History of Malta

The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Castillians all proceeded to conquer Malta until the arrival of the Knights of St. John in 1530, which brought about another age of great cultural significance to the island. Malta had been Christian in faith since the apostle Paul was shipwrecked off the island in A.D.60 and converted the pagan people. In the 16th century, Suleiman the Magnificent had ousted the Order of St. John from Rhodes and the Emperor Charles V gave them the island of Malta for the price of a falcon per year. The Knights quickly improved trade and commerce on the islands, built new hospitals and, most importantly, erected new, stronger fortifications. Suleiman's plans did not exactly tally with those of the Knights - his aim was to destroy the Order completely and use Malta as a base from which to attack Southern Europe. The siege which his navy laid on Malta, referred to by the Maltese as the Great Siege of 1565, lasted four months with fighting of almost unimaginable ferocity. Although heavily outnumbered, the Knights and Maltese stood firm and finally won. The Turks had no alternative but to retreat, leaving behind them an impressive number of slain warriors, amongst them the feared corsair Dragut. The Knights of St. John had successfully protected Southern Europe and Christendom.

After their victory against the Turks, the Knights turned enthusiastically to the further development of Malta and Gozo. A golden era in culture, architecture and the arts followed. Many of Malta’s most attractive buildings were built during this period. A new fortress city, Valletta (now the capital) was built and named in honour of the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Vallette, under whose inspired guidance the Knights and the Maltese had defied the Turkish onslaught. Valletta is one of the earliest examples of a city built on the grid system. The Knights of St. John, coming as they did from the richest families in Europe, could afford to hire the best talent available and the buildings of Valletta, its fortifications and the art treasures in its museums are the work of the best European engineers and artists of the time. It was the magnificence of its palaces and other treasures that led Sir Walter Scott to describe Valletta as “The city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”.