Prominent British historian Ernle Bradford, an expert on the Mediterranean, vividly and vividly described in his book the history of the knights of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Starting with the founding of the order by Brother Gerard during the Crusades, the author traces its ups and downs over many centuries of existence, tells how the order wandered around the world after being expelled from Jerusalem, then from Rhodes and Malta. The military prowess of the order culminated when the knights achieved a stunning victory over the Turks, justifying their name as the shield of Europe. Napoleon expelled the knights from their last island home - Malta. It would seem that the order was over. But no. The Order of St. John, like the Phoenix bird, was reborn from the ashes and continues to exist to this day.