❤️ Sovereign Military Order of Malta 🐰

"The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (; ), commonly known as the Order of Malta, Malta Order or Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalric and noble nature. Though it possesses no territory, the order is a sovereign entity of international law, enjoys permanent observer status at the United Nations, and maintains diplomatic relations with many countries. SMOM claims continuity with the Knights Hospitaller, a chivalric order that was founded by the Blessed Gerard in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.Sainty, Guy Stair, ed. World Orders of Knighthood and Merit, Burke's, August 2006. The order is led by an elected Prince and Grand Master. Its motto is Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum ('defence of the faith and assistance to the poor'). The order venerates the Virgin Mary as its patroness, under the title of Our Lady of Philermos. Name and insignia Coat of arms of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta The order has a large number of local priories and associations around the world, but there also exist a number of organizations with similar- sounding names that are unrelated, including numerous fraudulent (self-styled) orders seeking to capitalize on the name. In the ecclesiastical heraldry of the Catholic Church, the Order of Malta is one of only two orders (along with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre) whose insignia may be displayed in a clerical coat of arms. (Laypersons have no such restriction.) The shield is surrounded with a silver rosary for professed knights, or for others the ribbon of their rank. Some members may also display the Maltese cross behind their shield instead of the ribbon.Noonan 1996 In order to protect its heritage against fraud, the order has legally registered 16 versions of its names and emblems in some 100 countries. Early history = Founding = Gerard Thom, founder of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. Copper engraving by Laurent Cars, c. 1725. The birth of the order dates back to around 1048. Merchants from the ancient Marine Republic of Amalfi obtained from the Caliph of Egypt the authorisation to build a church, convent, and hospital in Jerusalem, to care for pilgrims of any religious faith or race. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem – the monastic community that ran the hospital for the pilgrims in the Holy Land – became independent under the guidance of its founder, the religious brother Gerard. With the Papal bull Pie postulatio voluntatis dated 15 February 1113, Pope Paschal II approved the foundation of the Hospital and placed it under the aegis of the Holy See, granting it the right to freely elect its superiors without interference from other secular or religious authorities. By virtue of the Papal Bull, the hospital became an order exempt from the control of the local church. All the Knights were religious, bound by the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The constitution of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades obliged the order to take on the military defence of the sick, the pilgrims, and the captured territories. The order thus added the task of defending the faith to that of its hospitaller mission. As time went on, the order adopted the white, eight- pointed Cross that is still its symbol today. The eight points represent the eight beatitudes that Jesus pronounced in his Sermon on the Mount. = Cyprus = When the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land fell after the Siege of Acre in 1291, the order settled first in Cyprus. =Rhodes= In 1310, led by Grand Master Fra' Foulques de Villaret, the knights regrouped on the island of Rhodes. From there, the defense of the Christian world required the organization of a naval force; so the Order built a powerful fleet and sailed the eastern Mediterranean, fighting battles for the sake of Christendom, including Crusades in Syria and Egypt. In the early 14th century, the institutions of the Order and the knights who came to Rhodes from every corner of Europe were grouped according to the languages they spoke. The first seven such groups, or Langues (Tongues) – from Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon (Navarre), England (with Scotland and Ireland), and Germany – became eight in 1492, when Castile and Portugal were separated from the Langue of Aragon. Each Langue included Priories or Grand Priories, Bailiwicks, and Commanderies. The Order was governed by its Grand Master, the Prince of Rhodes, and its Council. From its beginning, independence from other nations granted by pontifical charter and the universally recognised right to maintain and deploy armed forces constituted grounds for the international sovereignty of the Order, which minted its own coins and maintained diplomatic relations with other states. The senior positions of the Order were given to representatives of different Langues. In 1523, after six months of siege and fierce combat against the fleet and army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the Knights were forced to surrender, and left Rhodes with military honours. Later history = Summary = The headquarters of the Order of Saint John was located in Malta from 1530 until 1798. It was technically a vassal of the Kingdom of Sicily, holding Malta in exchange for a nominal fee, but declared independence in 1753. It was expelled from Malta under the French occupation in 1798 and, from 1805 to 1812, many of its possessions in Protestant Europe were confiscated, resulting in the fragmentation of the order into a number of Protestant branches, since 1961 united under the umbrella of the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. The Congress of Vienna of 1815 confirmed the loss of Malta. The seat of the order was moved to Ferrara in 1826 and to Rome in 1834, the interior of Palazzo Malta being considered extraterritorial sovereign territory of the order. The grand priories of Lombardy-Venetia and of Sicily were restored from 1839 to 1841. The office of Grand Master was restored by Pope Leo XIII in 1879, after a vacancy of 75 years, confirming Giovanni Battista Ceschi a Santa Croce as the first Grand Master of the restored Order of Malta. The Holy See was established as a subject of international law in the Lateran Treaty of 1929. In the following decades, the connection between the Holy See and the Order of Malta was seen as so close as to call into question the actual sovereignty of the order as a separate entity. This has prompted constitutional changes on the part of the Order, which were implemented in 1997. Since then, the Order has been widely recognized as a sovereign subject of international law in its own right."On account of some arguments presented in the 1950s, to the effect that the ties with the Holy See in a constitutional and international