What contribution did the hospitalists make to medicine? Knightly orders. Grand Masters of the Order
The Order of Saint John is the oldest crusader order, which was founded in 1099. Initially, it was a Christian organization whose purpose was to provide assistance to sick and wounded pilgrims and pilgrims in the Holy Land, after the Pope built a fairly large hospital with a library back in 600. Speaking of the hospital, the unofficial, but more familiar name of the Order of St. John is “Hospitaliers”, it is not difficult to notice the word “hospital” hidden here, hospitalis - in Lat. "Hospitable". The Hospitallers became a knightly order thanks to Gerard the Blessed immediately after the first Crusade, which ended with the capture of Jerusalem by Christians.
The new knightly order became a serious force in the region. Their symbol was (and is) a white cross, which was sewn onto a black tunic. Despite their great military potential, they still remembered their true purpose, now helping the pilgrims not only medically, but also providing armed protection, and the order itself began to be divided into “brothers - knights” and “brothers - healers”.
After the defeat of the crusaders in the 12th century, the order had to retreat from Jerusalem, but the crusaders did not want to give up their holy mission. They settled on the island of Rhodes, where they built an impenetrable fortress, inside which there was a very cozy hospital. The fortress on Rhodes was a real stronghold of Catholicism in the East. The Knights, who began to call themselves Rhodes, still helped Christian pilgrims, giving them comfortable conditions, thanks to the funding of the order by Christian states. The knights continually made forays in Asia Minor, plundering Muslim villages and driving infidels into slavery. Muslims also actively attacked Rhodes, wanting to crush the Crusader bastion in the East. There were two major invasions, but all attacks ended in failure; the few knights, as if God himself was protecting them, always drove out the invaders, covering their names with shame.
But the order's success could not last forever. By the first half of the 16th century, the hegemony of the Ottoman Empire in the East began. The Ottomans were able to capture the Roman Empire, Western countries were afraid to confront them on equal terms, and what could the knights, possessing an army of several thousand people, do? The fortress was besieged by more than two hundred thousand Turks. Rhodes was able to hold out for 6 months, after which the surviving crusaders retreated to Sicily.
In 1530, the Hospitallers were given the island of Malta, which also began to be used as a headquarters against the Muslims. The 16th century was not the best years for the crusaders, the orders of the crusaders were disbanded and ceased to exist, knights became an obsolete type of army, and swords began to be replaced with firearms. But the Hospitallers, who had already become known as the Order of Malta, still saw the expulsion of Muslims from Africa and the East as the meaning of their existence. The Ottomans, extremely irritated by this, began the siege of Malta. Ottoman troops of 40 thousand people against 8000 knights believing in victory. At first, the position of the crusaders was hopeless, half of the knights were killed, and most of the city was destroyed. The King of Sicily refused to send reinforcements until the last moment. Nevertheless, after a series of attacks, reinforcements did arrive from Sicily, and the Ottomans, exhausted by heat and disease, had to retreat. This was the last major victory of the knights in world history; out of 40 thousand Turks, only 15 returned back.
Soon the Hospitallers began to experience moral and economic decline. The European powers ceased to see the meaning in the idea of returning the holy land, and therefore the meaning of the Order of the Crusaders, which is why their funding, thanks to which the knights lived, was sharply reduced. Looking for a way to make money, the order began to plunder pirate and Turkish ships, and they also passed a law according to which any cargo from the Ottoman Empire must be confiscated and resold. This improved the financial situation of the order, but many members, chasing wealth, ended up enlisting as privateers, in particular in France. This directly contradicted the order’s charter, according to which the crusaders could not enter the service of European monarchs in order to avoid participation in wars between Christians. But in the end, this practice became widespread, the order had to come to terms with it, and France became the patron of the last crusaders. The financial position of the order improved greatly, but its old principles were forgotten, the order even signed a formal truce with the Ottoman Empire, because. France did the same.
At the end of the 18th century, Malta was captured by the French and the order was dispersed. The Crusaders spread throughout Europe in search of a new base. Some of the crusaders found shelter in St. Petersburg, and even made Emperor Paul I the new master of the order, although the Catholic Church did not accept this.
In the mid-19th century, Pope Leo XIII restored the moral integrity of the order, entrusting the Knights of Malta with their old responsibility - humanitarian and medical assistance, but now far beyond the pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. The newly found meaning of their existence, the knights provided medical care to soldiers and civilians during the First and Second World Wars. The residence of the order settled in Rome, where they became a dwarf state within a dwarf state. Modern crusaders have their own currency, postage stamps and passports. Today the order has diplomatic relations with 107 countries, 13,000 people consider themselves members of the order, and the volunteer base consists of 80 thousand people. More recently, the Maltese government gave the ancient fortress into the ownership of the knights for a period of 99 years and restoration is now underway there.
We praise our names
But the poverty of idle talk will become obvious,
When to raise your cross for ramen
We will not be ready these days.
Christ, full of love, is for us,
He died in the land that was given to the Turks.
Let's flood the fields with a stream of enemy blood,
Or our honor is forever disgraced!
