Carlo Candida (

Lucera Lucera (Neapolitan language, Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere ...

, 7 October 1762 –

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, January 1845) was a lieutenant of the Sovereign Order of Malta from 1834 to his death, succeeding Antonio Busca.

Life

Carlo Candida was from a noble family of Neapolitan origin. Before his election as lieutenant he was admiral of the Order's naval fleet then territorial commander of the Order's lands in Rome,

Barletta Barletta (; Salentino: ''Varrétte'' or ''Barlétte'') is a city and ''comune'' in Apulia, in southeastern Italy. Barletta is the '' capoluogo'', together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of a ...

and

Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...

, which had at that time been confiscated from the Order. During his time as lieutenant he succeeded in getting them returned to the Order and also implemented the move of the Order's base from

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

, completed on 2 June 1834, putting the Order under direct papal protection at the heart of Christendom. In Rome Candida began setting up a hospital in 1841 in the outbuildings of the church of San Francesco at

Ponte Sisto Ponte Sisto is a bridge in Rome's historic centre, spanning the river Tiber. It connects Via dei Pettinari in the Rioni of Rome, Rione of Regola (rione of Rome), Regola to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. History The construction of the current bri ...

, run by papal officials who were also knights of the Order, though this was not long-lasting and closed after a fire in 1844. Under Candida's leadership, the Order finally rose from its 1798 fall and was even able to get help from the other European powers then in control of Italy - by a sovereign order of 15 January 1839,

Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...

re-established the Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice, basing it in a palazzo in Venice next to the civic church of Saint John the Baptist, patron of the Order. Simultaneously

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (Italian language, Italian: ''Ferdinando I''; 12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 until his death. Before that he had been, since 1759, King of Naples as Ferdinand I ...

re-established the Baliaggio di Napoli and the duchies of

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

and

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

reintroduced the Order's commanderies into their territories. The Order also established itself in the

Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchic state or realm ruled by a king or queen. ** A monarchic chiefdom, represented or governed by a king or queen. * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and me ...

in 1844, under the protection of king

Carlo Alberto Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state from 27 April 1831 until his abdication in 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the ''Statuto Albertino'', a ...

. On his death in Rome in 1845 Candida was buried in the church of San Francesco and succeeded as lieutenant by

Filippo di Colloredo-Mels Filippo di Colloredo-Mels (29 November 1779 in Udine – 9 October 1864 in Recanati) was, from 1845 to 1864, the leader of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. From the Friulian noble family of the counts of Colloredo-Mels, his decision to join ...

Sources

* Francesco Giuseppe Terrinoni ''Memorie storiche della resa di Malta ai francesi nel 1798'', tip. delle Belle Arti, Roma, 1867. {{DEFAULTSORT:Candida, Carlo 1762 births 1845 deaths Lieutenants of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta