original purpose for existing. Due to their location and financial capabilities the order was not able to assist the Crusades in the Holy land. Europe was mostly unwilling to fund the Knights as they were now viewed as a costly and meaningless organization. The Knights turned their attention to combating the pirates in the Mediterranean including the now Ottoman Suported Barbary Corsairs. This effort soon turned to the protection of Christian Merchant ships trasporting goods to the Levant and freeing captured Christian Slaves. However this effort heighed hevily on their finances. With the Order already having to manage with reduced income they were now assuming the responsibilities of the protection of the naval city states such as Venice, …show more content…
Unlike the Order the French would not frown upon the Knight who sought after desires of the flesh when at seaport. The Rogue actions of the Knights were beginning to gain infamy and European City states were largely unwilling to provide funding to an order who was more concerned with gaining wealth on the seas by plundering ships. The knights would plunder more ships to fund themselves which would in turn further decreasing the funding received and again in turn cause the Knights to begin raiding more ships which created a vicious circle. The Order would not record the level of profit they were making from plundering ships. The Order saw the importance and neccesity of this process of gaining profit and began to encourage their knights to raid ships. Despite the orgional vow of poverty the Council decided that the knights could keep portions of the spoils, they were also granted rights to stop and sieze all ships that they believed to have been transporting Turkish goods. The Knights would take all the cargo and resale them for a profit. Many nations began to feel victimized by the Maltese, to answer this issue the Council created a court that Captains could come to plea their cases. Surprisingly more often than not the courts would rule in their favor. The overzealous piracy or the Maltese in theis time period would be the downfall of the