The rupture between King Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church was very soon followed by the confiscation of the property of the Order of St John in England and ultimately the suppression of the Langue of England. Shortly before the break, Henry had written a number of very cordial and indeed enthusiastic letters to two of the Grandmasters, not least his last letter of November 1530 written after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn which brought matters to a head. No correspondence appears to have been conducted between succeeding monarchs and the Order until the letters written by Charles II to Nicholas Cottoner between 1667 and 1676, sometimes couched in diplomatic terms on occasion when some dispute arose, but always expressing strong sentiments of friendship and respect.
More letters were written by James II, Anne, George I and II, and also "The Old Pretender", James, son of James II, who claimed the throne as James III. Three further letters exist from King George II to Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca, but we do not possess the transcripts to date.
Apart from the letters of the House of Stuart (James II, Anne and James the Pretender), which were written in French, the rest of the correspondence was conducted in Latin. The letters are reproduced below in their English translation.
King Henry VIII to Grandmaster Villiers de L'Isle Adam
1. supporting the grant of Malta by Emperor Charles
V to the Order of St John
2. recommending Sir W. Weston, Turcoplerius
3. assuring the king's support for the Order
4. seeking the promotion of his private secretary,
Peter Vanes
5. rejoicing at the grant of Malta, Gozo and Tripoli
to the Order by Emperor Charles V
King Henry VIII to Grandmaster Pierino del Ponte
6. on del Ponte's succession to the Grandmastership following the death of de L'Isle Adam
King Charles II to Grandmaster Nicholas Cotoner
7. introducing his Admiral Sir Thomas Allen and
requesting permission for his ships to enter the Maltese
harbours
8. claiming some substantial property belonging
to Roger Fowke, the British consul in Cyprus, which had been seized by Maltese
ships in a foray against the Turks
8a Reply of Grandmaster Nicholas
Cotoner to the preceding
suggesting a course of action to solve the dispute
9. acquiescing to his suggested course of
action
10. seeking the Order's cooperation in having the
wreckage of the "Sapphire" inspected
11. informing him of the formation of an British
Mediterranean fleet and problems arising
12. calling on the Order to treat the British fleet
as an ally and seeking relevant facilities
13. thanking the Grandmaster for his generous welcome
to the British fleet
14. informing the Grandmaster that he had instructed
his admiral to accord the Grandmaster the same sign of friendship and goodwill
as to the Spanish or French kings
15. expressing his satisfaction at the benign treatment
accorded by the Order to the British fleet
16. acknowledging the
Grandmaster's letter of appreciation for the benefits conferred by the British
fleet
17. intimating that his admiral would seek to negotiate
a treaty with the Algerians to liberate an enslaved knight of the
Order
King James II to Grandmaster Gregorio Caraffa
18. thanking the Grandmaster for his letter of condolence on the death of Charles II
The following two letters were written in exile after James II had been deposed in 1688.
18a. desiring that the dignity of Grand Prior of
England might be conferred on his natural son, Stewart Fitz James
18b. expressing his pleasure in having his wish
gratified. The letter was written from Ireland where James had landed in
an attempt to recover his throne
Queen Anne to Grandmaster Ramón Perellos y Roccaful
King George I to Grandmaster Ramón Perellos y Roccaful
King George I to Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena
21. congratulating the Grandmaster on his elevation to the Grandmastership
James the Pretender (son of King James II) to Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena
Source:
The letters were researched and translated by William Winthrop and Dr Vella in the 1850's in the collection at the Record Office, now the Archives of the Order at the Malta National Library. The result was published in:
Notes and Queries: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. [Bell & Dalby, 186 Fleet Street, London EC]
-
- Vol. 8, No 215, 10.12.1853, Page 557
- Vol. 8, No 215, 10.12.1853, Page 558
- ibid
- Vol. 8, No 215, 10.12.1853, Page 558, Vol. 9, No 223, 4.2.1854, Page 99
- Vol. 9, No 223, 4.2.1854, Page 99-100
- Vol. 9, No 223, 4.2.1854, Page 100-101
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 263
- ibid 8a. Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 265-6
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 266
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 267
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 442
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 443
- ibid
- ibid
- Vol. 9, No 230, 25.3.1854, Page 444
- ibid
- ibid
- Vol. 9, No 230, 12.2.1854, Page 437 18a and 18b. Vol. 11, No 281 17.3.1855, Page 199-201
- Vol. 9, No 230, 12.2.1854, Page 438
- ibid
- Vol. 9, No 230, 12.2.1854, Page 439
- ibid
