening of the order, its prosperity and independence from secular princes.
In 1448, Pope Nicholas V recognized the full jurisdiction of the order over its territory, independence from the Pope in matters of administration and finance. The pontiff confirmed the right to exchange embassies with other states, international legal freedom of treaties and actions, the right to mint coins and levy taxes. Moreover, the Grand Master became an independent, free prince with a huge set of corresponding privileges and honors. These rights were confirmed by Popes Pius II and Innocent VIII.
In strengthening the influence of the order, a significant role was played by domination in Rhodes, which constantly demonstrated its dual nature: the brotherhood was at the same time an international secular and religious organization. This circumstance initially determined the special position that the order has retained to the present day. In many ways, obeying the pope, the knights were completely independent in political and secular matters.
Despite the elimination of the Knights Templar and Hospitaller orders, other spiritual and chivalric orders continue their active military activities. At the very time when the trial of the Templars was going on in France, the Hospitallers, ousted from Palestine, moved their headquarters to Fr. Rhodes. Since that time, a two-hundred-year period of their active hostilities in defense of the island begins. With the loss of Rhodes in 1522, the headquarters of the order was transferred to about. Malta, after which the order receives the name of Malta. All this time, until the 18th century, the Order of the Hospitallers continued to be a powerful and very active military organization. Moreover, it is the main military outpost in the struggle of Christian states with the Ottoman Empire. Experienced, battle-hardened warriors serve in the ranks of the Hospitallers. The order has a powerful military fleet, which conducts active military operations against the Turks throughout the Mediterranean.
This vitality of the order cannot but surprise the historian. While the Teutonic Order and the Spanish spiritual and knightly orders were undergoing radical transformations in the 16th century, the Hospitallers not only formally retain their charter, but actually continue the traditions of the Crusader movement. I do not have the opportunity to describe the entire history of the Order of Malta, although it is very interesting and multifaceted. We will touch only on the history that connects the Order of Malta with the history of Russia and the name of Emperor Paul I. The age of enlightenment and the emergence of Freemasonry also influenced the Order of Malta. These new trends increased the dissatisfaction of the knights with the old regime. The masters increasingly quarreled with bishops, papal inquisitors and representatives of the Maltese population and clergy. The well-managed estates and forests of the three French provinces supplied half of the foreign income of the order, which provided the French with the first places in the administration. As the military functions of the order were reduced to zero, and revenues were dwindling, the order tried to take desperate measures - alliances with the Americans, Russians and British, the foundation of an Ethiopian company, the creation of Polish priories, the purchase of estates in Canada, the acquisition of Corsica, in 1651 the order bought three islands in the Caribbean, but already in 1665 he had to sell them.
In 1775, an uprising broke out in Malta under the leadership of the local Maltese clergy, which was supported by the rural population, reduced to poverty by bad government.
Grand Master Rogan (1775-1797) made every effort to raise the extinguished military spirit in the order, improve administration and court, and increase income. In 1776, he convened for the last time the highest legislative institution of the order - the General Chapter, which in 1779 issued a code of laws of the Order of Malta. But Rogan's efforts were in vain. In 1792, the National Assembly of France confiscated the French property of the order, and on June 12, 1798, Malta surrendered to Napoleon without a fight. Of the three hundred and thirty brothers who were then on the island, two hundred were French, and many of them were ready to resist, but the Spaniards refused to fight, there was no firm military leadership, and the master was afraid to take any drastic measures, fearing popular unrest.
After the surrender of the island, the knights accused Master Ferdinand von Hompesch of treason and removed him from his post. On December 16 of the same year, the Russian Emperor Pavel was elected Grand Master, and the residence of the order was transferred to St. Petersburg, after which they began to equip the fleet in Kronstadt to return Malta. However, after the death of Paul, Alexander refused the title of Grand Master, and then completely abolished the order on Russian soil. Gradually, the order began to lose its lands in other countries, and in 1834 the chapter of the order was transferred to Rome. Since then, the fate of the Order of Malta has been closely linked with the history of the papacy.
With the loss of In fact, the history of the crusading movement also ends in Malta with the Hospitallers. The Crusades are fading away along with the Old Regime - the European system of royal rule - to destroy which the Great French Revolution was directed. It is symbolic that the Hospitallers from Malta are not driven out by anyone, but by Napoleon Bonaparte, the future French emperor, who ruled relying not on the nobility and clergy, but on completely new National structures created during the French Revolution.
