Thread: Malta

The Knights
of the Order of St John
1530 - 1798
An Introduction

It is hard to miss the legacy of the Knights in Malta. They gave the Islands one its best-known faces to the world, the eight-pointed Maltese Cross.
No era has left such an imprint on the Islands as the 250-year rule of the Order. From their daily lives to their valiant battles, all is documented in the archives, architecture and folklore of the Maltese Islands.
To trace the Knights, start in the places they made home: the Three Cities and Fort St Angelo; then Valletta, the baroque, fortified city they built.
You'll sense their presence by wondering through their palaces, courtyards and gardens.

Across the Islands, you'll find more evidence of their stay in their military engineering and architectural feats: forts, bastions, watch towers, acquaducts, churches and cathedrals. Not to mention the rich patrimony they bequeathed the Islands with works of art, furniture, silverware and sculpture. Less evident, but none less important, is the place they gave the Islands in the history of medicine.

Their Sacra Infermeria in Valletta was the foremost hospital of Europe in its day.

Key Dates
History Brief

The Golden Age of Maltese history must surely be the period the Islands were ruled by the Order of the Knights of St John. The Knights ushered Malta onto the international scene. The era starts in 1530, when Emperor Charles V signed donated the Maltese Islands to Knights for an annual token rent of one falcon.

As the galleys of the Order arrived in what was later named Grand Harbour, the Islands entered a new era that would change their fortunes forever. For the next two and a half centuries, Malta played a significant role in the events that shaped the region. Prime among these events is the famous Great Siege of 1565, which put a halt to the Turkish menace to Christian Europe and heralded Malta's own 'Rennaissance'.

Under the Knights, Malta was subject to an extensive transformation as new cities sprouted and impregnable fortifications were erected. Malta also became a centre of trade and commerce, and witnessed an unprecedented flourishing of the arts.
The glorious era of the Order of St. John in Malta came to an abrupt end in 1798 when Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch capitulated to Napoleon Bonaparte. However, the legacy of the Knights has outlived their presence and can be seen in the numerous masterpieces of art and architecture all around Malta, especially in Valletta and the Three Cities.

The Great Siege
1565

If it had not taken place, the Great Siege would no doubt have been dreamt up for the screenplay of an epic film. Few other historic episodes rival it for sheer heroism, the bloodshed of war and military strategy. Voltaire is quoted as saying 'rien est plus connu que la siege de Malte' (nothing is so well known as the Siege of Malta).
The story of the Siege is interwoven with the tale of two adversaries, the ageing Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette, and his contemporary, the Barbary corsair Dragut Reis who commanded the fleet of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. It is also the story of thousands of lives of Maltese Islanders, men at arms to the Knights of St John.

The years leading up to the Siege saw the Islands under constant threat from the Ottoman Turk. In 1551, the Ottomans carried out an audacious raid, which saw most of Gozo's population captured and taken into slavery. In 1559, the Knights responded, but with a disastrous attack on the Ottoman stronghold, Djerba, on the Tunisian coast.

The Knights knew they were vulnerable in Malta despite the harbours and their two forts, St Angelo, in what is now Vittoriosa, and newly-built St Elmo, on the open peninsula of Mount Sciberras overlooking the harbours (later known as Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour).

Grand Master La Valette had done his best to build defences and had requested extra forces from the Emperor Charles V, the Pope and the Viceroy of Sicily.

But no help came. In May, 1565, a vast Ottoman fleet, some 40,000 men, lay siege to the Islands. The Knights were heavily outnumbered with a mere 700 or so men and around 8000 Maltese regular troops. The Islanders took refuge in the fortified towns of Mdina and Birgu (Vittoriosa) destroying crops and poisoning wells as they fled.

The Ottomans first decided to attack isolated Fort St Elmo, on the Sceberras peninsula, because of its commanding position between the two harbours. Repeated assaults were launched over 36 days, but the small garrison of Knights held on to the fort for far longer than Suleiman's men anticipated. After four weeks, they finally overran St Elmo but at a heavy price: the loss of 8000 men. Dragut was fatally injured during the taking of St Elmo. Under his co-commander, Mustafa Pasha, the Ottoman troops now had St Angelo in their sights.

