THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA
by Kt. R. W. Hudson
Once again it is a privilege to greet you all through these pages and I
regard it as an honour to share my knowledge and findings with you all, but I
must state from the outset, I make no claim of originality, I am not an
Historian, neither am I Judge, but just an enthusiastic Masonic researcher who
patiently sifts the wheat from the chaff, (and there is plenty of both),
hopefully to effect a clearer understanding of our beloved Order, and to
encourage as many of you as possible to commence or perhaps intensify your own
Masonic researches.
My talk this afternoon is on the "quieter" of the two Military Orders to which
many Masons belong. That of the popularly known "Knights of Malta". I used the
word "quieter" to distinguish this Order from the more higher profile enjoyed by
the Knights Templar. And my research proves that these Knights of Malta
possessed just as much valour, honour and distinction as the much-heralded
Knights Templar, which they still continue to this very day.
There are many publications and lectures on the Knights Templar, but by
comparison, very little is available on The Knights of Malta. The only reason
for this is that the Knights of Malta attract less notoriety and popular
sensationalism than that of their brother Knights. In every other respect they
have proved equal, if not, on occasion, superior.
It was only recently, (February 2001), that I holidayed in Malta, and was able
to experience at first hand the work and efforts of this Order. I took the
opportunity to research and investigate the Order from its inception until
settling in its final home of Malta. My discoveries lifted my thoughts from just
another Masonic Order to one of similar respect of that shown to the Knights
Templar. I sincerely hope that what little I am able to portray in this lecture
today, will have a similar effect on your good selves. On that note, Brother
Knights, with your kind attention, I will begin.
The land where Jesus Christ lived, preached and died, has forever since been
known as the "Holy Land". It has always been regarded with absolute reverence by
the millions of devout Christians of Europe and the West. So far as natural
wealth was concerned, it was a land of insignificant value. It was dry and
barren, with very little produce forthcoming, barely enough to support its
inhabitants. To some small degree it may have had some military value to the
surrounding nations, and on occasion, also to those of a more far distant shore.
So in overall terms the whole area was of little value, apart from that one all
important fact that it held, for Christians world-wide, the core and heart of
their faith.
The more devout followers of the Christian faith made pilgrimages to the heart
and place that saw the formation of their religious beliefs.
In the 7th century, Jerusalem first fell into Moslem hands, thus the
difficulties and hardships were decidedly increased for the pilgrims. The threat
of bandits drastically became an occupational hazard for the increasing number
of devout travellers. For these reasons, Charles the Great, popularly known as
Charlemagne, (Charles-Magni), one of the foremost Roman emperors, opened
hospices in Jerusalem for the accommodation of pilgrims. As the 11th century
made its approach, the new Moslem rulers encouraged the further increase of the
harassment and ill-treatment of Christian pilgrims, which reached its zenith
with the Fatamite Caliph Hakim who was demented and fanatical in his pursuit of
Christians. In 1009 he razed the Holy Sepulchre to the ground, and destroyed all
Christian property.
It was not until 1048, 30 years after his death, that a number of charitable
merchants from Amalfi in Italy managed to have the hospices and Holy Sepulchre
rebuilt. Even this did little to relieve the perils encountered by pilgrims and
Christians in Palestine. So much so that alarm and concern grew in Europe,
further strengthened by the fiery sermons of Peter the Hermit and Pope Urbanus
II.
Many of Europe's Princes were encouraged to embark on a Crusade to regain the
Holy places from the Saracens in Palestine.
The first Crusade in 1096 came to grief, but there was an immediate retaliation
from a second Crusade in 1097, which proved successful over the following two
years, so that in 1099 Jerusalem fell to the Christians. During these two years
of conflagration, the sick and wounded were attended to and nursed by the
Amalfitian Hospitallers in a Benedictine hospital dedicated to St. John the
Baptist in Jerusalem.
Their leader was an energetic Patrician of Scala and a Benedictine by the
name of Brother Gerard de Saxo, who seeing that victory was imminent, and also
the unqualified successful contribution of his group of Benedictine Brothers,
gave full impact to conversion and expansion into an Order of St. John of
Jerusalem.
Many princes, knights and lords who had been sick or wounded and were healed as
a direct result of this Amalfi group, bestowed gifts and even portions of their
estates on the Order, not only to enable it to stand on it's own feet, but also
to establish it's growth and future in various places in Europe. The Order
acquired such respect that in 1113 Pope Paschal II took the Order under his
protection and gave Brother Gerard a firm constitution in gratitude for the
Orders great contribution and work.
