Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus should not be confused with Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910).
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).
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 | Image | Title | Date installed | Term ended | Term of office | Comments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of the Order of St John in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1099 | 1120 | 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. | |||||
| Master of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1120 | 1131 | 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. | |||||
| circa 1131 | circa 1153 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. | ||||||
| Barthélémy or Bartholomeo | circa 1153 | circa 1154 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | |||||
| circa 1154 | circa 1155 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| circa 1155 | circa 1157 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| Master of the Hospitallers of St John in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1157 | 1159 | He allegedly further assumed the Mastership of the Leprosarium in Jerusalem at the end of his life. | |||||
| circa 1164 | circa 1168 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| circa 1168 | circa 1169 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| circa 1169 | 1185 | He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order. | [3] | |||||
| 1185 | 1186 | No further information about his patronymic origins is known. He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| 1228 | 1234 | 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. | ||||||
| 1234 | 1254 | He is mentioned in the cartulary of the Order published by de Marsy in 1883. | ||||||
| a | circa 1256 | 1267 | Not usually listed by authors but a contemporary deed mentions him as being the serving magister of the Order. | |||||
| Preceptor General of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Acre in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem | circa 1267 | 1277 | He is titled Preceptor General in a charter dated 1267. | |||||
| Master General of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Acre in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1277 | 1312 | He was responsible for moving the central seat of the Order to Boigny, France before the fall of Acre. | |||||
| Master General of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1313 | 1330 | Previously served as Master of Burton Lazars, England, before becoming Master General of the Order. | |||||
| 1332 | 1348 | |||||||
| circa 1349 | circa 1354 | |||||||
| circa 1355 | 1361 | |||||||
| circa 1382 | 1384 | |||||||
| 1413 | 1454 | |||||||
| circa 1454 | 1469 | |||||||
| 1469 | 1493 | |||||||
| 1493 | 1500 | Nephew of Aimery d'Amboise. | ||||||
| 1500 | 1519 | |||||||
| Commander of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1519 | 1521 | ||||||
| 1521 | 1554 | Nephew of Agnan de Mareul. | ||||||
| 1554 | 1557 | |||||||
| Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1557 | 1564 | Knight of St John. Was confirmed as Grand Master of St Lazarus with the papal bull Nos igitur. | |||||
| 1564 | 1578 | Was originally a Knight of St John. He resigned his post as Grand Master in 1578 but retained magisterial privileges. | ||||||
| Vicar General of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1571 | 1586 | Was originally Knight and Ambassador of St John. Served as Vicar General from 1571 to 1578. | |||||
| Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1586 | 1593 | Resumed the role of Grand Master on the death of François Salviati. | |||||
| Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitallers of St Lazarus in Boigny, France | 1593 | 1599 | Was originally a Knight of St John. Served as Marshal of St John and Vice-Admiral of France. | |||||
| a | circa 1603 | Included by some authors. His appointment is however in doubt. | ||||||
| 1599 | 1604 | Nephew of Aymard de Clermont de Chastes. apparently served in a proxy role for his uncle while the latter was in Canada. | ||||||
| 1604 | 1613 | 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. | ||||||
| 1613 | 1639 | Son of Philibert | ||||||
| 1639 | 1644 | Son of Claude | ||||||
| 1645 | 1673 | Brother of Charles | ||||||
| Vicar General de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis | 1673 | 1691 | Vicar General of the Order with magisterial privileges. | |||||
| Grande Maître de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis | 1691 | 1720 | ||||||
Chartres, Valois, Nemours et Montpensier | 1720 | 1752 | ||||||
| Protector de Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis | 1757 | 1773 | Later King Louis XVI (serving as Protector from 1774). | |||||
| 1773 | 1814 | Later King Louis XVIII (serving as Protector from 1814 to 1824). Brother of King Louis XVI. |