law context were so close and frequent that the true sovereignty of the Order could be called in question, constitutional changes were made by the Order. These were established in 1997. While the previous constitution laid down that the Order of Malta was a 'legal entity solemnly recognised by the Holy See', this formulation has now been removed from the Order's constitution. The previous constitution prescribed that, after being elected, the head of state of the Order of Malta, that is to say the Grand Master, must be approved by the Pope, the new wording in the constitution only prescribes that after election the Grand Master shall inform the Pope of his election. The requirement of approval has gone and is replaced by a simple communication on the part of the Grand Master. Changes have been implemented throughout to show that the Order is independent of the Holy See from the constitutional and international law perspective." Bo J. Theutenberg, The Holy See, the Order of Malta and International Law (2003), It maintains diplomatic relations with 110 states, has permanent observer status at the United Nations, enters into treaties and issues its own passports, coins and postage stamps. Its two headquarters buildings in Rome enjoy extraterritoriality, similar to embassies, and it maintains embassies in other countries. The ANZA news agency has called it "the smallest sovereign state in the world". The three principal officers are counted as citizens. The Order has 13,500 Knights, Dames and auxiliary members. A few dozen of these are professed religious. Until the 1990s, the highest classes of membership, including officers, required proof of noble lineage. More recently, a path was created for Knights and Dames of the lowest class (of whom proof of aristocratic lineage is not required) to be specially elevated to the highest class, making them eligible for office in the order. The order employs about 42,000 doctors, nurses, auxiliaries and paramedics assisted by 80,000 volunteers in more than 120 countries, assisting children, homeless, handicapped, elderly, and terminally ill people, refugees, and lepers around the world without distinction of ethnicity or religion. Through its worldwide relief corps, Malteser International, the order aids victims of natural disasters, epidemics and war. In several countries, including France, Germany and Ireland, local associations of the order are important providers of medical emergency services and training. Its annual budget is on the order of 1.5 billion euros, largely funded by European governments, the United Nations and the European Union, foundations and public donors. = Malta = Bust portrait of a Knight of Malta The order remained without a territory of its own until 1530, when Grand Master Fra' Philippe de Villiers de l'Isle Adam took possession of the island of Malta, granted to the order by Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and his mother Queen Joanna of Castile as monarchs of Sicily, with the approval of Pope Clement VII, for which the order had to honour the conditions of the Tribute of the Maltese Falcon. Protestant Reformation The Reformation which split Western Europe into Protestant and Catholic states affected the knights as well. In several countries, including England, Scotland and Sweden, the order was dissolved. In others, including the Netherlands and Germany, entire bailiwicks or commanderies (administrative divisions of the order) experienced religious conversions; these "Johanniter orders" survive in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden and many other countries, including the United States and South Africa. It was established that the order should remain neutral in any war between Christian nations. Colonies in the Caribbean Map of the colonies of the order in the Caribbean during the 17th century From 1651 to 1665, the Order of Saint John ruled four islands in the Caribbean. On 21 May 1651 it acquired the islands of Saint Barthélemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Croix and Saint Martin. These were purchased from the French Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique which had just been dissolved. In 1665, the four islands were sold to the French West India Company. Great siege of Malta In 1565, the Knights, led by Grand Master Fra' Jean de Vallette (after whom the capital of Malta, Valletta, was named), defended the island for more than three months during the Great Siege by the Turks. Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto (1571), unknown artist, late 16th century The fleet of the order contributed to the ultimate destruction of the Ottoman naval power in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, led by John of Austria, half brother of King Philip II of Spain. French occupation of Malta Emperor Paul wearing the Crown of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta (1799). Their Mediterranean stronghold of Malta was captured by the French First Republic under Napoleon in 1798 during his expedition to Egypt, following the French Revolution and the subsequent French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon demanded from Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim that his ships be allowed to enter the port and to take on water and supplies. The Grand Master replied that only two foreign ships could be allowed to enter the port at a time. Bonaparte, aware that such a procedure would take a very long time and would leave his forces vulnerable to Admiral Nelson, immediately ordered a cannon fusillade against Malta.Cole, Juan (2007). Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 8–9. The French soldiers disembarked in Malta at seven points on the morning of 11 June and attacked. After several hours of fierce fighting, the Maltese in the west were forced to surrender.Cole, Juan (2007). Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9. Napoleon opened negotiations with the fortress capital of Valletta. Faced with vastly superior French forces and the loss of western Malta, the Grand Master negotiated a surrender to the invasion.Cole, Juan (2007). Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 10. Hompesch left Malta for Trieste on 18 June.Whitworth Porter, A History of the Knights of Malta (London: Longman, Brown, Green, 1858). p. 457. He resigned as Grand Master on 6 July 1799. The knights were dispersed, though the order continued to exist in a diminished form and negotiated with European governments for a return to power. The Russian Emperor, Paul I, gave the largest number of knights shelter in Saint Petersburg, an action which gave rise to the Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller and the Order's recognition among the Russian Imperial Orders. The refugee knights in Saint Petersburg proceeded to elect Tsar Paul as their Grand Master – a rival to Grand Master von Hompesch until the latter's abdication left Paul as the sole Grand Master. Grand Master Paul I created, in addition to the Roman Catholic Grand Priory, a "Russian Grand Priory" of no fewer than 118 Commanderies, dwarfing the rest of the Order and open to all Christians. Paul's election as Grand Master was, however, never ratified under Roman Catholic canon law, and he was the de facto rather than de jure Grand Master of the Order. By the early 19th century, the order had been severely weakened by the loss of its priories throughout Europe. Only 10% of the order's income came from traditional sources in Europe, with the remaining 90% being generated by the Russian Grand Priory until 1810. This was partly reflected in the government of the Order being under Lieutenants, rather than Grand Masters, in the period 1805 to 1879, when Pope Leo XIII restored a Grand Master to the order. This signaled the renewal of the order's fortunes as a humanitarian and religious organization. On 19 September 1806, the Swedish government offered the sovereignty of the island of Gotland to the Order. The offer was rejected since it would have meant the Order renouncing their claim to Malta. =Exile= The French forces occupying Malta expelled the knights from their country. During the seventeen years that separated the seizure of Malta and the General Peace, "the formality of electing a brother Chief to discharge the office of Grand Master, and thus to preserve the vitlaiy of the Sovereign Institute, was duty attended to". The office of Lieutenant of the Magistery and ad interim of Grand Master was held by the Grand Baillies Field Marshal Counto Soltikoff, Giovanni Tommasi, De Gaevera, Giovanni y Centelles, De Candida and the Count Colloredo. Their mandates complexively covered the period until the death of the Emperor Paul in 1801. The paper cited the Synoptical Sketch as the best source available for the subject matter. The text was identically repeated in The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, 18 April 1863, p. 3. The Treaty of Amiens (1802) obliged the United Kingdom to evacuate Malta which was to be restored to a recreated Order of St. John, whose sovereignty was to be guaranteed by all of the major European powers, to be determined at the final peace. However, this was not to be because objections to the treaty quickly grew in the UK. Bonaparte's rejection of a British offer involving a ten-year lease of Malta prompted the reactivation of the British blockade of the French coast; Britain declared war on France on 18 May.Pocock, Tom (2005). The Terror Before Trafalgar: Nelson, Napoleon, And The Secret War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. . OCLC 56419314.p. 78 The 1802 treaty was never implemented. The UK gave its official reasons for resuming hostilities as France's imperialist policies in the West Indies, Italy, and Switzerland.Illustrated History of Europe: A Unique Guide to Europe's Common Heritage (1992) p. 282 =Rome= Palazzo Malta, Rome, Italy After having temporarily resided in Messina, Catania, and Ferrara, in 1834 the precursor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta settled definitively in Rome, where it owns, with extraterritorial status, the Magistral Palace in Via Condotti 68 and the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill. The original hospitaller mission became the main activity of the order, growing ever stronger during the 20th century, most especially because of the contribution of the activities carried out by the Grand Priories and National Associations in many countries around the world. Large-scale hospitaller and charitable activities were carried out during World Wars I and II under Grand Master Fra' Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere (1931–1951). Under the Grand Masters Fra' Angelo de Mojana di Cologna (1962–88) and Fra' Andrew Bertie (1988–2008), the projects expanded. Relations with the Republic of Malta Flags of Malta and the SMOM on Fort St Angelo Two bilateral treaties were concluded with the Republic of Malta. The first treaty is dated 21 June 1991 and is now no longer in force. The second treaty was signed on 5 December 1998 and ratified on 1 November 2001. This agreement grants the Order the use with limited extraterritoriality of the upper portion of Fort St. Angelo in the city of Birgu. Its stated purpose is "to give the Order the opportunity to be better enabled to carry out its humanitarian activities as Knights Hospitallers from Saint Angelo, as well as to better define the legal status of Saint Angelo subject to the sovereignty of Malta over it". The agreement has a duration of 99 years, but the document allows the Maltese Government to terminate it at any time after 50 years. Under the terms of the agreement, the flag of Malta is to be flown together with the flag of the Order in a prominent position over Saint Angelo. No asylum may be granted by the Order and generally the Maltese courts have full jurisdiction and Maltese law shall apply. The second bilateral treaty mentions a number of immunities and privileges, none of which appeared in the earlier treaty. 2010s In February 2013, the order celebrated the 900th anniversary of its papal recognition with a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI and a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in Saint Peter's Basilica. = Crisis and constitutional reform = The Order experienced a leadership crisis beginning in December 2016, when Albrecht von Boeselager protested his removal as Grand Chancellor by Grand Master Matthew Festing. In January 2017 Pope Francis ordered von Boeselager reinstated and required Festing's resignation. Francis also named Archbishop Giovanni Becciu Becciu was Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, a position akin to that of a papal chief of staff. as his personal representative to the Order – sidelining the Order's Cardinal Patron Raymond Burke – until the election of a new Grand Master. The Pope effectively taking control over the order was seen by some as a break with tradition and the independence of the order. In May 2017, the Order named Mauro Bertero Gutiérrez, a Bolivian member of the Government Council, to lead its constitutional reform process. And in May 2018 when a new Grand Master was elected, Francis extended Becciu's mandate indefinitely. In June 2017, in a departure from tradition, the leadership of the Order wore informal attire rather than formal wear full dress uniforms to their annual papal audience. When the Order's General Chapter met in May 2019, as it does every five years, the participants included women for the first time, three of the 62 participants. Organisation Fra' Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, 80th Prince and Grand Master =Governance= The proceedings of the Order are governed by its Constitutional Charter and the Order's Code. It is divided internationally into six territorial Grand Priories, six