Conan de Bethuis. Translation by E. Vasilyeva
Typically, Western European knights defeated Muslims on the battlefield, and not only when they fought bravely and decisively - these were the qualities for which chivalry has always been famous - but also acted in an organized manner. But it was precisely organization that the knights most often lacked. The reason was that every feudal knight depended on little on anyone, since his peasants were engaged in subsistence farming, and the society itself was distinguished by non-economic forms of forced labor. Moreover, in personal valor he could easily surpass both the duke and the count, and even the king himself! Suger, abbot of Saint-Denis, in his treatise “The Life of Louis VI, nicknamed Tolstoy,” spoke in detail about how in 1111 he planned to punish Hugh du Puizet, since he was engaged in robbery, and besieged his castle in Beauce. Although the king’s army suffered heavy losses, he still took Hugo’s castle, but he treated Hugo himself very gently: he just sent him into exile, although he could have hanged him. Then Hugo returned, declared that he had repented, and Louis VI forgave him. Then Hugo again built the donjon and... took up robbery and other outrages, so that the king was simply forced to go on a campaign against his obstinate vassal again. And again Hugo’s dungeon was burned, and Hugo himself was punished, and then, when he repented once again, they were pardoned again! But then he repeated the same thing for the third time, and it was then that the king became seriously angry: the donjon burned him, and Hugo himself was sent to the Holy Land to atone for his sins before God. He never returned from there, and only after that the inhabitants of Bose were able to breathe easy.
Crusader warrior 1163 – 1200 Fresco on the wall of the chapel of Cressac-Saint-Genis (Charente). The most famous are the frescoes painted on the northern wall. The top row of images tells of the battle with the Saracens that took place in 1163 at the foot of the Krak des Chevaliers castle, when Emir Nureddin, who besieged the castle, was completely defeated by a surprise attack by the Frankish cavalry.
Many other knights were distinguished by the same, if not greater, arbitrariness in that era. And it would be nice in peacetime! No, and on the battlefield they behaved in an equally inappropriate manner! And if some proud knight, before the rest, rushed to the enemy camp in order to be the first to rob it, or fled from the enemy when it was necessary to stand steadfastly in one place and fight the enemy, the king could well lose even the most successful battle!
Making sure that knights were disciplined was what many military leaders dreamed of, but no one could achieve this for many years. Everything changed when the “expeditions” to the East began. There, having become closely acquainted with the Eastern culture, which was completely different for them, the leaders of the West decided that the church itself could become the “basis” of knightly discipline. And all you need to do for this is... make monks out of the knights and at the same time hint that in this way they will get closer to their cherished salvation!
Knights-Crusaders of Palestine: from left to right - Knight-Crusader of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem (founded in 1099); Hospitaller; Templar, knight of the Order of St. Jacob of Campostela, Teutonic Knight of the Order of St. Mary of Teutonia.
And so the spiritual knightly orders of the crusader knights appeared, created in distant Palestine. But they were only copied from very similar “organizations” among Muslims! After all, it was there, in the East, at the end of the 11th – beginning of the 12th century that such military-religious orders as Rahkhasiyya, Shuhainiya, Khaliliyya and Nubuwiyya appeared, some of which in 1182 were united by Caliph an-Nasir into one large and united spiritual order for all Muslims. knightly order of Futuwwa. Members of this order had a purely knightly rite, when the entrant was girded with a sword, after which the candidate drank “sacred” salt water from a special bowl, put on special trousers and even, as in Europe, received a blow with the flat side of the sword or hand on the shoulder. That is, chivalry itself, as such, came to Europe from the East, which, by the way, is also mentioned in Ferdowsi’s poem “Shahnameh”!
Although, who was the first and from whom to borrow the very idea of a spiritual knightly order is also, in general, unknown - or rather, this is a very controversial issue! After all, long before these events, in the lands of Africa, namely in Ethiopia, there already existed... the ancient Christian order of St. Anthony, and historians quite rightly consider him the oldest among all other knightly orders in the whole world.
The cross was a popular figure on ancient knightly coats of arms.
It is believed that it was founded by the Negus - the ruler of Ethiopia, who was known in the West as "Prester John", after St. Anthony either in 357 or 358 fell asleep in the Lord. Then many of his followers decided to go into the desert, where they took vows of monastic life to St. Vasily and created a monastery “in the name and heritage of St. Anthony." The order itself was founded in 370 AD, although even a later date compared to all other orders will still be “early”.
Stairs to the cave of St. Anthony the Great. Perhaps salvation can be found here...
Orders with the same name were later in Italy, France and Spain, and were branches of the order, whose headquarters were in Constantinople. It is interesting that the Ethiopian order has survived to this day. The head of the order is its grandmaster and at the same time the President of the Royal Council of Ethiopia. They admit new members very rarely, and as for the vows, yes, they are completely chivalrous. The badge of the order has two degrees - the Grand Knight's Cross and the Companion Cross. He has the right to indicate in his official title the initials KGCA (Knight Grand Cross) and CA (Companion of the Order of St. Anthony).
Crosses of the Order of St. Anthony.
Both badges of the order have the appearance of a golden Ethiopian cross, covered with blue enamel, and on top they are also crowned with the imperial crown of Ethiopia. But the breast star is the cross of the order, does not have a crown, and is superimposed on an eight-pointed silver star. The order ribbon is traditionally sewn from moiré silk, has a bow at the hip, and its color is black with blue stripes on the edges.
The clothing of the knights of the order were black and blue robes, on the chest of which a blue three-pointed cross was embroidered. Senior knights were distinguished by double crosses of the same color. The order's headquarters was located on the island of Meroe (in Sudan), and throughout Ethiopia the order owned both women's and numerous men's monasteries. The order was simply incredibly rich: its annual income was no less than two million gold. Thus, the idea of such orders was first born not in the East, and, as you see, not in Europe, but in... sultry Christian Ethiopia!
Well, the palm in the creation of the very first order in Palestine belonged to the Johannites or Hospitallers. Usually, non-specialists associate its foundation with the first crusade, although the real order is slightly different. It all started when Emperor Constantine came to Jerusalem to find here (and he found it!) the life-giving cross of the Lord, well, the same one on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Then many other holy places were found in the city, which were mentioned in the Gospel, and churches immediately began to be built in these places.
