On the dawn of May 23rd 1480, one hundred and sixty ships appeared on the horizon off the island of Rhodes and one hundred thousand men came ashore carrying a number of cannons such as had never been seen before. One of the biggest sieges in history was about to take place.

The movements of the enemy had been foreseen by Grand Master Fra' Pierre d'Aubusson who had already ordered the mobilization of all the forces at his disposal. He had sent messages to European Princes requesting both men and means but only received promises or evasive answers. His only help came from an Italian, Benedetto della Scala, leader of a group of men armed at his own expense. The brother of the Grand Master, Antoine d'Aubusson was also with bim.

The Turks did not waste time and in an attempt to demoralise the people of Rhodes they bombarded the inhabited parts of the island.

Adequate shelters had, however, been set up in time for children together with the elderly and sick. On May 24th, at the end of a massive bombing attack, the Commanders ordered their first assault. They were sure to get the better of the besieged but the tenacity of the Christians belied the easy forecasts of the Sultan and the siege lasted two months.

On July 27th, the Muslims launched what, in their plans, should have been the final attack. More than 3,500 balls from their cannons fell on the city during the bombardment which lasted weeks and reduced the walls surrounding the city to a heap of rubble.

Through the breaches in the wall, the commander of the infantry, the renegade Misac Paleologus Pasha made use of his best troops: 2500 Janissaries and thousands of other soldiers surrounded the Tower of Italy and planted the banners of the prophet on the ramparts. All seemed lost but the Knights reacted immediately. Led by the Grand Master and fighting man to man they faced the enemy who, in the end, were compelled to retreat. In spite of his serious iniuries Fra' Pierre d'Aubusson went on exhorting his men to repel the adversaries who charged again and again. It was a bloody day whose result, together with the news of the imminent arrival of reinforcements, convinced Misac Paleologus to give up his military action. The Muslim arrogance had been shattered by the little island and Europe could look on the "Sacra Milizia" with renewed hope as the only bastion against Islam.

Mohammed II had to admit bitterly that a handful of men had succeeded in beating the Osmali Empire, a defeat he would never resign himself to. He wished to be remembered on his tomb with the words "I intended to conquer Rhodes and to subdue Italy". The day after the victory the Knights were again at work, rebuilding the city and the walls destroyed by the artillery.

Their mission was to fight the infidels and they knew that opportunities would not be lacking.

At the command of Pope Alexander VI, between 1499 and 1503 an Alliance was established, made up of France, Spain, Portugal and Venice. The Order placed its galleys at the disposal of the Christian Armada. They had big projects and great intentions but the results were poor.

In the end, the Order was left alone to face its eternal enemies. The Turks, sure to take the Hospitallers by surprise, tried again in 1503. They hoped to exploit their advantage but the immediate retaliation compelled them to retreat with serious losses. In the meantime, there were continuous wars among the various nations in Europe that persuaded some States to reconsider their position with regards to Islam. On occasions Christian France made pacts with the Turks. Venice was also concerned about its commerce and was on friendly terms with Constantinople. They blamed the obstinacy of the Knights in their opposition to Muslim power in the Mediterranean and considered their worries about a possible offensive against the West to be excessive.

Sultan Suleiman II ascended the Osmali throne in 1520. He was a young, bright and ambitious man: in Europe he was called the "Magnificent" and in Islam the "Lawmaker", but for the Hospitallers he was a merciless enemy. He had clear ideas and his first was the conquest of Belgrade. As master of Hungary he could easily threaten Europe over land. The other Christian bastion was on the sea. The Knights of St. John would never allow him to consolidate the supremacy of his fleet and therefore they would have to be eliminated. The destiny of the Hospital was decided: Suleiman ordered his generals to attack.

This news did not surprise Grand Master Fra' Philippe de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam. He had at his disposal six hundred brethren and five thousand men. Foreseeing danger, he had requested help from all the other Catholic Sovereigns but nobody was willing to help with troops and this meant that the Order was alone to battle against the Turkish Empire. Adrian VI urged the princes to bring help to the Hospitallers but his appeals were not heard. Meanwhile, a storm was brewing in the last Christian stronghold.

next page
back to summary