'The pope wants to be the ruin of this religion' : the papacy, France, and the Order of St John in the seventeenth century

Abstract

The relationship between the papacy, France, and the Order of St John in early modern times was characterized by a complex interaction of competing and complementary interests. The papacy and France were the two most important patrons of the Order; the first was the ultimate authority within the Order, whereas the latter provided most of its members and revenue. The Order could not function or exist without the moral and material support of Rome and Paris. At the same time, the Order, as an institution that embodied the patriarchal, noble, and Catholic values of the era, and as a major landowner in Europe. was useful to both the papacy and France. This paper will endeavour to show how the Order and its individual members were affected by, and reacted, to this state of affairs. The early modern papacy never sought the abolishment of the Order but papal patronage of individual Hospitallers and interference in the Order's affairs, created a strong current of opinion within the Order that expressed disenchantment with this situation. A similar pull-and-push dynamic shaped relations with France. This was a state of affairs that created both opportunities and problems for the Order, and its ability to fight for the faith.