It is clear that any Christian would be very pleased to visit all these places, receive grace from God and hope for the salvation of his sinful soul. But the journey to the Holy Land for the pilgrims was filled with dangers. And when someone got there, they often took monastic vows and stayed to continue doing good to other pilgrims at the same monastic hospitals. In 638, Jerusalem was captured by the Arabs, but for all this “activity” the conditions remained virtually unchanged.
And so, when in the 10th century Jerusalem turned into a world center of Christian piety, a pious merchant was found - yes, there were those then, named Constantine di Panteleone, originally from the Italian trading republic of Amalfi, who in 1048 asked permission from the Egyptian Sultan to build in the city of another shelter for sick pilgrims. They called it the Jerusalem Hospital of St. John, and the emblem of the hospital was the white eight-pointed Amalfi cross. That is why his servants began to be called Johannites, or Hospitallers (from the Latin hospitalis - “hospitable”).
Battle for Agra. Miniature from the manuscript “History of Outremer” by Guillaume de Tire, 14th century. (National Library of France).
For 50 years, the Hospitallers lived quite peacefully - they went after the sick and prayed, but then the Crusaders besieged Jerusalem. According to legend, Christians, like all other residents of the city, were “put on the walls.” And then the cunning Johannites began to throw not stones, but fresh bread onto the heads of the Christian knights! The authorities immediately accused the Johannites of treason, but a miracle happened: right in front of the judges, this bread turned into stone, which proved their innocence, so they were acquitted! When Jerusalem fell on July 15, 1099, Duke Godfrey of Bouillon rewarded the brave monks, and some of his knights even became members of their brotherhood in order to protect pilgrims traveling to the holy city. First, the status of the order was approved by the ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Baudouin I, in 1104, and nine years later, Pope Paschal II confirmed his decision with his bull. And this charter of Baudouin I and the papal bull have survived to this day and are located in the National Library of the island of Malta in the city of La Valletta.
Louis VII and King Baudouin III of Jerusalem (left) fight the Saracens (right). Miniature from the manuscript “History of Outremer” by Guillaume de Tire, 14th century. (National Library of France).
The military brothers of the order were not mentioned in documents until 1200, when they were divided into brother warriors (blessed to wear and use), brother doctors and brother chaplains, who performed the necessary religious rites in the order. The military brothers obeyed only the Pope and the Grand Master of the Order. At the same time, they owned lands, churches and cemeteries. They were exempt from taxes, and it was established that even bishops did not have the right to excommunicate them!
Modern Hospitaller Reconstructors.
It received its name, the Jerusalem Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John, in 1120 under the first master Raymond Dupuis. Along with the usual monastic attire, the knights wore a black cloak, on the left shoulder of which was sewn a white eight-pointed cross. On campaign, they wore a surcoat, usually scarlet in color, with a white linen cross on the chest with flared ends. They symbolized the following: the four ends of the cross are the four Christian virtues, and the eight corners are the eight good qualities of a true believer. And, of course, the cross against a bloody background symbolized knightly fortitude and loyalty to the Lord. The banner of the order was a rectangular red cloth with a white cross.
Fort in Larnaca, Cyprus. There were crusaders here too.
In 1291, the order left Palestine and moved to the island of Cyprus, and 20 years later settled on the island of Rhodes, where it remained until 1523, when it was driven out by the Turks. 42 years later, the knights of the order moved to Malta and became known as the “Knights of Malta”. Well, the hospitals founded by the order in various European countries were real centers of medicine at that time.
Still from the film “Suvorov” (1940). Emperor Paul is clearly wearing a robe with a Maltese cross. Well, he loved knightly romance, what to do... In the movie we see that during Suvorov’s meeting with Pavel, Paul I was wearing the mantle of the Master of the Order of Malta. It is safe to say that what we see does not correspond to history. Paul I was indeed proclaimed Grand Master of the Order of Malta, but only on December 6, 1798, that is, more than ten months after this audience.
In 1798, Malta fell under Napoleon's rule, causing a massive dispersion of its members around the world. Emperor Paul I invited the “Knights of Malta” to Russia and condoned them in every possible way, but after his death they had to leave Russia for Rome. Today the order has a complex name, which sounds like this: the Sovereign Military Order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Note that in battles with Muslims in Palestine, the Hospitallers constantly competed with the Templars, which is why they were placed further away from each other. For example, the Johannites are in the rearguard, and the Templars are in the vanguard, and between them are all the other troops.
Bellapais Abbey, Northern Cyprus. Founded by the Hospitallers, but now there is an Orthodox Greek Church.
And this is what it looks like inside today.
Well, these are the dungeons of the abbey. When it's hot outside, it's pleasantly cool here.
Of course, the Hospitallers were not only warriors and doctors, but also excellent builders; they built so many different abbeys, churches and cathedrals. In this they also competed with the Templars. Having moved to Cyprus, they built many religious buildings there that have survived to this day.
St. Nicholas Cathedral, converted by Muslims into a mosque.
From the back, St. Nicholas Cathedral looks no less impressive than from the front.
Order of the Hospitallers (Johannites)
(Alliance de Chevalerie des Hospitaliers de Saint Jean de Jerusalem)
(Brief historical sketch)
Part 1.
This Order is perhaps the oldest of the twelve known monastic-knightly Orders of the Middle Ages.
Of these dozen, the most noticeable mark on the history of the Middle Ages in general, and in particular on the history of the Crusades, was left by three - the Hospitallers, the Templars and the Teutons. The Templar Order ceased to exist in the first half of the 14th century; the other two still exist today, although they now do not play any noticeable political and military-political role. They have degenerated into charitable public organizations, i.e. returned to the state from which they started.
This Order is known by a number of names and, moreover, its names have changed over time.
In Russia it is known under the following names:
*Hospice House of the Jerusalem Hospital;
*Order of St. John of Alexandria;
*Order of St. John the Baptist;
*Order of St. John of Jerusalem;
*Order of St. John;
*Order of Malta;
*Order of Hospitallers;
*Order of Johannes.
