Juan de Homedes y Coscon
Encyclopedia
Fra Juan de Homedes y Coscon (also known as Jean de Homedes) was a Spanish
Knights Hospitaller
. He was the 47th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1536 and 1553. During his reign the Order consolidated its position in Malta
by building new fortifications in anticipation of Ottoman
and Barbary Coast
corsair
attacks.
It was, however, also during his reign, in 1551, that the Knights lost their North African stronghold of Tripoli
to an Ottoman force commanded by the famous corsair leader Turgut Reis
(Dragut) and the Ottoman admiral Sinan
in the Siege of Tripoli
. Homedes blamed the loss on the military governor of Tripoli, Gaspard de Vallier
, and had him defrocked and imprisoned. De Vallier was later rehabilitated by Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette
.
novel, The Disorderly Knights which is set in 1551 during the Dragut Raid on Malta and Gozo
, and the subsequent fall of Tripoli
. The novel shows him as miserly, cruel, partisan towards other Spanish knights, lacking in strategy, and extremely selfish.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. He was the 47th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1536 and 1553. During his reign the Order consolidated its position in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
by building new fortifications in anticipation of Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
attacks.
It was, however, also during his reign, in 1551, that the Knights lost their North African stronghold of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
to an Ottoman force commanded by the famous corsair leader Turgut Reis
Turgut Reis
Turgut Reis was an Ottoman Admiral and privateer who also served as Bey of Algiers; Beylerbey of the Mediterranean; and first Bey, later Pasha, of Tripoli. Under his naval command the Ottoman Empire maritime was extended across North Africa...
(Dragut) and the Ottoman admiral Sinan
Sinan Pasha (Ottoman admiral)
Sinanüddin Yusuf Pasha or in short Sinan Pasha, was a Kapudan Pasha of the Ottoman Navy for nearly four years between 1550 and the end of 1553, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent...
in the Siege of Tripoli
Siege of Tripoli (1551)
The Siege of Tripoli occurred in 1551 when the Ottomans besieged and vanquished the Knights of Malta in the fortress of Tripoli, modern Libya. The Spanish Habsburgs had established a fort in Tripoli in 1510 under Charles V, and remitted it the Knights in 1530...
. Homedes blamed the loss on the military governor of Tripoli, Gaspard de Vallier
Gaspard de Vallier
Gaspar de Vallier was a Marshall of the Knights of Malta, who was in command of the fortress of Tripoli during the Siege of Tripoli . He was French, from the region of Auvergne . In Tripoli, he commanded 30 knights and 630 Calabrian and Sicilian mercenaries...
, and had him defrocked and imprisoned. De Vallier was later rehabilitated by Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette
Jean Parisot de la Valette
Fra' Jean Parisot de Valette was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1557 to 1568. He succeeded La Vallette as grandmaster and continued the construction of Valletta...
.
Portrayal in fiction
De Homedes is portrayed in an unflattering light in Dorothy Dunnett'sDorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò...
novel, The Disorderly Knights which is set in 1551 during the Dragut Raid on Malta and Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, and the subsequent fall of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. The novel shows him as miserly, cruel, partisan towards other Spanish knights, lacking in strategy, and extremely selfish.