Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Information
Healing Warriors
The Battles for Rhodes
Malta
A Legacy for the Ages
The Continuing History of the Sovereign Order of St. John of
Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta
The Vows of a Knight
Active Priories of the Ecumenical Order
The Maltese Cross of the Fire Brigades
The Author’s Personal History with the OSJ
Biographies
Order of St. John Priories
About The Author
More From MorningStar
 Courage
That Changed
the World

The History
of the Knights
of St. John

by Rick Joyner
 Copyright Information

Courage That Changed the World

by Rick Joyner
Copyright ©1997
Updated and Expanded edition: 2012
All Rights Reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
International Standard Book Number 1-60708-456-2

Distributed by Morningstar Publications, Inc.,

a division of Morningstar Fellowship Church
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 CHAPTER ONE

Healing Warriors
The history of the Order of St. John is one of the most remarkable stories of
courage, endurance, and prevailing faith since biblical times. Also known as “the
Knights of Malta,” three times they took their stand against some of the most
powerful Islamic armies in the world. When outnumbered by as many as one
hundred to one, they refused to retreat. Given no hope by friends or foes, they
stood their ground until they prevailed, to the astonishment of the entire world.
These few but resolute knights endured some of the most terrible sieges and
human wave assaults in the history of warfare, but they stood their ground.
When most of their fellow knights lay dead all around them, and virtually all
who remained were wounded, they stood their ground. They endured continuous
bombardments that no one was considered able to survive, some lasting over a
month without stopping. When the smoke cleared, the remaining knights
appeared standing on the ramparts with their armor gleaming. Then wave after
wave of attacks by some of the most feared warriors of all time poured out of
their trenches and descended upon them. When the fray was over, the remaining
knights appeared with their banner waving over them, ready for the next
onslaught.
Even though they were few in number, these courageous knights may have
been the greatest military force of all time as victors in possibly the most
important and strategic battles in history. It was by their courage and endurance
that the seemingly unstoppable hordes of Islam were checked and Europe was
saved. Now it seems that history has once again repeated itself. Will there be
another band of brothers such as the historic Knights of Malta to once again save
the continent?
To this day, the history of these remarkable knights is revered and celebrated.
However, before these epic battles, the nations of Europe scorned the Order of
St. John as “archaic relics from the past.” Christian rulers denied them supplies
or reinforcements, thinking that they did not have a chance against the huge,
modern armies of Islam. Even so, they determined to die rather than retreat
before the enemies of the cross. Most would die, but they did not retreat. Their
valor earned them unprecedented stature in the history of the courageous, but
even more importantly, they turned away what seemed to be the irresistible tide
of history. Their lesson is a message to us: The Lord can deliver by many or by
few, but it is never too late. It is never time to give up.
Though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual, there are
great and timely lessons in the amazing history of the Order of St. John. Epic
spiritual battles such as they fought are now being waged. The odds seem
impossible at times, and we are again in need of such great souls to stand for
truth, justice, and liberty, without compromise, without fainting, and without
regard to the cost. We must now take our stand in our own times against
seemingly impossible odds, but if we do not retreat before the enemies of the
cross, we too can push back the great darkness of our times.
Against these strongholds of deception and corruption now assaulting every
nation and culture, brave knights of the Spirit are being raised up. They are now
building their own fortresses on truth, honor, chivalry, and the most important of
all, a love for God and His people that will never quit. The great conflict in our
own times will take no less courage, endurance, and focused vision than these
knights displayed. We would do well to review and take courage from the great
history of the Order of St. John.
THE CLASH OF EMPIRES

The battles fought by the Order of St. John were against some of the greatest
leaders and most powerful armies of Islam. Islam was founded on the theology
of jihad, which is a Holy War to conquer the world for Allah as we see in such
texts as Sura 2:190.
War is glorified in Islam. The most esteemed men of this religion are
warriors. Then, as it is today, they believed that when the religious leaders
proclaimed a conflict to be a jihad, the doors of heaven were opened to anyone
who would give their life for the cause. In this way, many have seen Jihad as
their opportunity to gain heaven, and they actually hope to die in battle. This
made the warriors of Islam some of the most deadly and feared that the world
had ever seen, and the source of terror throughout the world in our own time.
There are many faces to Islam just as there are many faces of Christianity.
There are Muslims who renounce violent jihad, showing great courage in
standing against the extremes of terrorism that now has the world on edge.
Certainly one of the greatest demonstrations of courage by a people were those
who voted in Iraq’s first free elections. The extremists threatened to kill any who
voted and carried out their threat to the degree that they could, bombing and
attacking polling stations and those standing in line to vote. Yet they stayed in
line and voted, some even having to step over the bodies of their neighbors to do
so, but they did. Moderate Muslims may be some of the most truly courageous
people today, and we must honor and stand with those of such resolution.
Even so, radical Islamists are the greatest threat to peace and Western
civilization in the world today. In the last half-century, jihadists have grown from
a small percentage of Muslims to estimates that are now over 30 percent. When
we consider that there are now approximately one and a half billion Muslims,
this means that close to 500 million are engaged in or support jihad. Their
expansion, and the naïveté of the West in understanding and combating this
threat, now has even the most courageous moderate Muslims believing that the
extremists are destined to win. The jihadists are accomplishing their objectives
to a large degree with help from the very ones they have resolved to destroy.
Just as Europe seemed doomed to Islamic conquest in the sixteenth century,
Western civilization is being threatened by the same foe. These times cannot be
understood without understanding Islam, and especially the rage of radical Islam
against the West. This is now the flashpoint of virtually every conflict in the
world. Facing almost the same situation that the Order of St. John did in the time
of their great stand, we are again in need of those with the courage and
endurance of these remarkable knights.
ROOTS OF THE PRESENT CONFLICT

Even in the Middle Ages, Christendom had a different theology about war
and warriors than Islam. Peace was holy, and both wars and warriors were
considered necessary evils, but evils nonetheless. This put the Christian West at
a serious disadvantage for confronting Islam, just as Western civilization is
today.
In the Middle Ages, the popes had the authority to change the rules, and they
did, sponsoring the Crusades whereby religious adventurers could gain eternal
glories for their participation. After the Crusades ended in failure, it was the
church’s warrior monks like the Order of St. John who took their stand against
the conquering armies of Islam to defend Europe. There were other battles and
sieges in the Balkans, at Vienna, in Spain, and even outside of Paris. The knights
who were most disregarded as a viable force actually turned the tide and saved
Europe.
 For almost two centuries, from 1095 to 1291, wave after wave of Christians
swept across the Middle East in crusades to recapture the Holy Land. The
Crusades were not just the result of a devotion to recover the holy Christian
sights, but was a response to over four centuries of attacks on Christians by the
forces of Islam. From North Africa through Asia Minor, hundreds of thousands
of Christians had been forcibly subjected to Islam, killed, or enslaved. There
were accounts of Christians being treated with more tolerance by some Muslim
conquerors, but the brutality of others had awakened the Christian world with a
resolve to begin their own offensive against Islam.
Few modern politicians understand why politics cannot resolve the Middle
East conflicts, but these conflicts are not rooted in politics. They cannot be
understood without understanding the theology of those engaged in it. Muslims
are commanded to fight against all non-Muslims until the world is subdued and
worships Allah by keeping Islamic law. We see this in such passages as Sura 9:5:
“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight the pagans (non-Muslims) .
. . seize them, and lie in wait for them….” Sura 9:29-30: “Fight those who
believe not in Allah nor the Last Day . . . nor acknowledge the religion of truth,
fight them until they pay the tribute with willing submission….”
The word “Islam” has a double meaning, both “peace” and “submission.” In
it the world is divided into the “house of peace,” which is Islam, and the “house
of war,” which is every non-Islamic territory. There is peace only for those who
have been transferred from the house of war to the house of peace by
submission. Jihad is the holy war to bring the world into submission so that the
world will then be in the house of peace, or Islam, but there can be no peace
until the entire world is subdued by Islam.
“War is hell” and one of the great victories of hell, and in it there will almost
always be
atrocities. Certainly there were many atrocities on both sides in the conflict
between Christendom and Islam. There were also rulers on both sides who
treated their foes with dignity and respect. Some Islamic leaders had shown a
considerable religious tolerance in the lands under their control and permitted
Christians to visit their shrines and to worship freely. The Eastern European
Christians had been likewise tolerant of Muslims, even allowing a Muslim
quarter and Mosque in Constantinople, one of the great cities of Christendom at
that time.
As the Crusaders laid siege to Jerusalem in 1099, the Muslim governor
showed remarkable consideration to his Christian subjects, even allowing them
to leave the city to join the Crusaders laying siege to his city. On July 15, when
the Christians finally breached the walls and conquered the city, their bloodlust
and cruelty was so great that even the most battle hardened who heard of it were
appalled. Muslim men, women, and children were slaughtered throughout the
city. Even those who had been promised clemency if they stood under the banner
of the Christians were surrounded and cut down.
The entire Jewish community of the city was likewise massacred—burned to
death in their own synagogue. The mosques, including the Dome of the Rock,
were plundered. Whatever code of chivalry or honor that had existed in the
conflict until that time was likewise destroyed in a day. For centuries to come,
the Christian “victory” in the conquest of Jerusalem would be one of its greatest
spiritual defeats and remains a dark cloud hanging over the history of the church.
Certainly there were Christian extremists and terrorists in these dark times. It
can be debated whether Christians started the atrocities or just reacted and took
this form of warfare to new and diabolical levels, but there is no doubt many
Christians were as guilty as the Islamists. Both Christians and Muslims preyed
on the weak or vulnerable of the other, profiting from the slave markets of the
times where they would sell their captives. Those who lived on the
Mediterranean Sea, whether Muslim or Christian, were in constant danger.
THE BIRTH OF THE ORDER OF ST. JOHN

