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Hospitaller colonization of the Americas
Colonization efforts of the Order of Saint John in the Americas
Hospitaller colonization of the Americas
The Hospitaller colonization of the Americas occurred during a 14-year period in the 17th century in which the Knights Hospitaller of Malta, at the time a vassal state of the Kingdom of Sicily, commanded by the Italian Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, possessed four Caribbean islands: Saint Christopher, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Croix. The Knights' presence in the Caribbean Sea region grew out of their order's close relationship with the French nobility and the presence of many members in the Americas as French administrators. The main person involved with their brief foray into colonization was Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, who was both a Knight of Malta and governor of the French colonies in the Caribbean. Poincy convinced the Knights to purchase the islands from the bankrupt Company of the American Islands in 1651 and stayed to govern them until his death in 1660. During this time, the Order acted as proprietor of the islands, while King Louis XIV continued...
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