The Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller
The supreme commander of the order was the Grand Magister. His office was for life, he had to be a nobleman of the upper class and was elected by the other knights. He governed together with his council and was controlled only by the general council. He supervised all the operations of the order, both military and commercial, and was accountable only to the Pope himself, regarding the assets of the order.
The first Grand Magister was the Frenchman Foulques de Villaret between 1305 and 1319. He founded the knightly state, organized it, and built the fortresses in Rhodes and their other dominions.
Philippe de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam was the last Grand Magister of Rhodes and the first of Malta, holding the office from 1521 to 1534. He was forced to surrender Rhodes to Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522, after a long siege.
