Raphael Cotoner
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
About Raphael Cotoner
Lived 1601 – 1663 (aged 61–62). Raphael Cotoner was a hospitaller.
Rafael Cotoner y de Oleza (; 1601 – 20 October 1663) was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as 60th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller or, as it is already known by that time, the Order of Malta, from 5 June 1660 to his death on 20 October 1663 following the brief reign of Annet de Clermont-Gessant. After his death, he was succeeded as Grand Master by his younger brother, Nicolas Cotoner.
During Raphael Cotoner's reign, the Order of Malta sent troops to Candia, besieged by the Ottomans.
Reign as Grand Master Mattia Preti started work in St. John's Co-Cathedral during Raphael's reign. During his 3-year reign, the Order of Malta sent reinforcements to support Venetians besieged by the Ottomans in Candia (Candia eventually fell after a siege lasting more than two decades in September 1669, almost 6 years after Cotoner's death when his brother Nicolas was Grand Master). To show their gratitude and appreciation, the Republic of Venice passed a decree allowing members of the Order to appear armed within the Republic's dominions, something which had never been granted to the Republic's subjects themselves.
It was during Raphael's tenure as Grand Master that the Italian Baroque artist Mattia Preti started work in Valletta's St. John's Co-Cathedral. He went on to decorate the cathedral's interior with paintings of John the Baptist.
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Important facts
People in Raphael Cotoner's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Raphael Cotoner's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Raphael Cotoner?
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
When was Raphael Cotoner born?
Raphael Cotoner was born in 1601 in Palma.
When did Raphael Cotoner die?
Raphael Cotoner died on 20 October 1663 in Valletta.
What was Raphael Cotoner's occupation?
Raphael Cotoner was a hospitaller.
What nationality was Raphael Cotoner?
Raphael Cotoner's recorded nationality: Crown of Aragon, Spanish people.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Raphael Cotoner. https://biography.guide/raphael-cotoner/
MLA: "Raphael Cotoner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/raphael-cotoner/.
Chicago: "Raphael Cotoner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/raphael-cotoner/.
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