When renewed scrutiny resurfaced over Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.’s former Maltese citizenship, attention quickly turned to the Republic of Malta, the Mediterranean island nation that issued his passport through its citizenship-by-investment program.
The Department of National Defense has since clarified that Teodoro renounced his Maltese citizenship and surrendered the passport before filing his candidacy for the 2022 elections.
But beyond the legal and political questions lies a far more intriguing tale.
Malta has a second sovereign identity that is even more worth noting.
Separate from the Republic of Malta is the Order of Malta, a Catholic institution founded in Jerusalem during the Crusades nearly 1,000 years ago. Unlike the passport once held by Teodoro, which was issued by the Maltese state, this other Malta is not a country in the conventional sense. It once ruled islands, fought naval battles, and helped shape Mediterranean history, yet today possesses no sovereign territory of its own.
The distinction matters because the Republic of Malta and the Order of Malta are often confused with one another.
The Republic of Malta is the independent island nation familiar to travelers and investors. Located between Sicily and North Africa, the archipelago covers just 316 square kilometers and is home to roughly half a million people. It gained independence from Great Britain in 1964, became a republic a decade later, and joined the European Union in 2004.
The Order of Malta—formally the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta—defies conventional definitions of statehood. It has no land to govern, no permanent population, and is not a member state of the United Nations (UN). Yet it maintains diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries, including the Philippines, and holds permanent observer status at the UN. It issues its own stamps and passports, has its own currency called the scudo, and is recognized as a sovereign subject of international law.
How an entity without a country acquired such an unusual status requires a journey back nearly a millennium.
Long before the modern Republic of Malta existed—and centuries before the Philippines emerged as a nation—a religious community was caring for sick and poor pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Founded during the late 11th and early 12th centuries in the aftermath of the First Crusade, the institution that would become the Order of Malta began not as a military force but as a hospital. Its members provided shelter, food, and medical care to travelers making the perilous journey to the Holy Land.
But the medieval Middle East was a dangerous place, and caring for pilgrims soon evolved into protecting them.
The Order gradually took on military responsibilities, giving rise to the famed Knights Hospitaller, one of the most powerful religious and military orders of medieval Europe. In 1113, Pope Paschal II formally recognized the Order, granting it privileges and a degree of independence that would later form the basis of its unique sovereign status.
Over the centuries, the Knights became more than caretakers. They governed territory, commanded fleets, and played a central role in the power struggles of the Mediterranean.
After losing its foothold in the Holy Land, the Knights established themselves on the Greek island of Rhodes in 1310, where they built a formidable naval power and became known as the Knights of Rhodes.
More than two centuries later, in 1530, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V granted the islands of Malta to the Order.
What followed was one of the most celebrated chapters in Maltese history.
From their new headquarters, the Knights transformed the rocky archipelago into a heavily fortified bastion. Their defining moment came in 1565 during the Great Siege of Malta, when they successfully resisted an Ottoman invasion despite being vastly outnumbered.
The victory reverberated across Europe and cemented the Order’s reputation. In its aftermath, Grand Master Jean de Valette founded a new fortified capital that still bears his name today: Valletta.
Yet the Order’s greatest triumph would not guarantee its survival as a territorial power.
In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Malta while leading his expedition to Egypt. The French quickly seized the island, forcing the Knights into exile, and ending more than 260 years of their rule.
For most states, losing their territory would have meant the end.
The Order, however, refused to disappear.
After years of moving across Europe, it eventually established its headquarters in Rome in 1834. There it remains today, operating from two properties that enjoy extraterritorial status under Italian law.
And this is where the story takes an extraordinary turn.
Although it no longer possessed the island that gave it its name, the Order retained diplomatic recognition and continued to evolve as a sovereign entity under international law. It has a constitution, a government headed by a Grand Master, and a legal system that governs its internal affairs.
That unusual status survives to this day.
The Order is headquartered in Rome, where it occupies two properties with extraterritorial rights: the Magistral Palace and the Magistral Villa.
In the Philippines, its embassy is located on R. Hidalgo Street in Quiapo, Manila.
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