In "A Knight Of The White Cross", G.A. Henty writes about the Knights of St. John and their successful defense of Rhodes during the first siege by the Turks at the end of the 15th century. After the fall of Jerusalem to the Moslems, the Knights of St. John established themselves at Acre, then at Crete, and then at Rhodes. Finally, dislodged from Rhodes by the second Turkish siege, they fortified themselves at Malta, which they held against all attacks. These very few extraordinary men, sworn to chastity and poverty, served as guardians of the Mediterranean Sea against piracy and stood as a primary defense of Christian Europe against the Moslem world. While Europe was inching forward toward the era in which it would nurture the freedom, science, and technology that has built our modern world, this handful of men in metal suits, wielding great two-handed swords and battle axes, stood guard against her enemies and bought time for that sociological and technological development. Henty paints vivid images of the life and times of the peoples of that era and subjects his hero to numerous exciting adventures, but the most riveting image of the book occurs during the battle itself.
