International. A Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Cufflinks Pair & Lapel Badge

(Italian: Sovrano militare ordine di Malta; Latin: Supremus Ordo Militaris Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani Rhodius et Melitensis). Instituted in 1099. Cufflinks Pair: two-piece construction, in silver gilt with red and white enamels, measuring 19.3 (w) x 19 mm (h) each, both with a post and toggle attachment; and Lapel Badge: in silver gilt with red and white enamels, measuring 19.3 (w) x 19 mm (h), push pin attachment. All three items with intact enamels, extremely fine.

Footnote: The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) or the Order of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order traditionally of military, chivalrous and noble nature. The Order, often popularly referred to as the "Knights of Malta", was in existence certainly as long ago as the early years of the Twelfth 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.