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Miniature white enamel Maltese cross on gilt swivel crown suspension; the face and reverse identical; height 26.76mm (1.05 inches); some contact marks, small loss of enamel from the tip of the upper point of the right-hard arm of the reverse; on original ribbon. The Order, often popularly referred to as the ‘Knights of Malta’, was in existence certainly as long ago as the early years of the 12th Century and is still extant today. Originally based in Jerusalem, the Order moved to Tripoli following the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 and to Rhodes by way of Cyprus after the fall of Acre in 1291. In 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes and the Order scattered. Charles V granted the Order the island of Malta and the Order settled here from 1530 to 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte captured the island en route for Egypt. In 1834 the order established a new headquarters in Rome and took on its current humanitarian and ceremonial role with Grand Masters being appointed by the Pope. The Miniature is for a Knight or Dame of Honour and Devotion, of Grace and Devotion or of Magistral Grace or for a Conventual or Magistral Chaplain.
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