Austria, Imperial. An Order of Merit of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Gold Grade Medal

In bronze gilt, unmarked, 36.5 mm (w) x 45.7 mm (h), original ribbon, scattered gilt wear, better than very fine.

Footnote: The medal was instituted on April 24 1912 by Decree 1879 of the Sovereign Council of the Order, having been proposed by Prince von Thun and Hohenstein, then Principal and Grand Master of the Order, in response to the work of members of the Order in the relief of suffering following the catastrophic earthquake and tidal wave in Calabro-Siculo in 1908 and the Italo-Turkish war of 1911-1912. The Order, often popularly referred to as the "Knights of Malta", was in existence certainly as long ago as the early years of the 12th Century and is still extant today. Originally based in Jerusalem, the Order moved to Tripoli following the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 and to Rhodes by way of Cyprus after the fall of Acre in 1291. In 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes and the Order scattered. Charles V granted the Order the island of Malta and the Order settled here from 1530 to 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte captured the island en route for Egypt. In 1834, the order established a new headquarters in Rome and took on its current humanitarian and ceremonial role with Grand Masters being appointed by the Pope.