Jean Parisot de Valette

Jean Parisot de Valette
Grand Master of the Order of Saint John
In office 21 August 1557 – 21 August 1568
Monarch	Philip II of Spain
Preceded by	Claude de la Sengle
Succeeded by	Pierre de Monte
Governor of Tripoli
In office 1546–1549
Appointed by	Juan de Homedes y Coscon
Preceded by	Cristofano de Solís Farfan
Succeeded by	Pedro Nuñez de Herrera
Personal details
Born	4 February 1495 Parisot, Rouergue, France
Died	21 August 1568 (1568-08-22) (aged 73) Hospitaller Malta
Resting place	St. John's Co-Cathedral (originally buried at the Church of Our Lady of Victories)
Domestic partner(s)	Catherine Grecque and other mistresses
Children	Barthélemy de Valette Isabella Guasconi possibly other illegitimate children
Military service
Allegiance	Order of Saint John
Years of service	1514–1568
Rank	Captain General of the Galleys (1554–1557) Grand Master (1557–1568)
Battles/wars	Siege of Rhodes Great Siege of Malta

Fra' Jean "Parisot" de (la) Valette^[a] (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ paʁizo d(ə) (la) valɛt]; c. 4 February 1495 – 21 August 1568) was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining the order in the Langue de Provence, he fought with distinction against the Turks at Rhodes. As Grand Master, Valette became the Order's hero and most illustrious leader, commanding the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, sometimes regarded as one of the greatest sieges of all time.^[1]

The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by Grandmaster La Valette in 1566. He did not live to see Valletta completed, as he died in 1568 and was succeeded by Grandmaster Pierre de Monte.

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