500th Anniversary of the Siege of Rhodes. 1480

[Anatol]

HOSPITALIERS on THE ISLAND of RHODES.
The image shows postage stamps of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), issued in 1980 for the 500th anniversary of the Siege of Rhodes.
Stamp 85 grani: Depicts the beginning of the naval battle between the Order's galleys and the Turkish fleet.
Stamp 2 scudi: Shows the besieged city of Rhodes and the Turkish camp.
The design is based on historical engravings from Guillaume Cahorsin's book "Obsidionis Rhodiae urbis descriptio" ("Description of the Siege of Rhodes"), printed in Ulm in 1496.
In 1310, under the leadership of Grand Master Fra Foulques de Villaret, the knights regrouped on the island of Rhodes. From there, the defense of Christendom required the organization of a naval force, so the Order built a powerful fleet and sailed the eastern Mediterranean, participating in battles for Christianity, including the Crusades in Syria and Egypt.
The Order was governed by its Grand Master, the Prince of Rhodes, and his Council. From the outset, independence from other states, granted by the papal charter, and the universally recognized right to maintain and station armed forces formed the basis of the Order's international sovereignty, which minted its own coins and maintained diplomatic relations with other states. Representatives of various languages occupied the highest positions in the Order.
On 23 May 1480 an Ottoman fleet of 160 ships appeared before Rhodes, at the gulf of Trianda, along with an army of 70,000 men under the command of Mesih Pasha.[6] The Knights Hospitaller garrison was led by Grand Master Pierre d'Aubusson.
The Ottomans' first goal was to capture the Tower of St Nicholas, a strategic point for the knights' defence of the two harbours: Mandraki, and the one to the east bay of Akandia. The Turkish artillery kept up an unbroken bombardment and, from 9 June on, the infantry made a series of attacks. Grand Master d'Aubusson himself sped to the aid of the garrison and the enemy was repelled after a fierce struggle.
A second attack on the town occurred on the eastern sector of the wall near the Jewish quarter, towards the bay of Akandia, which was the battle station of the "tongue" of Italy and was quite weak. The Knights and townspeople dug a new moat on the inside of the wall at this point and constructed a new internal fortification, while bombardment from the Turkish artillery was ongoing. Once again the Knights defended the town, and after a bitter battle with many casualties on both sides, the danger was once more averted.
At dawn on 27 July, the Turks launched a vigorous offensive and their vanguard of around 2,500 Janissaries managed to take the tower of Italy and enter the city. A frenzied struggle ensued. The grand master, wounded in five places, directed the battle and fought with lance in hand. After three hours of fighting the enemy were decimated and the exhausted survivors began to withdraw. The Knights' counter-attack caused the Turks to beat a disorderly retreat, dragging along with them the Vizier and commander-in-chief. The Hospitallers reached as far as his tent and took, along with other booty, the holy standard of Islam. On that day, between three and four thousand Turks were slain.
On August 17, 1480, the Ottoman fleet gave up their attempt to capture Rhodes. Sultan Mehmed II was furious and would have attacked the island again, but his death in 1481 put a stop to the attempt.
The Siege of Rhodes in 1480 was one of the most important military events of the 15th century. The Knights Hospitaller, under the command of Grand Master Pierre d'Aubusson, successfully defended the island against the army of Sultan Mehmed II, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha. This victory halted Ottoman expansion in the Eastern Mediterranean for decades.
But already in 1523, the Ottoman fleet appeared again at the walls of Rhodes. After six months of siege and fierce battles against the fleet and army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the walls collapsed due to the detonation of explosives, and by agreement the knights left Rhodes, carrying their weapons.
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) 1980; 85grani; 2scudi.
Sources: 1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign ... r_of_Malta.
2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rhodes_(1480).