Did you know Napoleon stole the Order’s treasures when he took Malta in 1798?
The end of the Knights’ rule over Malta came not with a battle, but with a betrayal cloaked in diplomacy. When Napoleon Bonaparte sailed to Malta en route to Egypt, he requested safe harbour. The Grand Master, constrained by the Order’s rule not to raise arms against fellow Christians, allowed his entry. What followed was swift and calculated: the French seized the island, expelled the Knights, and looted the immense treasures of the Order — including sacred relics, centuries-old art, and gold amassed through gifts and campaigns. Some of these items, such as the sword of Grand Master Jean de Valette, vanished into history. It was a devastating blow not just to the Order’s wealth, but to its physical legacy, echoing the fragility of even the most storied institutions in the face of empire.