International. A Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order Of Saint John Of Jerusalem, Of Rhodes And Of Malta, Commander's Case

(Italian: Sovrano militare ordine di Malta; Latin: Supremus Ordo Militaris Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani Rhodius et Melitensis). Instituted in 1099. Hardshelled design on both the lid and base, red dimpled paper exterior on all sides, the lid with an image of the order in gold-coloured ink placed in the centre, inside lid in white satin, padded and maker marked "GIOIELLERIA Cravanzola Succ. E. Gardino Via del Corso, 341 ROMA", a white fabric-wrapped cardboard insert placed within the base, the base with a white fabric-wrapped cardboard bottom, raised platform in cherry red felt with recessed medal beds for the badge, miniature and rosette, along with a slotted medal bed for the breast star, single latch closure, dual-hinged, measuring 116 mm in width x 240 mm in length x 38.5 mm in depth, very light edge wear evident in the exterior, small piece of the red covering missing on the lip and exposing the wooden frame, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) or the Order of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order traditionally of military, chivalrous and noble nature. The Order, often popularly referred to as the "Knights of Malta", was in existence certainly as long ago as the early years of the Twelfth Century and is still extant today. Originally based in Jerusalem, the Order moved to Tripoli following the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 and to Rhodes by way of Cyprus after the fall of Acre in 1291. In 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes and the Order scattered. Charles V granted the Order the island of Malta and the Order settled here from 1530 to 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte captured the island en route for Egypt. In 1834, the order established a new headquarters in Rome and took on its current humanitarian and ceremonial role with Grand Masters being appointed by the Pope.