In those dark and trying times, the remarkable story of the Order of St. John
began in 1048. At this time, the schism between the Western church, led by the
Bishop of Rome, and the Eastern church, led by the Bishop of Constantinople,
had not taken place. So when a small but devoted group began serving the sick
and wounded Christian pilgrims coming to the holy city, it was with
representatives from what would later become the Orthodox and the Catholic
churches. Many regarded the Eastern church the dominant influence in
Christianity until the schism in 1054.
The founder of this new order was a monk named Brother Gerard, who
established two hospices for pilgrims in Jerusalem, one for men and one for
women. These are considered to be the very first hospitals—public places for
serving the sick and wounded. Brother Gerard dedicated them to St. John the
Baptist. So the Order had its beginning with a devotion to healing, and this
remains a devotion of the Order to this day. It is in honor of this heritage that its
standard, now called the Maltese Cross, adorns hospitals and ambulances around
the world.
Later, the military branch of the Order was established to protect Christian
pilgrims who were often attacked by bands of both jihadists and outlaws. The
military branch never included more than a few thousand knights, and it was
never intended to be a strategic force, but its resolve would force it to become
one of the most important strategic forces in history.
Godfrey of Bouillon, the first Christian king of Jerusalem after the Christian
conquest, made a gift of land to Brother Gerard’s hospices. As the conflict with
Islam continued, later rulers of the city made it a custom to give a tenth of their
spoils to the Order to be used for the hospitals. Because the plunder was so great,
the Order grew fast.
In 1113, Pope Paschal II recognized the servants of these hospitals as an
independent Order of the Catholic Church and titled it, The Order of St. John.
Though the Order was to become famous for their military exploits, it has never
forgotten their first mission, which was to serve the sick and wounded. Thus
warfare and healing were combined in one of the most unique orders ever
created.
Some accounts recorded that after battles, the knights of St. John would
remove their armor and serve the wounded on both sides before taking any rest
themselves. To keep their focus on their original commission to serve the sick
and wounded, as well as to maintain humility, every knight, including the Grand
Master, would spend time regularly serving as an orderly in one of the hospitals.
To this day, the Order is often called “the Hospitallers,” as they are still regarded
internationally for their generosity and service.
THE CONFLICT SPREADS

Until the thirteenth century, most of the conflict between Islam and
Christendom had been carried out in the Middle East. The Byzantine Empire
headquartered in Constantinople had provided a formidable shield to any Islamic
adventures into Christian Europe. To the great consternation of the Pope and
Christian kings throughout Europe, the fourth Crusade marched into
Constantinople, sacking and destroying it in 1204.
Pope Innocent III condemned the crusaders outright for this outrage against
fellow Christians. The attack on Constantinople by the Crusaders proved to be
not only one of the most despicable acts in history but also one of the most
foolish. The Eastern and Western churches would be divided from that time on,
and the shield that Constantinople had provided against Islam was destroyed.
This did more to weaken Christian Europe than Islam had accomplished through
centuries of attacks by its armies.
The Crusades continued to fall into such debauchery that even their victories
horrified Christians, leading to further disintegration and disunity in Christian
nations. This opened the door even wider for Islam. The fortunes of Christian
armies began to almost universally reverse on the battlefields with Islam after
the sacking of Constantinople.
As the Eastern and Western churches divided and fell into quarrels within
their own camps,
Islam was unifying under brilliant and able leaders. The Order of St. John was
also prospering during those times, becoming wealthy from the spoils of the
conflict and what they captured by the raiding of Muslim shipping and caravans.
They were not exempt from all of the corruption and the politics of the day, but
as Christendom was increasingly distracted by the conflicts within, the Knights
of St. John did stay unified within their own ranks and focused on the main
enemy of Christendom, the powerful Ottoman Empire—the Caliphate of Islam.
Finally, the Crusades ended in defeat and disgrace, but the Ottoman Empire
continued to grow stronger. After conquering the Middle East, much of Africa
and Eastern Europe, it stood poised to sweep over the rest of Europe. Even with
this growing threat, the Christian nations of Europe were becoming so embroiled
in political and religious wars with each other that they could not raise a
common army to stand against the Ottomans. Soon it appeared that there was
nothing that could stop the rising wave of Islam from completing its subjugation
of Europe.
The last Christian defenders of Palestine were the knights of St. John in
Jerusalem. Keeping their vow to never retreat before the enemies of the cross,
the entire garrison died standing their ground in the final battle. The only
survivors were a few of the wounded knights who had been carried to ships in
the harbor. When they arrived back in Europe, their accounts of the valor with
which their brothers had fought galvanized the resolve of the remaining
members of the Order based in Europe. Even though Christendom was in retreat
from the Middle East, the knights of St. John determined to return and continue
the fight even if they had to do so alone.
 CHAPTER TWO

The Battles for Rhodes

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for
his friends” (John 15:13).

After a brief period in Cyprus, the Order found a home and place to build a
fortress on the small island of Rhodes. Rhodean seamen had been famous for
centuries, and they instructed the knights in their nautical skills. The knights
learned fast and soon became known as some of the most capable mariners in the
world. Rhodes’ situation was precariously right in the middle of the Ottoman
shipping lanes through the Aegean, so close that it was within sight of the
Ottoman homeland. The knights considered this a convenience more than a
danger, and they quickly made themselves odious to the Ottomans with the
boldness of their raids.
For the next 150 years, the Knights of St. John were so efficient in their sea
war that the Turks were discouraged from even trying to become a great sea
power. Their raiding of Ottoman shipping also prevented their planned invasion
of Western Europe.
During this period when ships first spotted
each other on the sea, not knowing if they were friend or foe while maneuvering
to gain an
advantage from the wind, they would each hoist different standards to confuse
the other. Once battle was eminent, at the last minute they would hoist their real
colors. The knights boldly rejected such tactics and painted the hulls of their
ships bright red so that the other ships would have no question about who they
were.
The Turks then built their pirate fleets and based them along the Barbary
Coast, now Libya, Algeria, and Tunis. From there they began attacking Christian
shipping, giving part of their spoil to the Sultan.
The knights also worked continually to improve the fortifications at Rhodes.
As Europe’s power continued to erode through internal conflicts, the pope’s
renewed call to arms against
Islam fell on deaf ears. At the same time, one of the most brilliant and
distinguished leaders of the fifteenth century, Mehmet, was unifying Islam. It
seemed with every passing year that the situation increased in favor of the
Ottomans.
Mehmet was a cultured man, fluent in a half dozen languages and possessed
extensive knowledge in literature and science. He raised the cultural, economic,
and military excellence of his people to a level that surpassed Europe at the time.
The little Order of St. John was an annoyance to the growing Empire of the
Ottomans, but no one considered them to be of any real military threat.
Mehmet was also a conqueror who fashioned himself after Alexander the
Great. He laid siege on Constantinople, which was at the time the greatest citadel
of Christendom, and subdued the great city in 1453 A.D. Europe then stood
before his army like an open treasure chest. Even so, the knights of St. John
became so bold and persistent in attacking his supply lines that he could go no
further until they were dealt with.
In 1480, Mehmet sent his most able generals and an army of 70,000 men to
subdue the 600 knights at Rhodes. The knights mobilized another 1,500 to 2,000
local militia to stand against the massive army of the Ottomans. Christian
Europe saw no hope for the Order against such odds and refused to send them
reinforcements or supplies. No one expected the siege of Rhodes to be more than
a brief sideshow to the coming invasion of Europe. The whole world was about
to be proven wrong and would marvel for a long time at what was about to
unfold.
THE FIRST BATTLE OF RHODES

