Hospitaller RhodesW
Hospitaller Rhodes

The history of Rhodes under the Order of Saint John lasted from 1310 until 1522. The island of Rhodes was a sovereign territorial entity of the Knights Hospitaller who settled on the island from Palestine and from Cyprus, where they did not exercise temporal power. The first Grand Master was the French Foulques de Villaret (1305-1319).

1481 Rhodes earthquakeW
1481 Rhodes earthquake

The 1481 Rhodes earthquake occurred at 3:00 in the morning on 3 May. It triggered a small tsunami, which caused local flooding. There were an estimated 30,000 casualties. It was the largest of a series of earthquakes that affected Rhodes, starting on 15 March 1481, continuing until January 1482.

Pierre d'AubussonW
Pierre d'Aubusson

Pierre d'Aubusson was a Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and a zealous opponent of the Ottoman Empire.

Fabrizio del CarrettoW
Fabrizio del Carretto

Fabrizio del Carretto was an Italian nobleman and the 43rd Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1513 to 1521.

Pierre de CorneillanW
Pierre de Corneillan

Pierre de Corneillan was the Grand Prior of Saint-Gilles and 4th Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, in Rhodes, from 1353 to 1355. His Blazon was : "Gules on a bend argent three Cornish choughs sable"

Dieudonné de GozonW
Dieudonné de Gozon

Dieudonné de Gozon was the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes from 1346 to 1353. He was born to a noble family in Languedoc, France. He carried the nickname Extinctor Draconis which means "The Dragon Slayer" in Latin.

Feraklos CastleW
Feraklos Castle

Feraklos Castle, also Feraklou (Φερακλού) and Faraklenon Castle, is a ruined medieval fortress, located on an 85 m-high hill overlooking the village of Charaki on the east coast of the island of Rhodes, Greece.

Juan Fernández de HerediaW
Juan Fernández de Heredia

Juan Fernández de Heredia was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 24 September 1377 to his death. His tenure was occupied by the "affair of Achaea", the persistent, but ultimately fruitless, efforts by the Knights to acquire the Principality of Achaea in southern Greece. He was also a great patron of the translation and composition of historiographical works in the Aragonese language and a counsellor to two Kings of Aragon.

Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-AdamW
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam

Fra' Philippe de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam was a prominent member of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes and later Malta. Having risen to the position of Prior of the Langue of Auvergne, he was elected 44th Grand Master of the Order in 1521.

Siege of Rhodes (1444)W
Siege of Rhodes (1444)

The Siege of Rhodes was a military engagement involving the Knights Hospitaller and Mamluk Sultanate. The Mamluk fleet landed on the island of Rhodes on 10 August 1444, besieging its citadel. Clashes took place on the western walls of the city and at the Mandraki harbor. On 18 September 1444, the Mamluks departed from the island and lifted the siege.

Siege of Rhodes (1480)W
Siege of Rhodes (1480)

In 1480 the small Knights Hospitaller garrison of Rhodes withstood an attack of the Ottoman Empire.

Siege of Rhodes (1522)W
Siege of Rhodes (1522)

The Siege of Rhodes of 1522 was the second and ultimately successful attempt by the Ottoman Empire to expel the Knights of Rhodes from their island stronghold and thereby secure Ottoman control of the Eastern Mediterranean. The first siege in 1480 had been unsuccessful.

Foulques de VillaretW
Foulques de Villaret

Foulques de Villaret, a native of Languedoc-Roussillon, France, was the 25th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, succeeding his paternal uncle Guillaume de Villaret in 1305. His uncle had done much to foster his early career in the Order. He was appointed Admiral in 1299, and Grand Commander two years later. By 1303 he was Lieutenant of the Master, and so advanced to Master on his uncle's death.