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He first gained fame by virtue of a seemingly miraculous escape from a shipwreck in 1555. His galley was capsized during a violent storm in a harbor of Malta. When the storm had passed, knocking was heard from inside the overturned vessel. A hole was punched into its bottom and from it emerged
288:, and the merchandise it carried, valued at about 80,000 ducats, was his and that of a number of the sultan’s ladies, including his favorite daughter. Among the prisoners they took were the governor of Cairo, the governor of Alexandria, and the former nurse of Suleiman's daughter. This event led
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During the siege itself, Romegas played a prominent part, leading several thousand knights and soldiers in the defense of the Great Harbor. When the siege ended, he immediately returned to raiding Muslim shipping, continuing to build his reputation as a fearless warrior and defender of
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La
Cassiere was honorably acquitted of all charges against him and restored to the position of Grand Master. He did not live long enough, however, to enjoy his triumph, dying in Rome on 21 December 1581.
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over a series of perceived humiliations suffered by the Order during his rule. In 1581, this led to a virtual mutiny, when the
General Convent deposed La Cassiere and placed him in confinement in
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and became a full knight some four years later after completing his military and religious studies. He quickly made a name for himself as a good fighter with incredible stamina.
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La
Cassiere and Romegas were both summoned to Rome to explain their conduct and plead their case. La Cassiere arrived in Rome on 26 October 1581 and, on orders of Pope
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Romegas, with his pet monkey, having somehow managed to stand for hours up to his chest in water in an air bubble under the keel of the ship. Grand Master
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and capturing numerous ships and slaves. At the request of the Pope he even waged a short, but vicious campaign against the
Protestant
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Serving with the Order’s
General of the Galleys, Gozon de Melac, Romegas battled repeatedly with the galleys of
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In 1575 Romegas was appointed
General of the Order’s Galleys and soon afterwards Grand Prior of
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Much resentment had built up within the Order and in the
General Convent against Grand Master
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He became a knight of the Order in
December 1546 and served most of his life commanding its
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witnessed the event and remained a close friend of
Romegas' for the remainder of his life.
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in 1564, on the North
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Victory of the West:The Great Christian-Muslim Clash at the Battle of Lepanto
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to mobilize the great force that landed on Malta on 18 May 1565 to begin the
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in 1571, Romegas served on the Papal flagship under the command of admiral
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He was born to a French noble family with connections to the
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463:"An eventful year for the Order of St John in Malta"
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280:. The owner of the ship was Kustir Agha, the
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489:Dandria, David (26 June 2011).
461:Dandria, David (19 June 2011).
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302:Christendom
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439:References
404:Literature
246:de Valette
234:Aegean Sea
192:Early life
188:of Malta.
129:Allegiance
278:Kefalonia
149:1546–1581
42:In office
320:Toulouse
286:Seraglio
238:Huguenot
232:and the
31:de facto
383:Romegas
307:At the
270:galleon
218:Muslims
214:galleys
178:Gascony
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