Episode 209 of the Renaissance English History Podcast saw us diving into the mysterious history of the Knights Hospitaller.
In this episode of the Renaissance English History Podcast, host Heather Teysko delves into the turbulent journey of the Knights Hospitaller during the English Reformation. Discover how this influential medieval military and charitable order, once deeply established in England, faced challenges and dissolution under Henry VIII, saw a brief resurgence under Mary I, and ultimately met decline under Elizabeth I. From their medieval roots at Clerkenwell Priory to their significant legacy across England—including the foundations of Hampton Court—the Knights Hospitaller’s story reflects the shifting tides of Tudor religious and political transformation.
Listen below, or read the Very Rough Transcript on Episode 209: The Knights Hosptialler
A very rough transcript on Episode 209: The Knights Hospitaller
Hello and welcome to the Renaissance English History Podcast, a part of the Agora Podcast Network. I’m your host, Heather Teysko. I’m a storyteller who makes history accessible because I believe it’s a pathway to understanding who we are, our place in the universe, and being more deeply in touch with our own humanity.
Today, we are talking about the Knights Hospitaller And what happened to them during the Reformation in England. They are a religious order that has a deep and mysterious history in England. Before we get started though, you guys, this is the final reminder I’m going to give you about Tudorcon because it’s in like two days!
Oh my goodness! So um, yeah, englandcast. com slash tutorcon online. If you don’t know yet, you’ve clearly been missing my messages. Um, so yeah, this weekend, three days of tutor immersion. It’s going to be amazing. englandcast. com slash tutorcon online to get your streaming ticket and be part of all of the fun.
I’ll All right, so officially named the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, the Hospitallers have left an indelible mark on England’s past. I’m going to talk about their history a little bit, and then what was going on with them in 16th century England.
And also a couple of years ago, I want to say it was maybe around 2018, 2017. I did a whole series on what was going on with England and the Ottoman Empire, and as part of that, I talked about like the Siege of Rhodes and the Battle of Lepanto, and some of these different orders came up. So if you want to dig deeper into that, and you haven’t listened to those episodes You totally should because yeah, I talked about Malta.
I’m trying to think back now and everything that I talked about. So, um, there’s a lot there, but I didn’t specifically look at the Hospitallers and that’s what I’m going to do today. So they were founded around 1099 in Jerusalem and the Hospitallers began as a charitable group aiding pilgrims in the Holy Land.
Over time, they evolved into a military order defending Christian territories in the whole Middle Eastern landscape. The Crusades were going on at that point, so they were supporting some of the troops that were coming to fight in the Crusades. They were supporting some of the pilgrims, like that. While they transitioned between strongholds in the Mediterranean, their influence spread, reaching the English shores by about the 12th century.
Through royal patronage and devout donations, they acquired lands, with their primary seat established at the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem in Clerkenwell, in London. A striking emblem of the Hospitallers influence was the foundation of Hampton Court. So, the Doomsday Book in 1086 cites Sir Walter de St.
Valery, who was a crusader from the First Crusade as the initial owner of the land and the space that is now Hampton Court. His descendant, Reginald de St. Valery, bequeathed it to the Knights Hospitaller, and under the guidance of Clarkonwell Priory, the Knights transformed Hampton into a hub with residential and farm buildings and, notably, a chapel.
And, in the archives, there’s a lot of writings about this. In Clerkenwell Priory’s museums, there’s a note about a nun from Hampton being dispatched to a new hospital or abode in Somerset’s Buckland. This suggests a modest religious community in Hampton, supplemented by lay staff farming for Clerkenwell and the Holy Land mission.
Hampton Court has an ancient treasure. It’s actually the oldest, uh, artifact in Hampton Court. Right now, a bell that was made in the 15th century, which is now above the astronomical clock. It was once in the Hospitaller’s chapel. And also, recent excavations at Hampton Court have uncovered human remains in the chapel court adjacent to the present chapel royal.
These are likely relics of the Hospitallers or their lay associates. The Hospitallers in the later Middle Ages began leasing out Hampton Court to private landlords. The manor, retaining its original moniker, transitioned into a manor house, shrouded in mystery due to scant records. And of course, then it would become Hampton Court and the Hampton Court that we know.
So it’s very interesting that, that that space, that Hampton Court has a deep history with the Hospitallers. Throughout the medieval period, the Hospitallers influence burgeoned. Their estates became income sources and their knights, distinguished by black robes with a white cross, there was an eight pointed cross, frequently participated in England’s administrative and spiritual activities, solidifying their position as defenders of the faith.
Yet, as the sixteenth century dawned, the tumultuous events of the Reformation would challenge their long established dominance in England. The Reformation, of course, had its epicenter in England when Henry VIII tried to get his annulment from Catherine of Aragon, which was rebuffed by the Pope. What began as a marital dispute escalated into a theological and political revolution, culminating in England’s break from the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England, with the monarch at its helm.