Mehmet’s army landed with little resistance, and soon his huge siege
cannons began to batter the walls that the knights had spent over a century
building. Numerous other cannons hurled projectiles over the walls into the city.
The Grand Master of the Order was a Frenchman named Pierre d’Aubusson. He
was a remarkable leader of men who had with great foresight prepared his
knights for the siege he knew would someday come. He built shelters for the
townspeople so that they could escape the bombardment. Knowing that they
could expect little or no help from Europe, d’Aubusson had gathered abundant
provisions, storing them in deep shelters.
After many days of bombardment, in early June the first wave of assault
troops attacked the Tower of St. Nicholas, an outlying fortification of the city.
Mehmet’s troops were repulsed with many casualties to the surprise of both
sides. The Ottomans increased their bombardment, hurling over a thousand
cannonballs a day into the city for two weeks. The walls soon began to collapse,
while the Turks snaked closer and closer with their trenches. At night, fires
burned throughout the city from the grenades and incendiaries, so that the
knights who fought on the walls by day had to fight fires at night. Those who
were present at Rhodes declared that a scene out of hell itself could be no worse.
Still the knights refused to surrender.
On June 18, the Turks launched a second major assault by the fearsome
Janissaries, renowned as the greatest warriors of the times. Each Janissary had
been chosen from age seven because of their physical potential. They had come
from Christian nations but had been abducted and made into
Islamic warriors. They were trained their entire lives for combat and were
forbidden to marry or engage in any kind of family affections in order to focus
all of their emotions and energy on battle. They came under the cover of
darkness, expecting to find the knights sleeping, but instead they were waiting
for them. Swords, arrows, and gunfire filled the night. As the sun arose, it
revealed Janissary bodies filling the moats around the tower of St. Nicholas and
the knights still standing on the battered walls as their gleaming armor reflected
in the sun.
The Ottoman generals had never experienced such a military setback. They
resorted to subterfuge to pry the knights from their fortress. They planted agents
in the city by having them pretend to be defectors to the Christians. This was not
unexpected because many of the Sultan’s troops were captives and slaves from
Christian nations. These spies were soon able to do great damage to the defenses
and create serious and confusing tactical problems for the defenders.
The battle weary knights were now being pressed from within and without.
Each day seemed to present a new crisis that threatened to be their doom. The
fortifications were crumbling everywhere, but the worst breeches were at the
most strategic points. Still they refused to give up. Then the Turks began
massing for a final great assault that both sides fully expected to be the end.
The many weeks of constant bombardment had reduced almost the entire
city and its walls to huge piles of stone, giving the few remaining defenders little
protection. On July 27, the great assault began. The knights and the remaining
militia took their positions and braced for the last battle.
The Sultan sent his bashi-bazouk troops first. These were mercenaries who
were considered
expendable, and they were expended as wave after wave were cut down by the
knights. Their bodies soon filled the ditches and streams making human bridges
that led up to the walls. This had in fact been the strategy of Mehmet’s generals.
The exhausted defenders then watched as huge waves of the fearsome
Janissaries arose and began their advance, now even more resolute after their
previous humiliation.
The Janissaries overwhelmed the strategic Tower of St. Nicholas that had
taken the brunt of the main assault for nearly two months. The knights contested
every bit of ground, which the Turks paid dearly for as the ground was soon
completely covered with their slain. D’Aubusson, with an arrow in his thigh, led
a dozen knights and three standard-bearers up a ladder and onto the wall. There
the Grand Master received four more wounds. Then a Janissary “of gigantic
structure” hurled a spear right through his breastplate, puncturing his lung. He
was dragged back out of the fray just as the enemy made a breach in the defenses
and began to pour into the city. It appeared to all that the end of the Knights of
St. John had finally come.
In hand-to-hand combat, over burning rubble through choking smoke and
fire, in possibly the worst hell that men could create for themselves on the earth,
the Turks continued to throw themselves against the remaining knights and
militia. Even so, the tenacity of the knights and their ability to inflict casualties
soon began to even dismay the Janissaries.
Then, above the smoke and turmoil of this terrible inferno, on a remaining
parapet, d’Aubusson’s
standards suddenly appeared, held by three bearers in shining armor who looked
almost like gods from the hell below. The effect on the Janissaries was
electrifying. A wave of fear swept through the entire Ottoman army. The
remaining bashi began to flee in such terror that fear overcame the Janissaries.
Soon the great army of Mehmet began to melt away in confusion, retreating at
the very moment when total victory was easily within their grasp.
As the Turks fled, Rhodean sharpshooters made it back up onto the walls and
poured a deadly fire into them. The knights then amazingly found enough
strength to counterattack, chasing the pride of the Sultan’s troops all the way to
their base camp. Within ten days, the shattered army fled the island.
The whole world marveled at the knights’ victory at Rhodes. The little Order
of St. John had not only survived—they had prevailed, defeating the most
powerful army in the world. All of Europe celebrated, but the remaining knights
immediately began to prepare for what they knew would be an even greater and
more determined enemy.
VICTORY SECURED

Throughout Scripture and history, many of the most devastating defeats have
come after a great victory because the victors dropped their guard in too much
celebration. After seeing their eminent doom turned into such a great victory at
Rhodes, the relief and rejoicing must have been very hard to contain for the
knights, but they did. They got right back to work repairing their
fortress and getting ready for the next battle. Obviously, their extraordinary
courage and endurance was also salted with wisdom.
That such a small force could decimate the great army of the seemingly
unconquerable Mehmet was viewed as a military miracle of biblical proportion.
The Order that had been viewed by Europe as “an archaic relic of the past,” was
elevated to a new prominence, some already calling them “the saviors of the
continent.” Even so, the surviving knights did not expect their new fame to result
in much help from Europe. They were right.
Because of the defeat at Rhodes, the Ottomans were held in check. A
Sultan’s justification for his position as the leader of Islam was conquest for
Islam. With the little garrison of knights standing in his way, Mehmet could do
nothing. The knights knew very well how much more odious they now were to
the Sultan, and Europe was by no means secure after just one battle. They fully
expected Mehmet to send an even greater force, which is exactly what the angry
Sultan immediately planned to do.
The knights knew that it would take them a long time to be strong enough to
endure another siege. Rebuilding their fortress and their numbers again would
take years. The Lord must have heard their prayers. Before the Sultan could
prepare his invasion force, he became sick and died. The knights would be given
more time to repair the walls and to recruit and train more knights before the
next onslaught.
Like the resilient Order itself, d’Aubusson fittingly survived his many
wounds. As soon as he had recovered enough to resume command, he began
preparations for the next battle with his characteristic resolve. It was as if he
knew that the whole world’s destiny had been cast upon his shoulders. All of the
money that was received from Europe was devoted to the reconstruction of the
walls and towers as well as munitions to be stored for the next siege. As it turned
out, the Army of the Crescent would not return to Rhodes for forty years, but it
would take every bit of that time for the knights to prepare for what was coming.
D’Aubusson died in 1503, but his vision and leadership ensured that the
knights’ fortress would grow even stronger than it had been before the first siege.
These efforts were not wasted. Certainly the righteous prepare for generations to
come, and his efforts did just that, probably saving many nations and generations
from Islamic domination.
In 1520, Suleiman “The Magnificent” ascended to the throne of the Ottoman
Empire. Like Mehmet, he was a man of culture and learning, as well as a
brilliant general. Under his leadership, the empire would ascend to its greatest
heights.
One year later, Philippe Villiers de L’Isle-Adam became the Grand Master of
the Order of St. John. L’Isle-Adam was likewise an educated aristocrat, as well
as an experienced seaman and a devout Christian. He would also prove to be a
great military leader. The main players for another one of history’s most strategic
battles were now in place.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF RHODES

