The Eight Grandmaster of Malta.

Jean l'Evesque de la Cassiere

From 30 January 1572 till 21 December 1581.

Jean de La Cassiere (1572-82), the next Grand Master, was proud and arrogant and very much disliked by the Knights. He was responsible for the introduction of the Inquisition in Malta, but he was also a great benefactor of the Order. He built the Sacra Infermeria and the Conventual Church of St John, both still the pride of Valletta today. In addition it w4s in his days that the stately auberges began to grace the new city, the first of these, the Auberges de Provence, d'Italie and Aragon being built during his rule.

The Seventh Grandmaster of Malta.

Pietro Giochi del Monte San Savino

From 23 August 1568 till 26 January 1572.

Pietro del Monte (1568-72), who succeeded La Valette, was as keen on the building of the city as his predecessor. Work went on feverishly and within five years the two-mile fortifications round Valletta were completed. In ú 1571 the Grand Master transferred the Convent to the new city and when he died he was laid to rest in the Victory church by the side of La Valette and now lies in St John's Co-Cathedral.

The sixth Grandmaster of Malta.

Jean Parisot de la Vallette

From 21 August 1557 till 21 August 1568.

Jean Parisot de la Vallette, a Knight of the "Langue" of Provence, was proclaimed Grandmaster on 21st August 1557. La Vallette, however, had other more threatening problems to attend to. Tripoli was one of these: It had been reconquered by the Turks and was governed by the Turkish General, Dragut. On 18th May 1565 some 138 galleys under the command of Piali' Pasha and carrying a landing force of 40,000 men commanded by Mustapha Pasha appeared off Malta's coasts and started the Great Siege of 1565. Almost four months later, on 6th September, the defeated Turkish armada left these shores. The heroic Grandmaster died on 21st August 1568. He was buried in the church of Our Lady of Victories (where the foundation stone of Valletta (Malta's capital city) was laid in 1566 by La Vallette himself).

The Fifth Grandmaster of Malta.

Claude de la Sengle

From 11 September 1553 till 18 August 1557.

Claude de la Sengle (1494 – 18. August 1557) was Grand Master of the Maltese Knights (Knights Hospitaller) from 11 September 1553 until his death. His successor was Jean Parisot de la Valette.
A native Frenchman, de la Sengle, then Bailli of the French tongue of the Order, was heavily involved in the battles of the Knights against the Turkish corsair and Ottoman admiral Turgut Reis in the Mediterranean and in North Africa, and particularly in the struggles for Djerba and Tripoli.
De la Sengle had considerable impact on the military strengthening of Malta, notably by initiating in 1554 the development of the city of Senglea, which was later named after him and bears his coat of arms. He also expanded Fort St. Michael into a major bastion and completed Fort St. Elmo, which had been begun by his predecessor, Grand Master Juan de Homedes y Coscon.
De la Sengle died at Notabile on 18 August 1557 and was buried in the chapel of Fort St. Angelo. His heart was buried in the Church of the Annunciation, outside Rabat on Malta.

The Fourth Grandmaster of Malta.

Juan de Homedes y Coscon

From 20 October 1536 till 6 September 1553.

Fra Juan de Homedes y Coscon (also known as Jean de Homedes) was a Spanish knight and member of the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of St. John). From 1536 until 1553 he was Grand Master of the Order. During his reign the Order consolidated its position in Malta by building new fortifications in anticipation of Ottoman and Barbary Coast corsair attacks.
It was, however, also during his reign, in 1551, that the Knights lost their North African stronghold of Tripoli to an Ottoman force commanded by the famous corsair leader Turgut Reis(Dragut) and the Ottoman admiral Sinan. Homedes blamed the loss on the military governor of Tripoli, Gaspard de Vallier, and had him defrocked and imprisoned. De Vallier was later rehabilitated by Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette.

The Third Grandmaster of Malta.

Didier de Tholon Sainte-Jalle

From 22 November 1535 till 26 September 1536

Didier de Saint Jaille, a Frenchman, was elected as Grand Master on the 22 November 1535, while he was in France. He was renowned for his valour during the siege of Rhodes and his name was synonymous with gallantry.

He made preparations for his return but fell ill at Montpelier and died on the 26 September 1536, before reaching Malta.
During this brief reign, the Knight Jacques Pelliquen acted as Lieutenant of the order and took important decisions in the absence of the ailing Grand Master. In fact he had decided to attack the El Haid Tower near Tripoli. The attack was carried out by 700 Maltese and Calabrian soldiers with 150 Knights - led by the Knight Bottigella. During this fierce battle the Muslim Corsair Chasse-Diable was mortally wounded, his troops defeated and the attack was a complete success.

The Second Grandmaster of Malta.

Pietrino del Ponte

From 26 August 1534 till 17 November 1535.

Due to the brief Grandmastership, Pietro del Ponte did not introduce any major administrative changes to the island.
During this period, Charles V undertook an expedition against Tunis to restore to power the dethroned Muley Hassan and the Order was urged to help by supplying galleys and soldiers. The victory of the Christians was complete and the Order showed that it had not lost the military valour for which it had previously been renowned. The possessions of the Order in Barbuary were again secured to them and commerce increased.
In 1535 there was a shortage of grain, due to the increase in the population, which compelled the Grand Master and the Universita to import a greater quantity of corn from Sicily. The island's requirements still were not met, and Pietro del Ponte forced the Sicilian vessels in Maltese ports to sell their stocks of grain, and thus a serious dispute arose between the Universita of Malta and that of Messina.
Grand Master Pietro del Ponte died on the 18 November 1535 and was buried close to L'Isle Adam in the chapel dedicated to St. Anne at fort St. Angelo.