Sub- Priories and 47 national associations. The six Grand Priories are: * Grand Priory of Rome * Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice * Grand Priory of Naples and Sicily * Grand Priory of Bohemia * Grand Priory of Austria * Grand Priory of England The supreme head of the Order is the Prince and Grand Master, who is elected for life by the Council Complete of State, holds the precedence of a cardinal of the Church since 1630 and received the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1607.Sire, H.J.A. (1994). The Knights of Malta. Yale University Press p.221.Noonan, Jr., James-Charles (1996). The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. Viking. p. 135. Fra' Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was elected 80th Grand Master on 2 May 2018, a year after Fra' Matthew Festing resigned as Grand Master at the insistence of Pope Francis. Electors in the Council Complete of State include the members of the Sovereign Council, other office-holders and representatives of the members of the Order. The Grand Master is aided by the Sovereign Council (the government of the Order), which is elected by the Chapter General, the legislative body of the Order. The Chapter General meets every five years; at each meeting, all seats of the Sovereign Council are up for election. The Sovereign Council includes six members and four High Officers: the Grand Commander, the Grand Chancellor, the Grand Hospitaller and the Receiver of the Common Treasure. The Grand Commander is the chief religious officer of the Order and serves as Lieutenant "ad interim" during a vacancy in the office of Grand Master. The Grand Chancellor, whose office includes those of the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the head of the executive branch; he is responsible for the Diplomatic Missions of the Order and relations with the national Associations. The Grand Hospitaller's responsibilities include the offices of Minister for Humanitarian Action and Minister for International Cooperation; he coordinates the Order's humanitarian and charitable activities. Finally, the Receiver of the Common Treasure is the Minister of Finance and Budget; he directs the administration of the finances and property of the Order. Patrons of the order since 1961 Cardinal Raymond Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta since 2014 The patron, who is either a cardinal when appointed by the pope or soon raised to that rank, promotes the spiritual interests of the Order and its members, and its relations with the Holy See. # Paolo Giobbe (8 August 1961 – 3 July 1969) # Giacomo Violardo (3 July 1969 – 17 March 1978) # Paul-Pierre Philippe, O.P. (10 November 1978 – 9 April 1984) # Sebastiano Baggio (26 May 1984 – 21 March 1993) # Pio Laghi (8 May 1993 – 11 January 2009) # Paolo Sardi (6 June 2009 – 8 November 2014) # Raymond Burke (8 November 2014 – present; sidelined since 2017) Prelate of the order The pope appoints the prelate of the order to supervise the clergy of the order, choosing from among three candidates proposed by the Grand Master. On 4 July 2015 Pope Francis named as prelate Bishop Jean Laffitte, who had held various offices in the Roman Curia for more than a decade. Laffitte succeeded Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, who had held the office since 2001. Laffitte's appointment followed the traditional meeting between the pope and the Grand Master, and an audience with the Grand Chancellor and others as well, held on 24 June, the feast of St. John the Baptist. = Membership = A Knight of Grace and Devotion in contemporary church robes Membership in the order is divided into three classes each of which is subdivided into several categories: *First Class, containing only one category: Knights of Justice or Professed Knights, and the Professed Conventual Chaplains, who take religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and form what amounts to a religious order. Until the 1990s membership in this class was restricted to members of families with noble lineages. There are also three surviving enclosed monasteries of nuns of the Order, two in Spain that date from the 11/12th centuries and one in Malta, whose members hold the same rank in the Order as chaplains. *Second Class: Knight and Dames in Obedience, similarly restricted until recently, these knights and dames make a promise, rather than a vow, of obedience. This class is subdivided into three categories, namely that of Knight and Dames of Honour and Devotion in Obedience, Knight and Dames of Grace and Devotion in Obedience, and Knight and Dames of Magistral Grace in Obedience. *Third Class, which is subdivided into six categories: Knights and Dames of Honour and Devotion, Conventual Chaplains ad honorem, Knights and Dames of Grace and Devotion, Magistral Chaplains, Knights and Dames of Magistral Grace, and Donats (male and female) of Devotion. All categories of this class are made up of members who take no vows and who grew to show a decreasingly extensive history of nobility. Knights and Dames of magistral grace need not prove any noble lineage and are the most common class of knights in the United States. Within each class and category of knights are ranks ranging from bailiff grand cross (the highest) through knight grand cross, and knight – thus one could be a "knight of grace and devotion," or a "bailiff grand cross of justice." The final rank of donat is offered to some who join the order in the class of "justice" but who are not knights. Bishops and priests are generally honorary members, or knights, of the Order of Malta. However, there are some priests who are full members of the Order, and this is usually because they were conferred knighthood prior to ordination. The priests of the Order of Malta are ranked as Honorary Canons, as in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre; and they are entitled to wear the black mozetta with purple piping and purple fascia. Prior to the 1990s, all officers of the Order had to be of noble birth (i.e., armigerous for at least a hundred years), as they were all knights of justice or of obedience. However, Knights of Magistral Grace (i.e., those without noble proofs) now may make the Promise of Obedience and, at the discretion of the Grand Master and Sovereign Council, may enter the novitiate to become professed Knights of Justice. Worldwide, there are over 13,000 knights and dames, of whom approximately 55 are professed religious. Membership in the Order is by invitation only and solicitations are not entertained. The Order's finances are audited by a Board of Auditors, which includes a President and four Councillors, all elected by the Chapter General. The Order's judicial powers are exercised by a group of Magistral Courts, whose judges are appointed by the Grand Master and Sovereign Council. = Relationship with other mutually-recognised Orders of Saint John = The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has collaborated with other mutually-recognized Orders of Saint John; for example, the SMOM is a major donor of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, which is primarily operated by the Venerable Order of Saint John. International status thumb500pxForeign relations with the SMOM: Coat of arms of the Knights of Malta from the façade of the church of San Giovannino dei Cavalieri, Florence, Italy Vehicle registration plate of the Order, as seen in Rome, Italy Saint Peter's Castle, Bodrum, Turkey. Left to right: SMOM has formal diplomatic relations with 110 states and has official relations with another five states and with the European Union. Additionally it has relations with the International Committee of the Red Cross and a number of international organizations, including observer status at the UN and some of the specialized agencies. Its international nature is useful in enabling it to pursue its humanitarian activities without being seen as an operative of any particular nation. Its sovereignty is also expressed in the issuance of passports, licence plates, stamps, and coins. With its unique history and unusual present circumstances, the exact status of the Order in international law has been the subject of debate. It describes itself as a "sovereign subject of international law." Its two headquarters in Rome – the Palazzo Malta in Via dei Condotti 68, where the Grand Master resides and Government Bodies meet, and the Villa del Priorato di Malta on the Aventine, which hosts the Grand Priory of Rome – Fort St. Angelo on the island of Malta, the Embassy of the Order to Holy See, and the Embassy of the Order to Italy have all been granted extraterritoriality by Italy and Malta. Unlike the Holy See, however, which is sovereign over Vatican City and thus has clear territorial separation of its sovereign area and that of Italy, SMOM has had no territory since the loss of the island of Malta in 1798, other than only those current properties with extraterritoriality listed above. Italy recognizes, in addition to extraterritoriality, the exercise by SMOM of all the prerogatives of sovereignty in its headquarters. Therefore, Italian sovereignty and SMOM sovereignty uniquely coexist without overlapping. The United Nations does not classify it as a "non-member state" or "intergovernmental organization" but as one of the "other entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers." For instance, while the International Telecommunication Union has granted radio identification prefixes to such quasi-sovereign jurisdictions as the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority, SMOM has never received one. For awards purposes, amateur radio operators consider SMOM to be a separate "entity", but stations transmitting from there use an entirely unofficial callsign, starting with the prefix "1A". Likewise, for internet and telecommunications identification, the SMOM has neither sought nor been granted a top-level domain or international dialling code, whereas the Vatican City uses its own domain (.va), and has been allocated the country code +379. There are differing opinions as to whether a claim to sovereign status has been recognized. Ian Brownlie, Helmut Steinberger, and Wilhelm Wengler are among experts who say that the claim has not been recognized. Even taking into account the Order's ambassadorial diplomatic status among many nations, a claim to sovereign status is sometimes rejected. The Order maintains diplomatic missions around the world and many of the states reciprocate by accrediting ambassadors to the Order (usually their ambassador to the Holy See). Wengler – a German professor of international law – addresses this point in his book Völkerrecht (1964), and rejects the notion that recognition of the Order by some states can make it a subject of international law. Conversely, professor Rebecca Wallace – writing more recently in her book International Law (1986) – explains that a sovereign entity does not have to be a country, and that SMOM is an example of this. This position appears to be supported by the number of nations extending diplomatic relations to the Order, which more than doubled from 49 to 100 in the 20-year period to 2008. In 1953, the Holy See decreed that the Order of Malta's quality as a sovereign institution is functional, to ensure the achievement of its purposes in the world, and that as a subject of international law, it enjoys certain powers, but not the entire set of powers of sovereignty "in the full sense of the word." On 24 June 1961, Pope John XXIII approved the Constitutional Charter, which contains the most solemn reaffirmations of the sovereignty of the Order. Article 1 affirms that "the Order is a legal entity formally approved by the Holy See. It has the quality of a subject of international law." Article 3 states that "the intimate connection existing between the two qualities of a religious order and a sovereign order do not oppose the autonomy of the order in the exercise of its sovereignty and prerogatives inherent to it as a subject of international law in relation to States." =Currency and postage stamps= The SMOM coins are appreciated more for their subject matter than for their use as currency; SMOM postage stamps, however, have been gaining acceptance among Universal Postal Union member nations. The SMOM began issuing euro- denominated postage stamps in 2005, although the scudo remains the official currency of the SMOM. Also in 2005, the Italian post agreed with the SMOM to deliver internationally most classes of mail other than registered, insured, and special-delivery mail; additionally 56 countries recognize SMOM stamps for franking purposes, including those such as Canada and Mongolia that lack diplomatic relations with the Order. Military Corps Logotype of the Military Corps of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Military Corps of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, ACISMOM, in parade during Festa della Repubblica in Rome (2007) The Order states that it was the hospitaller role that enabled the Order to survive the end of the crusading era; nonetheless, it retains its military title and traditions. On 26 March 1876, the Association of the Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Associazione dei cavalieri italiani del sovrano militare ordine di Malta, ACISMOM) reformed the Order's military to a modern military unit of the era. This unit provided medical support to the Italian Army and on 9 April 1909 the military corps officially became a special auxiliary volunteer corps of the Italian Army under the name Corpo Militare dell'Esercito dell'ACISMOM (Army Military Corps of the ACISMOM), wearing Italian uniforms. Since then the Military Corps have operated with the Italian Army both in wartime and peacetime in medical or paramedical military functions, and in