Innico Maria Guevara-Suardo
Encyclopedia
Innico Maria Guevara-Suardo (4 June 1744, Naples
- 25 April 1814, Catania
) was a member and leader of the Knights Hospitaller
(also known as the Sovereign Order of Malta).
in 1805, since the Order had been expelled from its traditional base on Malta
and was now based in Catania
. Guevara-Suardo distinguished himself as an admiral of the Order's naval fleet, using all his authority and firmness to prevent the Order's lands in Sicily being sold, as was planned during the reign of Joachim Murat
, the new king of Sicily.
On 23 June 1811 he also had to accept the suppression of the Order of Saint John of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg, operated by Frederick William III of Prussia
, who founded a new order with a view to nominating the new Grand Master, so as to completely remove the ancient Brandenburg institution from the Catholic Order of Malta. During his lieutenancy he also worked hard to get the British government to return complete control of Malta
to the Order, which they were unwilling to do even after the end of the Napoleonic Wars
. With a political and diplomatic commitment, in the same years in which the Order and Britain faced off against each other, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
offered to transfer the Order's base to the island of Gotland
, so as to have the prestigious order based on Swedish soil. Guevara-Suardo was grateful for the offer but refused it right as soon as it was made, since accepting it would look to the British as if the Order was giving up its legitimate and secular claims on Malta. On his death in 1814 Guevara-Suardo was buried in the convent church of Novaluce and succeeded as lieutenant by Andrea Di Giovanni y Centellés
.
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
- 25 April 1814, Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
) was a member and leader of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
(also known as the Sovereign Order of Malta).
Life
Born into a Neapolitan noble family of Spanish origin, he was made lieutenant of the Order on the death of Grand Master Giovanni Battista TommasiGiovanni Battista Tommasi
Frà Giovanni Battista Tommasi was an Italian nobleman and 73rd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta.-1731-1798:...
in 1805, since the Order had been expelled from its traditional base on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and was now based in Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
. Guevara-Suardo distinguished himself as an admiral of the Order's naval fleet, using all his authority and firmness to prevent the Order's lands in Sicily being sold, as was planned during the reign of Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
, the new king of Sicily.
On 23 June 1811 he also had to accept the suppression of the Order of Saint John of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg, operated by Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
, who founded a new order with a view to nominating the new Grand Master, so as to completely remove the ancient Brandenburg institution from the Catholic Order of Malta. During his lieutenancy he also worked hard to get the British government to return complete control of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
to the Order, which they were unwilling to do even after the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. With a political and diplomatic commitment, in the same years in which the Order and Britain faced off against each other, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
offered to transfer the Order's base to the island of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, so as to have the prestigious order based on Swedish soil. Guevara-Suardo was grateful for the offer but refused it right as soon as it was made, since accepting it would look to the British as if the Order was giving up its legitimate and secular claims on Malta. On his death in 1814 Guevara-Suardo was buried in the convent church of Novaluce and succeeded as lieutenant by Andrea Di Giovanni y Centellés
Andrea Di Giovanni y Centellés
Andrea Di Giovanni y Centellés was an Italian nobleman and lieutenant of the Knights Hospitaller from 1814 until his death.-Life:...
.