Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

The sky screen continued to play the images.

The video footage shows that although the Knights Hospitaller were called a Knight Order, they should have charged into battle on horseback.

However, in the picture at this moment, they look completely like pirates.

Driving ships of all sizes, they rampaged across the waters of the eastern Mediterranean.

"A group of knights, raiding the coast from time to time."

It was obvious that the knights of the Knights Templar adapted quickly to abandoning their war horses and fighting on ships.

We can see that their team is growing in size.

Each equipment is becoming more and more luxurious.

The "Pirate Knights" are apparently doing very well.

The commentary on the sky screen also confirms this.

[Their warships flew the white octagonal cross flag with a red background, committed robbery in the name of God, and were invincible in the Mediterranean.]

【It became a nightmare for Muslim merchant ships. 】

[Having a stable land of their own also prevented the Knights Hospitaller from repeating the mistakes of the Knights Templar. ]

[However, after the rise of the Ottoman Empire, it would not tolerate the existence of such an alien on its doorstep. ]

【With the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, Rhodes became the only Christian stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean. 】

[In 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent personally led an army of 20 and 400 warships to besiege Rhodes. ]

[Faced with an overwhelming disparity in military strength, the Knights held out for six months with only 7000 men, and eventually negotiated surrender when they ran out of ammunition and food.]

【Suleiman admired their courage and allowed the knights to withdraw.】

[The fall of Rhodes did not end the mission of the Knights Hospitaller. ]

[In 1523, the Knights left the Aegean Sea with the remaining fleet and began a seven-year wandering.]

[European countries have an ambiguous attitude towards this elite force that has lost territory but is still strong.]

[They needed the Knights to fight against the Ottoman Empire, but were also wary of their independence and military potential.]

[It was not until 1530 that Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, made a decision that affected the Mediterranean situation.]

[He gave the island of Malta and Tripoli in North Africa to the Knights.]

[The annual rent is a symbolic Maltese falcon.]

[This barren island has since become the new stage for the Knights. ]

[Also the Knights Hospitaller was given the name of the Order of Malta. ]

【And their story will also usher in the most brilliant turning point. 】

【The Knights, who had just arrived in Malta, faced severe challenges.】

[The island is short of resources and its fortifications are in disrepair.]

[Tripoli was also captured by the Ottomans in 1551. ]

[But the then Grand Master Valette showed extraordinary strategic vision. ]

[He presided over the construction of the most advanced bastion defense system in Europe, turning Malta into an "unsinkable battleship."]

[In 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent sent 4.8 troops and 200 warships to besiege Malta, trying to completely remove the nail in the heart of the Mediterranean.]

[This battle, later known as the "Great Siege of Malta", was fought with distinction by the Knights.]

【They only had 600 knights, 1500 soldiers and 4000 militia. 】

【Fight against an enemy force ten times larger than yours. 】

[The Ottoman army used artillery to knock down the city walls, used tunnels to blast the fortress, and even broke into Fort St. Elmo.]

[But the Knights fought in the streets with almost crazy tenacity, and even the wounded continued to fight with bandages wrapped around them.]

[Finally, after holding out for 118 days, Spanish reinforcements arrived and the Ottoman fleet retreated in a hurry.]

……

Outside the sky.

tomorrow.

Zhu Di was not only good at cavalry combat, but also attached great importance to and was interested in the navy.

See this knights moving to the ocean.

They showed extraordinary defensive capabilities in both the defensive battles in Rhodes and Malta.

While I felt a little strange inside, I also felt a little bit of admiration.

Zhu Di said happily:

"How good are these knights at fighting on horseback? Sky Curtain didn't show that."

"But they were able to fight in ships and hold their own in fortresses."

“It is indeed very powerful.”

"The Ottoman army on this canopy is huge and well-organized."

"He is definitely not an ordinary person."

"And the Knights were able to be on the front line of the Western European world's fight against the Ottomans at that time."

"And inflict a heavy blow to the enemy in the defensive battle."

“That’s pretty good.”

"Like the Battle of Rhodes."

"Though the Knights eventually surrendered."

"But they managed to hold out for so long without any strong foreign aid and inflict such heavy damage on Osman."

"This gave them the opportunity to retreat and surrender with dignity."

"Otherwise, the Ottomans would not have been able to allow the Knights to evacuate Rhodes Island so easily."

"And in the subsequent siege of Malta, they held out long enough and inflicted enough casualties on the Ottomans." "So they waited for reinforcements."

“And then there was a total victory.”

