The Order was an active religious order with the aim of "Glorifying God through the sanctification of its members, service to the Faith and the Holy See, and welfare work" (p. 10). Its distinguishing characteristics were welfare work and sovereignty. In international protocol, it was to be treated as an independent state. With descriptions of the requirements for and duties of officers, and charts of religious lines of responsibility and civil relationships.

An authoritative history of the Knights of St. John, from Jerusalem to Malta, told by the bestselling author of The Great Siege. Known by many names through their centuries-long career, The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John dedicated themselves to defending the poor and sick. First formed in Jerusalem during the Crusades of the eleventh century, the Order of Saint John grew in wealth and power rivaled only by the Knights Templar. They survived exile from the Holy Land, settling first in Rhodes and then in Malta, which they famously defended against the Ottoman Empire’s epic invasion of 1565. Even after losing Malta to Napoleon Bonaparte two centuries later, the Order of Saint John continued its mission. Ernle Bradford, whose bestselling book The Great Siege recounts their historic battle for Malta, follows the Knights of Saint John through centuries of war, politics, rivalry, and perseverance in The Shield and the Sword.

This documentation, discussion and illustration of a collection of works of art dispersed in churches, museums and other historical buildings in Malta has been designed to illustrate the Order's early legacy in Malta.