The Knights of St John evolved during the Crusades from a monastic order providing hostels for Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. The need to provide armed escorts to the pilgrims began their transformation into a Military Order. Their fervour and discipline made them an elite component of most Crusader armies and Hospitaller Knights (as they were also known) took part in most of the major engagements, including Hattin, Acre and Arsuf. After the Muslims had reconquered the Crusader Kingdoms, the Order continued to fight from a new base, first in Rhodes and then in Malta. Taking to the sea, the Hospitallers became one of the major naval powers in the Mediterranean, defending Christian shipping from the Barbary Pirates (and increasingly turning to piracy themselves as funding from their estates in Europe dried up). They provided a crucial bulwark against Islamic expansion in the Mediterranean, obstinately resisting a massive siege of Malta by the Ottoman Turks in 1565. The Order remained a significant power in the Mediterranean until their defeat by Napoleon in 1798.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Pen & Sword Books LTD
ISBN-13
9781473858886
eBay Product ID (ePID)
225693119
Product Key Features
Book Title
Knights Hospitaller: a Military History of the Knights of St John
Author
John Carr
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Government, Christianity, History
Publication Year
2017
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
218 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
234mm
Item Width
156mm
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
John Carr
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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