History

• Malta and Europe (1565-1800)
• Jean de Valette


  • Elected Grand Master as the successor of La Sengle
  • Started receiving secret messages from Christian spies in Constantinople that the Ottoman Turks were preparing for a large-scale attack on Malta
• Preparations made by Jean de Valette

  1. Forts St Angelo, St Elmo and St Michael were strengthened, as were also defensive walls around the towns of Birgu and Senglea

  2. An iron chain was placed under the surface of the water to deny the Turkish ships entry into the creek between the two towns of Birgu and Senglea

  3. A pontoon bridge was constructed between Birgu and Senglea to be able to send reinforcements, weapons and provisions between these two towns

  4. The Dejma militia was re-trained and all able-bodied Maltese men were trained in the use of arms, while those who were not fitted to fight, such as the old and the sick were transported to Sicily

  5. De Valette asked the Christian rulers of Europe to send to Malta all that could spare for the siege against the Turks, such as soldiers, weapons, ammunition, food and medicines

  6. Besides some 700 knights, the Order had around another 9,000 Maltese, Spanish, Italian and Sicilian soldiers to defend Malta against the Turks
• Ottoman Armada


  Around 180 ships and 30,000 soldiers on board
• Ottoman commanders


  • Mustafà Pasha commanded the land forces
  • Pialì Pasha was in command of the fleet
• The Turks assumed that once St Elmo was captured, they would be free to anchor their fleet inside Marsamxett Harbour
• Capture of Fort St Elmo

  1. The Turks bombarded and attacked St Elmo for almost five weeks, until on the 23rd of June, the fort was captured

  2. The Knights and the soldiers defending it had fought to the last man

  3. A significant loss for the Turks was the death of Dragut during one of the assaults against that fort
• Attacks on Birgu, Senglea and Forts Angelo and St Michael


  1. Following the capture of St Elmo, the Turks were now free to anchor most of their fleet inside Marsamxett Harbour and to concentrate their attacks on the two towns of Birgu and Senglea and on Forts Angelo and St Michael

  2. Part of the bastions defending Fort St Michael were low and could therefore be easily scaled by the Turkish soldiers

  3. De Valette ordered the construction of a wooden wall supported by thick wooden poles embedded strongly in the seabed in front of the low bastions to prevent Turkish boats from disembarking soldiers close to this fort's low bastions

  4. The Turks still managed to force an entry Fort St Michael

  5. Just when this fort seemed lost, the Turkish soldiers were given the order to retreat to their camp in Marsa

  6. The cavalry of the Knights, which was stationed in Mdina, had made a surprise attack on the Turkish camp in Marsa, causing the Turks to recall their soldiers from their attack on St Michael to fight off the attack on their camp
• Capture of Birgu


  1. In early August, the Turks succeeded in digging a tunnel under part of the bastions which protected Birgu, and to place a large mine (bomb) right beneath the bastions

  2. When the mine was exploded, a large part of the bastions collapsed and Turkish soldiers started pouring into Birgu through the large breach in the bastions left open by the explosion

  3. De Valette led the defenders in a desperate attack against the Turks, driving them out of Birgu
• As the month of September loomed close


  The Turks began to lose heart
• Reasons for the Turks losing heart

  • September is known for rough seas in the Mediterranean, and Pialì Pasha feared the Turkish fleet would be caught in a storm and destroyed on its way back home
  • The Turkish army had been very much reduced due to the great number of soldiers who had been killed or wounded
  • Ammunition and food supplies were running very low and it was difficult for the Turks, who were so far away from their homeland, to receive more ammunition and food supplies, even from North Africa
• Arrival of the Gran Soccorso

  1. On 7th of September, the relief force known as the Gran Soccorso which the Grand Master had been promised by Philip II of Spain, arrived

  2. A fleet of ships from Sicily, with a force of around 250 knights and 8,500 soldiers, arrived off Malta

  3. The Turks, taken completely by surprise, and thinking that a much greater force had arrived to help the defenders, abandoned their positions in confusion, retreated hastily to their ships and sailed back to Constantinople
• Why the Turks attacked Malta in 1565


  • From their base in Malta, the galleys of the Order had been attacking Turkish ships sailing in the Mediterranean, as well as the coastal villages which made part of the Ottoman Empire
  • Malta's position in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and its excellent harbours could be used as an Ottoman outpost
  • If the Turks had conquered Malta, they could have been in a strong position to attack Sicily and Italy which were situated in the heart of Christian Europe
• Why the Turks failed to win the Great Siege

