A History Of Malta Knighthood

In the 11th century the Knights of Malta, known then as 'Knights Hospitaller', established a hospital in Jerusalem to care for pilgrims of any religious faith or race. The work of the hospitallers grew in fame and in 1113 Pope Paschal II officially recognised the monastic community as a lay religious order. The Pope identified the Hospitaller Gerard as the Order's founder, together with an established group of monks - the 'Professed' - who are still at the heart of the Order of Malta today. Throughout the centuries the number of members coming from all over Europe continued to grow and contributed to the strengthening of the Order during its presence in Rhodes (1310-1522) and in Malta (1530-1798). While members of the Order of Malta in former times traditionally belonged to the aristocracy, the emphasis today is on a nobility of spirit and conduct. The 13,500 Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta remain true to its inspiring principles, summarised in the motto "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum" - nurturing, witnessing and protecting the faith and serving the poor and the sick - which become reality through humanitarian projects and social assistance in 120 countries. Members must demonstrate dedication to these principles and are admitted country-by-country through Priories and national Associations.

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When Necker, in the financial distress of the autumn of 1789, appealed for a voluntary contribution from all landowners, the Order gave him a third of the revenue of its French commanderies, and later it pledged its credit for 500,000 francs to the destitute Louis XVI., to help him in the flight that ended so disastrously at Varennes. This last act put it in definite opposition to the Revolution.