The New Religious Order While primarily targeting the monastic institutions due to their immense wealth and their allegiance to Rome, did not spare the Knights Hospitaller. Their vast estates, accumulated over centuries, caught the covetous gaze of Cromwell and the Tudor court. which sought to consolidate power and fill its treasure chests.
The wealth and influence the hospitalers held became a double edged sword. Assets that once guaranteed their power now made them a prime target. By the 1530s, the gears of disillusion were already in motion. The disillusion of the monasteries, led by Thomas Cromwell, was a systemic campaign to suppress monastic houses, confiscate their assets, and assert royal control.
The Knights Hospitaller, despite their military prowess and historical significance, were not immune to this tidal wave of change. The Order’s primary base, the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem in Clerkenwell, was directly in the Crosshairs. While they were a military order, the distinction of not being a monastic order did not matter in the face of Henry’s ambitions.
The Priory was officially dissolved in 1540, its treasures were seized, and its buildings largely demolished or repurposed. The vast lands of the Knights Hospitaller had held in trust for centuries. They were redistributed, either gifted to nobles or sold to the highest bidders. Moreover, the spiritual and charitable endeavors of the hospitalers, such as the care for pilgrims and the sick, were suddenly upended, and this was going on in communities around England as they lost their monasteries which had traditionally provided all of those services, plus schools, everything like that.
The hospitals that the hospitalers ran, once beacons of hope for the destitute and ailing, the only place where people like that could get medical care. were facing closures or were restructured under new management, often losing their original charitable ethos. With the suppression of their estates and the disillusion of their priory, the Knights Hospitaller faced an identity crisis.
The core tenets of their order, faith, charity, and military service, We’re now under threat in an England rapidly distancing itself from traditional Catholicism. Many knights found themselves in a precarious position. Their loyalty to the order could be seen as a defiance to the crown. It’s worth of course noting the peculiar case of Hampton Court in the middle of all of this.
As the former hospital or estate was transitioning. to a leased manor house in the preceding century. And now, under Henry VIII, starting with Wolsey before him, it underwent another metamorphosis, becoming one of the most illustrious royal palaces in England. So it’s quite fitting, given what was going on to the order as a whole, as well.
It’s kind of a poetic sort of irony. As for the knights themselves, some chose to adapt to the shifting sands. They secularized, integrated into the English gentry, and often continued to manage or live on the very lands they once held in the name of the Order. Others, bound by their vows and their unwavering faith, sought refuge in other parts of Europe, Where the hospitals still thrive, particularly in Malta.
While the reformation dramatically altered the hospital’s trajectory in England, their legacy endured the vast estates they cultivated, the hospitals they founded and the mark they left on Places like Hampton Court are testaments to their impact. The ascension of Mary I to the English throne in 1553 marked a significant turning point for Catholicism in the country.
As the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, a devout Catholic herself, Mary was determined to reverse the religious reforms initiated by her father and furthered by her half brother Edward. She sought to restore the traditional practices and institutions of the Catholic Church. This ambitious religious agenda had direct implications for the suppressed religious orders, including the hospitalers.
Mary’s initial actions showcased her commitment to Catholic restoration. In collaboration with her Cardinal Reginald Poole, she began reversing the Protestant reforms, reviving the Catholic liturgy, and persecuting Protestant reformers. The Marian persecutions, as they came to be known, resulted in the burning of nearly 300 Protestants, solidifying her infamous moniker, Bloody Mary.
You know, I have a lot of issues with her being called that, but that is what she is called, so there we go. These actions, while they were very brutal, demonstrated her staunch dedication to restoring the old religious order. While the larger narrative of Mary’s reign often focuses on her treatment of Protestantism, her impact on the Knights Hospitaler should not be understated.
Recognizing the historic significance of the Order and its unjust disillusion under her father, Mary sought to reinstate the Knight’s Hospitaller in England. Among the figures that were prominent in the resurgence of the Knight’s Hospitaller during Mary’s reign was Sir Thomas Tresham. Hailing from the influential Catholic family of Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire, Tresham’s commitment to both the Crown and faith was unwavering through his life.
Knighted by 1524, he also served multiple times as Sheriff, he participated in Parliament, And was involved in key events like receiving Ann of Cleves for Henry vii, but his crowning achievement emblematic of Mary’s Catholic restoration efforts was his appointment as grand prior of England for the hospitals in 1557.
Under his leadership, the order witness debrief, but poignant resurgence as Mary endowed them with lands and resources reaffirming their historic Catholic presence in England. Mary also permitted the Hospitallers to reconvene and granted them the right to return to their former headquarters at Clerkenwell.
Though much of their original property was lost and irretrievable, the symbolic gesture of restoring the Order to its former base was powerful. While Mary’s intentions were clear, the practical restoration of the Hospitallers faced numerous challenges. First, the majority of properties that were originally owned by the Hospitallers had been redistributed under Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Reclaiming these properties would be a logistical and political nightmare. Instead of returning the properties directly, Mary offered the Hospitallers certain compensations and alternative estates, but these never equaled their former glory. Additionally, the religious landscape of England had fundamentally changed.
