posted 11-03-2008 07:51 AM            

RULERS OF THE WORLD,
PART II: MONACO and MALTA

by Rick Marek

This article first appeared in the Guild's newsletter, The NSCG Cauldron, Volume 17, Number 2, Summer 2008. Also see: Rulers of the World - Part I

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[The NSCG Cauldron] Editors Note: Part II of Rulers of the World completes Rick's response to Bill Wright's lead article in the Fall 2007NSCG Newsletter that was entitled, "The Six Postage Stamp Countries". After reading this article, Rick decided to feature various rulers in subsequent issuesof The Cauldron. He decided to begin with spoons he had of the postage stamp countries.

MONACO

Commonly referred to as Monaco, this approximately 970 acres of real estate has come to epitomize glamor and wealth. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea about 9 miles from Nice. In fact, it is surrounded by France on three sides. Monaco is generally considered the jewel of the French Riviera. The scene in the bowl of Figure 1 shows how this gem slides into the azure waters of the Mediterranean. The finial depicts the official coat of arms of this second smallest of the so-called "postage stamp countries."

As Bill pointed out in his article, the ancient settlement was probably of Phoenician origin and at various times has been ruled by France, Genoa, and Sardinia. When their eras of sovereignty ended, Monaco would always revert back to the Grimaldi family who has ruled Monaco since 1419. Officially, it is known as the Principality of Monaco with the ruler called a prince. He was an absolute ruler until a constitution was promulgated in 1911. A second constitution was passed in 1962 whereby the Prince shares his power with the unicameral National Council. This second constitution reaffirmed that all external and military affairs of Monaco are controlled by France.

The oldest section of Monaco is called Monaco-Ville. It contains the palace, cathedral, and oceanographic museum. Figure 2 has the Grimaldi palace in the bowl with Monaco's checkered red and white colors on the finial. What makes this spoon special is that it shows something other than the 19th century casino in the bowl. Not surprisingly this latter type of spoon would be the most common souvenir sold to tourists since it was a wonderful reminder of their visit to Monte Car10 which is the gambling and resort section of Monaco.

Figure 3 is that of Albert I (1846-1922) with the finial again showing Monaco's royal crest. He reigned for 33 years after his father, Prince Charles 111, died in 1889. Upon his death in 1922, he was succeeded by his son Prince Louis 11. Of particular interest to us Americans is that Albert I is the great grandfather of the late Prince Rainier III (died in 2005) of Grace Kelly fame.

As a young man, Prince Albert served in the Spanish navy. Afterwards, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he served in the French navy. It was during this conflict that he was awarded the French, Legion of Honor. Because of this naval background, he developed a keen interest in oceanography. This interest would culminate with his establishing the world renowned Oceanographic Institute and Museum in Monaco-Ville.

Over the years, despite his own military career, Albert became a dedicated pacifist. He established the International Institute of Peace in Monaco and did his best to dissuade the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, from pursuing war. When World War I did come, Monaco declared its neutrality. However, she did provide the Allies with hospitals, convalescent centers, and even soldiers.

When he died in 1922 at the age of 74, Albert I of Monaco was a recognized, world-renowned leader of marine science and international peace. For us spoon collectors, this portrait spoon of this Monaco ruler is rare. It is the only one I have ever seen.

MALTA

Figure 4 shows us the 71� Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von Hompesch (1744-1805). Notice his armor breast plate emblazoned with the stylized Maltese Cross. The finial also depicts an embossed Maltese Cross. Fortunately for me, his name was engraved on the back of the bowl. He was elected Grand Master i 1797. As such he was "de facto" the absolute ruler of Malta. He was also the first German to be elected to this office.

However, to truly appreciate this interesting ruler it is necessary to understand not only the important role he played in the history of Malta but also the colorful background these knights played on the world stage. This was especially true during the Middle Ages.

The official title of this Roman Catholic Military Order is The Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Wow-no wonder we simply call them the Knights of Malta!

The origins of the order can be traced to the eleventh century. Founded in 1080 in Jerusalem, their charter was to care for the poor and sick pilgrims after their arduous journey to reach the Holy Land -- in truth, a Hospice. Its motto is "Defense of the faith and assistance to the poor." Officially the knights were monks who professed the Rule of St. Augustine. As such they adhered to the vow of celibacy. Essentially this vocation was to lay down their lives on the battlefield for Christendom.

Responding to the pilgrim's increasing need for protection from Muslims (think Crusades) over the next 100 years, the mission of the order added to its responsibilities the protection of pilgrims not only in the immediate area of Jerusalem but on the land and sea routes to the Holy Land. Over the next 500 years the Order fought numerous military engagements with non-Christians especially the military forces of the Ottoman Empire. Consequently, they were charged with the building and maintaining of fortresses in the eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and Spain.