The original document is still held in the Malta Library and reads:
"Pope Paschal II grants to his venerable son, Gerard, founder and provost of
the Hospital in Jerusalem, a charter of incorporation of the Order of the
Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem beyond or on this side of the sea, that is
to say, in Asia or in Europe."
Thereby creating an exempt Order of the Church under the protection of the
Apostolic See.
During the period of fighting with the Saracens some of the Knights of the Order
had to become soldiers, and from the new readily found recruits to the overall
cause was formed the military Order of the Knights Templar.
This Order soon gained much power and importance since they were required to do
the actual fighting against the Moslems. Then a much more glamorous aspect to
the Crusades. Their fame, bravery and achievements becoming legendary. Despite
all this, the Crusade of 1147 was a total failure, and it was not until 1180
that sufficient forces and supplies could be rallied for another Crusade.
Among the leaders of this Crusade was the legendary King Richard I of England,
or Richard Plantagenet of "Lionheart" fame. And it was largely through his
courage and singleness of purpose that the success of this Crusade was achieved.
It was from this Crusade that he acquired the appellation "Coeur de Lion" the
Lionheart. Despite his dedication and determination the Order was plagued by
disagreements between the leaders.
The element of chivalry which was the epitome of the crusades became
tarnished, and it was not long after that King Richard was left virtually alone
to fight his battles. It was only his implacable certainty and reckless
singleness of purpose together with his overwhelming energy and self sacrifice
that he managed to win the battle for Acre. But alas he knew that this was the
beginning of the end for this Order, in this context, so he left Palestine.
The Knights Templar moved to Cyprus in 1191, thereby leaving the Knights of
St. John of Jerusalem, initially a nursing brotherhood, to take up arms to
defend pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. This consequence, naturally,
emphasised a military role for the Hospitaller Order, which was now lead by
Frater Raymond du Puy, who was the first to be styled Master. Under the guidance
of Raymond du Puy, who had long advocated for an integral military arm for the
Order as opposed to the mutual, but independent, support of a separate Order,
such as the Knights Templar.
He drew up a code of regulations or "Rule" founded upon the ancient chivalric
virtues of Chastity, Obedience and Poverty, upon which, all future statutes and
ordinances of the Order were based. The militarisation of the Hospitallers was
the major work of this great soldier. Under his leadership the Order grew in
strength, influence and possessions.
It was this Grand Master who introduced the 8 pointed cross of the Order, which
has remained ever since, and is popularly known as the Maltese Cross. It's
origin was from the Maritime Republic of Amalfi in Italy, which was the
birthplace of many of the pious merchants who founded the first hospice in
Jerusalem in 1048.
The 8 points symbolise the 8 Beatitudes, and also the 8 Langues of the Order,
which will be detailed later. The 4 parts of the Cross represent the 4 Cardinal
Virtues of : Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice.
It was at this time that the Order acquired the additional distinction of an
Order of Knighthood, the Knights being obligated to the 3 monastic vows of
Chastity, Obedience and Poverty.
The Knights were divided into 5 groups.
The first group dominated the Order and were called the Military Knights of
Justice. These Knights had to be of Noble birth from both parents going back 4
generations, and in fact all of the Military Knights were from the greatest
families in Europe. All applications to join the Order were stringently checked
and no exceptions were made. The accepted applicant was conferred with the
accolade of Knighthood by the Grand Cross of the Order. Together with the Grand
Cross they would walk, bareheaded, in their armour and investiture robes, into
the hall of the Auberge, where they were received by their comrades. They would
sit on a carpet and be offered bread, salt and water. They would then make their
Knightly vows and obligations to the Order. A brief history and acquaintance of
the rules of the Order were delivered.
The vows taken by the Knights were proof of the religious character of the
Order, and they would embrace and kiss each other in token of friendship, peace
and Brotherly love, and called each other "Frater".
After the investiture a banquet would be given for the new Knights as if to
balance the sense of austerity conveyed by the investiture ceremony. One could
almost equate our modern ceremony and Festive Board with this ancient system.
The new Knights had to undergo a novitiate of 1 year before they could join the
central body, which was called a Convent, in which they fulfilled their military
duty and service. Each year of this duty was called a "Caravan". Then after 3
such "Caravans" a Knight would have to reside in the Convent for a further 3
years. Making a total of 7 years before the completion of Knighthood was
effected. Once again we experience the use of "7" to indicate completeness.
