Abstract
There exists an actor. At the fringe: physically and in imagination too. Many would be flummoxed once they learned that the entity — most commonly referred to as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta — has been one of the oldest human institutions. The outer tier of protection of the Christian Civilization. An extant institution. Purposely established and still serving its original purpose: Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum, or defense of the faith and assistance to the poor. Much has happened in and around the SMOM in the meantime. Nearly a full millennium has passed since its establishment. It gained and lost territory, repeatedly. SMOM’s survival — of an organization and its form — cannot be explained without considerations of historical contingency. Contingency understood as conjunctures of environments, structures and practices.
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© 2014 Jozef Bátora and Nik Hynek
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Bátora, J., Hynek, N. (2014). The Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Extraordinary Resilience Meets Chance. In: Fringe Players and the Diplomatic Order. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137314697_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137314697_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-34916-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-31469-7
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