Revolutionary France seized Malta from the Knights Hospitaller, and Britain later took the island from French control and retained it after the peace. This was the correction to the claim that Malta had voluntarily joined the British Empire. Losing the island did not dissolve the order. It retained diplomatic functions, including passports and emissaries, and continued hospital work in the Holy Land.
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How Malta passed from Hospitaller rule to British control
Malta passed from Hospitaller to French and British control, while the displaced order continued diplomatic and hospital work.