After this 7 years of service, the Knights would be free to return to their home
in Europe, but would always be subject to recall by the Grand Master in case of
need. All promotions to the higher posts such as Bailiff, Commander or Prior
would be made from this first group.
The second group was reserved specifically for ecclesiastical service such as
Chaplains or Chaplains of Obedience. The incumbents who would have Holy Orders
were normally allocated to work in hospitals or conventual churches, but were
not exempted from duties in the "Caravans". They were eligible for promotion to
Priors and even Bishops of the Order.
The 3rd group was made up of Serving Brothers who were only required to be
respectable and not necessarily of noble birth. They were required to do
Military service.
The 4th and 5th groups were made up of Honorary Knights in the grades of
Magisterial Knights and Knights of Grace as nominated by the Grand Master.
A further division was made on the basis of nationality, corresponding in number
with the 8 points of the Cross of the Order. These divisions were called Langues
(Tongues) and were allocated thus:- Aragon, Auverne, Castile, England (with
Scotland and Ireland), France, Germany, Italy and Provence. The 3 French Langues
indicated the numerical superiority of the French.
Each Langue was governed by a Turcupolier also known as "Dean" of the Langue.
There were many senior positions that the Knights could aspire to, such as,
Bishop, Prior, Conventual Bailiff, Knights Grand Cross. These officers also made
up the Supreme Council or "Sacro Consiglio", the President of which was the
Grand Master, who was democratically elected by all the Knights, having proved
years of devoted and efficient service in the major positions.
For general administration purposes there was a Chapter General, which was
normally convened every 5 years. These meetings were announced a year ahead so
as to give time for the various Langues and individual Knights to submit drafts
for reforms.
Despite their strength of growth, by 1291 the Moslems occupied the last
Christian strongholds, thereby making the Orders position in Palestine extremely
untenable. So they moved to Cyprus. The choice of Cyprus was not really theirs,
as in the panic which had set in to speedily find a new base, they were forced
to settle for Cyprus. They were concerned for many reasons.
Cyprus, in their view, did not provide the right environment conducive to their
long-term plans for the re-organisation and perfection of the Order. Moreover,
they believed, that the Templars, who had transferred there 100 years earlier,
had succumbed to the earthly temptations of wealth and power, and even at this
early stage, uncomfortable rumours were developing around the Knights Templar,
and the Hospitallers were very conscious of anything similar happening to their
Order.
This desire, not to be tarred with the same brush, created enormous pressure
to find a new base. This they found in 1308, just less than a year after the
termination of the Knights Templar on charges of heresy, in the Byzantine island
of Rhodes, for which they also acquired territorial sovereignty. Their position
was strong. Rhodes was fertile and fruitful, also it's geological structure
provided ample strong rock and strategic sites for the Knights to build the
fortifications it needed.
In 1314, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jaques de Molay was burned at
the stake in Paris. The Knights Hospitaller were supposed to have inherited a
good part of their property and assets, but this fact, in reality, is most
doubtful. It is more probable that the King of France and the Pope shared the
lion's portion, and the dregs were what the Hospitallers received, but the field
was clear for them to attract the noble youth of Europe's aristocracy and to
continue with the Order's re-organisation it badly needed and desired.
This was effected by the Grand Master of the time, Foulkes de Villaret, who was
regarded as one of the best Grand Masters of the Order.
During their time on Rhodes they not only built and strengthened the Order, but
also were forced to develop a new style of fighting. Rhodes is an island, so the
style and tactics of land battles naturally diminished, and the need for sea
warfare and transportation was imperative.
This the Order developed, and acquired a great reputation for their many
successes. They took great delight in assuming the role of Corsair in raiding
the ships of the Turks and returning with their coffers brimming with booty.
This persistent bombardment eventually roused the Turks determination for a
revenge against the Order.
Suleiman the Magnificent, the powerful Sultan of the Ottomans, had not forgotten
the Order of St. John.
He had always admired it's prowess, and since acceding to the throne, he had
cultivated a sense of chivalrous respect for the Knights and their new Grand
Master Phillipe de l'Isle Adam. Nonetheless this respect was far outweighed by
his national pride and determination to honour the oath of his forefathers and
throw the Order out of Rhodes. He exercised patience until he could rally every
vessel, every man and every engine of war under the flag of Islam. He launched
his attack on Rhodes in 1522.
