Juan de Homedes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan de Homedes
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| Grand Master of the Order of Saint John | |
| In office 20 October 1536 – 6 September 1553 |
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| Monarch | King Charles II |
| Preceded by | Didier de Saint-Jaille |
| Succeeded by | Claude de la Sengle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c.1477 Aragon (modern Spain) |
| Died | 6 September 1553 (aged c.76) Hospitaller Malta |
| Resting place | Chapel of St Anne, Fort St Angelo, Birgu, later reburied at St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Order of Saint John |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Rhodes Invasion of Gozo |
Fra' Juan de Homedes y Coscón (born around 1477 – died September 6, 1553) was a Spanish knight. He was the 47th Grand Master of the Order of Malta. He led the Order from 1536 to 1553.
Contents
Early Life of Juan de Homedes
Not much is known about Juan de Homedes' early life. He was born in Aragon, which is now part of Spain, around the year 1477. He joined the Order of Saint John, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
He bravely fought in the Ottoman siege of Rhodes in 1522. After this, the Order moved to the island of Malta in 1530. Juan de Homedes moved there with them.
Grand Master of the Order
On October 20, 1536, Juan de Homedes was chosen as the new Grand Master. This happened after the death of the previous Grand Master, Didier de Saint-Jaille. As Grand Master, he was the main leader of the Knights Hospitaller.
Challenges in 1551
In July 1551, the Ottoman Empire tried to attack Malta. However, the Knights managed to stop them. The Ottomans then turned their attention to Gozo, a smaller island nearby. Gozo was attacked and, after a few days of tough fighting, it surrendered.
Sadly, almost everyone on Gozo was taken as slaves. This included the governor, Gelatian de Sessa, and other knights. In August of the same year, the Order faced another big loss. Their stronghold in North Africa, Tripoli, was captured. It was taken by an Ottoman force led by the famous corsair Dragut and Admiral Sinan.
De Homedes blamed the military governor of Tripoli, Gaspard de Vallier, for this loss. He had de Vallier imprisoned. Later, another Grand Master, Jean Parisot de Valette, cleared de Vallier's name.
Building New Forts
After the difficult events of 1551, de Homedes decided to make Malta stronger. He started a big project to build new forts. On May 8, 1552, the first stone for a new fort was laid. This fort was called Fort Saint Michael. It was built on a peninsula known as l'Isola, which was next to the Order's capital, Birgu.
At the same time, work began on Fort Saint Elmo. This fort was built on a larger peninsula called Sciberras. This area later became home to the city of Valletta and the town of Floriana.
Death and Burial
Juan de Homedes died on September 6, 1553. Claude de la Sengle became the next Grand Master. He continued the important work of building forts that de Homedes had started.
Juan de Homedes was first buried in the Chapel of St Anne inside Fort St. Angelo. Later, his remains were moved to St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta.
Juan de Homedes in Stories
Juan de Homedes has appeared in some historical novels. In these stories, he is often shown in a way that is not very positive.
For example, in Dorothy Dunnett's 1966 novel The Disorderly Knights, he is shown as someone who was not good at leading. He is also shown as being unfair to knights who were not Spanish.
He also appears in Marthese Fenech's 2011 novel Eight Pointed Cross. This book describes the loss of Gozo and Tripoli. It shows the Order's failure to help the many people captured during these attacks.
Juan de Homedes is also in The Course of Fortune by Tony Rothman (2015). This book describes his role in the first siege of Malta in 1551. It also covers the capture of Gozo and how he treated the knights after Tripoli fell.
