'For once the banner of St John flutters from atop a vessel, that vessel cannot pass to any other sovereign' : the sovereignty, war and diplomacy of the Hospitaller Island Order State on Malta

Abstract

'...he erupted with devout joy speaking the words of Holy Simeon[:] "Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine"', that is, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace' (St Luke ii, 29-32) (NLM AOM259 f. 175v-176r, 17 July 1656). These words were uttered by Grand Master Fra Jean-Paul de Lascaris-Castellar (r.1636-1657). He was lying in bed, sick, unable in fact to carry out many of his duties as Grand Master, so much so that a lieutenant had been appointed to see to the day-to-day business of the Order and Malta. On 17 July 1656, the lieutenant brought the news to the sick Lascaris that a few days earlier, on 26 June, a joint Venetian-Maltese squadron had inflicted a significant defeat upon the Ottomans right at the mouth of the Dardanelles. It was this happy news that inspired Lascaris to proclaim - in imitation of Simeon at the Temple when he beheld the infant Christ - that having witnessed the greatness of God, his soul could now depart this world in peace. It would be another year before Lascaris actually passed away, on 14 August 1657, but at least for those few days during the summer of '56, Lascaris basked in the glory of the success of his navy, confident in the knowledge that this was a clear sign of God's blessing as his reign drew to a close. This battle was one episode in the 24-year-long Venetian-Ottoman conflict known as the War of Candia ( 1645-1669), a struggle that arguably began as a result of the daredevil actions of the Maltese galleys in the Eastern Mediterranean (Freller & Campoy, 2006). Whereas the galleys of the Order of Malta were Venice's most constant ally in this war against the Ottoman Empire, it did not mean that relations between the two were always harmonious (Mallia-Milanes, 1992). The account of the battle of 26 June 1656 will serve here as a case study to focus on the themes of sovereignty, war and diplomacy of the Hospitaller 'Island Order State' on Malta.