A Captain General’s Strife and Success

Amongst the museum’s growing collection of rare books and manuscripts is the so-called Spinola Signaling Manual. An illuminated manuscript, it is one of just three known of similar size and detail. Due to the attention and detail in such manuals, it could be surmised that such manuals were not just a period copy distributed to each of the Order’s galleys so that captains of the galley squadron could decipher signals but was in fact the Captain General’s own copy. The title on the front piece runs as follows:

Ordini
Dell`Ecell.mo Baglio F. Gio: Batta SPINOLA
Captan Generale
Per Regola della Squadra di Malta,
Circa la Navigatione e Combattimenti

Bali Giovanni Battista Spinola was elected as the Order’s captain general of the galleys in 1700. The then reigning Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Rocaful (1697-1720) had already made up his mind to introduce ships of the line as the Order’s main squadron, thus challenging the existing galley squadron. Bali Spinola hailed from a noble Genoese family that had already offered members of its family to the Order of St. John. Bali Spinola was adamant about upholding the family name and succeeding in his new posting as captain general of the seemingly antiquated galley fleet. He required from his small galley fleet greater discipline and efficiency, as this manuscript shows, and sought to bring back to his new home glory and triumph, not just as the usual routine corso but also as a testament to his skills and abilities and to demonstrate that the old galleys were still a force to be reckoned with even when compared to the more modern ships of the line.

Nothing could have commenced worse for Bali Spinola on his first ever mission on board the Order’s old Galera Capitana. On 16 February 1700, Bali Spinola came upon an enemy ship of the line that he chased and intended to board. The Galera Capitana seemed to have run hard against the enemy ship, actually ramming and breaking its back in the process. It immediately started foundering.

To make matters worse for Bali Spinola, he ended up in the sea on the ship’s impact, clad in his heavy metal half armour. It seemed his fate was sealed. Usually, a man in the sea during a naval engagement was considered doomed, more so if he was clad in armour. However, Bali Spinola managed to cling onto an oar, climb back up onto his sinking galley and lead the marines, sailors and fellow knights to board the enemy ship and actually take it as prize whilst his own galley sank.

During this period, various maritime exploits were recorded in poems, sonnets and other forms of publications, becoming famous around Europe. The Maltese naval fleet offered good news for a seemingly uneventful Europe and many desired news of such exploits from the island. One can understand why this was much praised, why Bali Spinola was hailed as a hero and this naval encounter reached epic fame. Two early 18th century publications contain two poems and an account of this naval encounter. A large painting depicting this encounter is to be found at the Palazzo del Governo at Genoa, hometown of Bali Spinola. It clearly shows Bali clad in armour clinging to an oar. Bali` Spinola eventually brought various other success to the Order’s galley fleet, mainly due to his re-organization efforts. In 1704, the ships of the line squadron of the Order of St. John made their debut, but thanks to Bali Spinola, the galley squadron, although reduced to five galleys, was to see further service and glory up to 1798.