Drink: A taste of chivalry

30 July 2011

In Rome, there is a palace which is the capital of the world’s smallest state.

In Rome, there is a palace which is the capital of the world’s smallest state. The medieval Church had many mansions. As well as orders devoted to prayer and contemplation, there were other bodies, for whom the way of the cross was also the way of the sword. In the 11th century, the Papacy established the Knights Hospitallers, or Knights of St John, whose headquarters were in Jerusalem. The Knights protected pilgrims and fought to preserve the crusaders’ conquests. But as the power of Islam grew, they were thrown on the defensive. Driven from Palestine, they made a stand in Rhodes, where their great castle still dominates. In 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent invaded Rhodes. After a siege, the Knights were forced to surrender, but on chivalrous terms. Suleiman lived up to his name.

The Knights then found their way to Malta, and another great siege in 1565. They were almost overwhelmed. Many perished. Their courage still inspires their descendants. In tribute to the siege, the Knights are now known as the Knights of Malta: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

As a result of this sovereignty, there are now two British Heads of State; the Queen, and His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master, Fra Matthew Festing. The son of a Field Marshal, Fra Matthew is the head of the Knights of Malta. His two residences in Rome are extraterritorial and the Order has diplomatic relations with 104 countries. I once asked Fra Matthew’s predecessor, Fra Andrew Bertie, a kinsman of Perry Worsthorne, whether there were precedence problems with the Papacy. ‘Potentially endless,’ he replied. ‘Neither I nor the Holy Father would care, but our protocol people would have nightmares, so I try to ensure that we are seldom in the same place at the same time.’

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