In 1521, the Sultan sent the newly elected Grand Master “A Letter of
Victory” in which he boasted of his recent conquests and asked that the Grand
Master “rejoice with me over my triumphs.” L’Isle-Adam did not waste time
trying to be diplomatic and replied that he understood fully the meaning of the
letter—that Suleiman intended to make Rhodes his next victory. He was right.
In his next letter, the Sultan demanded that Rhodes be surrendered to him at
once. The
Sultan’s timing was typically brilliant. Henry VIII of England was in the process
of seizing the Order’s properties in Britain, France and Spain were at war, and
Italy was impoverished. Again, the knights could expect no help or
reinforcements from Europe. The knights again took their stand to face the most
powerful army on earth at the time.
By June 1522, Suleiman was ready for Rhodes. Historians’ estimates vary
about the size of the invasion force, but some accounts were that it was as many
as 700 ships and 200,000 men. Facing them were about 500 knights and 1,500
militia, making the odds as much as 100 to 1. Neither side expected this invasion
to end like the last one, but the knights were resolved to bleed the Ottomans as
much as they possibly could in what they expected to be their final battle.
On July 28, the Sultan himself landed on Rhodes with a grand salute, and the
battle began. The Turks brought up their huge siege guns, capable of hurling
balls nine feet in circumference against the fortifications of the knights, as well
as into the city. The fields and hills sprouted a multitude of other cannon and
mortars that began a devastating and continuous bombardment. Throughout the
month of August, thousands of cannonballs tore into the city and its
fortifications each day. The knights answered with their own artillery, much
smaller but very effective on the relatively unprotected Turks.
By the end of August, a number of breeches began to appear in the fortress
walls. A few days later the first infantry assault came. The knights fought with
characteristic resolve, contesting every foot of ground. Even so, the numbers
were so overwhelming that the defenders were pushed back until the Turks were
able to plant their standards on the wall itself.
This had never happened before, but instead of disheartening the knights, it
gave them a new resolve. They rallied and surprised the Turks with a
counterattack. The Grand Master himself even entered the fray. After a terrible
struggle, the Turks began to fall back. Immediately the Sultan responded by
sending a second wave, personally led by Mustafa Pasha, the greatest of the
Ottoman generals.
For two more hours the battle raged on the walls. When the assault finally
ended, and the smoke cleared, the knights were still standing on the walls. The
ground was almost completely covered by Turkish dead and wounded.
Miraculously, the knights had lost only three dead along with an
unspecified number of militia.
The enraged Sultan then unleashed a continuous bombardment for three
straight weeks. On September 24, another massive assault was hurled against the
crumbling fortress walls. The bastion of Aragon, one of the city’s main
fortifications, fell to the now fanatically brave Janissaries. They had borne the
humiliation from their previous defeats for more than forty years, and it was like
all of their pent-up rage was now being released.
Like Xerxes, Suleiman had a conqueror’s throne set on a raised platform so
that he could witness his day of triumph. The tide of battle roared all along the
walls of the city as wave after wave poured out of their trenches in what
appeared to be an irresistible tide of death.
All day long the battle continued. The knights, gleaming in their armor,
always seemed to appear wherever the fighting was the thickest. L’Isle-Adam
himself could usually be found with his standard-bearer behind him at the most
desperate points of conflict. He was the man the Turks most wanted dead and his
standard-bearer seemed to mark him as the special target. Yet
those who witnessed the battle said that there was a divine protection around him
that the Turks could not penetrate. After one of the bloodiest battles the Ottoman
army had experienced, the seemingly invincible attack began to waver, halted,
and then became a wholesale retreat.
Knights in their gleaming armor reappeared on the walls as the astonished
and outraged
Suleiman came down from his elevated throne. He condemned his two most able
generals to death, but later he recanted after being persuaded that it would only
serve the side of the Christians. The losses for the knights had been great, with
two hundred killed and an equal number wounded. Even so, the losses for the
Turks were staggering, and their bodies now lay in heaps all around the city.
Again, the great siege guns were brought up, and the Sultan poured his deadly
fire into the walls and streets of the city for two whole months.
Only about half of the knights remained, and most of them were wounded. It
was obvious to all that the army surrounding them was so huge that it would
eventually prevail. The knights had withstood the most powerful and determined
army on earth for nearly five months without receiving reinforcements or
provisions. Still, they held their positions even as weariness was creeping over
them like the Turkish trenches creeping closer to them.
As the siege wore on, the Sultan’s disposition toward the knights began to
change. He respected courage, and he had never witnessed it like the knights had
displayed. He also had to be stunned by the decimation of half his army by the
knights and could only consider that to continue the battle would mean greater
losses. On Christmas Eve, Suleiman made an extraordinary offer of peace with
honor to the remaining knights and their militia. He allowed them to leave with
their own ships with all of their treasure and all of the people that wanted to go
with them. The Sultan even offered the use of his own ships to carry what the
knights’ vessels could not. Knowing they could not survive even one more
assault, they accepted the Sultan’s generous offer.
Suleiman paid tribute to his enemy’s courage and endurance. He gave them
provisions and his own ships to carry them to the destination of their choice.
After meeting with L’Isle-Adam, Suleiman is reported to have said to his Grand
Vizier, “It saddens me to be compelled to force this brave old man to leave his
home.”
Two thousand knights and militia had taken their stand against as many as
two hundred thousand, and they had held their ground for more than six months
as it seemed that all of hell had poured out its wrath on them. They endured
possibly the greatest bombardment and infantry assaults that the world had seen
until that time. As the few remaining warriors marched out of their fortress for
the last time, the Turks saluted them and the rest of the world would do the same.
Hearing the news that Rhodes had finally fallen, Charles V of France stated,
“Nothing in the world was ever so well lost as Rhodes.” The prestige of the
Order that had already gained the world’s respect was raised even further as the
details of the siege were spread abroad. No one could have blamed them for just
seeking a peaceful place to live out their days, but they immediately began to
prepare for the next battle. Their exploits were far from over.
 CHAPTER THREE

Malta
“But the greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew
23:11).

For more than two hundred years, the knights had lived in Rhodes and now
they had no home. Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, offered a small,
relatively inhospitable island in the middle of the Mediterranean named Malta.
The knights first rejected it, but then considering its potential as a fortress, they
accepted and immediately set about to turn it into one.
Years before, while harbored from a storm on a ship in the harbor of Malta,
lightning had struck the sword of L’Isle-Adam, reducing it to ashes. This was
later to be considered a providential sign. The knights were to fight another one
of history’s most strategic battles on the little island. Again, the Order would
display such valor that the very name Malta would be a synonym for courage for
generations to come. From that time on, the famous Order of St. John also would
be known as “The Knights of Malta.”
With Rhodes in his possession, the Sultan now seemed free to sweep across
Europe with little opposition. It must have seemed improbable to anyone living
that the battered knights of St. John would again bar his path. Though the Order
was severely reduced in both numbers and wealth after their departure from
Rhodes, their greatest possessions—courage and endurance—were as great as
ever.
Christian Europe continued in disarray from its internal struggles. The
Reformation had broken the Roman Church’s domination of Europe. Centuries
of resentment toward Rome boiled over into conflict as Christians took up arms
against each other across the continent, costing lives and resources that were
desperately needed for the looming battle against even greater Islamic armies.
Almost every nation in Europe was at war to at least some degree with at least
one neighbor, bleeding the continent of its strongest youth.
The Order of St. John was composed of the sons of noblemen from every
Christian nation, but they were able to maintain a remarkable unity in the Order.
This may have been because they were so in touch with what they knew to be
the greatest threat to their countries, their faith, and their own lives—Islam.
As soon as the knights occupied Malta, they began building fortifications
and ships from which they could immediately start to again raid Muslim
shipping. The famous Muslim pirate, Barbarossa, had been appointed High
Admiral of the Ottoman fleet, and he built their navy into a powerful force. Sea
battles began to rage from one end of the Mediterranean to the other. Most of
these battles were indecisive, but they kept the world on the edge of its seat. A
significant Muslim naval victory could imperil all of Christian Europe.
In 1546, Barbarossa died and Dragut assumed command of his powerful
navy. In 1550, the knights were key participants in the defeat of his fleet at
Mahdia. For revenge, Dragut attacked and began to lay waste to Malta. Still
relatively unfortified, the few defenders put up such a stiff resistance that Dragut
abandoned the attack. Even so, both sides knew that he would be back.
In 1557, L’Isle-Adam died and Jean Parisot de La Valette became Grand
Master of the Order. Educated and aristocratic, La Valette had once been
captured by the Turks and made a galley slave for four years. He was also a
young knight during the last siege of Rhodes. He was sixty-three when he
became Grand Master, and he would prove to be a great leader like both L’Isle-
Adam and d’Aubusson had before him.
Dragut’s raid had been beaten back but was a sure sign that the knights had
again made themselves odious to the Sultan. Suleiman had now stretched his
empire to its greatest limits and was massing for what appeared to be a final
assault on Europe. Amazed that the few knights of the Order of St. John were
again blocking his way, and knowing that they had to be dealt with but likely at
great cost, he set about to finish them off.
At Malta the Order only had five ships, but they were creating great and
continuous havoc with Turkish shipping. The whole Muslim world was also now
demanding the destruction of the Order of St. John. The Sultan was ambivalent.
At times he was enraged at the knights, and at times he feared them, knowing
that they could not be defeated without great cost. Public opinion forced his
hand, and on May 18, 1565, the Turkish fleet was sighted by the watchman in
Fort St. Elmo on the edge of Malta.
The Turkish amphibious fleet that had sailed against them was the largest
ever assembled. It appeared as if an entire forest of spars were moving across the
sea. Not until the great Spanish Armada sailed against England would the world
see a more powerful fleet. They brought the Sultan’s finest Janissaries, tens of
thousands of regulars, and over 4,000 Iayalars—religious fanatics who sought
death over life. This great horde came to attack 540 knights, 1,000 foot soldiers,
and a little over 3,000 Maltese militia. The odds again portended a short and
decisive victory for the Ottomans.
The Maltese were described by Roger Crowley in his book, Empires of the
Sea, as “unflinchingly loyal to Christ’s cause, ardent in their Catholic faith, and
the Maltese would fight to the last child for their homeland and stony fields.”
The Maltese were a remarkable people and fit well with
the knights.
As at Rhodes, the knights did not have enough men to even attempt holding
the invaders at their beachhead. Unlike Rhodes, where there was only one
fortified city, at Malta the knights were spread out over several forts and fortified
villages. Military strategists considered this a serious disadvantage, but it did
force the Ottomans to diversify their forces. As usual, the Order was determined
to take the maximum advantage of every favorable condition and look for any
advantage they could find in the unfavorable ones.
The Order’s Calvary began to attack and harass the Turkish foraging parties
to the point of great distraction to their generals. Then the Turkish High
Command, led by the brilliant and capable Mustafa Pasha, made a strategic
mistake of concentrating its main attack on the Post of Castile, possibly the
strongest point of the knight’s defenses.
This was the result of the bravery of a single knight, a Frenchman named
Adrien de la Riviere. He had been captured early in the assault. Under torture, de
la Riviere had asserted that the Post of Castile was lightly fortified with a small
garrison of men and could be easily taken. After a number of assaults were
mauled by the Post of Castile’s defenders, Pasha realized that he had been lied
to. He had the Frenchman beaten to death, but he had already lost hundreds of
his fighters, and even more importantly, his troops had already begun to lose
their confidence.
ST. ELMO’S FIRE

