As the huge popularity of the books of Dan Brown shows us, a lot of people are interested in (the history of) semi-secret orders. The most famous Christian order is the one of the Knights Templar, but the Knights Hospitaller are next on the list. At the moment, the Order is based in Rome. They have an extensive history of relocating and have lived in or on, among others, Jerusalem, Acre, Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta and Rome. It is therefore appropriate to speak of a Mediterranean order.
This webpage is, like my research, dedicated to the reason for one of their relocations, namely from Rhodes to Malta. In 1480, the Ottomans attacked the island of the Knights, unsuccessfully. This event has never been considered with the help of social network theory. Until now.
This webpage is, like my research, dedicated to the reason for one of their relocations, namely from Rhodes to Malta. In 1480, the Ottomans attacked the island of the Knights, unsuccessfully. This event has never been considered with the help of social network theory. Until now.
The Knights Hospitaller - An Introduction
It is not clear exactly when the hospital of St John was founded, but it had existed for at least ten years in 1099. In the early years, the hospital was probably staffed by the monks of the abbey next door. Under supervisor Gerard, the first master of the order, the medical unit was split from the monastic part. On February 15, 1113, the order was formally recognized by pope Paschal II.At some time between 1120 and 1160, the order was militarized. When this happened exactly is unclear, but Alan Forey estimates that it happened sometime in the 1130s. The reasons for this militarisation can only be guessed. It is possible that it was a reaction to the militarisation of the Order of the Templars. Another reason might be that the care for the inhabitants of the hospital had to be extended to their protection from violence.
The Order gradually gained power, but had to change the location of its headquarters regularly. In 1187, the Muslims took back Jerusalem and the Order moved first to Margat and in 1197 to Acre. When Acre was captured in 1291, they moved to Cyprus, but this was not successful and they went to the island of Rhodes in 1309. This island was attractive because of its fertility, climate, strategical position and defensibility.
In Rhodes, the Order ruled as an independent state. The forces of the Order were small: there were seldom more that 250-300 brothers on the island. They learned to rule the sea, even though their fleet was rather small. During their time on Rhodes, the Order had numerous financial problems, that will be discussed later in this chapter. Their debts made it more difficult to prepare for battle against the Ottomans. In 1440 and 1444, the Knights were attacked by the Egyptian Sultan. With help of the fleet that the Duke of Burgundy, Philip, had sent, these attacks were beaten off. The Knights made peace with the Sultan of Egypt. However, the danger returned after 1453, when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople. The Hospitallers feared an attack and frantically started to prepare themselves. The Siege started eventually on the 23rd of May 1480.The Ottomans were beaten, but they tried conquering Rhodes again forty years later, in 1522.This time the Order was beaten by Süleyman, and they had to relocate to Malta.
The Order of the Hospitallers is often compared with the Knights Templar, as both are military orders with origins in the Middle East. However, the Templars were solely occupied with being warrior monks, while the Hospitallers had their nursing duties as well. Another difference is the fact that the Templars only admitted men, while the Hospitallers also admitted women, although those were not among the fighters.
The Order gradually gained power, but had to change the location of its headquarters regularly. In 1187, the Muslims took back Jerusalem and the Order moved first to Margat and in 1197 to Acre. When Acre was captured in 1291, they moved to Cyprus, but this was not successful and they went to the island of Rhodes in 1309. This island was attractive because of its fertility, climate, strategical position and defensibility.
In Rhodes, the Order ruled as an independent state. The forces of the Order were small: there were seldom more that 250-300 brothers on the island. They learned to rule the sea, even though their fleet was rather small. During their time on Rhodes, the Order had numerous financial problems, that will be discussed later in this chapter. Their debts made it more difficult to prepare for battle against the Ottomans. In 1440 and 1444, the Knights were attacked by the Egyptian Sultan. With help of the fleet that the Duke of Burgundy, Philip, had sent, these attacks were beaten off. The Knights made peace with the Sultan of Egypt. However, the danger returned after 1453, when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople. The Hospitallers feared an attack and frantically started to prepare themselves. The Siege started eventually on the 23rd of May 1480.The Ottomans were beaten, but they tried conquering Rhodes again forty years later, in 1522.This time the Order was beaten by Süleyman, and they had to relocate to Malta.
The Order of the Hospitallers is often compared with the Knights Templar, as both are military orders with origins in the Middle East. However, the Templars were solely occupied with being warrior monks, while the Hospitallers had their nursing duties as well. Another difference is the fact that the Templars only admitted men, while the Hospitallers also admitted women, although those were not among the fighters.
