List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller

The Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta ( formerly of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ), now usually called the Order of Malta, is the supreme authority. Until 1267 he held the title Master.

Office and dignity of a Grand Master is transferred to a professed knights Perpetual Vows. Canon law is the Grand Master of the Order of Malta with the rank of cardinal, but may not participate in the conclave as a layman. The title of Grand Master is His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master. The powers of the Grand Master governs the constitution of the Order. The Grand Master resides at the headquarters of the Order in Rome, Via Condotti.

2.1 Jerusalem ( -1142 )
2.2 Krak des Chevaliers ( 1142-1271 )
2.3 Acre ( 1271-1291 )
2.4 Cyprus ( 1291-1307 )
2.5 Rhodes ( 1309-1522 )
2.6 Malta ( 1530-1798 )
2.7 Petersburg ( 1799-1803 )
2.8 Messina / Catania ( 1803-1805 )
2.9 Rome (1834 - )

3.1 Rome ( 1805-1826 )
3.2 Ferrara ( 1826-1834 )
3.3 Rome (1834 - )

Election of the Grand Master

The Grand Master is elected for life by the Council Complete of State.

To this rule there were the following exceptions:

Requirements for election to the Grand Master

Article 13 of the Constitution of the Order reads:

§ 1

§ 2

§ 3

The oath of the Grand Master

After having informed the Pope about the election took place, in accordance with Article 14 of the Constitution of the Order of the dignity of Grand Master Elected in the presence of Cardinal patron in a solemn session of the Great Council of State following oath:

Directory of Grand Master

Jerusalem ( -1142 )

1 Gerhard Sasso ( 1100-1120 )
2 Raymond du Puy ( 1120-1158/60 )

Krak des Chevaliers (1142-1271)

3 Auger de Balben ( 1158/60-1162 )
4 Arnaud de Comps ( 1162-1163 )
5 Gilbert de Aissailly ( 1163-1169 )
6 Gaston de Murols about ( 1169 )
7 Joubert ( 1169-1177 )
8 Roger de Moulins ( 1177-1187 )
9 Hermangard d' Asp ( 1188-1190 )
10 Garnier de Naplouse ( Nablus ) ( 1190-1192 )
11 Geoffroy de Donjon ( 1193-1202 )
12 Alfonse de Portugal ( 1203-1206 )
13 Geoffrey le Rat ( 1206-1207 )
14 Garin de Montaigu ( 1207-1228 )
15 Bertrand de Thessy ( 1228-1231 )
16 Guerin Lebrun ( 1231-1236 )
17 Bertrand de Comps ( 1236-1239/40 )
18 Pierre de Vielle- Bride ( 1239/40-1242 )
19 Guillaume de Chateauneuf ( 1242-1258 )
20 Hugues de Revel ( 1258-1277 )

Acre (1271-1291)

21 Nicolas Lorgne ( 1277-1284 )
22 Jean de Villiers ( 1284-1294 )

Cyprus (1291-1307)

23 Odon de Pins ( 1294-1296 )
24 Guillaume de Villaret ( 1296-1305 )
Fulk de Villaret 25 ( 1305-1319 )

Rhodes (1309-1522)

26 Helion de Villeneuve ( 1319-1346 )
Dieudonné de Gozon 27 ( 1346-1353 )
28 Pierre de Corneillan ( 1353-1355 )
29 Roger de Pins ( 1355-1365 )
30 Raymond Berenger ( 1365-1374 )
31 Robert de Juliac ( 1374-1376 )
32 Jean Fernandez de Heredia ( 1376-1396 )
33 Riccardo Caracciolo ( 1383-1395 )
34 Philibert de Naillac ( 1396-1421 )
35 Fluvian Antonio de la Riviere ( 1421-1437 )
36 Jean de Lastic ( 1437-1454 )
37 Jacques de Milly ( 1454-1461 )
38 Piero Raimondo Zacosta ( 1461-1467 )
39 Giovanni Battista Orsini ( 1467-1476 )
Pierre d' Aubusson 40 ( 1476-1503 )
41 Emery d' Amboise ( 1503-1512 )
42 Guy de Blanche Fort ( 1512-1513 )
43 Fabrizio del Carretto ( 1513-1521 )
44 Philippe de Villiers de l' Isle- Adam ( 1521-1534 )

Malta (1530-1798)

45 Piero de Ponte ( 1534-1535 )
46 Didier de Saint- Jaille ( 1535-1536 )
47 Juan de Homedes ( 1536-1553 )
48 Claude de la Sengle ( 1553-1557 )
49 Jean de la Valette ( 1557-1568 )
50 Pierre de Monte ( 1568-1572 )
51 Jean de la Cassiere ( 1572-1581 )
52 Hugues de Loubenx Verdale ( 1581-1595 )
53 Martin Garzes ( 1595-1601 )
54 Alof de Wignacourt ( 1601-1622 )
55 Luis Mendez de Vasconcellos ( 1622-1623 )
56 Antoine de Paule ( 1623-1636 )
57 Jean de Lascaris - Castellar ( 1636-1657 )
58 Martin de Redin ( 1657-1660 )
59 Annet de Clermont- Gessant (1660 )
60th Cotoner Raphael ( 1660-1663 )
61 Nicolas Cotoner ( 1663-1680 )
62 Gregorio Carafa ( 1680-1690 )
63 Adrien de Wignacourt ( 1690-1697 )
64 Ramon y Perellos Roccaful ( 1697-1720 )
65 Marc'Antonio Zondadari ( 1720-1722 )
66 Antonio Manoel de Vilhena ( 1722-1736 )
67 Ramon Despuig ( 1736-1741 )
68 Manuel Pinto de Fonseca ( 1741-1773 )
69 Francisco Ximenes de Texada ( 1773-1775 )
70 Emmanuel de Rohan - Polduc ( 1775-1797 )
71 Ferdinand von Hompesch to Bolheim ( 1797-1799 )

Petersburg (1799-1803)

72 Paul, Tsar of Russia ( 1798-1801 ) ( de facto) Prince Nikolay Ivanovich Saltykov (1801-1803) (not under its existing orders)

Messina / Catania (1803-1805)

73 Giovanni Battista Tommasi ( 1803-1805 )

Rome (1834 - )

74 Johann Baptist Ceschi a Santa Croce ( 1879-1905 )
75 Galeas of Thun and Hohenstein ( 1905-1931 )
Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere 76 ( 1931-1951 )
77 Angelo de Mojana di Cologna ( 1962-1988 )
78 Andrew Bertie ( 1988-2008 )
79 Matthew Festing (since 2008)

List of governors ( Lieutenant ) of the Grand Magisterium

Rome (1805-1826)

1 Innico Maria Guevara Suardo ( 1805-1814 )
2 Andre Di Giovanni ( 1814-1821 )

Ferrara (1826-1834)

3 Antoine Busca ( 1821-1834 )

Rome (1834 - )

4 Carlo Candida ( 1834-1845 )
5 Philip of Colloredo- Mels ( 1845-1864 )
6 Alessandro Borgia ( 1865-1871 )
7 Johann Baptist Ceschi a Santa Croce ( 1871-1879 ) → 74th Grand Master
8 Antoine Hercolani Fava Simonetti ( 1951-1955 ) ( ad interim)
9 Jean Charles Pallavicini ( 17 January to 8 April 1988) ( ad interim)
10 Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sangui net ( 7 February to 11 March 2008) ( ad interim)

List of Deputy Grand Master

Pio Franchi de ' Cavalieri (1929-1931) ( during the illness of the 75th Grand Master )
Ernesto Paternò Castello di Carcaci (1955-1962)

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