Then Mustafa Pasha redirected the main part of his force to capturing the
small star fort, St. Elmo, which overlooked the Grand Harbor. This diversion
gave la Valette time to make improvements to his other fortifications. Even so, it
was apparent that St. Elmo could not hold out for long. The indiscriminate
gunfire of the Turk’s earlier sieges at Rhodes had now been replaced by
mathematical precision and accuracy. Mustafa Pasha turned his main artillery on
the fort with unrelenting fire both day and night. Soon the little fort was
crumbling.
One night while in his council chamber in Fort St. Angelo, La Valette was
disturbed by an unwelcome delegation. A number of knights had slipped out of
St. Elmo and made their way to La Valette to tell him that St. Elmo could no
longer hold out. La Valette, himself a hero at Rhodes, derided the younger
knights as unworthy of their fathers. He told the delegation they need not go
back to St. Elmo, but that he would handpick a delegation to relieve them. Under
this scorn, the delegation from St. Elmo begged that they be allowed to return to
their post, which La Valette finally permitted. As soon as they had departed, the
Grand Master told the council that he knew that the little fort was doomed, but
they had to buy more time if the rest were to have any chance.
Smoke and fire were rising from St. Elmo, so it appeared as a volcano
spewing out of the rock. It seemed impossible that anyone could live in it, but
the remaining young knights in the little fort held their ground. Then the famed
Dragut arrived with a fresh squadron of ships and more troops. This raised the
morale of the entire Turkish force. Dragut also assumed personal command of
the forces.
He directed more batteries to pour their deadly fire into St. Elmo, now from
three sides. This continued for three entire weeks. Neither the knights nor the
Turks who looked on believed that anyone could survive this battering. Then the
Janissaries made their assault, confident of a quick victory. To the great surprise
of all, they were repulsed with great losses. Shocked and outraged, Dragut
responded with a bombardment so heavy that the entire island shook as if by
an earthquake.
The next day, Dragut sent a second massive assault against the little fort with
the layalars preceding the Janissaries. St. Elmo disappeared under the cloud of
dust, smoke, and fire. Hours later when the smoke cleared, the knights on St.
Angelo and St. Michaels, as well as the entire Ottoman force, stood in disbelief
as they saw the Cross of St. John still flying above the crumbled ruins.
La Valette was so moved, he dispatched a relief force of some of his best
fighters to the little fort, but the forces encircling it were too strong and they had
to turn back. The brave little garrison at St. Elmo was abandoned to its own fate.
The next day, if it were possible, Dragut intensified the bombardment of St.
Elmo. Now fewer than 100 knights were left in the fort and nearly all of them
were wounded. When the bombardment stopped, the imams were heard calling
the faithful to either conquer or die for Islam. Wave after wave of the best
fighters in the Sultan’s army threw themselves at the little fort that was now
hardly more than a great pile of rubble. The remaining knights moved into the
breach. Those who were too weak to stand asked to be carried into the fray so
that they could confront the
“infidels” one last time while sitting in chairs. They fought until the last man
fell, exacting a huge toll on their attackers.
The little fortress that no one believed could hold out more than a day or two
had held out for over a month. This had bought the rest of the Order precious
time to strengthen their other defenses. Little St. Elmo also deprived the Sultan
of thousands of his best fighting men and many of his leaders. His losses
included the master gunner, the Aga of the Janissaries, and most importantly,
Dragut himself, who was felled by a cannon shot.
As the Muslim standard was finally raised over the ruins of St. Elmo, Dragut
realized that his whole strategy had been wrong. The price paid for St. Elmo had
been too dear. As he looked up at the larger fort of St. Angelo, whose guns were
already pouring a deadly fire into his advancing troops, he cried out, “Allah! If
so small a son has cost so much, what price shall we have to pay for so large a
father?”
Dragut then had the bodies of the knights who had died so bravely at St.
Elmo, decapitated, bound to crosses, and floated them out into the harbor in front
of St. Angelo. This was a brazen insult to the religion of the defenders. La
Valette also understood that this meant that there would be no quarter given—
this was a fight to the death.
In retaliation, La Valette had a number of the Turkish prisoners executed and
their bodies hung on the walls. Both sides knew that there could be no turning
back, and there would be no terms offered to the Order such as they had received
at Rhodes. The knights would prevail on Malta or they would perish.
The bombardments increased as the knights’ remaining fortresses were now
caught in a deadly crossfire. Intermittently, Dragut would release ground assaults
at different points of the defenses, seeking just a single breach. Each one turned
into a massacre. Dragut finally maneuvered his forces until they encircled La
Valette’s own headquarters. He then released such a bombardment on it that the
inhabitants of the islands of Syracuse and Catania, 70 and 100 miles away, heard
the roar of the guns.
Before the barrage had stopped, Dragut sent a massive assault swarming
over the walls. A breach was finally made and Dragut poured his troops into it. A
mighty struggle raged for six hours until the knights closed the gap and retook
the walls. Mortified, Dragut tore his beard and called off the assault. Again, the
endurance and tenacity of the knights had been underestimated.
Dragut intensified the bombardment, continuing it for seven more days.
Then he released another human wave assault. By now the Order was so reduced
in numbers that the breach was made quickly. The knights fought bravely, but
they were now simply too outnumbered to stand against so great a tide of raging
Turks. Just when the citadel itself was within reach of the Turks, and it appeared
that the end of the knights had surely come, to the astonishment of both sides,
the Ottoman trumpets rang out calling for retreat!
The defenders could only believe that the continent had finally sent them
relief. What in fact happened was that a small force of the Order’s cavalry had
attacked the Ottoman base camp at Marsa. The little detachment had struck with
such ferocity and had raised so much havoc that they were mistaken for a much
larger force. Fearing an attack from the rear, Dragut had been forced to call a
retreat to his assault troops.
When Dragut finally learned how he had been deceived right at the very
moment when victory was within his grasp, his rage knew no bounds. He
redoubled artillery and released a continuous day and night bombardment that
raged until it seemed improbable that any living thing could survive inside the
remaining fortresses.
Inside, a council of knights recommended that a withdrawal be made from
all of the outposts into the single fortress of St. Angelo. Grand Master La Valette
adamantly refused, citing their vow not to willingly surrender even an acre of
ground to the infidels. Military historians would later agree that his tenacity in
holding every fortified point probably saved the knights by keeping the Turks
from massing at a single point.
La Valette received a dispatch from Don Garcia of Sicily promising to send a
relief force of 16,000 men. La Valette was unimpressed. He had received many
such promises before, and he did not put his trust in princes. He simply vowed
again to fight until victory or death came.
The Turks had not only been pouring their deadly artillery fire into the city
over its walls; they had been spending weeks making tunnels under them. On
August 18, a mine exploded under the Post of Castile and a great breach was
made. The Grand Master himself, now seventy years old, grabbed a light helmet
and his sword and rushed out to meet the assault. The knights and the
townspeople, encouraged by his example, picked up any weapon that they could
find and flung themselves into the breach with him.
La Valette was wounded but refused to retreat. He pointed his sword at the
Turkish banners and declared, “Never will I withdraw as long as those banners
wave in the wind.” Somehow the knights again prevailed and the Turks
retreated.
Bitter dissensions began to arise within the ranks of the Turkish High
Command. The battle that they thought could take no more than a few days had
now lasted months, and there was still no end in sight. Pasha began to calculate
how he could get enough supplies from Tripoli, Greece, or Constantinople to
keep up the siege through the winter.
Then on September 6, Don Garcia’s fleet arrived with 8,000 reinforcements.
Even though 8,000 was not a significant number compared to the still huge army
of the Turks, their impact on the morale of both sides was much greater than
their numbers. If a few hundred knights had cost them so dearly, and they had
only captured the little fort of St. Elmo, how could they possibly prevail against
so many more? The pride of the mighty Ottoman Empire struck camp and sailed
away.
The Sultan’s army returned to the Golden Horn with less than one-third of
those who had left. Suleiman could not believe that his mighty army had been
defeated. He only allowed his fleet to come into the harbor under the cover of
darkness so that the people would not see its terrible state. He then remarked, “I
now see that it is only in my own hand that my sword is invincible,” and he
immediately planned to lead another expedition to Malta the following year.
Like Mehmet before him, Suleiman would not live to fulfill this vow.
 CHAPTER FOUR