Although the Order and it's fleet were in a state of preparedness, it was
hopelessly outnumbered. Rather than wasting his vessels, l'Isle Adam disembarked
his Knights to strengthen his garrisons on the island. Suleiman persisted with
all his pressure and besieged the island for 6 months. After this siege and a
betrayal by one of their own, a certain d'Amaral, the decimated and half-starved
Knights were forced to capitulate on Xmas Eve of the same year. Their heroic
stand increased Suleiman's admiration, and Grand Master l'Isle Adam, together
with his remaining Knights, were not only allowed to leave Rhodes unmolested,
but were also given a ceremonial guard of honour to see them off the island in
their own galleys.
The Order was defeated, but not dishonoured. It retained it's high prestige, and
although in a state of dis-order, it was given the chance to recoup and fight
another day. It's only immediate problem was, again, finding a new home.
Charles V of Spain, the Emperor of the Roman Empire, allowed the Order of St.
John to use Sicily as a base until it could find a new home. The Knights formed
a Convent at Syracuse, which was not large enough to accommodate all the Order,
so some were sent to other Convents in Europe.
The Grand Master, l'Isle Adam, was intent on regaining Rhodes, and at the same
time, his Order's pride. He petitioned all the Kings of Europe for help, but
none was forthcoming. There are various reasons for this lack of support.
Nationalism was becoming a dominant force in Europe, and the Order's total
allegiance to the Pope, and their vow to fight only the infidel, made them
insusceptible and useless for national allegiances. Because of their wealth and
power, envy created the bed for malicious rumours, and also the fear and
apprehension which had crept in amongst the European nations of Suleiman's
power, who had not only conquered nations in the Persian Gulf and the shores of
the Arabian Sea, but had also reached Belgrade and Budapest with his armies, and
added them to his Ottoman Empire, which was now at the peak of it's glory.
The only one to give some small assistance was, ironically, Henry VIII of
England. This is surprising when you consider his stand against the Pope and his
feelings towards Catholicism, also he was seeing the Order in England in a bad
light. None the less, he received l'Isle Adam with much respect at St. James'
Palace, and gave him guns and armour to the value of 20,000 crowns. Some of this
very equipment can be seen in the Armoury at the Grand Master's Palace in
Valetta. It bears the Tudor Royal Crest.
The Grand Master returned to Sicily a very disappointed man. He now realised he
would have to drop his plan for a recapture of Rhodes. He also realised that,
spread out as they were, away from his watchful eyes, the Knights would become
susceptible to worldly aspirations and perhaps relax their monastic vows. He was
also deeply concerned that idleness could easily turn the Order towards decay.
He finally concluded that without a new base, the Order would almost certainly
disintegrate.
The Emperor, Charles V, was by this time becoming perturbed by the length of
time that was passing with the Knights stay on Sicily. He was also concerned
with the defence of Malta, which had become the regular target for raids with
many of the people being carried off as slaves. Malta was a barren rocky island
with scanty soil and water and very little vegetation. Where possible the
Maltese grew cotton and cumin, which they exchanged for grain, and with the
exception of a few springs, there was no running water.
These factors served to make Malta a useless possession. An even greater
headache to the Emperor was Tripoli, for he was extremely stretched to maintain
the dependency of this Christian enclave, lost as it was amongst the Barbary
States of North Africa. Why not hand it to the Knights to defend as a condition
to the transfer of Malta? Subsequently, the offer was made to the Order.
The Grand Master saw through this double-handed offer, but had no other choice.
Spurred on by the desire to regroup the Order, and to acquire a permanent base
for its future, he finally accepted this Hobson's Choice. Malta turned out to be
worse than even he thought, apart from one important aspect, which lifted
slightly his descending optimism, and that was, that Malta had two spacious
natural harbours capable of housing many galleys. With the Orders natural growth
and expansion into sea-faring activities, he decided that this distinct
advantage could, in time, prove to outweigh the many other disadvantages. He
therefore accepted the terms of the transfer. On the 26th October 1530, Grand
Master l'Isle Adam and his Knights sailed into the Grand Harbour at Malta, in
the Carrack St Anne, to take possession of their new home.
It is a fact, that the Maltese, as a nation, had gone through extremely hard
times. Their life had been one of continuous routine of back breaking toil to
make a living, with only the occasional interruption by attacks of Moslem
Corsairs who would also take slaves. And in truth, the Maltese people were past
caring who would rule their country.
