Hospitaller Malta

• 1. Exile And Establishment

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  In 1530, Emperor Charles V handed the islands of Malta and Gozo to the Order of St. John. This transfer followed a seven-year period where the Knights wandered Europe after losing their base on Rhodes in 1522. The agreement required an annual payment of one Maltese falcon sent to the Viceroy of Sicily on All Souls' Day. The Order settled in Birgu and rebuilt the ancient fortress known as Castrum Maris into Fort Saint Angelo. They began minting their own coins shortly after arrival. Their presence drew immediate hostility from the Ottoman Empire. In July 1551, Ottoman forces attacked Fort Saint Angelo and later invaded Gozo. They captured Tripoli in August, stripping the Order of its North African holdings. A tornado struck between 1551 and 1556, destroying four galleys and killing 600 people. This event remains the deadliest natural disaster recorded in Maltese history.

• 2. Great Siege Of 1565

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  Suleiman launched an invasion force of about 40,000 men against Malta in 1565. The defenders numbered only 700 knights and 8,000 soldiers. Most cities were destroyed during the initial assault, and half the knights died. On the 18th of August, the besieged position became desperate with dwindling numbers. Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette refused to abandon Birgu and Senglea despite council suggestions. The Viceroy of Sicily delayed sending help until his officers expressed indignation at the hesitation. On the 23rd of August, a grand assault was thrown back with great difficulty even by wounded defenders. The death of commander Dragut on the 23rd of June had already weakened the Ottoman fleet. By the 1st of September, Ottoman morale had deteriorated seriously. They broke off the siege upon hearing of Sicilian reinforcements arriving in Mellieħa Bay. The Ottomans left on the 8th of September having lost thousands of troops. Only 600 men remained able to bear arms among the Hospitallers when the siege ended.

• 3. Fortification And Infrastructure

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  The Order began constructing Valletta as their new capital after the Great Siege. This city became headquarters in 1571 and remains Malta's capital today. Between 1610 and 1615, engineers built the Wignacourt Aqueduct to carry water from Dingli and Rabat to Valletta. Most arches of this aqueduct still survive into the early 20th century. Large parts of Gozo's Cittadella were completely rebuilt between 1599 and 1622. The Floriana Lines and Santa Margherita Lines encircled land fronts during the 1630s and 1640s. Cottonera Lines followed between 1670 and 1680 around the earlier fortifications. Fort Ricasoli protected the Grand Harbour entrance in the late seventeenth century. Coastal defenses expanded significantly with Garzes Tower built on Gozo in 1605. Alof de Wignacour constructed six bastioned watch towers known as Wignacourt towers. Isopu Tower was the last coastal tower completed in 1667 under Nicolas Cotoner. An earthquake damaged many buildings in Mdina in 1693, leading to a new Baroque cathedral starting in 1697.

• 4. Baroque Golden Age

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  Grandmaster António Manoel de Vilhena remodeled Mdina in the Baroque style during his reign. He also commissioned Fort Manoel and the Manoel Theatre. The town of Floriana developed between the Floriana Lines and Valletta, receiving the title Borgo Vilhena. Manuel Pinto da Fonseca ruled from 1741 to 1773 while Baroque architecture remained popular. Typical structures from this era include Auberge de Castille and the Valletta Waterfront. Both grandmasters were Portuguese nationals who oversaw an architectural renaissance. In 1749, Turkish slaves planned to revolt and assassinate Pinto before their plot leaked out. The Conspiracy of the Slaves was suppressed before it began. A dispute over sovereignty erupted in 1753 when Pinto proclaimed Order independence from Sicily. Relations normalized on the 26th of November 1754 after Sicily lost all control over the islands. This period marked Malta's transition toward effective sovereign statehood despite ongoing financial pressures.

• 5. Caribbean Colonization

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  On the 21st of May 1651, the Order acquired four Caribbean islands: Saint Barthélemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Croix, and Saint Martin. These territories were purchased from the French Company of the American Islands which had just dissolved. Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy governed the islands until his death. The Order sold these four islands to the French West India Company in 1665. This transaction ended Hospitaller influence outside the Mediterranean region. The acquisition made the Order the smallest state to colonize the Americas during that century. A Maltese cross appears on the coat of arms of Saint Barthélemy as a legacy of this brief colonial period. The Order maintained naval operations against Ottoman ships throughout its existence, reaching peak activity between 1660 and 1675. Corsairing provided important income for the Order and employment for local Maltese people through plundered booty and captured Muslim slaves.

• 6. Internal Decay And Revolt

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  The Order experienced steady decline during the last three decades of the eighteenth century. Bankruptcy resulted from Pinto's lavish rule which drained finances significantly. Financial mismanagement made the Order unpopular with the Maltese population. In 1775, rebels known as the Rising of the Priests captured Fort St Elmo and Saint James Cavalier. Francisco Ximénez de Tejada reigned when this revolt occurred. Leaders were executed while others faced imprisonment or exile after suppression. The French Revolution seized Order possessions in France in 1792, creating greater financial crisis. Napoleon landed in Malta in June 1798 despite the knights' ability to withstand a long siege. They surrendered the island almost without fighting due to weakened conditions. The French occupation lasted until 1800 when Maltese revolutionaries ousted them with British aid. The islands became a British protectorate following these events.

• 7. Napoleonic Invasion And End

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  French forces invaded Malta in 1798 without significant resistance from the Knights Hospitaller. This invasion ended two centuries of Hospitaller rule over the Mediterranean islands. The Maltese rebelled against French occupiers shortly after their arrival. Great Britain aided Maltese revolutionaries in ousting the French by 1800. Malta became a British protectorate during this transition period. The Treaty of Amiens in 1802 stated that islands should be returned to the Order but nothing materialized. British Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball refused Grandmaster Giovanni Tommasi's demand for the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta. Britain remained in control citing authorization to base troops on the island since some powers did not recognize Malta's independence. Malta formally became a British colony by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The Order dispersed throughout Europe while redirecting toward humanitarian and religious causes. In 1834, it established headquarters in Rome as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.