1-155-889 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Knights Hospitallers, 16th century. Left: Knight of St John of Jerusalem. Right: Knight of Rhodes. The order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, a religious military order, was founded in the 11th century to care for sick Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem. After the siege of Acre and its fall to Muslim forces in 1291, the order moved to moved to Cyprus. From 1309 to 1522 it operated from Rhodes, and from 1530 to 1798 from Malta.