In French the name is known:
*Alliance de Chevalerie des Hospitaliers de Saint Jean de Jerusalem-Knight's Hospital Union of Saint John of Jerusalem.
Names known in English:
*Religious Military Order of the Roman Catholic Church-Religious Military Order of the Roman Catholic Church;
*Order of Saint John-Order of St. John;
*Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta-Sovereign Military Hospital Order of Malta;
*Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta- Independent Military Hospital Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta;
*The Chivalric Alliance of Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem- Knight's Hospital Union of St. John of Jerusalem;
*The Order of St.John of Jerusalem-Order of St. John of Jerusalem;
*The Order of the Knights of Malta-Order of the Knights of Malta;
*Sovereign Military Order-Sovereign Military Order.
The abbreviation is also known S.M.H.O.M. - S overeign M ilitary H ospitaller O rder of M alta.
The name Sovereign Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and Malta was included in the name of the Order in 1936. The word Hospitaller was adopted in the 19th century and added to the previously existing name. The word Sovereign was added after the loss of Malta in 1800 to reflect the autonomous extraterritorial principle; the words Military (Military) and of Malta (Maltese) do not reflect the modern meaning, but reflect its historical and chivalric traditions.
The leaders of the Order were called:
* until the summer of 1099 -Rector;
*summer 1099 - 1489 - Founder and Director only Gerard, subsequent ones - Magistery;
*1489 -1805 - Grand Magistery;
*1805-28.3.1879 - Lieutenant Magistery;
*28.3.1879-present -Grand Magistery;
From the author. In our literature, it is more common to call the leaders of the Orders “Grand Master” or “Grand Master” instead of “Grand Master”. This is more of a philological debate and has no fundamental significance.
The order was led at different times (the list is incomplete):
*1070 (1080?,1099?) -1120 - Gerard Beatified (Gerard the Blessed);
*1120-1160 - Raymond du Puy (Raymond de Puy);
*?-1217-? -Garen de Montagu;
* ? -1309-?- Fulk de Villaret (Falk de Villaret);
*?-1441-? -de Lastic (de Lastik);
*? -1476-? -Helion Villeneuve (Helion Villeneuve)
*? - 1481 - Pierre d "Aubusson (Pierre d" Aubusson);
*1481 -1534 -Philippe Villiers l "Isle Adam (Philippe Villiers de Lisle Adam);
*1534-? Juan de Homenez;
*1557-1568 - Jean Parisot de la Valette (Jean Parisot de la Valette);
*1568-1572 -Pietro del Monte;
*1572-1582 -Jean de la Cassiere (Jean de La Cassiere);
*?-1603 -Alof de Wignacourt;
*?-1657 -Lascaris (Lascaris);
*1657-? -Martin de Redin (Martin de Redin);
*?-1685-? -Karafa;
*1697-1720 -Raymond de Rocaful;
?-? -Pinto de Fonseca (Pinto de Fonseca);
*?-1797 - Emmanuel de Rohan (Emmanuel de Rohan);
*1797-1798 -Ferdinand von Hompesch (Ferdinand von Hompesch)
*1798-1801 -Pavel Petrovich Romanov (Holstein-Gottorp);
*1803-1805 -Giovanni-Battista Tommasi (Giovanni Battista Tommasi);
*15.6.1805-17.6.1805 -Innico-Maria Guevara-Suardo (Innizo-Maria Guevara-Sardo);
*17.6.1805-5.12.1805 -Giuseppe Caracciolo (Giuseppe Caracciolo)
*12/5/1805-1814 -Innico-Maria Guevara-Suardo (Innico-Maria Guevara-Sardo);
*1814-1821 -Andrea di Giovanni e Centelles (Andrea di Giovanni and Centelles);
*1821-1834 -Antonio Busca a Milanese (Antonio Busca a Milanese);
*1834-1846 -Carlo Candida (Carlo Candida);
*1846-1865 -Philip von Colloredo (Phillip von Colloredo);
*1865-1872 -Alessandro Borgia (Alexander Borgia);
*1872-1905 -Giovanni-Battista Ceschi a Santa Croce (Giovanni-Battista Cechi a Santa Croce);
*1905-1931 -Galeazzo von Thun und Hohenstein (Galeazzo von Thun und von Hohenstein);
*1907-1931 - in fact, due to Galeazzo’s illness, the Order was controlled by the lieutenant of the grandmaster - Pio Franchi de "Cavalieri" (Pio Franchi de "Cavalieri);
*1931-1951 -Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere (Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere);
*1951-1955 -Antonio Hercolani-Fava-Simonetti (Antonio Hercolani-Fava-Simonetti). (Had the title of lieutenant grandmaster);
*1955-1962 -Ernesto Paterno Castello di Carcaci (Ernesto Paterno Castello di Karachi); (Hold the title of lieutenant grandmaster);
*1962-1988 -Angelo Mojana di Cologna (Angelo Mojana di Colona);
*1988-present - Andrew Bertie (Andrea Bertier).
The reign of grandmaster Didier de Saint-Gail (XIV-XV centuries) is unknown.
The distinctive feature of the Hospitallers is the white eight-pointed cross, also known as the Maltese cross, on a black cloak. Later, from about the middle of the 12th century, a white eight-pointed cross is worn on the chest on a red supervest (a cloth vest that follows the cut of a metal cuirass and is worn on top of the cuirass or instead of it).
In the picture on the right is an officer of the Cavalry Regiment of the Russian Army in 1800 in a red supervest with a white Maltese cross (“guard attached to the Grand Master”). Russian Emperor Paul I was the Grand Master of the Order of Malta in 1798-1801.
