Jean Parisot de Valette
Fra ' Jean de la Valette, including Vallette, called Parisot, (* 1494 in La Valette- du- Var, France, † August 21 1568 in Birgu, Malta) was 1557 and until his death in the 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta founder of the modern capital of Malta, Valletta.
Life
Early life
Valette came from an in Provence France-based noble family. At twenty, he decided, the Order of St. John, who was at that time still on the Mediterranean island of Rhodes resident to join. He was Grand Prior of St. Gilles in the tongue of Provence. In 1541 he was severely wounded and captured in a naval battle with an Ottoman fleet and announced a year the lot of galley slaves, before he was released again as part of a prisoner exchange.
Climb to the Grand Master
In the following years Valette went through almost all the important offices of the Order. So he took over, among others, the difficult post of governor of Tripoli, which is also a kind of penal exile, however, was, as he had repeatedly violated rules of the order. Thanks to his military abilities, he rose in 1554 to the admiral of the fleet orders, a post which had actually reserved the Italian knights.
In 1557 it was 63- year unanimously elected Grand Master of the Order, which now had its headquarters in Malta, was elected. He immediately put his strong sense of justice with the pardon of the wrongly accused because of the loss of Tripoli and imprisoned by the former Grand Master Jean de Homedes Gaspard de Vallier, to the test. Then he set to work to strengthen the independence of the Order, by prompting the Spanish King Philip II, afford just satisfaction to the Order of Malta in the jurisdiction Lehnsstreitigkeiten. When Viceroy of Sicily he pushed through that the Order will no longer had to seek to investiture. He also reached that the rights and privileges that were previously for the Maltese nobility, were also transferred to the Order.
Defense of the Turks
To his most difficult task, preparations to ward off the impending Turkish attack. This began on May 18, 1565, with a 40,000 -strong invasion force under Admiral Piale Pasha and Mustafa Pasha General. Valettes tactical skill and his military experience prevented the taking of Malta, and on September 8, 1565 gave the Turks the siege. Valette had focused more on defending the end Birgus, where he had contracted the Maltese troops and blew up the bridge to Fort St. Angelo. "There is no turning back, only victory or death! " He reportedly said. When the Berlin Wall at the St. Michael's Bastion partially collapsed and attackers invaded in droves, is said to have personally led the counter-attack was already over 70 years Valette. The Knights of the Order and allies were motivated by this act as the attacking Turks and equally shocked and disheartened that the attack was successfully repelled and the breach could be closed again. The St. Michael's Bastion ( Senglea ) can be seen today.
After this magnificent victory him Pope Pius V. wore to the dignity of Cardinal, but Valette refused.
Creation of Valletta and death
On March 28, 1566, he laid the foundation stone for Malta's future capital, which was named after its completion in 1571. Jean Parisot de la Valette was by this time dead; He died on August 21, 1568 during the prayer in Fort St. Angelo in Birgu. Today it is believed that he died of heat stroke after a day of hunting. He was buried in the monastery church of Birgu. Later his remains were reburied in the St. John 's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. On his tombstone is the inscription: "He was the shield of Europe".