A member of the Knights Hospitaller (Order of Saint John), a military religious order founded around 1099 to provide medical care for pilgrims in the Holy Land. They later became a powerful military force and eventually ruled Malta.
From Old French 'hospitalier,' derived from Latin 'hospitale,' meaning 'hospice' or 'guesthouse.' The term reflects their original mission of providing hospitality and medical care to Christian pilgrims and the sick.
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