ceremonial functions for the Order, such as standing guard around the coffins of high officers of the Order before and during funeral rites. =Air force= Roundel of the air force of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta SMOM Savoia- Marchetti SM.82 at the Italian Air Force Museum In 1947, after the post-World War II peace treaty forbade Italy to own or operate bomber aircraft and only operate a limited number of transport aircraft, the Italian Air Force opted to transfer some of its Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 aircraft to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, pending the definition of their exact status (the SM.82 were properly long range transport aircraft that could be adapted for bombing missions). These aircraft were operated by Italian Air Force personnel temporarily flying for the Order, carried the Order's roundels on the fuselage and Italian ones on the wings, and were used mainly for standard Italian Air Force training and transport missions but also for some humanitarian tasks proper of the Order of Malta (like the transport of sick pilgrims to the Lourdes sanctuary). In the early '50s, when the strictures of the peace treaty had been much relaxed by the Allied authorities, the aircraft returned under full control of the Italian Air Force. One of the aircraft transferred to the Order of Malta, still with the Order's fuselage roundels, is preserved in the Italian Air Force Museum.Military Aircraft Insignia of the World by John Cochrane and Stuart Elliott, published 1998 by Airlife Publishing Limited of Shrewsbury, England (illustrated). =Logistics= The Military Corps has become known in mainland Europe for its operation of hospital trains, a service which was carried out intensively during both World Wars. The Military Corps still operates a modern 28-car hospital train with 192 hospital beds, serviced by a medical staff of 38 medics and paramedics provided by the Order and a technical staff provided by the Italian Army's Railway Engineer Regiment. Orders, decorations, and medals * Order pro Merito Melitensi See also * Knights Hospitaller * Territorial possessions of the Knights Hospitaller * Order of Malta Ambulance Corps (Ireland) Notes References Bibliography Patrick Levaye, Géopolitique du Catholicisme (Éditions Ellipses, 2007) . * Riley-Smith, Jonathan, The Atlas of the Crusades. Facts on File, Oxford (1991). * Marcantonio COLONNA, The dictator pope. The inside story of the Francis Papacy, Washington DC, Regnery Publishing, 2017–2018. External links Constitution of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta * Permanent Observer Mission of the Order of Malta to the United Nations, IAEA and CTBTO in Vienna * Permanent Observer Mission of the Order of Malta to the United Nations in New York * List of Italian knights of the Order of Malta from 1136 to 1713: Elenco dei cavaleri del S.M.Ordine di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme by Francesco Bonazzi (Napoli 1897) * List of Italian knights of the Order of Malta from 1714 to 1907: Elenco dei cavaleri del S.M.Ordine di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme by Francesco Bonazzi (Napoli 1907). Category:Catholic orders of chivalry Malta, Sovereign Military Order of Category:Orders following the Benedictine Rule Category:Orders of chivalry under protection of the Holy See Category:Orders of chivalry in Europe Category:Orders of chivalry awarded to heads of state, consorts and sovereign family members Category:Organisations based in Rome Category:Religious organisations based in Italy Malta, Sovereign Military Order of Category:History of Malta Malta, Sovereign Military Order of Category:Catholic religious orders established in the 11th century Malta, Sovereign Military Order of "

❤️ Periodic function 🐰

"A periodic function is a function that repeats its values at regular intervals, for example, the trigonometric functions, which repeat at intervals of 2π radians. Periodic functions are used throughout science to describe oscillations, waves, and other phenomena that exhibit periodicity. Any function that is not periodic is called aperiodic. An illustration of a periodic function with period P. Definition A function is said to be periodic if, for some nonzero constant , it is the case that :f(x+P) = f(x) for all values of in the domain. A nonzero constant for which this is the case is called a period of the function. If there exists a least positiveFor some functions, like a constant function or the Dirichlet function (the indicator function of the rational numbers), a least positive period may not exist (the infimum of all positive periods being zero). constant with this property, it is called the fundamental period (also primitive period, basic period, or prime period.) Often, "the" period of a function is used to mean its fundamental period. A function with period will repeat on intervals of length , and these intervals are sometimes also referred to as periods of the function. Geometrically, a periodic function can be defined as a function whose graph exhibits translational symmetry, i.e. a function is periodic with period if the graph of is invariant under translation in the -direction by a distance of . This definition of periodicity can be extended to other geometric shapes and patterns, as well as be generalized to higher dimensions, such as periodic tessellations of the plane. A sequence can also be viewed as a function defined on the natural numbers, and for a periodic sequence these notions are defined accordingly. Examples A graph of the sine function, showing two complete periods =Real number examples= The sine function is periodic with period 2\pi, since :\sin(x + 2\pi) = \sin x for all values of x. This function repeats on intervals of length 2\pi (see the graph to the right). Everyday examples are seen when the variable is time; for instance the hands of a clock or the phases of the moon show periodic behaviour. Periodic motion is motion in which the position(s) of the system are expressible as periodic functions, all with the same period. For a function on the real numbers or on the integers, that means that the entire graph can be formed from copies of one particular portion, repeated at regular intervals. A simple example of a periodic function is the function f that gives the "fractional part" of its argument. Its period is 1. In particular, : f(0.5) = f(1.5) = f(2.5) = \cdots = 0.5 The graph of the function f is the sawtooth wave. A plot of f(x) = \sin(x) and g(x) = \cos(x); both functions are periodic with period 2π. The trigonometric functions sine and cosine are common periodic functions, with period 2π (see the figure on the right). The subject of Fourier series investigates the idea that an 'arbitrary' periodic function is a sum of trigonometric functions with matching periods. According to the definition above, some exotic functions, for example