A bibliography of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem (2008-2015)

Abstract

The main purpose of the present dissertation is to provide researchers an updated insight into the various published works on the Order of St. John. The list of books, articles and journals regarding the subject is quite extensive, and every year the number increases consistently. Thus an updated bibliography can play an essential role in keeping record of what has been published as well as a time-saving device since the reader can avoid hours of research and can find the required material fairly easily. The present bibliography is a continuation of Isabel Xuereb’s bibliography on the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which she had drawn up as her Bachelor of Arts Honours dissertation in History at the University of Malta. This sort of continuation procedure has been conducted for the last 200 years. In fact Francesco Paolo Smitmer’s; Catalogo was one of the first bibliographies published on the Hospitallers. Although I am covering a rather short period of eight years (2008-2015), I noticed that the amount of publications on the Hospitaller Order is quite impressive. The period covered in the bibliography have coincided with two important commemorations, which were conducted in honour of the Hospitaller Order. In 2013, the Order of St. John reached a milestone in their prolonged existence and celebrated the 900-year commemoration from the papal bull; Pie Postulatio Voluntatis which marked its official foundation. Two years later, the Maltese islands commemorated the 450-year anniversary of the successful defence offered by the Order in the siege of 1565. Thus, this gave me another motivational push to conduct this bibliography. A short introduction preceding the bibliography will give an overall view of the Hospitaller Order; its evolution, development and its ability to adapt over time to remain the only surviving military orders today. My commitment towards this bibliography owes the backing of several people. First and foremost I reserve the deepest gratitude to my tutor, Professor Victor Mallia-Milanes, who gave me clear guidelines, support and continuous feedback, all of priceless importance for the completion of the present bibliography. Moreover I am also grateful to the large number of historians who generously and punctually answered my query with their lists of bibliographies on the Order of St. John. However to list them all here by name is simply impossible. I would like to extend my thanks to all the staff in the places I have worked especially to Chris Galea of the Gozo Public Library who was always available to assist me with the required information. Finally, my genuine gratitude goes too to my family, to Jolin, and to other close relatives who were of constant support throughout this academic journey.