By the early Middle Ages, Jerusalem had become a major place of pilgrimage for Christians, although the difficulties faced by travelers passing through a country constantly in turmoil, divided by wars and squabbling local leaders, coupled with the long journey through a sea overrun with pirates and marauders, made this venture extremely dangerous.
And in the Holy Land there were almost no Christian organizations capable of providing overnight accommodation, medical care, and food to the pilgrims, who, moreover, were often captured by local residents for ransom.
Regarding the exact time of birth of the Order, different historical sources give different dates. According to some sources, in 1070 (25 years before the First Crusade), the noble knight Gerard (Gerard?) founded a sacred brotherhood at the already existing Hospice House in Jerusalem, which took upon itself the care of Christian pilgrims. According to another version, this happened in 1080 and the founder was not a knight..
Historian Guy Stair Sainty, today's official historiographer of the Teutonic Order, claims that most historians agree that a certain Gerard Beatified (Gerard the Blessed) was originally from the city of Martigues, which in the French province of Provence was already the rector at the time of the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders on July 15, 1099. or Master of the Hospital in Jerusalem.
From the author. The term "hospital", which is understood today by everyone as a military hospital or a hospital for the wounded in war, and is understood only as a purely medical institution, in those days meant a much broader concept. The Latin word "hospital" translates as "guest". We can say that the Hospital of that time was a hotel or shelter where a traveler could receive the whole range of services he needed (overnight, food, treatment, rest, protection, security, religious services), and largely free of charge.
During Gerard's reign, the Hospital was a purely peaceful organization. The number of beds in the hospital reached 2 thousand. Methods of then advanced Arabic medicine were used. He created the first Charter of the Hospital, which was simply amazing for that time, characterized by the absence of any rules and regulations.
The cutout from the map of Jerusalem shows the Hospital in red.
The hospital was located near the Church of Saint John the Baptist and not far from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Abbey of Santa Maria Latina.
The hospital was organized in two sections - one for men dedicated to Saint John, the other (for women) dedicated to Mary Magdalen - and both sections were initially under the authority of the Abbey of Santa Maria Latina.
Help was provided to the wounded and sick of all faiths, which brought the Hospital much income from grateful patients and allowed the Hospital to become independent from the Benedictine Abbot shortly after the Crusaders took the city. With independence, the Hospital abandoned the worship of Saint Benedict in favor of Saint Augustine.
In 1107, the then Christian king of Jerusalem, Baldwin I, officially approved the monastic Brotherhood and assigned it the land on which the Hospital was located.
The picture shows a panorama of modern Jerusalem with a view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the site where the Hospital was located.
Under Gerard's leadership, the brothers formed themselves into a religious brotherhood, taking solemn vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
To symbolize their renunciation of all worldly things, their uniform was simple clothing and a white cross, which later became eight-pointed as a symbol of the eight beatitudes.
By the bull Postulatio Voluntatis of February 5, 1113, Pope Paschal II approved their charter, with the exception of references to any military regime of operation.
This bull read:
"To Our Venerable Son Gerard, Founder and Director of the Hospital of Jerusalem and all his legitimate followers and successors....,
You asked us that the Hospital which You founded in the city of Jerusalem, near the church of St. John the Baptist, should be strengthened by the authority of the Papal See and strengthened by the protection of Apostle Saint Peter.. .......
We agree to your requests with paternal mercy, and we confirm by the authority of this existing decree, this House of God, this Hospital, is subject to the Apostolic Eye, and is protected by Saint Peter.....,
that you are the actual administrator and director of this hospital, and we desire that, in the event of your death, no one can be placed in charge of it by trick or intrigue, and that the respected brothers may choose according to the will of God......,
we confirm forever, both for you and your heirs...
all advantages, privileges and property which it now possesses in Asia and Europe and which may be acquired in the future shall be exempt from all taxes."
In subsequent years, under the auspices of the Brotherhood, hospitals for pilgrims were founded in Europe, mainly in the port cities of Saint-Gilles, Asti, Pisa, Bari, Otranto ), Taranto and Messina. In these hospitals, pilgrims could prepare for the pilgrimage, wait for the ship and prepare for the long and dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, and rest after the pilgrimage before returning home.
Gerard died in 1120 and the day of his death is still listed in the calendar of the Order of Malta.
But even before Gerard’s death, a group of crusader knights, led by a certain Raymond du Puy, originally from Provence, joins the Brotherhood. (who later became the second head of the Hospital after Gerard)
It is not entirely known exactly when the Brotherhood began to engage in the function of military defense of the Holy Sepulcher and fight the infidels wherever they found them. It is approximately believed to be between 1126 and 1140.
The first military task performed by the new brother knights was the physical protection of the pilgrims marching from Jaffa to Jerusalem from the bandits constantly harassing them. Very quickly the task grew into the responsibility of clearing the surrounding area from robbers and infidels in general.
From this time until the fall of Malta, the Masters, or Grand Masters (from 1489), were both Religious Superiors and Military Commanders of the knights.
Thus, between 1126 and 1140 the Brotherhood increasingly became a military-religious organization, although the functions of charity for weak and sick pilgrims remained.
During the same period, the name of the organization “Brotherhood” was replaced by “Order” (“Ordo” (Order)), as was already customary in military-religious communities in Europe.
There is no exact information regarding the origin of the first Knights Hospitaller. It is quite obvious that the vast majority of them were French, because... the bulk of the crusaders of the First Crusade were from France and Raymond de Puy was also French. However, most of the Order's hospitals in Europe were located in southern Italy, and most of the donations came from Spain. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that among the Knights Hospitaller there were many Italians and Spaniards.
In 1137, Pope Innocent II approved the rule according to which a brother who had previously joined the Order did not have the right to independently withdraw from his vow. This required the consent of all other brothers.
