Fabrizio del Carretto

Fabrizio del Carretto
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
In office 13 December 1513 – 10 January 1521
Preceded by	Guy de Blanchefort
Succeeded by	Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam
Personal details
Born	1455 Finale Ligure
Died	10 January 1521 Rhodes
Nationality	Italian
Military service
Allegiance	Knights Hospitaller

Fabrizio del Carretto (1455–1521) was the 43rd Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1513 to 1521. He was born in Finale Ligure in 1455, the fourth child of Giovanni del Carretto, the Marquis of Finale and Valentina Adorno, the daughter of Barnabas Adorno, who was doge of Genoa.

Having entered the Order at a young age, he spent some years in Rhodes but in 1491 he returned to Italy, where he obtained the commendation of Santa Maria of the Temple of the Holy Cross in Milan, from Pope Innocent VIII .

An able organizer, he was repeatedly instructed by the Order to set up galleys and ships in Genoa to be used in the defence of Rhodes, and in 1500 he was appointed captain of the galleys. However in 1502 he settled in Rome because the Grand Master made him his Attorney General to the Holy See. He became bailiff of St. Euphemia in 1505 and Pope Julius II entrusted him with important tasks. In 1509 he became Admiral of the Order and, consequently, head of the Italian Langue. He returned to Rhodes, where he conducted two ships to service of the Order, it was here the news of the death of the Grand Master Guy de Blanchefort occurred near the island of Zakynthos November 24, 1512. Being the highest dignitary able, on December 13 was then elected Grand Master in his place.

In the seven years of government devoted all their efforts to strengthen the defenses of the city of Rhodes and the other islands of the Dodecanese, providing the fortresses of abundant food supplies and artillery. He died in Rhodes, after a short illness, on 10 January 1521.

He was the last Grandmaster to die in Rhodes. During the reign of his successor l'Isle-Adam, the Order lost Rhodes to the Ottomans and later moved to Malta in 1530.

Coat of arms of Fabrizzio del Carretto