The relative document, by Charles V, is still held in the National Malta Library
and it reads:-
"…..bestowing on the Knights in order that they may perform in peace the
duties of their Religion for the benefit of the Christian community and employ
their forces and arms against the perfidious enemies of Holy Faith-the islands
of Malta, Gozo and Comino in return for the yearly presentation, on All Saints
Day, of a falcon to Charles, Viceroy of Sicily."
And this was all conditioned, although not specifically mentioned, by the
left-handed gift of Tripoli.
Besides their personal arms and belongings, the Knights did not take much with
them to Malta. They certainly took their sacred icon containing one of the hands
of St' John the Baptist, a silver processional cross, (still on view at the
Cathedral of Mdina), and some ecclesiastic vestments and treasures. The most
important thing which they couldn't afford to leave behind was the set of their
archives, which is still preserved today in Malta. It is obvious from this that
they had decided to start again from scratch. And so they did.
The investiture ceremonial was observed with all the pomp and formalities in
which the important elements of Maltese society also participated. The climax
was attained when the Grand Master, l'Isle Adam, proceeded to the city gates,
beneath a baldachin borne by Maltese officials, and then swore upon the great
cross of the Cathedral and the cross of the Order of St. John, to observe the
privileges and usages of the island as granted by the King of Aragon and Sicily.
After this the Captain of the Rod, a senior Maltese Official, knelt to kiss the
Hand of the Grand Master and formerly surrendered the silver keys. Then the
gates were opened to allow the Grand Master to enter amidst salutes and the
ringing of bells.
The changeover clicked successfully and heralded a hive of industry. Much
building work was done on fortifications, bastions, castles and housing. Many of
the locals found new trades as artisans and craftsmen, learning new skills from
the Knights. Affluence began to spread throughout Malta, and the locals,
originally non-caring and somewhat resigned to whatever their fate may be, found
a great respect for the Order, and had indeed a lot to thank them for. The
Maltese revelled in their new found prosperity and developed a national pride in
their progress. Trade bustled, and there were presented many opportunities for
the intelligent Maltese to greatly improve their standard of living.
Many naval actions were dispatched successfully from Malta, which everybody
seemed to share in various ways, the booty that was amounting. The whole
situation continued to progress with only a few minor hiccups. But soon a
looseness began to slowly pervade the Order. Material comfort and success
together with a succession of weak Grand Masters began to erode the original
strong foundation stones of the Order. Changes in human institutions, throughout
their time of existence, is always inevitable, and there was no exception with
the Order of St. John.
Because of the lax atmosphere that had crept in due to their unmolested
successes, insufficient attention was paid to the strength of certain bastion
walls and exposed possible sites of invasion. Some senior Knights nursed a
growing concern regarding weak leadership and the possibility of Malta not being
able to withstand and survive the inevitable revenge that they felt sure
would-sooner or later-be forthcoming from the Ottoman Turks.
But, it was felt and realised by many, that the Order was not in a position to
resist an attack from the Ottoman Turks. It was indeed this important factor
that made them realise that no amount of lamenting or regret over their lapses
would improve the situation. They knew how time and success, plus a weak
leadership, had made them deteriorate in their duties and that they were being
considered as having neglected to live in the service of Christ. But now, after
an examination of conscience, they concluded that they were, none the less,
prepared to die in His service. But first they had to have the right person to
effect this transformation and direct the Order to recover it's ancient
authority. There was only one person who could do this.
It was therefore, by universal agreement, that on the death of the Grand Master,
La Sengle in 1557, they elected Jean Parisot de la Valette as their Grand
Master.
La Valette joined the Order in 1514, at the age of 20, and to him this calling
was a serious vocation. He had excelled in all the various positions he held
throughout his distinguished career. He was, at various times, Governor of
Tripoli, General of the Fleet, Bailiff of Largo, Grand Commander and General
Prior of St. Giles, and also Lieutenant to the Grand Master. He spoke several
languages, a brilliant soldier and tactician with strict disciplinarian
qualities which made him outstanding as a leader. But above all this, he enjoyed
the respect and confidence of all the Knights, which was no small thing, as it
was appreciated all round that he would certainly not tolerate the state to
which many of them had sunk. All this made him the man of the moment.
On receiving his ultimate appointment, La Valette wasted no time. He set about a
program of re-strengthening all the fortifications and bastions, and correcting
all the weak spots. He used everything at his disposal not waiting for charity
or benevolences. He had the willing Maltese, of which there was many, trained
for battle, and called all of his resources and manpower from all over Europe.