Those who entered the order took three ordinary monastic vows - celibacy, poverty and obedience
Initially, no proof of noble birth was required to become a Knight Hospitaller. The very presence of expensive weapons, protective armor, and a war horse already indicated nobility. Often, knights who were not members of the brotherhood were temporarily recruited to carry out military tasks. However, by 1206, members of the Order were already divided into classes, the first of which included only knights. The leadership could only be elected from among them. The second class included order priests, the so-called “serving brethren” (sergeants), hospital employees, and service personnel to the third class. The last class did not take monastic vows. Knights and sergeants took part in the battle.
In addition to the brothers, a number of privileges and protection of the Order were also received by the so-called “brothers” (confratres) and “donors” (donati), i.e. those who helped the Order either by direct participation in hostilities or financially. This system did not exist in other Orders
The Order very quickly became a powerful military-monastic organization. His military power already in 1136 prompted the king of Jerusalem to hand over to the Hospitallers the fortress of Bethgibelin, an important strategic point on the southern border, covering the port of Ashkalon. The Hospitallers strengthened and expanded the fortress at their own expense.
How can we explain the emergence and very rapid development of the military monastic Orders at the beginning of the 12th century, and the Order of the Hospitallers? in particular?
The thing is. that the monarchs and large feudal lords of that time were good warriors, often quite good military leaders, but not administrators at all. We can say that they were all just robbers in royal robes. They knew how to conquer territories and fortresses, and plunder them too. But the 12th century was the century of the formation of statehood. Social development required stable borders, laws, and stability of the country. And only the military-monastic Orders, with their carefully developed charters and members who learned to implement them, bound by a single goal, not having their own selfish interests, cemented by discipline and having in their hands a permanent trained and united army could be and were in fact the centers, the embryos of the emergence of states
This is what attracted kings to the Orders, who saw their support in these organizations, and wealthy people seeking lasting protection from the tyranny of large feudal lords, and the Catholic Church, which saw in the Orders a means of strengthening the power of the papal throne.
The Hospitallers, being good administrators, attracted outstanding builders to their work. doctors, architects, and gunsmiths of that time, created a network of fortified points along the borders of the kingdom, organized a kind of border service, preventing Muslim troops from entering the country.
Between 1142 and 1144 the Hospitallers acquired five counties in the Tripoli district, a sovereign principality in the north of the kingdom. In total, by this time there were already about 50 fortified castles in the hands of the Hospitallers. including the important fortresses of Krak des Chevaliers (Crac) and Margat. The ruins of these castles still stand on commanding heights above the valleys, reminiscent of the times of the Crusades and the power of Christianity over these lands. 
In the photo above are the ruins of the order's castle Krak des Chevaliers.
In the photo on the right are the ruins of the order's castle Margat.
The Knights of the Order, realizing their power, were not very scrupulous with the church authorities. They simply ousted the Abbey of Santa Maria Latin from the center of Jerusalem and occupied the buildings that previously belonged to the abbey.
The Hospitallers took an active part in the Second Crusade, introducing elements of order and organization into the ranks of the crusaders, which helped to win a number of victories. However, the campaign ended in failure.
In the rather long half-century period between the end of the Second Crusade (1148) and the beginning of the Third Crusade (1189), the history of North Africa is rich in events of struggle between Christians and Muslims. There was everything here - the ferocious cruelty of both, and the conclusion of alliances, and betrayal and successful assaults on cities on both sides. In all these events, the Hospitallers take an active part. In 1177, the Hospitallers, together with the Templars, took part in the Battle of Ascalon and made a significant contribution to the victory of the Christians. Muslims, led by Atabek Nuretdin, managed to organize resistance to the crusaders. In 1154, he captured Damascus and launched an attack on the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
In 1187, Saladin invades the Kingdom of Jerusalem and lays siege to Tiberias. He takes over the city.
Within a few weeks, all the fortresses of the kingdom fell. Then it was the turn of Jerusalem and Tire itself. By this time, discord between the Templars and Hospitallers, including military skirmishes and serious battles, led to the weakening of both Orders, mutual hostility and mistrust. There was no real defense of Jerusalem and the city fell.
In 1189, the Third Crusade begins. By 1191, after a two-year siege, the crusaders managed to capture the fortress of Saint-Jean d'Acre (Acres).
July 15, 1199, i.e. at the very beginning of the Fourth Crusade, the crusaders manage to recapture Jerusalem.
In the first half - mid-13th century, the Hospitallers were the main military force of Christians in Palestine and held back the onslaught of Muslims. They take part in the V, VI, VII Crusades. In 1244, at the end of the VI Crusade, the Hospitallers suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Gaza. The master and many knights are captured.
But in 1249, the Hospitallers took part in the VII Crusade. And again, failure - the loss of the Battle of Mansur, during which the master and 25 senior leaders of the Order were captured.
The Crusaders are haunted by one failure after another. The Hospitallers become the rearguard of the last Crusades. They continue to hold their fortresses even when other crusaders have already left Palestine.
They held Krak des Chevaliers until 1271, Margat until 1285. When Jerusalem fell in 1187, the Hospitallers moved their residence to Acre (Saint-Jacques d'Acre). But in 1291 the last stronghold of Christianity in Palestine had to be abandoned. The wounded master of the Order of the Ioannites, who covered the evacuation of the townspeople and their boarding of the ships, was the last to board the ship.
Thus ended the era of the Crusades, and with it the era of the heyday and greatness of military monastic orders. The orders had to look for their niche in new historical conditions.
The Teutons will delay their fall by switching to the Christianization of the Baltic states.
The Templars would never find their place in Europe and would be defeated in 1307 by the French king Francis the Fair and Pope Clement V, who feared for their power.
