The Knights of St. John leave significant changes to the island and its population

In 1530, the King of Spain ceded the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John. The Knights were not formed by the Republic of Malta nor the Armed Forces of Malta but began as a group of men attached to a hospital in Jerusalem founded by Blessed Gerard around 1023. The group then evolved into a military and hospitaller organization. Following the conquest of the Holy Land by Islamic forces the Order operated from Rhodes, and later from Malta where it administered a vassal state under the Spanish viceroy of Sicily.

In 1551, Barbary corsairs from the Ottoman Empires captured and enslaved the entire population, about 5,000 inhabitants, of the Maltese island of Gozo. They were deported to the Barbary Coast. In 1565, *30,000 Ottoman troops attempted to reclaim the islands again. The knights, led by Frenchman Jean Parisot de la Valette, Grand Master of the Order, withstood a siege by the Ottomans and emerged victorious with the help of the Maltese people. Voltaire, a noted French writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian penned his views on the battle stating, “Nothing is better known than the siege of Malta.”

The siege had great significance because Spain could not afford to lose the strategic Mediterranean Sea route to the Ottoman’s. The victory of the Knights gave the island international respect and opened up representation of cultural exchange with other ruling countries.

After the siege the Knights decided to increase Malta’s fortifications, particularly in the inner-harbor area, where the new city of Valletta, named in honor of Valette, was built. They also established watchtowers along the coasts – the Wignacourt, Lascaris and de Redin towers – named after the Grand Masters who ordered the work. The Knights also completed many architectural and cultural projects, including the embellishment of Città Vittoriosa, the construction of new cities including Città Rohan and Città Hompesch and the introduction of new academic and social resources.

Unlike other rulers of the island, the Order of St. John did not have a “home country” outside the island. The island became their home, so they invested in it more heavily than any other power. In addition, its members came from noble families, and the Order had amassed considerable fortunes due to its services to those en route to the Holy Land. The architectural and artistic remains of this period remain among the greatest of Malta’s history, especially in their “prize jewel” the city of Valletta.

However, as their main purpose of providing care for the sick, poor, and injured pilgrims had ceased to exist, their glory days were over. In the last three decades of the eighteenth century, the Order sustained a steady decline. This was a result of numerous factors, including the bankruptcy prompted by the lavish spending of the last Grand Masters which drained their finances. Because of this, they also became unpopular with the Maltese.

The Order was weakened by Napoleon’s capture of Malta in 1798 and dispersed throughout Europe. It regained strength during the early 19th century as it found new purpose in humanitarian and religious causes. In 1834 it was renamed the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with its headquarters in Rome. 

Next month: French influence and the Maltese Declaration of Rights.

*These numbers are approximate as written documents of that time varied to different degrees.