the Dirichlet function, are also periodic; in the case of Dirichlet function, any nonzero rational number is a period. =Complex number examples= Using complex variables we have the common period function: :e^{ikx} = \cos kx + i\,\sin kx. Since the cosine and sine functions are both periodic with period 2π, the complex exponential is made up of cosine and sine waves. This means that Euler's formula (above) has the property such that if L is the period of the function, then :L = \frac{2\pi}{k}. Complex functions may be periodic along one line or axis in the complex plane but not on another. For instance, e^{z} is periodic along the imaginary axis but not the real axis. Double-periodic functions A function whose domain is the complex numbers can have two incommensurate periods without being constant. The elliptic functions are such functions. ("Incommensurate" in this context means not real multiples of each other.) Properties Periodic functions can take on values many times. More specifically, if a function f is periodic with period P, then for all x in the domain of f and all positive integers n, : f(x + nP) = f(x) If f(x) is a function with period P, then f(ax), where a is a non-zero real number such that ax is within the domain of f, is periodic with period \frac{P}{a}. For example, f(x) = \sin(x) has period 2 \pi therefore \sin(5x) will have period \frac{2\pi}{5}. Some periodic functions can be described by Fourier series. For instance, for L2 functions, Carleson's theorem states that they have a pointwise (Lebesgue) almost everywhere convergent Fourier series. Fourier series can only be used for periodic functions, or for functions on a bounded (compact) interval. If f is a periodic function with period P that can be described by a Fourier series, the coefficients of the series can be described by an integral over an interval of length P. Generalizations =Antiperiodic functions= One common subset of periodic functions is that of antiperiodic functions. This is a function f such that f(x + P) = −f(x) for all x. (Thus, a P-antiperiodic function is a 2P-periodic function.) For example, the sine and cosine functions are π-antiperiodic and 2π-periodic. While a P-antiperiodic function is a 2P-periodic function, the inverse is not necessarily true. =Bloch-periodic functions= A further generalization appears in the context of Bloch's theorems and Floquet theory, which govern the solution of various periodic differential equations. In this context, the solution (in one dimension) is typically a function of the form: :f(x+P) = e^{ikP} f(x) where k is a real or complex number (the Bloch wavevector or Floquet exponent). Functions of this form are sometimes called Bloch-periodic in this context. A periodic function is the special case k = 0, and an antiperiodic function is the special case k = π/P. =Quotient spaces as domain= In signal processing you encounter the problem, that Fourier series represent periodic functions and that Fourier series satisfy convolution theorems (i.e. convolution of Fourier series corresponds to multiplication of represented periodic function and vice versa), but periodic functions cannot be convolved with the usual definition, since the involved integrals diverge. A possible way out is to define a periodic function on a bounded but periodic domain. To this end you can use the notion of a quotient space: :{\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}} = \\{x+\mathbb{Z} : x\in\mathbb{R}\\} = \\{\\{y : y\in\mathbb{R}\land y-x\in\mathbb{Z}\\} : x\in\mathbb{R}\\}. That is, each element in {\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}} is an equivalence class of real numbers that share the same fractional part. Thus a function like f : {\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}}\to\mathbb{R} is a representation of a 1-periodic function. Calculating period Consider a real waveform consisting of superimposed frequencies, expressed in a set as ratios to a fundamental frequency, f: F = [f f f … f] where all non-zero elements ≥1 and at least one of the elements of the set is 1. To find the period, T, first find the least common denominator of all the elements in the set. Period can be found as T = . Consider that for a simple sinusoid, T = . Therefore, the LCD can be seen as a periodicity multiplier. * For set representing all notes of Western major scale: [1 ] the LCD is 24 therefore T = . * For set representing all notes of a major triad: [1 ] the LCD is 4 therefore T = . * For set representing all notes of a minor triad: [1 ] the LCD is 10 therefore T = . If no least common denominator exists, for instance if one of the above elements were irrational, then the wave would not be periodic.https://www.ece.rice.edu/~srs1/files/Lec6.pdf See also * Continuous wave * List of periodic functions * Periodic sequence * Almost periodic function * Amplitude * Definite pitch * Doubly periodic function * Frequency * Oscillation * Quasiperiodic function * Wavelength * Periodic summation * Seasonality * Secular variation References * External links Periodic functions at MathWorld Category:Calculus Category:Elementary mathematics Category:Fourier analysis Category:Types of functions "

❤️ Julius Petersen 🐰

"Julius Petersen. Julius Peter Christian Petersen (16 June 1839, Sorø, West Zealand - 5 August 1910, Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician. His contributions to the field of mathematics led to the birth of graph theory. Biography Petersen's interests in mathematics were manifold, including: geometry, complex analysis, number theory, mathematical physics, mathematical economics, cryptography and graph theory. His famous paper Die Theorie der regulären graphs was a fundamental contribution to modern graph theory as we know it today. In 1898, he presented a counterexample to Tait's claimed theorem about 1-factorability of 3-regular graphs, which is nowadays known as the "Petersen graph". In cryptography and mathematical economics he made contributions which today are seen as pioneering. He published a systematic treatment of geometrical constructions (with straightedge and compass) in 1880. A French translation was reprinted in 1990. A special issue of Discrete Mathematics has been dedicated to the 150th birthday of Petersen. Petersen, as he claimed, had a very independent way of thinking. In order to preserve this independence he made a habit to read as little as possible of other people’s mathematics, pushing it to extremes. The consequences for his lack of knowledge of the literature of the time were severe. He spent a significant part of his time rediscovering already known results, in other cases already existing results had to be removed from a submitted paper and in other more serious cases a paper did not get published at all. He started from very modest beginnings, and by hard work, some luck and some good connections, moved steadily upward to a station of considerable