The Hospitallers, first stationed on the island of Cyprus and then moving to the island of Rhodes, will continue their active existence with naval operations in the Mediterranean against pirates.
But more on that in Part 2.
Literature
1.Guy Stair Sainty.THE SOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF MALTA (Site www.chivalricorders.org/orders/smom/crusades.htm)
2.E.Lavvis, A.Rambo. The era of the Crusades. Rusich. Smolensk 2001
3.M.Tkach, N.Kakabidze. Secrets of knightly orders. Ripol Classic. Moscow. 2002
4.Myachin A.N. and others. One Hundred Great Battles. EVEN. Moscow. 1998
Joannites - Hospitallers
The order of knighthood was founded in 1099, Jerusalem, at the hospital of Gregory the Great and the library of Charlemagne. WITH 1098 - Hospitallers of St. Lazarus at the leper hospital.
1. Heraldry
Colors- black mantle with a white cross, red mantle with a white cross.Hospitallers of Lazarus - white robe with an eight-pointed green cross. The basis of the order were knights who fell ill with leprosy.
Motto- Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum - For the faith, for the benefit of people!
Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum - Defending the Faith and helping the poor and suffering!
Motto of the Hospitallers of Lazarus: Atavis et armis - To the ancestors and weapons!
Patron - St. John the Baptist, Hospitallers of Lazarus - St. Lazarus
Control of the Mediterranean Sea - After the loss of the Holy Land, the Johannites set themselves a new goal: protecting Christian ships from Muslim pirates and freeing the slaves they had captured.
Hymn- Ave Crux Alba
Symbols and shrines of the Johannites
Owl - symbol of the wisdom of the order
The right hand (right hand) of St. John the Baptist. The palm is missing two fingers, the little finger and the middle one
2. Location of the Order and chronology
2.1. In the Holy Land
1098 - 1291, Jerusalem
1244, Battle of Forbia. The Order of St. Lazarus lost its master and all its knights, including lepers.
1255, the status of the Hospitallers of Lazarus is confirmed by a bull of Pope Alexander IV
1262, Pope Urban IV also confirms the Lazarite charter
2.2. On islands
1291 - 1310, Cyprus
1306 - 1522, Rhodes
1348, on the island of Lazaretto in the Venetian Lagoon, the Green Knights founded the Leper Infirmary
1523 - 1530, seven years of wandering
1530 - 1798, Malta
1789 - 1799, during the French Revolution, Louis XVIII, while in exile, as Grand Master of the Green Knights, called them to himself
2.3. Order in Russia
1798 - 1803, St. Petersburg
1798 - 1801, Paul becomes the 72nd Grand Master of the Order of Johannites I . He establishes, in addition to the Catholic one, an Orthodox Priory. 12 conspirators kill him in the Mikhailovsky Castle (St. Petersburg).
1928, in Paris, a complete list of Hereditary Commanders of the Russian Priory is provided, these are 23 names, 10 of which have already died. The living 12 commanders sign the Declaration on the re-establishment of the Orthodox Order of John. The Order of Malta does not recognize its Orthodox brethren, but their organization continues to exist as the Union of Descendants of Hereditary Commanders under the patronage of the House of Romanov.
2.4. Currently in Rome
1853, death of the last Lazarite knighted before the French Revolution
2008 - 2017, Matthew Festing - 79th Grand Master of the Hospitallers
2012, split of the Order and founding of Saint Lazare International in Jerusalem, with its own Grand Master
On April 16, 2012, the Vatican Secretariat of State published a statement on April 16 in response to frequent inquiries to the Holy See regarding its relationship to a particular order of knighthood. The Apostolic Capital explained that there are only 5 orders that are given the title of knighthood: the Supreme Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Spur, the Order of Pius IX, the Order of St. Gregory the Great and the Order of St. Sylvester. The Holy See also recognizes the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem as knightly. Other orders - new institutions and everything connected with them - are not recognized by the Holy See, since it does not guarantee their historical and legal legitimacy, their goals and organizational systems. In this regard, the Secretariat of State warns that one must refrain from holding ceremonies in churches and places of worship for the presentation of knighthood diplomas or awards issued without the consent and recognition of the Holy See. Such events are said to be spiritually detrimental to many “people of good will.”
2013, Matthew Festing, who has been Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta since 2008, spoke about the current situation in the Order, which will celebrate the 900th anniversary of its founding on 9 February 2013. The Order currently has 13 members, 5 thousand knights and has diplomatic relations with 104 states, AP reports. “On the one hand we are a sovereign state, on the other hand we are a religious order, on the third hand we are a humanitarian organization. So we are a mixture of all of these,” said Master. Matthew Festing hopes that in the near future it will be possible to make it easier for people of non-aristocratic origin to join the order, especially in Europe. “Of course, this principle [the principle of recruiting new members of the order only from noble families] is not outdated - but we should not forget that we live in the 21st century. In order to become a knight of our order in Europe, indeed, belonging to noble blood is one of the conditions. But this is only one of the conditions - there are a number of other requirements. In other places - Australia, Central and North America, Southeast Asia - the requirements for new members are based on different principles,” said Matthew Festing.
2015, the official process of beatification of the deceased began Andrew Bertie '78 Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitality Order of Saint John, Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Andrew Bertie became the head of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1988 and served the order until his death in 2008. Under his leadership, the Knights of Malta provided aid to the poor and sick throughout the world. Andrew Bertie is the first Knights of Malta leader to be beatified. The inaugural mass for the beatification process, which was also attended by Cardinal Raymond Burke, patron of the Knights of Malta, was officiated by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Vicar of the Diocese of Rome.
