On January 1, 1523, a fleet of fifty vessels put out from the harbor at Rhodes for an unknown destination in the West. On board were the shattered remnants of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, accompanied by 4, 000 Rhodians. They were leaving the home their Order had possessed for 212 years and were sailing out to beg from Christendom another station from which to attack the infidel once again. | Knights of Malta 1523-1798 by Reuben Cohen History Italy Western Europe by R Cohen, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters