Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus

Last updated December 22, 2023

The grand master of the Order of Saint Lazarus was the leader of an order of chivalry that was established by the Holy See in the 12th century. A number of Masters of the order, eventually termed Grand Masters, have been listed by previous historians of the order.

The early history of the Order of Saint Lazarus, as in the case of several other medieval orders, is shrouded in a haze of reality and myth simply because the early historians of the various orders assumed the role of enthusiastic eulogists to the detriment of objective writing. The genealogists even went so far as to try tracing origins to personages and events in the Old Testament.^[1] The available early cartulary only confirms some of the individuals in the list.^[2]

To complicate matters further, historical legacy and contingency is claimed by the modern-day Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910) – see also: Grand Masters of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910).

List of masters or grand masters

The following individuals have been elected as Masters or Grand Masters of the Order of Saint Lazarus, or any of its predecessor titles. Their highest title is shown here:

Order	Name	Title	Date installed	Term ended	Term of office	Comments	Notes
1	Gérard le Fondateur	Master of the Order of St John in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem	1099	1120	20–21 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. Founder of the Order of St John. Allegedly was also responsible for the Leprosarium outside the walls of Jerusalem.	^[2]
2	Boyant Roger	Master of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem	1120	1131	10–11 years	Served as Rector of the Hospital of St John in Jerusalem. Allegedly followed Gérard as Master of the Leprosarium, while Raymond de Puy assumed the Mastership of the Hospitallers of St John.
3	Jean		circa 1131	circa 1153	21–22 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known.
4	Barthélémy or Bartholomeo		circa 1153	circa 1154	0–1 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.
5	Hitier or Hector		circa 1154	circa 1155	0–1 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.
6	Hughes de Saint-Paul		circa 1155	circa 1157	1–2 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.
7	Raymond du Puy	Master of the Hospitallers of St John in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem	1157	1159	1–2 years	He allegedly further assumed the Mastership of the Leprosarium in Jerusalem at the end of his life.
8	Rainier or Lambertus		circa 1164	circa 1168	3–4 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.	^[2]
9	Raymond		circa 1168	circa 1169	0–1 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.	^[2]
10	Gérard de Montclar		circa 1169	1185	15–16 years	He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order.	^[3]
11	Bernard		1185	1186	0–1 years	No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.	^[2]
12	Gauthier de Châteauneuf or Walter de Novo Castro		1228	1234	5–6 years	Served originally as Master of Burton Lazars in England, before becoming Master General of the Order. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.
13	Rainaldus de Floriaco or Reynald de Fleury		1234	1254	19–20 years	He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883.
13a	Miles		circa 1256	1267	10–11 years	Not usually listed by authors but a contemporary deed mentions him as being the serving magister of the Order.	^[3]
14	Jean de Meaux	Preceptor General of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Acre in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem	circa 1267	1277	9–10 years	He is titled Preceptor General in a charter dated 1267.	^[1]
15	Thomas de Sainville	Master General of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Acre in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem	1277	1312	34–35 years	He was responsible for moving the central seat of the Order to Boigny, France before the fall of Acre.
16	Sir Adam de Veau	Master General of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1313	1330	16–17 years	Previously served as Master of Burton Lazars, England, before becoming Master General of the Order.
17	Jean de Paris		1332	1348	15–16 years
18	Jean de Couraze		circa 1349	circa 1354	4–5 years
19	Jean le Comte		circa 1355	1361	5–6 years
20	Jacques de Besnes or Jacques de Baynes		circa 1382	1384	1–2 years
21	Pierre des Ruaux		1413	1454	40–41 years
22	Guillaume des Mares		circa 1454	1469	14–15 years
23	Jean le Cornu		1469	1493	23–24 years
24	François d'Amboise	Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Rhodes	1493	1500	6–7 years	Nephew of Aimery d'Amboise.
25	Agnan de Mareul		1500	1519	18–19 years
26	François de Bourbon, Comte de Saint-Paul	Commander of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1519	1521	1–2 years
27	Claude de Mareul		1521	1554	32–33 years	Nephew of Agnan de Mareul.
28	Jean de Conti		1554	1557	2–3 years
29	Jean de Lévis	Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1557	1564	6–7 years	Knight of St John. Was confirmed as Grand Master of St Lazarus with the papal bull Nos igitur.
30	Michel de Seure de Lumigny		1564	1578	13–14 years	Was originally a Knight of St John. He resigned his post as Grand Master in 1578 but retained magisterial privileges.
31	François de Salviati	Vicar General of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1571	1586	14–15 years	Was originally Knight and Ambassador of St John. Served as Vicar General from 1571 to 1578.
32	Michel de Seure de Lumigny	Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1586	1593	6–7 years	Resumed the role of Grand Master on the death of François Salviati.
33	Aymard de Clermont de Chastes	Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France	1593	1599	5–6 years	Was originally a Knight of St John. Served as Marshal of St John and Vice-Admiral of France.
33a	Hughes Catelan de Castelmore		circa 1603			Included by some authors. His appointment is however in doubt.
34	Jean-Charles de Gayand de Monterolles		1599	1604	4–5 years	Nephew of Aymard de Clermont de Chastes. apparently served in a proxy role for his uncle while the latter was in Canada.
35	Philibert, Marquis de Nérestang	Grande Maître de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis	1604	1613	8–9 years	Grand Master of St Lazarus and later of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, united to it in 1608 by King Henri IV.
36	Claude, Marquis de Nérestang		1613	1639	25–26 years	Son of Philibert
37	Charles, Marquis de Nérestang		1639	1644	4–5 years	Son of Claude
38	Charles-Achilles, Marquis de Nérestang		1645	1673	27–28 years	Brother of Charles
39	François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois	Vicar General de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis	1673	1691	17–18 years	Vicar General of the Order with magisterial privileges.
40	Philippe de Courcillon, Marquis de Dangeau	Grande Maître de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis	1691	1720	28–29 years
41	Prince Louis de Bourbon, Duc d'Orléans, Chartres, Valois, Nemours et Montpensier		1720	1752	31–32 years
42	Prince Louis de France, Duc de Berry	Protector de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis	1757	1773	15–16 years	Later King Louis XVI (serving as Protector from 1774).
43	Prince Louis Stanislas Xavier de France, Comte de Provence, Duc d’Anjou		1773	1814	40–41 years	Later King Louis XVIII (serving as Protector from 1814 to 1824). Brother of King Louis XVI.

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References

1 2 de Sibert, P. E. G. (1771). Histoire des Ordres Royaux, Hospitalliers-Militaires de Notre Dame du Mont-Carmel, et de Saint Lazare de Jerusalem (in French). Paris: Royal Press.
1 2 3 4 de Marsy, A. (1883). Fragment d'un Cartulaire de l'Ordre de Sauint Lazare en Terre Sancte (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Archives de l'Orient Latin.
1 2 Marcombe, D. (2003). Leper Knights: The Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem in England, 1150-1544. Woodridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-067-1.

Bibliography

Algrant y Cañete, James J.; Beaugourdon, Jean de St. Vincent de (1983). Armorial of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Delft.
Savona-Ventura, Charles. (2012). Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem - Grandmasters, Administrators & Protectors. Grand Priory of the Maltese Islands - MHOSLJ, Malta.

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[de_Sibert-1] 1 2 de Sibert, P. E. G. (1771). Histoire des Ordres Royaux, Hospitalliers-Militaires de Notre Dame du Mont-Carmel, et de Saint Lazare de Jerusalem (in French). Paris: Royal Press.

[de_marsy-2] 1 2 3 4 de Marsy, A. (1883). Fragment d'un Cartulaire de l'Ordre de Sauint Lazare en Terre Sancte (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Archives de l'Orient Latin.

[marcombe-3] 1 2 Marcombe, D. (2003). Leper Knights: The Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem in England, 1150-1544. Woodridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-067-1.

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Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus

Contents

List of masters or grand masters

See also

Related Research Articles

References

Bibliography