From Montpellier to Rhodes

Giuseppe Perta

From Montpellier to Rhodes: the chapter-generals and the statutes of the Hospitallers under Hélion de Villeneuve (1330-1344)

Authors

Giuseppe Perta

University Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1429-0809

Keywords:

Knights Hospitaller, Rhodes, Hélion de Villeneuve, Religious military Orders, Middle Ages

Synopsis

Series: Mediterranean Worlds, 12

Pages: 244

Language: Italian

Published: 2025

ISBN: 978-88-31309-40-0

Abstract: The acts of the general chapters and the statutes of the Order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem issued during the magisterium of Hélion de Villeneuve vividly attest to the vitality of the Hospitallers within the geopolitical framework of the fourteenth-century Mediterranean. These normative texts – addressing administrative, financial, ethical, and liturgical matters – were disseminated in various languages, reflecting the international character of the Order, whose possessions extended across an exceptionally wide territory, from Cyprus to the British Isles.

Following the fall of Acre and the conclusion of the Crusader presence in the Holy Land, the Knights of Rhodes demonstrated remarkable adaptability to the new circumstances: they secured control of the Dodecanese, acquired a significant portion of the Templar assets, and reoriented their mission of defending Christendom toward an anti-Ottoman purpose. To achieve this, Hélion de Villeneuve – appointed by the Pope to resolve an internal crisis – had to reinforce the constitutional structure of the Order, redefining the relationships between the Grand Master, the papal curia, the oligarchy of the convent of Rhodes, and the fratres living in both the cis-Mediterranean and overseas territories.

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Author Biography

Giuseppe Perta, University Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples

Giuseppe Perta is a Professor of Medieval History at the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples. His research focuses on the history of mobility, pilgrimage, and religious-military orders, with particular emphasis on the Mediterranean as a historiographical theme. He has published numerous contributions and articles in national and international journals, in addition to the following monographs: Mediterraneo della mobilità. Il viaggio a Gerusalemme tra Tarda Antichità e Prima Crociata, Napoli 2015; La vigilia della Crociata. Christianitas e Terra Santa (1009-1095), Bari 2019; Il primo Gran Maestro, Napoli 2020. He has also edited the volumes: Le porte del mare. Il Mediterraneo degli Stretti dal Medioevo all’Età Contemporanea (con R. Delli Quadri, E. Vermiglio), Napoli 2019, and Come fanno i marinai. Storie di mare per una storia del Mediterraneo, Napoli 2024.