Table of Contents

Introduction • The occident, the chivalric Orders, and their spiritual roots • The Hospitallers – from a brotherhood to an Order • The Hospitallers become a Chivalric Order • Internal changes and the international background • The ‘aristocratization’ of an institution • The Hospitallers in Rhodes • Hospitallers, Templars, and the rulers of the occident – an uneasy partnership • Rhodes – the new headquarters • New orientations • Under Ottoman pressure • On the road to Malta • The Order and its rule – Power, statutes, and organization • From Rhodes to Malta – Aspects of a continuation • The decision for Malta and its global implications • The Hospitallers in Malta – A difficult beginning • Malta and Sicily – The legal and social background • Sieges and heroes • The corso – Backbone of a society and state • Upheavals and changes • The global picture and the Mediterranean environment • Malta and the impact of the rule of the Hospitallers • Social and demographic changes • New economic perspectives • Behind the scene • New cultural horizons • Creating identities – Religion and politics • The eighteenth century – Last splendour and dark clouds • New horizons and a dangerous road • End of an epoch • New arrangements and a complicated resurrection • Grand Masters of the Order of St John ruling over the Maltese islands • The Order’s structure • SITES • Valletta • The Grand Harbour conurbation • The minor palaces and fortifications