Johanniter, Ritterorden#

Knights of St. John (Knights Hospitaller of St. John, Knights of Malta), an order of knights established in the 12th century whose origin was a hospital where sick pilgrims were cared for in Jerusalem (1099). After the fall of Akkon in 1291, the Knights of St. John moved to Cyprus and later to Rhodes (which they ruled as an independent state until 1522). After giving up Rhodes, they were given the island of Malta by the Holy Roman Emperor Karl V, from which the name Knights of Malta originates. While the Knights of St. John became Protestant in 1538, the Knights of Malta remained with the Catholic Church. Since 1986 the Knights of St. John have again maintained an order headquarters in Austria.