Today, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Republic of Malta are two unrelated political entities. However, as their names suggest, they share a historical connection. The full name of the Order of Malta is the "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta," often referred to as the "Knights Hospitaller" or the "Order of Malta." This lengthy name is, in itself, a condensation of the Order's history.
The predecessor of the Order of Malta was the famous Knights Hospitaller, which was founded in 1099 after the First Crusade. At that time, French nobles established it in a hospital near the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Jerusalem, primarily to care for the sick and pilgrims and to protect hospital facilities; hence, the order was known as the "Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem."
In 1120, Raymond du Puy de Provence succeeded as the leader. Under his guidance, the Knights Hospitaller gradually transformed from doctors and charitable monks protecting pilgrims into knights and professional soldiers. At the same time, as religious monks, the Knights Hospitaller were far more ascetic, disciplined, hardworking, and combat-effective than ordinary crusaders.
Soon, the Order became an important military force in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, even capable of influencing the kingdom's political situation. During this period, the Knights Hospitaller, along with the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Knights, were known as the three major military orders, possessing 7 major fortresses and over 140 other buildings in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Subsequently, the Order held out until 1291 before abandoning Palestine and moving to Cyprus. They were granted Kolossi Castle and the surrounding sugarcane plantations and sugar mills by the King of Cyprus.
In 1309, the Order seized Rhodes and the surrounding islands from the Byzantine Empire. Since then, "Rhodes" was added to the Order's name. Here, the Order used its navy to prevent Muslim expansion into the Eastern Mediterranean. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, Rhodes was the only Christian power in the entire Eastern Mediterranean region.
On June 11, 1798, Napoleon, serving as commander of the French Army of the Orient, passed through Malta on his way to Egypt. Under a powerful attack, the Knights Hospitaller surrendered, and Napoleon occupied the island of Malta. The monasteries and churches on the island were looted by the French army, and the members of the Order scattered, with most going to Russia. Tsar Paul I of Russia promised to provide asylum to the members of the Order who arrived in Russia, and the Order elected Paul I as the new Grand Master.
After leaving the island of Malta, the Order lost its territory but continued to exist as an organization. In 1802, the Order's sovereignty over the island of Malta was recognized by countries such as Britain and France through the Treaty of Amiens, but they were never allowed to return to the island. In 1834, the Knights Hospitaller re-established their headquarters in Rome, finally stabilizing once again. By this time, the Order's military mission had ended, and it has since focused primarily on charitable work.
Since then, "Malta" has remained only in the name of the Order, and the Order has no practical connection to the island of Malta.