The Network of the Knights of RhodesThe largest part of the network of the Knights of the Order of St John consisted of its priories in other areas of Europe. These priories were sorted in langues, of which there were eight: Provence, Auvergne, France (then only the region around Paris), Castile, Aragon, Italy, England and Germany. The French langues (Provence, Auvergne, France) were the most influential: approximately half of the Knights were French. Each langue was given its own auberge on the island of Rhodes, so the Knights could have their residence with people from the same area. The network of langues is shown in the map next to this text. This map is my own creation, with help of the University of Stanford’s online tool Palladio.
Another important network was the political network. The Knights of Rhodes had relations with most of the western European monarchs, and with many Eastern monarchs as well, as the picture further below shows. The pope was another important ally. They gave the Hospitallers quite a lot of resources, if they were willing to help when another crusade was planned. |
The blue lines show the connections of the priories with the central langues, the pink lines show the connections between the langues and the island of Rhodes.
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My Research
One of the most remarkable events in the history of the Knights Hospitaller is their success in beating the army of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II when they attacked the island in 1480. This event is known as the Siege of Rhodes. Contemporary sources, such as Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson, then the leader of the Order, attributed the triumph to divine intervention: “we, enjoying and favoured by divine clemency, have gained a state of most glorious victory over the enemy after the violence of so many evils.” Later historians attributed the win to a combination of luck, skill and preparation.
Nobody has ever tried to explain the victory using network theory, so that is what I did in my essay. The question I set out to answer was Why were the Knights of Rhodes able to deflect the attack of the Ottomans in 1480?. I answered this by looking at the institutional (the langues and the priories) and the political network of the Hospitallers on Rhodes. I analysed the Magisterial Bulls of Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson that are translated in the book Hospitaller piety and crusader propaganda: Guillaume Caoursin’s description of the Ottoman siege of Rhodes, 1480 by Theresa Vann and Donald Kagay. |
Sources & Further Reading
If you are interested in this subject, you could read more in these books!
Abulafia, David. The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. London: Penguin Books, 2014.
Forey, Alan. The Military Orders: from the twelfth to the early fourteenth centuries. London: MacMillan Education LTD, 1992.
Luttrell, Anthony, ed. The Hospitallers in Cyprus, Rhodes, Greece and the West 1291-1440. London: Variorum Reprints, 1978.
Nicholson, Helen. The Knights Hospitaller. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2001.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St John. London: Hambledon Press, 1999.
Vann, T., Kegey, D. Hospitaller piety and crusader propaganda: Guillaume Caoursin’s description of the Ottoman siege of Rhodes, 1480. Burlington, VT: Routledge, 2015.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2014. http://www.britannica.com. (lemma to look for: 'Hospitallers' - religious order)
Sources of images
Abulafia, David. The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. London: Penguin Books, 2014.
Forey, Alan. The Military Orders: from the twelfth to the early fourteenth centuries. London: MacMillan Education LTD, 1992.
Luttrell, Anthony, ed. The Hospitallers in Cyprus, Rhodes, Greece and the West 1291-1440. London: Variorum Reprints, 1978.
Nicholson, Helen. The Knights Hospitaller. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2001.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St John. London: Hambledon Press, 1999.
Vann, T., Kegey, D. Hospitaller piety and crusader propaganda: Guillaume Caoursin’s description of the Ottoman siege of Rhodes, 1480. Burlington, VT: Routledge, 2015.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2014. http://www.britannica.com. (lemma to look for: 'Hospitallers' - religious order)
Sources of images
- The Palace of the Grand Masters, seen from the outside - http://mustseeplaces.eu/palace-of-the-grand-masters-rhodes-greece/
- The courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Masters - http://www.thousandwonders.net/Palace+of+the+Grand+Master+of+the+Knights+of+Rhodes
- The arcade in the Hospital - http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/rhodes-town-gr-aeg-rhodt.htm
- The Hospital - http://viagallica.com/grece/lang_en/hopital_chevaliers.htm
- The Kastellania, the courthouse of the Knights - http://viagallica.com/grece/lang_nl/ville_rhodes_-_ville_medievale.htm
- Hospitaller ambassadors to the court of the Grand Turk – Jonathan Riley-Smith, Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St John, 103.
- A map of Rhodes, late 15th century – Riley-Smith, Hospitallers, 90.
- "The grand master oversees the repairing of the fortifications" – Riley-Smith, Hospitallers, 92.
- The Siege of Rhodes, 1480 – Riley-Smith, Hospitallers, 105.
- A map of Rhodes, 1493. - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:1493_in_Rhodes