On December 10, 2016, the 50th Grand Master of the Green Knights - Jan, Count of Dobrzensky and Dobrzycki, was consecrated by Pope Francis as Commander of the Papal Equestrian Order
25 January 2017, Grand Master of the Order of Malta Matthew Festing (No. 79) resigned after conflict with the Vatican. This was reported by Reuters. This happened as a result of Festing’s personal meeting with Pope Francis. “The pope asked him to leave his post and he agreed,” an order spokesman said. Now the decision must be approved by the government of the order - the Sovereign Council. After Festing's final resignation and until the election of a new Grand Master, Grand Commander Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein will act as head of the order. This step came as a surprise to the knights - as a rule, the master holds his post for life. Festing's resignation was led to by a conflict with the Holy See after the overthrow of the Grand Hospitaller of the Order, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, due to his too liberal interpretation of the dogmas of Catholicism. When the pontiff created a commission to investigate the circumstances of the incident, the order issued a statement in which it asked the Vatican not to interfere in its internal affairs. The Order of Malta is a knightly religious order of the Catholic Church. It has observer status at the UN and the Council of Europe and maintains diplomatic relations with 105 states. The order itself considers itself a state, although this assertion is disputed by many international lawyers. At the same time, the order issues its own passports, prints stamps and currency. The Grand Master of the order is the papal viceroy.
Since 2017, Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein has been acting as Master until the elections.
May 2, 2018, b the former locum tenens of the Order of Malta, Giacomo Dalla Torre, was elected grand master. This was announced on Wednesday by the press service of the ancient religious order at the end of the meeting of the State Council, at which the vote took place.As locum tenens, 74-year-old Giacomo Dalla Torre, elected to this post a year ago after the resignation of Grand Master Matthew Festing, was supposed to reform the order's constitution. Dalla Torre became the 80th Grand Master and must take the oath before the Vatican Under-Secretary of State for General Affairs, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, who was appointed papal delegate to the order after Festing's resignation. The Grand Master is elected for life. Dalla Torre has been the head of the Grand Priory of Rome since 2008 (one of the 12 oldest associations of the order) and belongs to the upper class (first class) of knights, who represent the religious elite of the order and from which its head can be chosen. Dalla Torre joined the order in 1985, and in 1993 he took a vow of obedience. He had already been Grand Commander (second in command of the order) and then Locum Tenens (temporary head of the order) after the death of Grand Master Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie in 2008, before the election of Matthew Festing to the post.
3. Structure of the Order
Eight Languages of the Order
1. Provence, symbol - Archangel Michael, emblem - coat of arms of Jerusalem
2. Auvergne, symbol - St. Sebastian, emblem - Blue Dolphin
3. France, symbol - St. Paul, emblem - coat of arms of France
4. Castile and Leon, symbol - St. James the Lesser, emblem - coat of arms of Castile and Leon
5. Aragon, symbol - St. George the Victorious, emblem - Mother of God
6. Italy, symbol - Catherine of Bologna, emblem - blue inscription ITALIA
7. England, symbol - Flagellation of Christ, emblem - coat of arms of England
8. Germany, symbol - Epiphany, emblem - Black double-headed eagle
Management of the Order
At the head of the order was the Grand Master (Master). His rule was elective and usually lifelong, although there were cases of overthrow and even murder of Grand Masters. The master made decisions on all current affairs of the order. However, his power was not unlimited. He was subordinate to the General Chapter, which met at the headquarters of the order usually once a year at the proposal of the Grand Master and determined the policy of the order for the near future. The competence of the Chapter also included the election of the Master. The Pope and the kings of the Crusader states very rarely interfered in these elections; From the 15th century, however, the practice of transferring this position to his protégés began.
The Grand Master's closest associates were:
Grand Commander - Deputy Grand Master and administrative and economic head of the order
Seneschal - dealt with military issues, weapons and the construction of fortresses
Grand Hospitaller - was responsible for the charitable activities of the order, sanitary and medical issues
Great Sacristan - responsible for clothing and partly for military uniforms
Grand Treasurer - was responsible for the finances and treasures of the order.
4. Hospitaller buildings
Famous Hospitaller fortresses
Krak des Chevaliers (Syria)
Markab Fortress (Syria)
Fortress in Akko (Israel)
Rhodes Fortress (Greece)
Fortress in Kusadasi (Türkiye)
Fortress on the island of Halicarnassus (Türkiye)
Hospitaller Library
From the moment of its founding, the Order began diligently replenishing its Charlemagne library with ancient books on philosophy, medicine, including palmistry, shipbuilding and navigation... and now their collection of ancient works is very large.
Administration(Adminsitration) The Order consists of eight Bailiffs, responsible for specific areas of the Order's activities:- Chief Commander(Grand Commander), who, together with the Treasurer, manages the general property, controls the Accounts committee, acts as Master of the Artillery and appoints some priests.
- Marshal(Marshal), later Grand Marshal, who acts as the chief of the military staff and deals with all military matters.
- Hospitaller(Hospitaller) or Grand Hospitaller, who manages the work of hospitals and clinics.
- Drapier(Drapier), since 1539 the Chief Guardian (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 created when the Order left the Holy Land and which commands the galleys.
- Turcopolyer(Turcopolier or Turcopilier), who commands the Turcopoles (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 government orders, puts official seals and monitors the implementation of all decrees and decrees.
- Chief Bailiff(Grand Bailiff) from 1428, responsible in Rhodes for protecting the defense of the Castle of Saint Peter and later the island of Gozo.
Each of the Langis was controlled by one of the eight highest leaders of the order:
- Provence(Provence) - Grand Commander,
- Avignon(Auvergne) - Marshal,
- France- Hospitaller,
- Italy- Admiral,
- Aragon(Aragon) - Drapier (later Grand Conservator),
- England- Turcopilier,
- Germany- Grand Bailiff (a post invented to satisfy the Germans)
- Castile(Castille) - Portugal - Grand Chancellor.
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