What is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta?
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Published 2020-04-10
Welcome to Independent Thinking. A channel dedicated to international relations, independence disputes, secession and the origins of countries.
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta - officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta - is one of the strangest bodies in international relations. Founded in 1048, it is acknowledged to be one of the oldest institutions in the world. Better known today for its charitable works, the Order is also famous because of its rather unusual characteristics, including its observer status at the United Nations. This has led many to think of it as state. As I show, this is incorrect. It isn't a country, and can't be one. However, there is another way of looking at it that makes far more sense - especially as international law has evolved over the past seventy years. As this video shows, for all its quirks and its historically unique position, the Order is in fact becoming less out of the ordinary and far more normal as time passes.
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FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES
Order of Malta www.orderofmalta.int/
The Sovereign Order of Malta in International Law doi.org/10.1093/iclqaj/3.2.217
The Continuing Question of Sovereignty and the Sovereign Military Order of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journal…
The Acquisition of Sovereignty by Quasi-States: The Case of the Order of Malta papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=420024
The International Legal Status of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta doi.org/10.1163/187197312X617674
The Country above the Hermes Boutique: The International Status of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journal…
The Creation of States in International Law amzn.to/2Fc5ouO
Satow's Diplomatic Practice amzn.to/2sF1Kak
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KEYWORDS
#OrderofMalta #SovereignOrderofMalta #InternationalRelations
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#KnightsofMalta #Vatican #Malta #Rhodes
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All Comments (21)
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After WW2, what is now the Italian Air Force was 'badged' as the Air Force of the SMOM, as Italy tentatively re-armed. So it once had a massive Air Force.
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Thanks so much for watching. This week I am picking up on a question from a new subscriber, who asked me about the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. I have always found this to be a fascinating body. And it always seems to come up in discussions on statehood. This being Easter weekend, it also seemed a perfect moment to cover one of the oldest institutions in the Christian world. So, many thanks for the suggestion, Charles! If anyone else has suggestions, do please let me know. I am keeping a list of them. (Ahmed, I promise I will do Somaliland at some point.) Needless to say, if you did find this interesting and useful, do please consider 'Liking' and 'Subscribing'. It helps the channel!
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This channel will be big save my words
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This is of great interest to me as I have visited both Rhodes and the home of the order there as well as their current home in Rome at the Magistral Palace. I hope one day to also visit the country of Malta and visit their historical sites there as well. It is such a special case of international sovereignty for the good of all people.
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super underrated
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Wonderfully clear from start to finish. Well done, Prof. Ker-Lindsay
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This channel is really underrated
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This gets me thinking - within the next century, states like Kiribati will likely lose their physical territories to rising sea levels. Do you anticipate that they will morph into less-than-states along the lines of the Order of Malta?
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I really admire you. The way you stay neutral is commendable.
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Read about about the Knights of Malta and you will see what it really is. If you dig it is out there. When you put together the big names that are in it.....
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Fascinating and well presented. Thank you.
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Interesting and informative !
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Thank you for your correct analysis on sovereignty regarding the Order of Malta since Francis interposed himself.
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Amazing video, profesor!
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Thank you very much for this fascinating account. I do think that it's very interesting that a body whose legal position is (if one may put it this way) pre-Westphalian is now being replicated in our somewhat post-Westphalian system.
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Excellent breakdown.
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Oh, thank you for 'determining' these things.
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Interesting thing about the Order's sovereignty is that throughout most of it's history on Malta the Order wasn't much sovereign either. The Order (or Malta which it ruled) was a 'fief' of the Kingdom of Sicily, meaning that the Order had to pay some kind of tribute to the King of Sicily or provide military assistance. The Order did not declare Malta to be independent of Sicily until the 1750s and was annexed by the French by the end of the century. So the order's claim to be 'sovereign' was only true for less than 50s years while before that it was a feudal dependency of another country. One thing about the Sovereign Military Order of Malta that I find fascinating today is that it does have it's own military corps (although it's mostly medical personnel who serve closely with the Italian Armed Forces), it's own currency, postage stamps and citizenship (only 3 members of the order can be citizens, who are the Grand Master, Lieutenant Grand Master and the Chancellor). However, you are absolutely right in your assessment of the order. It is an organization in the same vein as the International Olympic Committee, it's just that it's heritage as a former sovereign country lives on to this day. That's is, to me, what the SMOM really is, a non-governmental organization with it's own unique heritage.
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Thank you !
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Greate video, do you have one about the OSMTH templier knight?
