With roots tracing back to an 11th-century hospice in Jerusalem, founded by Amalfi merchants to assist Christian travelers, the Order of St. John stands as one of the oldest chivalric orders active today. Early Knights of the First Crusade joined these established good works upon entering Jerusalem in July 1099.
A pivotal moment occurred on February 15, 1113, when Pope Paschal II, through the Papal bull "Piae postulation voluntatis," recognized the Order as a self-governing religious entity, extending his protection and confirming its global acquisitions. Our Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, along with all other major Orders of St. John, descends from this papal recognition, preserving the white Cross of Amalfi as its enduring symbol.
The Order rapidly evolved into a military order of chivalry, though it never abandoned its Hospitaller traditions. They became key defenders of the Latin (Christian) States in the Holy Land. After the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem fell in the late 13th century and Acre, their last mainland Crusader stronghold, was lost in 1291, the Order briefly settled on Cyprus.
For 213 years, they made their home on Rhodes, where they became renowned for their hospital and pioneering medical treatments. However, with the expansion of the Islamic empire, they were attacked in 1521 by the overwhelming forces of Suleiman the Magnificent, losing the island against impossible odds. This left the Knights without a home for a short period.
Their fortunes changed in March 1530, when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V signed "the Act of Donation of Malta," ceding Malta and several other nearby islands to the Order. During their time on Malta, the Order commanded the largest naval fleet in the Mediterranean, protecting shipping and the southern coasts of Europe from Ottoman Turks and Barbary Coast pirates.
The epic Siege of Malta in 1565 saw a small band of Christian defenders—just 200 Knights, 2,000 men-at-arms of the Order, and approximately 8,000 Maltese irregular troops—valiantly defy a vastly superior Ottoman invading force of over 40,000 until reinforcements arrived. This pivotal victory significantly impeded Suleiman the Magnificent's advance into Christian Western Europe.
However, in 1798, when Napoleon threatened to invade Malta, Grand Master Hompesch ordered the Order's surrender without resistance. A majority of the Knights opposed this decision and, led by Prince de Condé, re-established themselves in St. Petersburg, Russia, under the royal protection of Tsar Paul I.
That same year, the Catholic Grand Priory of Russia (formerly of Poland), alongside the newly formed Orthodox Grand Priory of Russia, elected Tsar Paul I as the Order's 70th Grand Master. Pope Pius VI, from the Monastery of Cassini near Florence, subsequently bestowed his paternal and apostolic benediction upon Paul I after he accepted the office. It is important to note that the Tsar was already the Order's Royal Protector by virtue of a treaty signed with the penultimate Grand Master in Malta, Emanuel de Rohan.
Tsar Paul I, Emperor of All the Russias and a powerful European potentate, extended his protection to several existing Commanderies and Priories of the Order across Europe, while also establishing new ones. The Order subsequently expanded its presence into the New World.
Today, our Order functions independently of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). The SMOM itself experienced a revival in 1834, following its near extinction after the abdication of Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch under treaty with Napoleon. Thus, our Order and the SMOM can be considered two major branches stemming from the same original 'tree.'
This lineage defines our history: the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, are direct descendants of those Knights who settled in Russia. Furthermore, a "Supreme Court" ruling delivered in Canada some years ago affirmed the validity of our Order's claim to legitimacy when it was challenged by representatives of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Now Christian-ecumenical in character, the Order, led by His Imperial Royal Highness the Prince Grand Master the Chevalier Sandor Habsburg-Lothringen, works globally to provide medical, social welfare, and humanitarian aid, irrespective of race, color, or creed. Beyond local contributions, significant international donations include mobile hospitals, medicines, and medical equipment sent to nations such as China, Russia, Honduras, the Philippines, Ukraine, and across Africa. The Order currently operates from bases in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, the UK, and its International Headquarters in Malta.
A pivotal moment occurred on February 15, 1113, when Pope Paschal II, through the Papal bull "Piae postulation voluntatis," recognized the Order as a self-governing religious entity, extending his protection and confirming its global acquisitions. Our Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, along with all other major Orders of St. John, descends from this papal recognition, preserving the white Cross of Amalfi as its enduring symbol.
The Order rapidly evolved into a military order of chivalry, though it never abandoned its Hospitaller traditions. They became key defenders of the Latin (Christian) States in the Holy Land. After the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem fell in the late 13th century and Acre, their last mainland Crusader stronghold, was lost in 1291, the Order briefly settled on Cyprus.
For 213 years, they made their home on Rhodes, where they became renowned for their hospital and pioneering medical treatments. However, with the expansion of the Islamic empire, they were attacked in 1521 by the overwhelming forces of Suleiman the Magnificent, losing the island against impossible odds. This left the Knights without a home for a short period.
Their fortunes changed in March 1530, when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V signed "the Act of Donation of Malta," ceding Malta and several other nearby islands to the Order. During their time on Malta, the Order commanded the largest naval fleet in the Mediterranean, protecting shipping and the southern coasts of Europe from Ottoman Turks and Barbary Coast pirates.
The epic Siege of Malta in 1565 saw a small band of Christian defenders—just 200 Knights, 2,000 men-at-arms of the Order, and approximately 8,000 Maltese irregular troops—valiantly defy a vastly superior Ottoman invading force of over 40,000 until reinforcements arrived. This pivotal victory significantly impeded Suleiman the Magnificent's advance into Christian Western Europe.
However, in 1798, when Napoleon threatened to invade Malta, Grand Master Hompesch ordered the Order's surrender without resistance. A majority of the Knights opposed this decision and, led by Prince de Condé, re-established themselves in St. Petersburg, Russia, under the royal protection of Tsar Paul I.
That same year, the Catholic Grand Priory of Russia (formerly of Poland), alongside the newly formed Orthodox Grand Priory of Russia, elected Tsar Paul I as the Order's 70th Grand Master. Pope Pius VI, from the Monastery of Cassini near Florence, subsequently bestowed his paternal and apostolic benediction upon Paul I after he accepted the office. It is important to note that the Tsar was already the Order's Royal Protector by virtue of a treaty signed with the penultimate Grand Master in Malta, Emanuel de Rohan.
Tsar Paul I, Emperor of All the Russias and a powerful European potentate, extended his protection to several existing Commanderies and Priories of the Order across Europe, while also establishing new ones. The Order subsequently expanded its presence into the New World.
Today, our Order functions independently of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). The SMOM itself experienced a revival in 1834, following its near extinction after the abdication of Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch under treaty with Napoleon. Thus, our Order and the SMOM can be considered two major branches stemming from the same original 'tree.'
This lineage defines our history: the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, are direct descendants of those Knights who settled in Russia. Furthermore, a "Supreme Court" ruling delivered in Canada some years ago affirmed the validity of our Order's claim to legitimacy when it was challenged by representatives of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Now Christian-ecumenical in character, the Order, led by His Imperial Royal Highness the Prince Grand Master the Chevalier Sandor Habsburg-Lothringen, works globally to provide medical, social welfare, and humanitarian aid, irrespective of race, color, or creed. Beyond local contributions, significant international donations include mobile hospitals, medicines, and medical equipment sent to nations such as China, Russia, Honduras, the Philippines, Ukraine, and across Africa. The Order currently operates from bases in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, the UK, and its International Headquarters in Malta.