  • Grand Master de Valette was one of the greatest military commanders the Order
  • Although the Ottoman army outnumbered the Christian defenders roughly 3 to 1, the Knights and the Maltese had the advantage of fighting from behind the protection of the fortifications
  • The Turks were fighting far away from their bases in Constantinople and North Africa, making it difficult for them to bring more supplies
  • Disagreements between the Turkish commanders led to a number of tactical mistakes being taken
  • The death of Dragut was a great loss to the Turks
  • The hard rock prevented the Turks from digging mines under the fortifications of the Knights
  • The Turks had to win Malta before the end of the summer and before the Knights received help from Europe
• Consequences of the Great Siege on the Order of St John

  • Just about half the Knights who took part in the siege were slain
  • The siege had cost the Order heavy losses of materials and manpower
  • The fortifications suffered extensive damage and had to be repaired or even rebuilt completely
  • Contrary to De Valette's wishes, many Knights were in favour of abandoning Malta
  • The foundation of Valletta made it more difficult for the Knights to abandon Malta
  • The fleet which was kept safely anchored between Birgu and Senglea and protected behind an iron-chain placed a few years before the siege remained practically intact
  • The Order achieved praise from the Christian powers for their courageous stand
  • The Order became so famous in Europe that noble families considered it prestigious to have one their sons becoming a Hospitaller Knight
  • The Grand Master achieved everlasting praise and fame as a hero who saved the Order from total extermination
  • The Order took the final decision to make their stay in Malta a permanent and to abandon plans to reconquer Rhodes
  • The Order took the decision to start building a new fortified town on Mt Sciberras, by the name of Valletta, in honour the Grand Master
  • The Order turned Malta into one of the most strongly fortified island in the Mediterranean
  • The Order made Malta a base for Christian corsairs in the Mediterranean
• Consequences of the Great Siege on Malta and the Maltese

  • Malta's renown after the siege resulted in a large number of travellers and adventurers to come to the island
  • The Knights became more known internationally as the Knights of Malta
  • Many Maltese had been killed in the fighting, although the number of deaths is uncertain
  • The building of the new city gave work to many Maltese at a time when many of the islanders were in a poor state
  • Many villages were sacked and reduced to rubbles by the Turks during the siege
  • The Maltese suffered some years of extreme hardship after the siege
  • The Maltese felt more protected with the Knights in Malta with the result that they accepted the Knights' rule more wholeheartedly
  • A bond ensued between the Knights and the Maltese who joined forces to defend the island
• Malta's renown after the siege resulted in a large number of travellers and adventurers to come to the island
• The Knights became more known internationally as the Knights of Malta
• Many Maltese had been killed in the fighting, although the number of deaths is uncertain
• The building of the new city gave work to many Maltese at a time when many of the islanders were in a poor state
• Many villages were sacked and reduced to rubbles by the Turks during the siege
• The Maltese suffered some years of extreme hardship after the siege
• The Maltese felt more protected with the Knights in Malta with the result that they accepted the Knights' rule more wholeheartedly
• A bond ensued between the Knights and the Maltese who joined ranks to resist the Turks
• The victory of the Great Siege saved Malta falling into Ottoman hands
• The victory of 1565 marked a turning point in Malta's history: it end the medieval period and ushered Malta into the modern age
• Under the Order's influence, Malta acquired a thoroughly European cultural identity, especially since they commissioned the works of famous European artists, architects and military engineers to Malta
• Many Maltese became directly or indirectly employed with the Order's establishments
• Malta became the shield of Christendom against the spread of Islam in Europe
• Under the rule of the Knights Malta became a leading centre of commerce and corsairing in the Mediterranean
• Malta became a safer place to live in, with the result that the population grew steadily and foreigners from other Christian lands migrated to Malta and married Maltese women
• Valletta


  The new capital city and fortress of the Order, built after the Great Siege of 1565
• Mt Sciberras


  The peninsula on which Valletta was built, jutting out between the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour
• Plans for Valletta


  • Grid-iron street pattern proposals for a larger city footprint which was then reduced in size
  • Building regulations (Officio della Casa)
• Important buildings in Valletta constructed during the Knights period

  • St John's Co-Cathedral
  • Victory Church
  • Auberges (De Provence, D'Italie, Castille)
  • Grand Master's Palace
  • Sacra Infermeria
  • Manoel Theatre
• St John's Co-Cathedral


  • Facade designed in simple Mannerist style
  • Interior is a gem of Baroque art and architecture
• Artworks in St John's Co-Cathedral

  • Chapels belonging to each langue of the Order
  • Ceiling painted by Mattia Preti
  • Paintings by Caravaggio
  • Sculpture by Giuseppe Mazzuoli
• Magisterial Palace


  • Served as the official residence of the Grand Masters
  • Now serves as the Office of the President of the Republic of Malta
• Other important buildings built by the Knights in Valletta


  • The Bibliotheca (National Library)
  • Manoel Theatre
  • The Castellania (Courts of Justice)
  • The Old University
  • The Monte di Pietà (pawn bank)
• Valletta is an administrative, commercial and cultural centre today, as it was during the rule of the Knights