It is the battle for St Angelo which saw some of the bloodiest episodes of this Holy war. It was to the basis of legends for centuries to come. Mustafa Pasha was to launch some 10 attacks on the walls of St Angelo and the fortified Three Cities throughout the long, hot summer of 1565. Even on 18th August, when a huge part of the defences were breached, the Ottomans failed to take the Fort. Vallette himself had even entered the battle fray and despite the uneven odds for success, he had refused to accept the Ottoman's terms of surrender.

At one point in the battle, the Ottomans floated the headless corpses of captured Knights across Grand Harbour. The act was returned in kind: Vallette ordered all Ottoman prisoners to be executed and their heads used as 'cannon balls' to fire back toward their compatriots in St Elmo.

By September, the Ottomans were concerned about having to remain in Malta during the winter, and their morale began to ebb. At this point, Vallette's long-awaited relief forces appeared at Mellieha Bay and took control of high ground inland. Almost trapped, the Ottoman troops retreated, but not before losing thousands more men.

The Great Siege ended on 8th September, commemorated today with a public holiday, il-Vitorja. The epilogue to the Siege was twofold: the Knights of St John in Malta had seriously diminished the power of the Ottomans. And Malta's magnificent capital, Valletta, was founded by and named after Grand Master Jean de la Valette. Valletta was to be not only a fortress city, but the cultural home to some of the finest works of 16th - 18th century Europe. Vallette himself was buried in the city some three years later.

Valletta & the Baroque

After the Great Siege, the Knights set about an ambitious project, the building of Valletta, the so-called 'city built by gentlemen for gentlemen'. Pope Pius IV sent his foremost engineer, Francesco Laparelli, to build the city both as a fortress to defend Christendom and as a cultural masterpiece. A unique example of the Baroque, Valletta has been designated a World Heritage City.

In its day, Valletta was a fine example of modern city planning. Designed on a grid system, now common in the United States, the city was carefully planned to ccommodate water and sanitation and to allow for the circulation of air. Most towns and cities evolved over centuries, but Valletta, in contrast, was one of the first European cities to be constructed on an entirely new site.

Francesco Laparelli left the completion of Valletta to his assistant, the Maltese, Gerolamo Cassar (1520-92), who had studied in Rome. Cassar's masterpiece is the Co-Cathedral of St John.

The magnificent, baroque interior was the later work of the Calabrian artist and knight, Mattia Preti (1613-99). The first baroque buildings to be designed in Valletta were the work of an Italian architect from Lucca, Francesco Buonamici, the Knights' resident engineer from 1634-59, assisted by the French military architect Floriani. He not only extended the fortifications to Floriana, but designed churches for Valletta, Rabat and Zebbug.

Islands always conjure up a sense of escapism and mystery…and nowhere more so than Gozo. The Island is a third the size of Malta, lusher and more rural, and exudes a relaxed pace of life. It is the ideal secluded bolt-hole, and at just 20 minutes or so by ferry from Malta, you can make the hop even on the shortest stay here.

What makes Gozo special are its legends, folklore and crafts. The Island’s history is a mix of myth and reality. We can only do justice to the special atmosphere of Gozo by relating both together.

All roads in Gozo lead to Victoria, or Rabat, as the local people call it. Almost the moment you arrive in Gozo, you see its Citadel rising steeply above the surrounding countryside. The impressive bastions command a superb view of the Island.

For centuries the Citadel served as a sanctuary from attack by Barbary corsairs and Saracens. At several times in Gozo's history, its population was taken into slavery by these raiders. When the threat subsided after the Great Siege, a prosperous town grew up below the Citadel.

Victoria is not just the geographic heart of Gozo, it is also the centre of everyday activity. It manages to combine the bustle of its market and shops with a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. It is a great place to watch the Islanders go about their day, especially when the main market square, It-Tokk, comes to life.

