HOSPITALLERS

A military order of religious persons. Tiny derived their name from a church and monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist, founded at Jerusalem about 1046, by merchants from Amalli, the brotherhood of its member! being devoted;tv of taking care of poor and sick pilgrims. The oiriar wa a military brotherhood by Raymond du l'uy, Its principal, early in the 12th century. It was divided into three ranks— knights, chaplains, and servitors; and in its military capacity it was bound to defend the church against the Infidels. It po e ed various po e ions and settlements at different times in different parti of the East. In the 13th century, being driven from Palestine, Jits of this order lived their principal seat first in Cyprus and afterwards at Rhodes, where they remained from 130'J to 1522, when the Island was captured by Solyman II. After several changes of settlement, they were fixed in 1530 by Charles V. at Malta and its dependant islands, whence they took the name of Knights of Malta. Here they BHint themselves until 1798, when the island was taken by Napoleon. The order, however, continued to subsist, notwithstanding the lo of its sovereign po e ions both in Malta and in Tuscany: the seat of the chapter is now at lerrara. Before the French Revolution the number of knights was estimated at 300U. The temporal powers of the order were chiefly concentrated in the hands of the grand master; but he was, in fact, controlled by the governors of the eight languages. These were, of Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon, Germany, Castile, and England. The lands were divided into priories, comm ambries, and bailliages. The spiritual power was exercised by the chapter, consisting of eight ballivi conventuales. The knights were under the rules of the order of St. Augustine; but Protestants were not bound to celibacy. They were required to be nece arily of good descent; but those whose proofs of noble ancestry were unquestionable were termed cavalier i digiustizia, while others who could not show such proofs might bo admitted on account of rits as cavalier i di grazia. See Hospitallers. [s. 1097]