Knights of St. John

The Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem was founded in the 12^th century, around the hospital and hostel of St. John the Baptist in Jerusalem. Their aim was to provide alms and protection to Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. After being expelled from the area, the Order settled first on Cyprus, and from 1310 onwards on Rhodes.

Over the following centuries they put up fierce resistance to Ottoman expansion, but in December 1522, following a lengthy siege, they were forced to leave Rhodes to the Turks. Never ceasing to regard themselves as the bulwark of Christianity against Islam, the Knights continued to raid the Muslim world from their new base in Malta, as part of what was a singular religious war.