Gradually the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem and other lands on the shores of the Mediterranean. This led to the Knights being given Malta as their headquarters in 1530 by King Charles V of Spain in exchange for an annual fee of a single Maltese falcon which they were to send on All Soul's Day to the King's representative in Sicily. (This historical fact was used as the plot hook in Dashiell Hammett's famous book, The Maltese Falcon.)

In 1565 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman sent an invasion force of 40,000 men to expel the 700 knights and 8,000 soldiers defending Malta.

Figure 5 shows Fort St. Angelo which Grand Master Jean de la Vallette refused to surrender. Primarily because of his indomitable will, the Turks were eventually defeated. But Malta now lay in ruins. A new capital needed to be built. It was named Valletta in honor of the victorious Grand Master.

Figure 6 depicts the Grand Master's Palace and the bowl reads "Palace Valletta." It shows a colorful re-enactment of the 16th century drills conducted by the Knights. They are clad in the red and white colors of the Order. The finial also shows these colors. One can imagine the circa 1900 traveler who took home this souvenir spoon perhaps after having personally enjoyed seeing the re-enactment.
We now fast forward to July, 1797, when von Hompesch was elected Grand Master. His two-year reign was short and turbulent. His family was one of the noblest on the Lower Rhine, and he joined the order at a very early age. Bright and well-educated, he rose steadily within the order's hierarchy. Within a year of being elected, it was his ignominy to surrender Malta to General Napoleon Bonaparte. The soon-to-be-Emperor was with the French fleet that was on its way to attempt to conquer Egypt. Bonaparte desired Malta�s strategic position in the Mediterranean.

In June 1798 Napoleon sent several warships into Malta Harbor. We see this harbor in Figure 7. We can also see ships in the bowl of this handsome souvenir spoon. In the left-hand comer is one of the small lookout towers which are spaced along the top of the city's walls. These provide excellent visibility without presenting much of a target for enemy canon fire.

But von Hompesch decided not to fight the French. He surrendered the island. My research shows that historians are still ambivalent regarding his decision. Some see him as a realistic ruler who could not have repulsed the French invasion while the verdict of others is that he "was not the man for this crisis."

In any event, the knights and von Hompesch were expelled and their treasure confiscated. They were allowed to depart with some of the4 most prized relics, e.g. the hand of St. John the Baptist and the relic of the True Cross.

Von Hompesch and the knights then sought refuge with one of their sovereign patrons, Czar Paul I of Russia. Over the next year numerous intrigues transpired, but von Hompesch was unable to raise the financial and diplomatic support necessary to aid the knights in the reacquisition of Malta. The world was changing. Kings and Princes were no longer interested in aiding an ancient military order of monks.

By the middle of 1799, von Hompesch was forced to resign as Grand Master. It appears that he then wandered Europe for the next 6 years. He died a poor man at the age of 60 in 1805 in France.

This portrait spoon of Ferdinand von Hompesch is extremely rare. The second one I've ever seen was on eBay several months ago.

POSTSCRIPT: The Knights of Malta are still in existence. For most of the 19th century they were but a shell of their glorious past. But since the late 1880's there has been a gradual but steady rejuvenation of the order.

They continue to be a Roman Catholic order answerable only to the Pope. They continue to provide sustenance to the sick and poor. Their many national associations are responsible for hospitals. Interestingly, they also are involved in diplomacy and maintain embassies in many countries. In fact, at the United Nations, they enjoy official observer status.

Several months ago I was watching TV and put on the History Channel. By chance I had stumbled on an lour-long program on the Knights of Malta - right at the time of von Hompesch and Napoleon's fleet entering Malta harbor. The program went on to show the order's charitable work in today's world. At official functions, men and women (the latter are now allowed to be members) continue to wear capes emblazoned with the white Maltese cross. A few of the Knights are religious but most of the world-wide membership is non-religious.

In the last several months, the government of Malta returned the knights to Fort St. Angelo along with several other buildings to use as their administrative headquarters. After two centuries, the knights have returned to Malta!

Resource Material: Wikipedia; "Kingdoms of Europe" by Gene Gurney; "Kings, Rulers and Statesmen", compiled by Wise & Egan; "The Knights Hospitaller" by Nicholson.

In the future issues of The Cauldron, we will look at spoons from individual European nations. First up, of course, is England featuring Queen Victoria as the "Grandmother of Europe."

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See Souvenir Spoons - Rulers of the World - Part III (coming soon)