A Legacy for the Ages

The great general Dragut, at the head of the most powerful army in the world
at the time, had been defeated. Again the world had been astonished at the
“archaic relics from the past,” the little Order of St. John. They had stood against
the greatest military threat to ever arise against Christian Europe, and in one of
the greatest examples of courage and endurance the world had ever seen, they
had
prevailed again.
Only 250 knights survived at Malta, and most were wounded, maimed, and
crippled for life. However, Europe was given a badly needed respite from the
threat that had recently appeared so inescapable. In England, where Henry VIII
had previously confiscated their property, Queen Elizabeth acknowledged that if
Malta had fallen to them, England itself probably would have fallen to Islam.
She ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint a special form of
thanksgiving to be read in every church in the land every day for three weeks.
The rest of Europe also celebrated, paid their respects, and acknowledged their
debt to the Order that most had long before written off as having no real value.
LESSONS FOR TODAY

While the Christian nations of Europe had turned their armies against each
other, the knights of St. John never lost sight of who the real enemy was. Even
though the Order was composed of the noble sons of those Christian nations that
were fighting each other, they never allowed the doctrinal or political divisions
to enter their own ranks. Because of their unity, focused vision, and
determination never to retreat before the enemies of the cross, they altered what
had appeared to be the inevitable course of history. As they had gained respect
even from their enemies, it was said that their standard, the famous Maltese
Cross, was for a time saluted by every nation in the world and may be the only
standard to have ever achieved this.
The Lord is again calling together true knights of the Spirit. There are great
souls today who are likewise standing with uncompromising resolve for the truth
of the gospel, for justice, and for the poor and oppressed. Though they too may
be from many different nations and denominations, there is a unity in their ranks
that cannot be broken. It does not take many if we will stay focused on who the
real enemy is and are willing to stand without wavering against the great
darkness of our times until it is pushed back. Are you one of them?
We now possibly face an even a greater threat to Christianity from both
within and without. Even so, we know from the sure word of prophecy that the
victory will be won. The only question is whether we will stand and do our part
or let someone else do it and take our crown.
Since history has been recorded, there has been a debate about whether the
times make the men or whether men make the times. There is a good case for
both, and probably both are true. The times that gave birth to the Order of St.
John was one of the darkest times in history, which made true lights shine that
much brighter. These knights took their stand because there was no one else to
do it, and it was the right thing to do. They never knew when a battle began if
they would prevail, live, or die, but they did know that they would never retreat.
It was this resolve that brought the ultimate victory.
No great military genius was behind the remarkable victories of the Order of
St. John—just courage, endurance, and unyielding, focused resolve. By simply
determining to keep their word, a few men of honor went toe to toe with the
most powerful armies on earth at the time, and they prevailed. There will be such
to arise in these times of increasing darkness, and the light they live by will also
prevail in the end.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD
has risen upon you.
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness
the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will
appear upon you.
“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of
your rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3).
As we read in this, even when the deepest darkness is covering the earth, this
is when the glory will be revealed. Regardless of how dark it becomes, we must
never retreat or compromise the truth that we have been entrusted with.
Ultimately, the truth will prevail and the nations will come to it.
 CHAPTER FIVE

The Continuing History of

the Sovereign Order of
St. John of Jerusalem,
Rhodes, and Malta

After the Battle of Malta, the Order was held in high esteem among the
Christian nations of
Europe. In the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Ottoman fleet was decisively
defeated by the Christian fleet, and the ships of the Order played a crucial role in
turning the tide of this battle. A mistake by
one of the Christian admirals had opened a gaping hole in their line that the
Ottoman fleet was quick to see and attack. The few ships of the Order thrust
themselves into the gap with such ferocity and resolve that the Turkish attacking
force was stopped and what had been close to a defeat then turned into a decisive
victory. This kept the esteem for the knights high in the sight of Christian
Europe, for a time.
After the Battle of Lepanto, Islam ceased to be a great threat to Europe, and
the courageous deeds of the Order were forgotten by the nations they had fought
so valiantly to save. Some rulers started to consider the Order a threat to their
own sovereignty. Then the Order went through some periods of its own
debauchery, crossing the thin line between harassing Ottoman shipping and
piracy. Each time a new leader would arise who would bring repentance,
restoring their vision of living by the high standards of their vows and chivalry.
Even so, the tests that came from the nations they fought so hard to protect
would soon prove more daunting than those that came from Islam.
Because the Order was composed mostly of noblemen, it became a special
target of the French Revolution, which resolved to destroy the aristocracy. It was
during this time that the Order’s most valuable properties were confiscated. In
1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt, landed on Malta with a large
force. The Order elected to leave Malta rather than to break their vow to take up
arms against the forces of another Christian nation, which they still considered
France to be.
Napoleon left Malta after a few days carrying priceless treasures aboard his
flagship, “L’Orient,” which had been seized from the Order. This ship was sunk
a short time later by British forces with the treasure on board, and it has never
been recovered.
The Order was devastated and homeless by the loss of Malta. It began to
fracture as many of the knights felt that Napoleon should have been resisted with
all of the zeal with which they had resisted the Turks, considering the French
Revolution to be ruthlessly anti-Christian, and many considered Napoleon to be
the antichrist.
The few remaining knights of the Order drifted through Europe, seeking a
new home and a new purpose. They found both in Russia. A treaty was signed
between the Order and Emperor Paul I of Russia, whereby the Czar was
recognized as its Royal Protector. Eventually, he was elected Grand Master of
the Order, and the order’s insignia was officially added to the Czar’s Imperial
Coat-of-Arms.
At this time, the statutes of the Order were reconstructed to meet the
requirements of the new times, which included allowing those who were worthy
but from other denominations than Catholic, to be invested as knights. This was
done so that Russian noblemen, who were mostly of the Orthodox tradition,
could be included in the Order. Also, the succession hereditary knighthood was
conferred upon many knights allowing them to pass on the title to their heirs.
A number of the hereditary knights came to the new world and, in 1908,
founded an American Grand Priory, which received Legal Charter in 1911. A
Grand Priory of Canada was also established in the ecumenical and non-political
tradition. The Grand Priory of Canada operates under a charter granted by the
Government of Canada. The Sovereign Ecumenical Order of St. John of
Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta is recognized as the world’s oldest, continuing
Order of Chivalry.
The Order continues to operate to defend persecuted Christians around the
world, to stand against the present threats to the Christian faith, and to serve the
poor and needy regardless of their faith through its charities. The present Grand
Master of the Order of St. John is H.E. Nicholas Papanicolaou, who has brought
about a spiritual renewal of the Order and a significant increase in its missions
and outreach.
Like the nation of Israel, the Order of St. John the Baptist seems to have
been uniquely
preserved to play a part in the final battle between light and darkness. The
church today, and even Western civilization, is no less in jeopardy than it was
during the time of the Order’s strategic battles. In the same way, the conflicts
within the church have weakened her to the point where she is more vulnerable
than ever to the enemy without. Even so, the Lord is not constrained to deliver
by many or by few. The Lord still has those who are true nobles in spirit, not just
title. They are bound together by a common faith that transcends denominational
or national differences. They too have vowed not to retreat before the enemies of
the cross, or yield a single acre of ground to the enemy. The present Order of St.
John continues to maintain this resolve. Will you?
After Napoleon had deposed the knights from their home on Malta, the Pope
sent a
letter to the Czar expressing his appreciation for him becoming the Sovereign
Protector of the Order. This was interpreted as his approval and
acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the Order’s new ecumenical direction. It
was nearly a half century later when The Roman Catholic Church created the
“Sovereign Military Order of Malta,” which has at times challenged the legal
standing of the Ecumenical Order. As recently as 2011, the U.S. Federal Court
decided in favor of the Ecumenical Order on every disputed point.
 CHAPTER SIX

