Hospitaller colonization of the Americas

The territorial possessions of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta are today limited to its premises holding status of extraterritoriality in Rome and Malta.

Historically, the order – including its precedent Knights Hospitaller – extended from the Mediterranean in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, to the Caribbean in the Americas.

Most importantly, it got its current name from the island of Malta, long under possession.

The Hospitaller colonization of the Americas occurred during a 14-year period in which the Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Knights of St. John or the Knights of Malta) possessed four Caribbean islands: Saint Christopher, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Croix.

The Knights' presence in the Caribbean 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 key figure in 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 Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique in 1651 and stayed to govern them until his death in 1660. During this time, the Order acted as proprietor of the islands, while the King of France continued to hold nominal sovereignty; however, Poincy ruled largely independent of them both. In 1665, the Hospitallers sold their rights in the islands to the new French West India Company, bringing their colonial project to an end.

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