John la Valette. Military Order of Malta.

John la Valette

Fra ‘Jean de la Valette, Jean Parisot de La Valette, (1494 – 1568) was from 1557 until his death the 49th Grand Master of the Military Order of Malta and founder of present capital of Malta, Valletta.

The Order of St. John was built after the conquest of Jerusalem by the army of the First Crusade in 1099 as the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (Latin name: Ordo Sancti Johannis Hospitalis Ierosolimitani). The religious community was also called Knightly Order of St. John of Jerusalem from the hospital, the Knights were called St. John or Hospitallers.

After the fall of the Crusader states first in 1291 the seat of the Order was moved from Jerusalem to Cyprus and in 1309 to Rhodes. In the time in Rhodes the Knights were also called Rhodesians. After the conquest of the island by the Ottomans, the Order subsided after multiple stops settled down in Malta in 1530. So the usual names today Maltese or Maltese Order emerged.

Source: Travels in Malta and Sicily, with sketches of Gibraltar, in MDCCCXXVII by Andrew Bigelow. Publisher: Carter, Hendee & Babcock 1831.

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