The Vows of a Knight

The following are the solemn vows taken by the knights of the Order of St.
John in a ceremony that has remained the same for 900 years.
VOWS OF A KNIGHT

Upon the True Faith of a Christian, may God witness that I hereby vow and
dedicate myself as a servant of Christ and the Poor, the first qualification of a
True Knight.
I promise to be faithful and loyal to Christ and to be guided by the ideals of
the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem: to do everything in my power to
contribute to its Glory, Protection, Prosperity, Support and Utility: to combat
everything prejudicial to its well-being: never to act contrary to its Dignity, but
to conduct myself always as a true Knight of Christ: a good Christian and a
person of Honor.
Believing that Christ will grant me a special token of His favor, I therefore,
in all Humility, Charity, and Respect agree to join with every sincere and Godly
Christian of whatever Church, to bring about by prayer and deed the salvation of
the Christian World by helping to promote a lasting Christian Unity.
I will adorn my Knighthood with true Charity, the mother and solid
foundation of all virtues. I will wear on my person the Christian Maltese Cross
of eight points, to constantly remind me of my religious vow of always bearing
in my heart the Cross of Jesus Christ, adorned with the virtues that attend it. So
help me God.
OTHER FACTS AND INFORMATION
ABOUT THE ORDER

Each knight of the Order of St. John dedicates himself to Christian service
and humility. He wears the eight-pointed cross of Malta near his heart to be
reminded continually to keep the eight beatitudes of Christ. They receive the title
of Chevalier upon being accepted knight.

The Motto Of The Order is: “AS WE ARE UNITED IN CHRIST, WE ARE
UNITED WITH ONE ANOTHER.”
 CHAPTER SEVEN

Active Priories of the

Ecumenical Order

Grand Priory of Europe:

Prince Anton Esterhazy de Galantha
Grand Priory of Bari and Rome: Giovanni Masi, MD
Grand Priory of the Benelux Countries:
Christian Bouwmann
Grand Priory of Greece: Vice Admiral
Takis Karamanolis
Grand Priory of Malta: Lt. Col. Robert Vella
Grand Priory Sweden: Magnus Birke
Grand Priory of Carolinas: Rick Joyner
Grand Priory of Florida: Mark Karydis
Grand Priory of Spain and Portugal:
Count Carlos Luelmo Montero de Alba
Grand Priory of Russia: Admiral Alexander Borodin
Grand Priory of Texas: Archbishop Gregory L. Holley
Priory of France: Chevalier Georges Demmer
Priory: of Finland: Hanu Koskinnen
Priory of Rhodes: Lt. General Dimitrios Spyridon
Priory of New York: Eugene Rhoddy
Priory of the Rockies: Kay Hiramine
Priory of Arizona: Bonsal Glascock
Priory of Munich: David Pittaway

Contact address of the Order for inquiries or information:

OSJ Grand Chancery,

700 South Dixie Highway, suite 107
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
phone 1-561-805-9300, fax 561-805-9303
www.knightshospitallers.org
 The Maltese Cross
of the Fire Brigades
(This is the public statement recently made and published by the Federation of
Fire Chaplains.)

The Federation of Fire Chaplains has adopted the Maltese cross as the
background for their patch and their badge. The reason for this is the Maltese
cross is also the badge of the firefighter. The Maltese cross is a symbol of
protection, a badge of honor, and its story is hundreds of years old.
When a courageous band of crusaders known as the Knights of St. John
fought the Saracens for possession of the Holy Land, they encountered a new
weapon unknown to European warriors; it was a simple but horrible device of
war. It wrought excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters
for the cross. The Saracens’ weapon was fire.
As the Crusaders advanced on the walls of the city, they were struck by glass
bombs containing naphtha. When they became saturated with the highly
flammable liquid, the Saracens hurled a flaming torch into their midst. Hundreds
of the knights were burned alive. Others risked their lives to save their brothers
in arms from dying painful, fiery deaths.
Thus, these men became our first firefighters and the first of a long list of
courageous firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders
who awarded each hero a badge of honor, a cross similar to the one firefighters
wear today. Since the Knights of St. John lived for close to four centuries on a
little island in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta, the cross came to be known
as the Maltese cross.
The Maltese cross is a symbol of protection. It means the firefighter who
wears this cross is
willing to lay down his/her life for you. Just as the Crusaders sacrificed their
lives for their fellowman so many years ago, the Maltese cross is a firefighter’s
badge of honor, signifying they work with courage just a step away from death.
It is an honor for a chaplain to wear the Maltese cross and to serve the
firefighters and rescue persons in their community. The Maltese cross as the
background for the chaplain patch is inlaid with the initials of the Federation of
Fire Chaplains and Fire Department. In the next inner circle are inlaid two types
of universal symbols. On the left the symbol for strength, the oak leaf. On the
right the symbol for peace, the olive leaf. The branches of these leaves cross at
the bottom of the circle signifying the continued effort of the chaplain to help
those they serve to maintain these balances in their life.
 CHAPTER EIGHT

The Author’s Personal History with

the OSJ
I first came across the remarkable history of the Order of St. John in 1988
when I met a European businessman who said that he was a Knight of Malta.
When I inquired about what a Knight of Malta was, he gave me a book about
them and said that membership was exclusive to those who had risked their lives
for the sake of the gospel. This got my interest enough to search out more about
the Order.
A couple of years later I was dining in Berlin, Germany with a man I had
wanted to meet for a long time, Col. Eugene Bird. Col. Bird had been one of the
first Americans to enter Berlin after its capture by the Soviets and had later
become the American Commandant of the Spandau Prison that housed the Nazi
war criminals after the Nuremburg Trial. His studies and writings had become
international bestsellers, and he was then known as one of the foremost
authorities on Nazi Germany. Knowing his love of history, I began to relate to
him the remarkable history of the Knights of Malta that I had recently
discovered. He pulled an I.D. card verifying that he was a knight in the Order.
He then told me that my writings had been widely read among the knights and
that I had been recommended for investiture myself.
I was honored but was not as interested in becoming a member of the Order
as I was in finding more knights to talk to about the Order. I was in Germany
because I had been shown that the same spiritual forces that had subdued
Germany in the 1930s would try to take dominion of my own country, the
United States. I was on a quest to understand how Germany had succumbed to
such a great evil as the Nazis, and how inroads were, or could be made into my
country by the same. I felt that the history of this Order would lead to some of
the understanding I was looking for.
Just a few days after leaving Berlin, I met the Austrian nobleman who had
recommended me for investiture in the Order. Through him and others I was
persuaded that this could be helpful, but I had never become a part of anything
before except the U.S. Navy, including having never even been a part of a
denomination. I felt that my faith in Christ gave me inclusion in all that I ever
needed—membership in the body of Christ. Even so, this intrigued me,
especially as so many very interesting people were knights of the OSJ.
I had also been studying the Moravian movement that gave birth to modern
missions, which had also been incubated in Germany. I was touched by how
some of their members had crossed the Alps to find members of another
movement that had courageously preached the gospel in spite of the great
persecution just to get their blessing. The more I studied the Order of St. John,
the more I wanted their blessing for the kind of courage and endurance they had
in standing against the great darkness of their times. I also wanted the blessing of
the Moravians for their devotion to missions and their willingness to sacrifice all
for the sake of the gospel.
Over the next six months, it seemed that every prayer meeting I was in,
someone would say they saw me being dubbed with a sword as a knight. Then, a
prophetic friend, Paul Cain, called to tell me that I was not supposed to go on the
trip I was planning. As was typical of Paul’s prophetic gift, he told me details
that I knew he could not have known unless the Lord had revealed it to him. He
then told me that I was about to be given credentials that would help me just as
the Apostle Paul’s credentials as a Roman citizen had helped him, but they
would be controversial. I concluded that it was without question the Lord’s will
for me to be knighted as a member of the Order of St. John.
My investiture was in Toronto, Canada, and my wife Julie was also invested
as a Dame of the Order. I did feel a special impartation at the ceremony. I
became friends with the head of the Order, Count Joseph Cumbo, who was a
very devout Christian and was seeking to bring a spiritual renewal to the Order. I
met others who I thought were doing great exploits for the sake of the faith and
became convinced that the Order was kept in existence for some great purpose
yet.
Even so, being very occupied with my own ministry I did not have much
time to devote to the Order. I tried to attend a few investitures, and brought some
of my close friends in, who all seemed likewise encouraged with the impartation.
Even so, the greatest encouragement that I had in the first couple of years was
meeting a Greek businessman named Nicholas Papanicolaou. I knew
immediately that he was an extraordinary leader. I did not know that he would
succeed Count Cumbo as Grand Master, but I was very excited when I heard that
he did after Cumbo’s death.
In the twenty plus years that I have been a member, I have witnessed a great
transformation under Nicholas’ leadership. Only the most serious Christians who
are devoted to the cause of Christ and to the highest principles of the Order are
now admitted. This caused great consternation among some, many of whom left
the Order under protest that it had become too evangelical. There was also
pressure from the Vatican for Catholics to leave the Ecumenical Order that I am
a part of. Nicholas, and many Catholic members who were of extraordinary
character held fast, keeping their vows to defend Christian unity.
This resulted in a great pruning of the Order that was necessary for its
spiritual health. It is now filled with knights and ladies who are resolved to live
by the courage and resolve that is the heritage of the Order, to see the gospel of
Christ promoted, the poor and the weak served, and persecuted Christians
defended. With Nicholas’ leadership, it is now becoming a great force for truth
once again, and I am honored to be a part of it. As long as there remains a single
soul in darkness, our battle is not over.
 CHAPTER TEN

