How a Russian emperor once became the head of the Order of Malta

In 1798, the oldest Catholic knightly order elected Emperor Paul I as its Grand Master. So, why did this position go to a Orthodox Russian emperor?

In 1798, Napoleon captured Malta, where the order had been based for centuries. The knights appealed to Paul I, asking him to provide them with refuge. The Russian emperor housed them in St. Petersburg. A year earlier, Paul had already allowed the order to build a summer residence in Gatchina – the Priory Palace. The coat of arms of Gatchina still bears the Maltese crown to this day.

In gratitude for being saved, the knights elected him Grand Master. The emperor agreed and even added the Maltese crown to the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Interestingly, neither the Catholic Church nor European monarchs contested the appointment of an Orthodox Grand Master.

Paul I's Maltese Crown has been kept in the Armory Chamber in Moscow since 1827. The jeweler is not known for certain: according to some sources, it was Jacob Duval; according to others, it was made by Maltese craftsmen. The crown is made of gilded silver in the form of arches supporting a sphere with a Maltese cross.

Historians are unclear as to why Paul I needed this appointment. Most likely, the Russian emperor wanted to strengthen Russia's influence in the Mediterranean and establish a Russian naval base in Malta.

But, Russia was not the only one seeking to strengthen its position. Other European powers also had their eyes on Malta. To restore relations with England, Alexander I, the next emperor of Russia, renounced the title of Grand Master and removed the Maltese crown from his coat of arms.

However, the knights continued to live in Russia until 1834, when they established their headquarters in Rome.