The only sad occurrence which hurt Valette, about which he could do nothing,
was the suppression of the branch of the Order in England. The accession to the
throne of England in 1558 by Elizabeth I had raised some hopes for the recovery
of the Order in her country but nothing of the sort occurred, in fact some
Knights of the Order were to die at her hands. By 1560 the English Langue had
dwindled to only 2 Knights in the Convent, and all the property of the Langue in
Malta was sold. One of these two remaining Knights, a Oliver Starkey, was
appointed by La Valette to be his secretary and confidante in Malta, and he
never was to regret such a wise decision.
La Valette created vast stores of food and water in preparation for an expected
siege. Gunpowder, ammunition and weapons were made ready. Plans and instructions
were effected for the careful and sparing use of gunpowder, food and water.
Arrangements were put in place for reinforcements from neighbouring Sicily.
Every concentration was applied to all the necessary aspects.
La Valette's foresight, tactics and astute preparations paid off. For on
29/3/1565 the Ottoman fleet left the Bosphorous heading towards Constantinople,
on its way to Malta. It took the armada 6 weeks to reach the central
Mediterranean. On Friday 18/5/1565 it came about 15 miles away from the shores
of Malta.
There are many excellent books giving full details of the siege of Malta, from
which this lecture has borrowed heavily, and all are recommended for your
perusal. It was an unbelievable battle, clearly demonstrating the bravery,
dedication and sense of purpose by the Knights against incredible odds, also, it
has to be said, the similar courage and fanaticism of the Turks.
The battle raged first one way and then the other. Casualties were colossal
especially the Turks, whom although greatly outnumbered the Knights and Maltese,
suffered tremendous losses.
The Maltese, every man, woman and child fought and worked alongside the Knights,
equally giving no quarter and expecting none.
When the Turks finally had their first success in taking the fortification of
St. Elmo, at unbelievable cost of human life, on the eve of the feast of the
Order's patron saint, Mustapha Pasha surveyed the incredible scene of
destruction and carnage, and the thousands of dead Turks. Looking across the
harbour he made the famous exclamation that was not to be omitted by any
historian:
"Allah", he said, "If so small a son has cost us so dear, what price shall we
have to pay for so large a father?"
The battle raged for 3 more months when finally the humbled Turkish armada left
for Constantinople and by the evening of 8th September 1565 the siege of Malta
had ended.
All Europe rejoiced at the Maltese victory over the Turks. Bells rang out from
Palermo to Paris and in London the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker,
laid down a Form of Thanksgiving for 6 weeks. The island was dubbed as "The
Island of Heroes", and "The Bulwark of Faith". Honours and gifts were bestowed
on the Grand Master La Valette. Fired by the glory and success attained, and in
total awe and admiration for the people of Malta, La Valette was even more
determined to rebuild Malta and was prepared to bury himself beneath Maltese
ruins rather than abandon the island.
And he was not alone in his belief, for there were many others who, like him,
felt that the Great Siege had settled once and for all the question of the
Order's home. The Knights had not been able to stay in Palestine, as they also
had to leave Cyprus, and to be eventually ousted from Rhodes. Their victory
against the Turks at Malta had earned them the right to make the island their
permanent home. They could not lose sight of the fact that with her strategic
position, astride the trade routes of the Mediterranean, Malta could offer more
to the Order in its commerce and its sworn fight against Islam.
It was time for the Order to change it's title, and become The Sovereign
Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. It's
members henceforth to be known as "THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA"
From these profound events the people of Malta and the Knights would be forever
bound in a single common purpose that still abounds today.
Malta was rebuilt, commerce was structured and flourished and the legacy of the
Knights of Malta is and will be forever revered.
Although the Order is the "quieter" of the two, it is one that has its origins
and longevity firmly set in piety, bravery, dedication and care, and we all
should appreciate and fully understand the glory and pride that we, as Brother
Knights, have the privilege of sharing.
This concludes my lecture for this occasion. I sincerely hope that you have
enjoyed it, and that I have at least brought you something of interest, or
perhaps have stimulated you sufficiently to take a holiday in Malta and see the
evidence for yourselves.
This lecture was written in Malta surrounded by the evidence of that illustrious
Order, and I hope it reflects that atmosphere of glory and pride.
Thank you all for your kind attention.
Kt. R. W. Hudson
Founder Richard Plantagenet Preceptory No.597
MALTA FEBRUARY 2001.
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