Grandmaster Lascaris
Collect the Books (Knights Journals) Decree of 1650
JUAN de LASCARIS CASTELLAR
1636-1657
Juan del Lascaris Castellar, Bailiff of Manosque, of the noble Genoese family of Vintimiglia, and a descendant of Theodore Lascaris, Emperor of Constantinople, was seventy six years of age at the time of his election on the 13th June 1636. He had joined the ranks of the fraternity in Malta under Cardinal Verdalle's rule, and was attached to the Langue of Provence.
The first aim of Lascaris on assuming the reins of Government was to endeavour to pacify the offended Prince of Palermo, Viceroy of Sicily, who, during the fierce war which was raging at the time between France and Spain, had forbidden the exportation of grain to Malta. This step was taken by the Viceroy in revenge for the sympathies and support which the preponderating French element among the Knights of St. John had shown towards France during the conflict. As Malta had always looked to the neighbouring island of Sicily for its supply of grain the Viceroy's edicts would have practically meant starvation, and it was mainly due to the tact and exertions of Lascaris that the prohibition was finally withdrawn.
Under the energetic rule of this Grand Master the navy of the Order was still further strengthened, and naval expeditions against the Turks were carried out on an even larger scale. In 1644 six galleys of the Order, under Boisboudrant, captured a large and powerful Turkish galleon whilst, cruising off Rhodes, after a fierce and sanguinary struggle with eight of the enemy's vessels. Over 600 Turks were killed in the engagement, and the Order had to deplore the loss of 120 men including their gallant captain, Boisboudrant.
Among the captives was the young Basseba, Sultana of the Imperial harem of Ibrahim, with her infant son Osmal, on a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Sultana died shortly after her arrival in Malta, and the child was educated and received into the Catholic Church. He subsequently joined the Dominican Order of Preachers, under the name of Father Ottoman. and died in Malta in 1676 while Prior of Porto Salvo.
The Sultan, irritated at the loss inflicted by the Knights of Malta in the engagement off Rhodes, threatened to carry war into the enemy's country, and dispatched heralds to the Grand Master informing him of his intentions. Lascaris upon this at once took steps to resist an invasion. Knights were summoned to Malta from their commanderies abroad, and many volunteers from all over Europe hastened to the island in the hope of participating in a second siege of Malta, possibly still more glorious than that which had brought such lasting fame to la Vallette and his gallant hand of heroes in 1565. Viscount D'Arpajou brought at his own expense a reinforcement of 2,000 men, which he placed at the disposal of the Order. The gratitude of the Grand Master and of the fraternity at this generous and unexpected offer was so great that D'Arpajou was amidst acclamation elected Commander in Chief of all the forces in Malta, a post hitherto always held by the Grand Marshal of the Order. Warned of the measures which were being taken in Malta to resist the might of the Turkish Empire, Ibrahim turned his gigantic force against the Venetian island of Candia, and thither the Maltese galleys, under the command of the Prior of La Roccella, at once repaired to assist the Venetians in their hour of peril.
The prosecution of the war in Candia, in which the Knights of Malta played so brilliant a part, did not prevent the Grand Master from making further improvements in the Convent and in the defenses of the island. He engaged the celebrated Italian engineer Floriani to inspect the fortifications, and to add whatever in his opinion would be necessary to strengthen them. The several plans which this engineer submitted to the Grand Master and Council for the additional protection of the island were put into execution under Lascaris, and completed in 1721.
By a decree of this Grand Master, it was ordered, in 1650, that all books belonging to the members of the fraternity, both in Malta and in the various commanderies abroad, were not to be sold on the death of their owners, but were to be added to the library of the Order, which it was intended to open to the public. Such was the origin of the present public library of Malta, which since that date has been rapidly increasing. The gratitude of posterity will recall the name of Lascaris as the founder of one of the most useful and enduring monuments which the island possesses.
On the 14th August 1657 Lascaris died at the venerable age of ninety seven years.
Lascaris successor, De Redin basically bought his way into power with brides to the Pope, again these men the secret Sect believed were not to be trusted. Lascaris may have been the last Grandmaster to know about the Holy Relic and its' new location over in the New World.
MARTIN de REDIN y CRUZAT
1657-1660
De Redin was elected on the 17th August 1657, and as a last resource the Grand Inquisitor appealed to the Pontiff. The Grand Master elect, however, immediately submitted his election for the approval of the Court of Rome. Alexander VIII, then Pope, thinking well of this readiness to abide by the decision of the Holy See. The Pope, desirous of maintaining friendly relations with the King of Spain, who strongly favoured the cause of De Redin, confirmed the election, and furthermore directed the Grand Inquisitor to personally announce the fact to the venerable fraternity. As a mark of gratitude for the high favour shown him by the Pontiff, De Redin on assuming the contested dignity, appointed the Pope's favourite nephew, the Prior de Bichi, to one of the richest Italian commanderies, and presented him with a diamond cross worth 1,200 Maltese scudi. During his short rule of two years De Redin achieved great popularity for his zeal in procuring provisions from all parts of Italy, while Malta was labouring under great difficulties, and his conciliating policy restored perfect tranquillity within the Convent.
The next Grandmaster during the movement of the Ark was oddly enough the shortest time of office over the 900 years span of the Malta leaders. The reason for death? A wound from 54 years earlier reopened, sounds hard to believe that could have really been the cause of his death.
ANNET de CLERMONT de CHATTES GESSAN
1660
Annet de Clermont de Chattes Gessan, of the illustrious Auvergne family of the Counts of Clermont, was seventy-six years of age at the time he was called upon to succeed De Redin as Grand Master on the 9th February 1660. The dauntless bravery, which Gessan had shown at the capture of Mahometta in Africa in 1606, had raised him high in the estimation of the fraternity. For a long time he held the important office of confidential adviser to the Prince De Vendome, Prior of Toulouse, and on his being called to Malta in 1645 he was made Grand Marshal and subsequently Bailiff of Lyons.
He had barely occupied the supreme dignity four months when the wound, which he had received at the capture of Mahometta, opened afresh and was the cause of his death, which occurred on the 2nd June 1660.
No events of importance took place during the brief rule of this Grand Master.