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.
The Hospitallers were history's first paramedics with swords! They pioneered advanced medical techniques and hospital organization while also becoming formidable warriors. After losing the Holy Land, they conquered Rhodes and then Malta, ruling as a sovereign state until Napoleon kicked them out in 1798.
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