importance. In 1891 his work received royal recognition through the award of the Order of the Dannebrog. Among mathematicians he enjoyed an international reputation. At his death –which was front page news in Copenhagen– the socialist newspaper Social-Demokraten correctly sensed the popular appeal of his story: here was a kind of Hans Christian Andersen of science, a child of the people who had made good in the intellectual world. Early life and education Peter Christian Julius Petersen was born on the 16th of June 1839 in Sorø on Zealand. His parents were Jens Petersen (1803–1873), a dyer by profession, and Anna Cathrine Petersen (1813–1896), born Wiuff. He had two younger brothers, Hans Christian Rudolf Petersen (1844–1868) and Carl Sophus Valdemar Petersen (1846–1935), and two sisters, Nielsine Cathrine Marie Petersen (1837–?) and Sophie Caroline Petersen (1842–?). After preparation in a private school, he was admitted in 1849 into second grade at the Sorø Academy, a prestigious boarding school. He was taken out of school after his confirmation in 1854, because his parents could not afford to keep him there, and he worked as an apprentice for almost a year in an uncle’s grocery in Kolding, Jutland. The uncle died, however, and left Petersen a sum of money that enabled him to return to Sorø, pass the real-examination in 1856 with distinction, and begin his studies at the Polytechnical College in Copenhagen. In 1860 Petersen passed the first part of the civil engineering examination. By that same year he had decided to study mathematics at the university, rather than to continue with the more practical second part of the engineering education. However, his inheritance was used up and he now had to teach to make a living. From 1859 to 1871 he taught at one of Copenhagen's most prestigious private high-schools, the von Westenske Institut, with occasional part-time teaching jobs at other private schools. In 1862 he passed the student-examination, and could now enter the university. In 1866 Julius Petersen obtained the degree of magister in mathematics at the University, and by 1871 he obtained the Dr. Phil. Degree at Copenhagen University. In his doctorvita written for the university, Petersen wrote: "Mathematics had, from the time I started to learn it, taken my complete interest, and most of my work consisted in solving problems of my own and my friends, and in seeking the trisection of the angle, a problem that has had a great influence on my whole development". In the summer of 1871 he married Laura Kirstine Bertelsen (1837–1901) and seven months later the couple had their first son Aage Wiuff-Petersen (1863–1927). Later the family increased with another son, Thor Ejnar Petersen (1867–1946), and a daughter, Agnete Helga Kathrine Petersen (1872–1941). Work Many of Petersen’s early contributions to mathematics were mainly focused on geometry. During the 1860s he wrote five textbooks along with some papers, all on geometry. One of his most remarkable works was a book, ‘Methods and Theories’. The first edition of this book appeared only in Danish, but the 1879 edition was translated into eight different languages including English, French, and Spanish, earning him an international reputation more than any of his other works. In graph theory, two of Petersen’s most famous contributions are: the Petersen graph, exhibited in 1898, served as a counterexample to Tait’s ‘theorem’ on the 4-colour problem: a bridgeless 3-regular graph is factorable into three 1-factors and the theorem: ‘a connected 3-regular graph with at most two leaves contains a 1-factor’. In 1891 Petersen published a paper in the Acta Mathematica (volume 15, pages 193–220) entitled ‘Die Theorie der regularen graphs’. It was the first paper containing (correct) results explicitly in graph theory. The paper consisted of four major parts: :(i) The transformation of the original algebraic problem into a graph theoretical one :(ii) The problem of factorizing regular graphs of even degree. Here Petersen proves his first major result, viz. that any such graph has a 2-factorization (2-factor theorem). :(iii) Criteria for the existence of edge-separating factorizations of 4-regular graphs. :(iv) The factorization of regular graphs of odd degree, in particular, the theorem that any bridgeless 3-regular graph can be decomposed into a l-factor and a 2-factor (Petersen's theorem). Between 1887 and 1895 Petersen also contributed to mathematics with different models and instruments. one of these models was a ‘eine Serie von kinematischen Modellen’ which in 1888 was asked by ‘Verlagsbuchhandler L. Brill’ for permission to produce and sell. In 1887 Petersen had constructed another model; a planimeter which was presented to the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters. It consisted of an arm, of, whose one end o is fixed to the paper by a lead cylinder with a pin p, and whose other end f is connected to a second arm dc (or df) of length L. When the stylus d is moved around the domain once, the area is measured as L∫dh, where dh is the differential displacement of the arm dc orthogonal to itself. Last years In the spring of 1908 Petersen suffered a stroke. But even in this condition his optimism and desire to work did not stop him. In a letter to Mittag-Leffler in Stockholm he wrote: “I feel in all respects rather well, it is only that I cannot walk and have difficulties in talking. However I hope to get so far this summer that I can resume my lectures in the autumn”. His last two years became a period of physical and mental debility, where, towards the end, he hardly had any memory left of his wide interests and the rich work which had filled his life. In 1909 he retired from his professorship. He died on August 5, 1910, after having been hospitalized for five months. He was buried at Vestre Kirkegaard, where Copenhagen University cared for his grave until 1947. See also *Petersen's theorem *Petersen–Morley theorem References * K. Andersen and T. Bang, Matematik, in: Kobenhavns Universitet 1479–1979, Vol. XII, Gad (1983) 113–197. * M. Borup, Georg og Edvard Brandes: Breweksling med nordiske Forfattere og Videnskabsmand (Gyldendal, Kobenhavn, 1939). * N.L. Biggs, E.K. Lloyd and R.J. Wilson, Graph Theory, 1736–1936 (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1976). * F. Bing and J. Petersen, For references to Bing and Petersen see: Margit Christiansen, J. Liitzen, G. Sabidussi and B. Toft: Julius Petersen annotated bibliography, Discrete Math. 100 (this Vol.) (1992) 83–97. * H. Mulder., Julius Petersen’s theory of regular graphs., Discrete Mathematics 100 (1992) 157–175 External links * Category:1839 births Category:1910 deaths Category:Danish mathematicians Category:Graph theorists Category:19th-century mathematicians Category:20th-century mathematicians Category:Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen Category:People from Sorø Municipality "