Biographies

NICHOLAS PAPANICOLAOU

Nicholas Papanicolaou was born in Athens, Greece. He holds a Bachelor’s

degree in Economics from Harvard University and a Master’s degree from
Columbia University School of Business. He has enjoyed an active business
career as a ship owner and former controlling shareholder and chairman of Aston
Martin Lagonda Holdings Ltd., U.K.
In 2002, he co-founded with Valdimir Yakunin of Russia and J.C. Kapur of
India the World Public Forum, “Dialogue of Civilizations,” an NGO registered
in Vienna, Austria (www.wpfdc.com). The WPF brings together seven hundred
delegates from more than sixty different countries for four days every year on
the island of Rhodes in Greece to openly discuss religious and cultural
differences. WPF delegates have included the former prime ministers of India,
Algeria, the Czech Republic, Austria, the former Presidents of Lithuania,
Bangladesh, Khatami of Iran, Slovakia, Armenia, Yemen, President Mahmoud
Abbas of the Palestine Authority, and many other dignitaries, archbishops of the
Orthodox Church, Cardinals, Ayatollah Ali Tashkiri of Iran, Chief Rabbis and
Chief Muftis.
Mr. Papanicolaou is the worldwide leader of the Knights of Saint John of
Jerusalem—The Ecumenical Order, also commonly known as “The Knights of
Malta” under the Royal Protection of Prince Enrique de Borbon of Spain, Duke
of Sosa. This is a more than 900 year old Christian Order of chivalry that
continues to be engaged in Christian missions and worldwide charity. Though
known for its decisive battles with Islamic armies in the Middle Ages, and is
even credited by some for preventing Islamic dominance of Europe over the last
three years, this Order has contributed more than $60 million in medicines and
supplies to needy countries, including those with large Muslim populations such
as Pakistan, Indonesia, Liberia, and the Philippines.
The Order is also committed to defending Christian unity, freedom, and
persecuted Christians who are discriminated against because of their religion.
Mr. Papanicolaou has been honored with the grand cross of St. Andrew the First
Called of Russia for his work on the dialogue of civilizations, the grand cross of
Saint John of Jerusalem, the grand cross of the Imperial Spanish Order of Carlos
V, and the gold star of the National Rescue Service of the Ukraine, for his
humanitarian work.

PRINCE ANTON ESTERHAZY DE GALANTHA

Prince Anton Esterhazy de Galantha is the Lieutenant Grand Master of the

Order having assumed that duty in 2006. Prince Esterhazy comes from a
distinguished European family who were princes of the Holy Roman Empire as
well as the Austrian and Hungarian Empire. His family was elevated to the rank
of prince after his direct ancestor, Count Nicholas Esterhazy, heroically opposed
the invasion of Hungary and Austria by the Muslim Ottoman Empire in the17th
century.
Prince Esterhazy is now the head of the Esterhazy Family and resides most
of the year at Esterhazy Palace in Fertod, Hungary. The palace was taken over by
the communists in the aftermath of World War II. Since the fall of communism
in Hungary in the early 1990s, Prince Esterhazy has resided in a personal
apartment at the palace as a guest of the government. He also resides in
Budapest and Brussels.
Each summer Prince Esterhazy hosts the Haydn Festival in Fertod, Hungary
since the famous composer was originally supported and sponsored by his
ancestors.

LT. GEN. (RET.) W.G. BOYKIN

In 1978, William G. “Jerry” Boykin became one of the first officers of the
U.S. Army’s ultra secretive “Delta Force.” He later commanded the Delta Force
and fought in some of its most famous battles, including Grenada, where he was
wounded, Panama, where the brutal dictator
Manual Noriega surrendered to him, and in Mogadishu in the battle made
famous by the book and movie Blackhawk Down, where he was also wounded.
His task force helped hunt down the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, and he
then went on to command all U.S. Special Forces.
He then oversaw covert operations at the Central Intelligence Agency for
three years and finished his thirty-six year military career as an Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Often interviewed on national news
programs and documentaries, he is also the author of the highly acclaimed
books, Never Surrender, a autobiography, and the historically inspired action
novels Danger Close, and Kiloton Threat. In 2009, he was invested as a knight in
the Order of Saint John, where he now serves as Grand Chancellor.
RICK JOYNER

After his conversion to Christ in 1971 and resolving to be a true disciple, Mr.
Joyner was committed to an extensive study of the Christian faith, and especially
Christian history. He was engaged in ministry and missions almost immediately,
and these have remained his primary focus since. Working as a part-time flight
instructor and corporate pilot, in 1980 he founded an air charter service that grew
into one of the busiest in the country in just three years. Liquidating that
company in 1987 to give himself full-time to the ministry, he founded
MorningStar Publications and Ministries. Now the author of more than forty
books, many of which have been Christian bestsellers around the world and are
published in more than forty languages, MorningStar now oversees hundreds of
missions, churches, and schools around the world.
He is the founder of a revolutionary K-12 school, The Comenius School for
Creative Leadership, which has achieved top academic results nationally while
students only attend school four days a week and have no homework.
He is also the founder and Executive Director of MorningStar University
that offers accredited degree programs from Associates through Doctorates. Mr.
Joyner also holds a Doctorate of Theology. Invested as a knight in the Order of
Saint John in 1993, he now serves as Grand Prior of the Carolinas.
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

Order of St. John

Priories

1) Grand Priory of Europe:

Prince Anton Esterhazy de Galantha
HSH Chev. Prince Anton
Esterhazy de Galantha GCSJ(H)
[email protected]

2) Grand Priory of Bari and Interim Grand

Prior of Rome: Giovanni Masi, MD
H.E. Chev. Dr. Giovanni Masi Gr.COSJ
[email protected]

3) Grand Priory of the Benelux Countries:

Christian Bouwmann
H.E. Chev. Christianus Bouwman Gr.COSJ
[email protected]

4) Grand Priory of Greece:

Vice Admiral Takis Karamanolis
H.E. Chev. Adm. Panagiotis Karamanolis CGSJ
[email protected]

5) Grand Priory of Malta: Lt. Col. Robert Vella

H.E. Chev. L. Col. Robert Vella GCSJ
[email protected]

6) Grand Priory Sweden: Magnus Birke

H.E. Chev. Magnus Birke COSJ
[email protected]

7) Grand Priory of Carolinas: Rick Joyner

H.E. Chev. Rick Joyner GCSJ
[email protected]

8) Grand Priory of Florida &

Interim Grand Prior of Canada: Mark Karydis
H.E. Chev. Mark Karydis Gr.COSJ
[email protected]

9) Grand Priory of Spain and Portugal:

Count Carlos Luelmo Montero de Alba
H.E. Chev. Count Carlos
Luelmo Montero de Alba GCSJ
[email protected]

10) Grand Priory of Texas:

Archbishop Gregory L. Holley
H.E. Chev. Archbishop Gregory Holley GCSJ
[email protected]
11) Grand Priory of Russia
H.E. Chev. Andrei Filiuski, OSJ
[email protected]

12) Priory of France: Georges Demmer

H.E. Chev. Georges Demmer OSJ
[email protected]
13) Priory: of Finland: Hannu Koskinen
H.E. Chev. Hannu Koskinen OSJ
[email protected]

14) Priory of Rhodes:

Lt. General Dimitrios Spyridon
H.E. Chev. Lt. Gen. Dimitrios
Spyridon Gr.COSJ
[email protected]

15) Priory of New York: Eugene Roddy

H.E. Chev. Eugene Roddy COSJ
[email protected]

16) Priory of the Rockies: Kay Hiramine

H.E. Chev. Rev. Dr. Kay Hiramine Gr.COSJ
[email protected]

17) Priory of Arizona: Bonsal Glascock

H.E. Chev. Bonsal Hays Glascock OSJ
[email protected]
 About the Author

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and
Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar
Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The
Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History. He is also the president
of The Oak Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing
thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the
salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five
children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.