Browse around Victoria's market and narrow winding streets and you'll find everything from delicious fresh produce, cheeses and wines, to antiques, craft goods, fishing nets and knitwear. The town also has a thriving cultural life all its own, with some surprising attractions ranging from opera to horse races in the main street on festa day.

Gozo and tiny Comino provide a tranquil haven for a tempo and scene change.

The charm of Gozo is apparent the moment you arrive there. Greener, more rural and smaller than Malta, life on Gozo moves at a leisurely pace. The rhythms dictated by the seasons, fishing and agriculture.

In winter and spring, the Island is covered with flowering herbs and lush crops. In summer, it’s awash with oleander, bougainvillea and geranium.

Gozo is steeped in myth. Thought to be the legendary Calypso’s isle of Homer’s Odyssey, it’s a peaceful, mystical backwater. Baroque churches and old stone farmhouses dot the countryside.

Its rugged landscape and spectacular coastline await exploration. Choose from rocky inlets to red sand beaches or sail, snorkel, dive and fish. Gozo has some of the Mediterranean’s best dive sites.

But there’s more. Gozo comes complete with historical sites, forts and amazing panoramas. Plus one of the archipelago’s best-preserved prehistoric temples, Ggantija. Not to mention a nightlife and cultural calendar all its own, and some great dining out.

For more information, visit the official website of the Ministry for Gozo.


Isle of Comino
Between Malta and Gozo lies Comino, a paradise for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and walkers. The Isle’s Blue Lagoon, with its safe bathing in turquoise waters, makes an idyllic day out by boat. Comino, carefree and car-free is a favourite escape all year round.

The history of Mdina and its suburb Rabat is as old and as chequered as the history of Malta itself. Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital, can trace its origins back more than 4000 years. Rabat can claim the origins of Maltese Christianity. It was here in A.D. 60 that the Apostle St Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. Both Mdina and Rabat are fascinating to tour for their timeless atmosphere and their cultural and religious treasures.

Mdina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role. It was Melita to the Romans; Medina to the Arabs; and Citta’ Vecchia, the old city, when Valletta became the lifeblood of the Islands. None describe it better than its medieval name, Citta’ Notabile, the noble city.

It was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families; some are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th century onwards. Their Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets. Mdina is one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city, and unusual in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture.

Today Mdina has a quiet, restrained atmosphere in keeping with its noble past. Lamplit by night, Mdina transforms itself into the ‘Silent City’. For a relaxed evening, seek out the restaurants tucked away in its bastions and palace courtyards.

Sliema and the coastline up to neighbouring St Julian's constitutes Malta's main coastal resort. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and caf'e life. Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several of Malta's most recent hotels. Sliema, which means `peace', was once a quiet fishing town on the peninsula across Grand Harbour from Valletta. The town began to develop rapidly in the early 20th century as a summer resort for wealthier Valletta residents. Their elegant villas and town houses line the quiet, inland streets. The Sliema promontory offers on one side stunning views across to Valletta and on the other, open sea views. The promenade, which runs for several kilometres from Gzira just south of Sliema to St Julian's, is ideal for walker and joggers. There are plenty of seats along the promenade and on summer evenings the seafront becomes a sociable meeting place for locals. The coastline has two tower fortifications: a De Redin watch tower built in the 17th century; the other was built by the British in neo-gothic style in the 1880s.

St Julian's is now an extension of Sliema although it started life as a small fishing port based on Spinola and Balluta Bays. Like Sliema, it is now a major residential and tourist centre, and home to some of Malta's newest hotels. St Julian's merges with Paceville, Malta's main nightlife centre where there are clubs, casinos and numerous restaurants, cafes and bars. Picturesque Spinola Bay is still used by fishermen whose traditional boats are housed just below the restaurants. The bay is particularly attractive at night and as a venue for open-air dining. The elegant Spinola Palace, built in 1658 by an Italian knight, Giovanni Spinola, is the landmark historic building on the bay. Another fine building with superb sea views is Villa Dragonara, now a casino, on the headland of St George's Bay.