This difference of a remarkable historical and political importance contributes towards and explains the reason why the Order of St. John, unlike others, was able to overcome many difficulties and reach modern times with all its prerogatives and aura of attraction.

The Crusaders were to stay in Palestine for two hundred years. Two centuries of battles, sieges, treaties, ambushes and diplomatic missions during which time the Christians would enjoy only a few short periods of peace. After an organisational phase they became increasingly important in the events of the Kingdom d'outre-mer as the very chronicles of the Muslims reported and witnessed. The hate that the infidels nurtured for the Knights Hospitaller demonstrates the role that they played in the Holy Land. Here is an example among others: the day following the disastrous Battle of Hattin during which the western armies were crushed by Saladin, Imad ad Din, his assistant, described the scene of the slaughter of the Hospitallers who were unarmed and prisoners. As soon as the Sultan saw the Hospitallers, he ordered that they all be killed thus forgetting his renowned generosity in the past.

In time, the numbers of the Crusaders decreased significantly thus making the defence of the land very difficult. To check the continuous raids from the enemies, fortresses were built, many of which were manned by the Knights of St. John. They were appreciated not only for their courage but also as ambassadors. The Sovereigns of Jerusalem used them for this purpose, in order to solve their difficult controversies. Not only were they men of arms but also wise and shrewd advisers, educated to serve their neighbour, averse from the interests characterizing the activities and behaviour of other Military Orders.

It is no easy task to reconstruct the military vicissitudes in the Holy Land. In 1153 the Hospitallers contributed to the conquest of Ascalon, faced the famous leader Nur-El-Din several times, defended Banyas and fought in Egypt led by the Grand Master, Fra' Gilbert d'Assailly. In 1187, at the Battle of Hattin, the Master himself, Fra' Roger des Moulines fell in the battle against Saladin. Hundreds of Hospitallers sacrificed themselves to defend Jerusalem which the Sultan re-conquered on October 2nd of the same year. However, notwithstanding the losses, the Muslims always found the Christians ready to face them.

Led by Richard the Lion Heart, the Third Crusade seemed to raise the lot of the Christian armies and the Hospitallers rushed to defend Tripoli, Antioch and the Kingdom of Armenia where they were called to protect the garrison and fortress of Seleucia. On July 12th 1191 the English Sovereign succeeded in conquering St. John d'Acre but due to a series of disputes with other crusade leaders he left Palestine in October of the following year. More battles followed and during the Fifth Crusade the Hospitallers took part in the conquest of Damietta which fell on November 5th 1219. An important victory, but it was not sufficient to change the situation in the Holy Land.

In 1229, Frederick II of Swabia obtained Jerusalem pacifically from the Sultan of Egypt but it was only a short truce. In 1246 the Mushems attacked tbc city, slaughtering its inhabitants and, at Gaza, their enemies were utterly defeated. The desperate resistance of the men of the "Sacra Milizia" whose Master Fra' William de Chateauneuf was taken prisoner, was useless.

The expedition of Louis IX, King of France, did not change the fortunes of the kingdom. In 1249 the Crusaders once more attacked and occupied Damietta, but on April 6th 1250 the French Sovereign was put to rout at Mansurah. Courage is insufficient to decree victory, however, and Louis IX was compelled to give the city of Damietta back.

An increasing number of fortresses were entrusted to the Knights of the White Cross. More fighting and conflicts ensued. The Ottomans combined armies to face their enemies together and so the forces on the battlefield became more and more uneven. In 1268, the Sultan of Egypt undertook a massive offensive and Jaffa and Antioch were conquered while the ring of infidels from the north and south closed together. On March 23rd 1271 the Crac des Chevaliers fell: not even the imposing fortress could bold out against the assault of the Sultan Baybars. A few years passed and in 1285 Kalavun, the new Sultan of Egypt occupied Margat, another stronghold of the Hospitallers. No help arrived from the West for the survivors of so many wars. In Europe, the spirit of the Crusades was more or less exhausted and the end of their venture in the Holy Land was considered inevitable.

In 1289 Kalavun besieged Tripoli in Syria and on the walls of that city the Hospitallers fell in great numbers. Acre, the seat of the Hospital was the last to be attacked in the spring of 1291. The Hospitallers were then headed by the Grand Master Jean de Villiers.

Determined to throw the "infidels" out of their land, the Muslims lay siege to the city: the superiority of their army was so large that it was impossible to make any attempt at resistance.

The Hospitallers, however, had no intention to give up. Tolemaide was for them the final bulwark where to bear witness to their allegiance to the Rule and their willingness to make the supreme sacrifice. The tale of those days that has reached us by way of a few reporters is incredible: they worked wonders of valour but it was all in vain. When the last resistance fell, the few remaining survivors carried the sick onto the ships together with the Grand Master who was seriously injured.

For the Christian armies the adventure in Palestine was dramatically over. While the history of the Crusades found its epilogue on a blood-stained beach in the Mediterranean, the Hospitallers sailed towards Cyprus: their future was to be at sea.

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