In the article it is argued that the discussion within political science on new medievalism has lacked empirical substance and that this concept has been used in an anecdotic and sweeping manner. Departing from the ambition to contribute to the empirical substance of new medievalism, the Sovereign Order of Malta – a medieval, but still active, catholic chivalric order – is studied inductively. Based on different empirical illustrations, four different characteristics of the Order of Malta as a (new)-medieval actor in international politics is formulated; non-territoriality, overlapping sovereignty, valuebased actorness and support of international law. These characteristics are related to the European integrationprocess, with empirical illustrations from the Lisbon treaty, since the relation between the EU and its´ member-states often is regarded as the premier example of a new medieval order. In the article it is argued that the situation in the EU match the earlier and more sweeping understanding of new medievalism, but that the situation in the EU still lacks components before it can be seen as a new medieval case in accordance with the more ambitious model based on the Order of Malta.