Many Englishmen embraced Protestantism, and even among the Catholic faithful, the Hospitallers, centuries old chivalric and military mandates seemed out of place in a rapidly changing world. While they were once the stalwart defenders of Christendom against Muslim forces, their relevance in the mid 16th century in England was more symbolic than practical.
Despite these challenges, the Order experienced their brief renaissance. They resumed their charitable and medical endeavors. They aimed to rebuild the network of hospitals and care facilities they were once renowned for. They also took on a more spiritual role, emphasizing their commitment to faith and service in a bid to fit into the new religious landscape.
But, of course, Mary’s reign was short lived, and her death in 1558 brought an abrupt end to the hospitaler’s revival. Thomas Tresham himself died in 1559. In Elizabeth I, Mary’s half sister and successor was Protestant. She quickly set about establishing the Elizabethan religious settlement. This effectively returned England to Protestantism and further marginalized Catholic institutions, including the Knights Hospitaller.
By the end of Mary’s reign, it was clear that the world the Hospitallers had once thrived in had irrevocably changed. The challenges of the Reformation, combined with the geopolitical shifts of the 16th century, meant that the Order’s traditional role was becoming obsolete. They did continue to exist in other parts of Europe, especially in Malta, like I said, but in England, not so much.
The Elizabethan religious settlement sought to establish a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism. Elizabeth was less zealous in her approach than her half brother Edward had been, But she still viewed strong Catholic institutions, including orders like the Hospitallers, with suspicion. She was keenly aware of the political implications of Catholicism, especially with the Pope excommunicating her in 1570 and the subsequent plots against her.
Though she did not engage in kind of official widespread persecution of Catholics at least early on in her reign, that would change as the threat from Spain would heat up, she was systemic in diminishing their influence. The Hospitallers, despite their primarily charitable activities, were still a symbol of Catholic power and a potential threat.
As a result, the Order’s properties which had been restored under Mary were once again seized. The Hospitallers presence at Clerkenwell, their former headquarters came to an end. Their properties were repurposed for the Crown’s use or sold off to fund Elizabeth’s government. Under Elizabeth, they faced increasing restrictions.
Their public ceremonies were curtailed, recruitment became difficult, and many of their members quietly retired or moved abroad. Without properties and with limited influence, the Order was now a shadow of its former self. This is also the time when the hospitalers In Malta, we’re transforming into the Knights of Malta and continuing their defense against Ottoman expansion.
And of course, that expansion is what would eventually lead to the Battle of Lepanto. It’s a huge naval battle, which often gets overlooked in English history, but was a massive piece in European history during the 16th century. Despite its decline, it’s essential to note that the hospitalers did not entirely vanish.
In secret, many members continued to practice their faith and serve their communities. They maintained covert networks with other Catholic institutions and individuals, proving their resilience and adaptability. In many ways, their quiet persistence during the Elizabethan era mirrors the broader experience of Catholics in England during this period.
Marginalized, but never entirely eradicated. The journey of the Knights Hospitaller through the tumultuous Tudor period serves as a poignant reflection of the broader religious transformations and political intrigues that defined England during these years, from their respected position in the pre Reformation era symbolized by their estates at Campton Court, to the upheavals of the Reformation and brief resurgence under Mary I, and finally, to their decline under Elizabeth.
The hospitaler’s story is intricately woven into the fabric of English history. So, for now, we are going to stop it here, hop into the Tutor Learning Circle, TutorLearningCircle. com, which is a social network just for tutor nerds, to discuss this and all things tutor. And final note for this year, TutorCon streaming tickets, Englandcast.
com slash TutorConOnline. Thank you so much for listening. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will probably be sharing bits and pieces of some of the talks from TutorCon. Uh, I am super excited to see so many of you in person and online this weekend. It’s going to be so much fun. I also have to say on a personal note, I’m very ready for it to be over.
It’s a massive undertaking and I so, so, so appreciate all the people who have helped and you know, who support it, who come, who are just so supportive. Um, it’s, it’s just such an honor to be able to, to do this. You know, I thought of this, I say this every year at TudorCon, that I thought of this idea in 2018, swimming in a pool, I thought, man, I would really like to go to a TudorCon.
There should be one, you know, and I looked it up and there wasn’t one. And I thought, well, maybe I could start one. And I’m just some stranger on the internet. And yet you guys come, you support it. And you know, I, I just, I’m always just so blown away and so grateful. So thank you to those of you who are coming, to those of you who supported it.
And if you’re not coming, hopefully you’ll see some pictures and maybe you will come in the future. All right. Thanks so much for listening. I will be back next week. Bye bye.
Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop.
She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 30 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history (how exciting when she got to interview Alison for the first time!). In addition to history, she is passionate about travel, and has lived in 3 countries and 4 states (not counting her perpetual state of confusion), and her family (who help her host her YouTube channel occasionally).