"In my opinion, the Knights Hospitaller can be renamed."

Zhu Di was in a good mood and jokingly said:
"Change the name to Pirate City Defense Knights, hehe."

The sky continues
[This battle was a turning point in the history of Western Europe, and completely shattered Suleiman's ambition to conquer the West.]

[Ensuring the superiority of the Christian navy in the western Mediterranean.]

[The Ottoman Empire also declined from then on and gradually began to lose its advantage in the Mediterranean.]

[After the war, the Knights entered their heyday. ]

[The children of European nobles rushed to join, and the royal families of various countries made generous donations. ]

[Its navy expanded to 30 battleships. ]

[They continued their piracy operations under the pretext of "fighting against infidels."]

[Raiding North African merchant ships, looting Ottoman ports, and even kidnapping Muslim civilians and selling them as slaves.]

[This brought them great wealth.]

[In the 17th century, Malta was filled with slave markets, Baroque churches and knights' palaces, becoming one of the most prosperous trade centers in the Mediterranean. ]

【But behind the glory. 】

[The Knights have also become an outdated antique. 】

【With the end of the era of religious wars, the value of the Knights' existence is questioned. 】

[18th-century Enlightenment thinkers criticized it as "outdated religious fanaticism."]

【And the European powers coveted Malta's strategic position even more. 】

[In 1798, Napoleon occupied Malta on his expedition to Egypt, claiming that he wanted to "pave the way for the French revolutionary ideals."]

[Faced with the overwhelming force of the French army, the Knights surrendered without resistance.]

[The armed order that lasted for seven hundred years lost its territory in an instant. 】

[It also exposed the reality that its military power has long been hollowed out. ]

[The Knights, expelled from Malta, were on the verge of disbanding.]

[The Russian Tsar once appointed himself as the Grand Master and tried to transform it into a tool of Orthodox power.]

[But in 1803 Pope Pius VII reorganized the Order.]

[Over the next hundred years, the Knights moved to Italy, Austria and other places. ]

【It was maintained by selling artworks and receiving funding from European aristocrats.】

[Until 1834, they established their headquarters at the Palazzo Malta in Rome.]

【It has just reestablished its international presence, but has lost its military presence.】

[During the interwar period, the Knights Hospitaller performed charitable work that is widely recognized in modern society.]

[In 1953, the Knights reached an agreement with the Republic of Malta and were allowed to use the name "Order of Malta" and retain symbolic properties such as Castel Sant'Angelo.]

[In 1994, the United Nations granted it observer status, recognizing its "quasi-state" attributes.]

[Although the territory only has two buildings in Rome. ]

[But it can establish diplomatic relations with 112 countries, issue passports and stamps, and even have its own currency. ]

The Modern Paradox of the Cross

【Today's Order of Malta is an existence full of contradictions. 】

[It has no actual territory, but is a sovereign entity recognized by international law. ]

[It follows the medieval hierarchy, with members still divided into knights, clergy and non-commissioned officers.]

【But they run global charity projects. 】

[Most of its 1.3 members are European and American elites, but their main activities are in epidemic areas in Africa and field hospitals to fulfill their original medical mission.]

[Every June 6, knights still parade in black robes and with swords.]

[But their “enemies” have changed from the Ottoman fleet to AIDS, landmines, and poverty.]

[But in any case, the Knights Hospitaller is generally believed to be the only country in the world today without territory. ]

The video ends here.

Barrages of comments flew out one after another.

"This antique has actually survived to this day."

"The King specifically banned these old guys, otherwise the Knights would have to stay in Malta until World War II."

"The shock of history is that you can see the medieval knights in the current United Nations."

"It's really powerful to be able to fight against the Ottoman Empire in two major battles."

《Boom Beach Top Player.》

"Are the armed doctors so powerful?"

"If you only use the word 'doctor' to describe the Knights Hospitaller, you are too young."

"Compared to other knightly orders, the Hospitallers are much more disciplined, knowledgeable in tactics and courageous, and also quite wealthy."

"So he must have had a good reputation, otherwise he wouldn't have had the chance to survive to the modern era."

"The U.S. state of Rhode Island is named after the Greek island of Rhodes."

"Compared to the other two knightly orders, the Knights Hospitaller are simply saints!"

"It can be considered that his ancestors have accumulated good karma. Apart from being a pirate for a period of time, he has basically no black spots."

"Another point is that some members of the Knights Hospitaller went to America and established a colony..."

"Knights of the Caribbean... It's also a big family of Pirates of the Caribbean." (End of this chapter)