Malta: A Bastion Against the Ottoman Empire

Malta has been inhabited since 5900 BC. The first inhabitants were farmers, but their agricultural methods degraded the soil so much that the islands became uninhabitable. The islands were repopulated around 3850 BC by a civilization that, at its peak, built the Megalithic Temples, which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed around 2350 BC and the islands were repopulated by Bronze Age warriors soon afterwards.

Malta’s prehistory ends around 700 BC – when the islands were colonized by the Phoenicians. They ruled the islands until they fell in 218 BC to the Roman Republic. The islands were acquired by the Byzantines in the 6th century AD, who were expelled by Moorish invaders following a siege in 870 AD.

Malta may have been sparsely populated for a few centuries until being repopulated by Arabs in the 11th century. The islands were invaded by the Norman County of Sicily in 1091, and a gradual conversion to Christianity of the islands followed. At this point, the islands became part of the Kingdom of Sicily and were dominated by successive feudal rulers.

The Great Siege of Malta

From 1530 the islands were ruled by the Knights of St. John as a vassal state of Sicily. In 1565, the Ottoman Empire first attempted to take the islands in the Great Siege of Malta, but the invasion was repelled. On 18 May 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, laid siege to Malta a second time. The Knights, who numbered around 500 together with approximately 6,000-foot soldiers, withstood the siege and repelled the invaders. This victory became one of the most celebrated events of sixteenth-century Europe. The Ottomans made no further attempts to conquer Malta, and the Sultan died the following year.

The Order continued to rule Malta for over two centuries, and this period was characterized by a flourishing of the arts and architecture and an overall improvement in the social order. However, the Order was expelled after the French First Republic invaded the islands in 1798, marking the beginning of the French occupation of Malta. After a few months of French rule, the Maltese rebelled, and the French were expelled in 1800.

Malta became a British protectorate, becoming a de facto colony in 1813. The islands became an important naval base for the British, serving as the headquarters of the Mediterranean Fleet. During the last quarter of the 19th century, there were advancements in technology and finance. The Anglo-Egyptian Bank was established in 1882 and the Malta Railway began operating in 1883. In 1921, London granted self-government to Malta. This resulted in the establishment of a Senate (which was later eliminated in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. During World War II, British forces in Malta were heavily attacked by Italian and German air power, but the British held firm. In 1942 the island was awarded the George Cross, which today appears on Malta’s flag and coat of arms.

In 1964, Malta became an independent Commonwealth realm known as the State of Malta, and in 1974, it became a republic while remaining in the Commonwealth. Since 2004, the country has been a member state of the European Union.

Glossary:

a bastion: un bastione;

to degrade the soil: degradare il suolo;

A.D.: (letteralmente: anno domini) – dopo Cristo;

expelled: cacciato via, espulso;

Moorish: Moro, Arabo;

a siege: un assedio;

sparsely: scarsamente;

repelled: respinto;

to lay siege: assediare;

foot soldiers:

de facto: di fatto, effettivo;

a fleet: una flotta;

a railway: una ferrovia;

to grant: offrire, concedere;

The George Cross: la Croce di San Giorgio – una medaglia al valore militare per atti di eroismo;

coat of arms: stemma, scudo araldico.

Historic Malta