Fra' Emmanuel Marie des Neiges de Rohan-Polduc (18 April 1725, in

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to th ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

– 14 July 1797, in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

) was a member of the wealthy and influential

Rohan family The House of Rohan ( br, Roc'han) is a Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to trace back to ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and Prince and 70th Grand Master of the Order of St. John from 1775 to 1797. Rohan was born in

la Mancha La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to th ...

on 18 April 1725. His father was French, but had been banished to Spain. He served King

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

in the

Walloon Guards The Walloon Guards (''Gardes Wallonnes''; in Spanish, ''Guardias Valonas'') were an infantry corps recruited for the Spanish Army in the region now known as Belgium, mainly from Catholic Wallonia. As foreign troops without direct ties amongst ...

and then his son, Philip, Duke of Parma as

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

. He was sent as ambassador of Parma to the Holy Roman Emperor

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

. Thanks to a papal brief, Rohan was received into the Order of St. John in the Langue of France.L. F. de Villeneuve-Bargemont
''Monumens des Grand Maitres de l'Ordre de Saint Jean de Jérusalem''
(Paris: J. J. Blaise, 1829), II, 252. He was named Bailiff, and in 1755 Captain-General of the Order's Navy. Following the death in 1773 of Grand Master

Manuel Pinto da Fonseca Manuel Pinto da Fonseca (also ''Emmanuel Pinto de Fonseca''; 24 May 1681 – 23 January 1773) was a Portuguese nobleman, the 68th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1741 until his death. He undertook many building projects, introduc ...

, Rohan was considered a potential successor, but Francisco Ximénez de Tejada was elected instead. Ximenes' reign was unpopular due to the Order's bankruptcy. After the death of Ximenes, Rohan was elected Grand Master on 12 November 1775.Villeneuve-Bargemont, II, 253. The following year he convoked a Chapter General of the Order, the first to be held since 1631. Malta - Zebbug - Triq il-Kbira - De Rohan Arch 01 ies

Malta - Zebbug - Triq il-Kbira - De Rohan Arch 01 ies

Rohan sought to win the respect of the people of the island of Malta, and he became a popular Grand Master. On 21 June 1777, he elevated the village of

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( mt, Ħaż-Żebbuġ) , also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Northern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish Churc ...

to the status of city, naming it Città Rohan. The coat of arms of Żebbuġ contains the arms of the House of Rohan, in honour of the Grand Master. The

De Rohan Arch The De Rohan Arch ( mt, Il-Bieb De Rohan; it, Porta De Rohan), also known as the New Gateway ( mt, Il-Bieb il-Ġdid), is a commemorative arch in Żebbuġ, Malta. It was built in 1798 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had bee ...

commemorating this event was constructed in 1798. Rohan compiled the ''Code de Rohan'', a constitutional law book published in two volumes in 1782. He was also responsible for the publication of the

Diritto Municipale The ''Diritto Municipale'' ( en, Municipal Law) was a compilation of the Hospitallers' and Malta's laws during their stay on the Island. It was commissioned by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc in 1781 and completed in 1784. This is one of ...

in 1784. Rohan instituted the

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

- Bavarian langue, which was housed in the former Palazzo Carniero. In 1797, he established the Russian Grand Priory, which later evolved into the

Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller The Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller is a collection of charitable organisations claiming continuity with the Russian Orthodox grand priory of the Order of Saint John. The order emerged when Malta was captured by Napoleon in 1798 dur ...

. In 1792, Rohan commissioned and partially financed the construction of

Fort Tigné Fort Tigné ( mt, Il-Forti Tigné - Il-Fortizza ta' Tigné) is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour, and it is one of the o ...

. St. Lucian Tower & Battery were also upgraded during Rohan's magistracy, and the complex was renamed Fort Rohan in 1795 after the Grand Master. It was rebuilt as

Fort San Lucian Fort San Lucian ( mt, Forti San Luċjan), also known as Saint Lucian Tower ( mt, Torri ta' San Luċjan) or Fort Rohan ( mt, Forti Rohan), is a large bastioned watchtower and polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. The original tower was built by th ...

in the 1870s, but it still retains Rohan's coat of arms on the façade. The last few years of Rohan's magistracy were troublesome, due to the decline of the Order because of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. Rohan suffered a stroke in 1792, and his health began to deteriorate. He died on 14 July 1797, and was buried in St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. His last words were "I, at any rate, am the last grandmaster, at least of an order illustrious and independent." Less than a year after his death, the French invaded Malta and expelled the Order from the island.

References

External links

Coins of Grandmaster Emmanuel de Rohan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohan-Polduc, Emmanuel de 1725 births 1797 deaths Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller Knights of Malta Burials at Saint John's Co-Cathedral Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc Spanish people of French descent