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Description: | Portrait of Jean de la Valette, 49th Grand Master of the Order of St John, 1557-68. Known to his contemporaries as Jean Parisot de Valette, this greatest hero of the order had an ignominious start to his career; in 1538 he was sentenced to four months in a hole in the ground, or guva, for beating a layman. He was subsequently exiled to Tripoli to serve two years as military commander. Upon his return he was punished yet again for bringing back a slave not libel for servitude. However, his military prowess had clearly been recognised, as he was elected Captain General of the Galleys in 1554; a great honour for the Tongue of Provence, to whom he belonged, since the post had always previously been held by the Italian Tongue. On the death of Claude de la Sengle in 1557, and in anticipation of the Turkish attack, he was elected Grand Master. He played a key role in the great Siege of Malta in 1565, his success as a military commander being due more to his single-minded, ruthless determination not relinquish even a foot of land to the enemy, and an ability to inspire similar sentiments in his men - driving them to perform superhuman acts of bravery at the cost of their own lives - than any tactical or strategic genius. His successful defence of Malta earned him great fame and fortune, however, his most enduring legacy is the city of Valletta, named after him. He laid the first stone with his own hands in 1566 and it remains the Maltese capital to this day; a city superbissima or 'most proud'. | Subjects: | portrait (Jean de la Valette Grand Master) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Maltese School Æ | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=8602... | Go to resource |
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