The Order of St John and corsairing activities in the Mediterranean in the 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

The Order of the Knights of St John was officially founded in Jerusalem in 1113 as a Hospitaller Order for the care of pilgrims in the Holy Land. However, as these places were a source of constant friction between Moslems and Christians, the Order soon acquired a military role and began to share fully in the crusading activities of the twelfth century. But in later centuries the chief instrument of action soon became the Order's fleet of galleys which perpetuated the crusading tradition established in the Holy Land through its annual carvane - the famous yearly cruises through the East Mediterranean, or along the coast of North Africa - usually planned to take place from May to September, in search of Muslim shipping. The sea-faring carvane replaced the old military campaigns of the crusaders in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, a change forced on the Knights after their expulsion from St John of Acre in 1291.