Knights Of Rhodes

The Siege of Rhodes

After fierce fighting, with considerable losses on both sides, on August 15, 1310, Rhodes was in possession of the Knights of Saint John, who from then on became known also as the Knights of Rhodes.

The Knights of Rhodes attacked

In 1440 the Sultan of Egypt attacked the Knights of Rhodes, and a naval battle followed, without decisive results. In 1444, he attacked Rhodes again, this time the city coming under siege. But the strong resistance forced the Sultan’s forces to withdraw after forty days. In 1453, the Turks under Mehmed II captured Constantinople.

With the Ottomans established on European soil, the Knights of Rhodes became even more important players in the strategic games in the Mediterranean.

The Knights of Rhodes against the Ottoman Empire

The Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Peter D'Aubusson, was one of the greatest of those who held the office. He was well ahead of his time, a real genius. He was a first rate engineer, a chemist, manufacturing his own gunpowder, a financier, a skilful commander, and even a practicing physician and surgeon in the wards of the hospitals of the Order.

He commanded the Knights of Rhodes everywhere in Europe to contribute money, and men power to the defending of Rhodes. As Mehmed did not feel he is ready for a confrontation yet, he asked for a truce, accepted by the Grand Master.

In 1479, the Ottomans attempted the first attack against the Knights of Rhodes, but they were driven back to their ships with great losses. In May 1480, the great Turkish fleet set sail for Rhodes, and in June, the Turks attacked both by sea and land. After three months of fierce fighting, including one assassination attempt against the Grand Master, the assailants gave up, embarked in their ships and sailed away.

With no enemy at the gates, D' Aubusson turned his attention to the internal discipline of the Knights of Rhodes Order, reviving the strictness with respect to clothing, ornaments, and eating habits. The death of D'Aubusson in 1503 was the signal for renewed Turkish attacks.

The Knights of Rhodes forced to leave the island

In June 1522, the invasion fleet arrived, and the Siege of Rhodes began. After months of fighting, overwhelmed by enemy’s numbers, and without enough gunpowder as a result of Amaral’s treason, the Knights of Rhodes accepted Sultan Suleiman’s terms, which were surprisingly generous, the knights being allowed to leave the island with all their weapons and valuables.

On January 1, 1523, after two hundred and twenty years, the Knights of Rhodes left the island for ever. The Grand Master and five thousand followers sailed to Crete, then a Venetian possession. In 1530, the Knights of Rhodes obtained Malta from Emperor Charles V, and from then on, they will also be named "The Knights of Malta".

Knights Of Malta