Pointed Interest and Pointed Blades

Yesterday I had what has so far been the jewel of my time in Malta: visiting the Grandmaster's Palace (or Palace Armoury, it goes by both names). Housed in what used to be the stables of the Grandmaster's Palace, the building is still essential to the political order of the islands, even some two hundred years after the Knights of St. John were expelled by Napoleon's French forces. It still houses the parliament of the islands as well as the Office of the President. Despite the palace state rooms being closed due to a weekly meeting of the president, the armoury was still very much open and was my only true interest anyways. So in following my usual motif, I wandered through the streets of Valletta until I finally gave up, took a brief train tour of the city, and then had my tour guide point out where the armoury was located. Ten minutes later, I finally came upon the destination that I had been searching for for almost two hours. When I arrived I was witness to a disgruntled British tourist who was both perplexed and dismayed about the palace state rooms being closed weekly on Thursdays. After patiently waiting, the worker looked to me to give me the same somber news that he had just bestowed on the weary travelers before me. I simply replied, "Great, I only wanted to see the armoury anyways." That response was met with a grin and he was so pleased by the sudden change in his clientele's mood that he actually gave me a student discount into the weapon-lined corridors. Obviously, this experience of just buying the ticket was infinitely more pleasant than my experience at St. Johns Co-Cathedral, and my experience was further improved by my competence in using the audio guide (which again, at St. Johns...it did not go so well). Walking first through countless pieces of armour to even full sets by some of the grandmaster's themselves, I was fully immersed in the time period that these knights fought in. As I explored deeper into the hall, the evolution from chainmail to breastplate, from half helm to closed helm, and the styles of armour across the ages unfolded before me. The excitement I experienced from the armour section was only rivaled by its complimentary weapons room beside it. Again, the styles, evolution, and perfection of  the crossbow, bladed weapon, and early firearms glistened from their displays. Some two hundred photos later, I can honestly say that this was the most interesting, most illuminating, and most entertaining aspect of my project so far.

Now the exhausting task of trying to caption said two hundred some photos. I will make it clear when I give up.

Random photo I took to show W&J presence in Valletta
in the form of some financial service provider.

Early Chainmail 

Mace 

Breastplate with a early bullet hole

Some painting of the Great Siege of Malta

Italian and German Closed Helms and Breastplate 

Close up of some of the ornate stenciling on this breastplate

Picture of Brigadine Armour alongside a rare portion of
Brigadine Armour 

The amour of Grand Master Jean de Valette Parisot

Portrait of Jean de Valette de Parisot

Close up of Valette's armour

Anime Armour

Portrait of a Grandmaster wearing Anime Armour

Waistcoat Cuirass designed to match the style of the era. 

Stone Model of Fort St. Angelo

Stone Model of Valletta with Fort St. Elmo at the tip.

Examples of Close Helmets

Calvary armour

Morians for the next four photos.

Savoyard-Style Close Helmets 

Cuirassier Armour

Maltese Cross embossed into Cuirassier Armour

The final use of amour, the mounted dragoon

Heavy Calvary Saber

Calvary Carbine

Turkish War Prizes from the Great Siege

Assortment of Pistols and Rifles Taken from the Turkish Forces

Sabers and Shields of the Ottomans

Assortment of Different Suits of Armour

Parade Armour of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt

Horse Helm and Shield Designed to Match with Grandmaster Wignacourt's Armour

Grandmaster Wignacourt's Battle Armour

Wignacourt's Seal Embossed into his armour

Grandmaster Wignacourt's Parade and Battle Armour side by side

Armour of Grandmaster Jean Jacques de Verdelain 

Armour of Grandmaster Matino Garzes 

Milanese Suit of Half Armour

Early Crossbows

Beautiful Wall Art lining the Corridors 

Assortment of Polearms 

Early Spears 

Halberds 

Scorpion Halberd

Bill Hooks

Ranseurs

Glaives

Partisans 

Very Ornate Partisans 

Military Forks

Trident

Two-Hand Swords

Rapiers 

Still More Rapiers

The Wall of Polearms

Basket Hilted Rapiers

...More Rapiers 

Yep, these have all been rapiers so far. 

Calvary Sabers from Slavic Origins 

Heavy Calvary Swords 

Hilt of Ceremonial Dagger

The rest of the photos do not directly pertain to the Knights of St. John, but encompass the evolution of early firearms. I.E. this is where I give up on labeling things. (I also tried to make it easier on myself by not labeling each photo if it was of similar weapons, such as the half dozen photos of different rapiers.) The photos are still interesting though if you want to look through them.

Very Rare Leather Cannon.
(a Copper tube was reinforced by wrapped leather which made it much, much lighter)