Great Siege of Malta

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Great Siege of Malta

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The 1565 siege by the Ottoman Empire against the Knights Hospitaller on Malta.

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Origins & Early Life

The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 8 September 1565. The Knights Hospitaller had been headquartered in Malta since 1530, after being driven out of Rhodes, also by the Ottomans, in 1522, following the siege of Rhodes. The Ottomans first attempted to take Malta in 1551 but failed. In 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan, made a second attempt to take Malta.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Knights, who numbered around 500 together with approximately 6,000 footsoldiers, withstood the siege and repelled the invaders. This victory became one of the most celebrated events of sixteenth-century Europe, to the point that Voltaire said in 1753: Rien n’est plus connu que ce siége, où la fortune de Soliman échoua ("Nothing is more known than this siege, where the fortune of Suleiman failed)." It undoubtedly contributed to the eventual erosion of the European perception of Ottoman invincibility, although the Mediterranean continued to be contested between Christian coalitions and the Muslim Turks for many years. By the end of 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan, had forcibly ejected the Knights from their base on Rhodes after the six-month siege of Rhodes. Between 1523 to 1530, the Order lacked a permanent home. They became known as the Knights of Malta when, on 26 October 1530, Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Grand Master of the Knights, sailed into the Grand Harbour with a number of his followers to lay claim to Malta and Gozo, which had been granted to them by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in return for one falcon sent annually to the Viceroy of Sicily and a solemn Mass to be celebrated on All Saints Day.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Charles also required the Knights to garrison Tripoli, Libya, which was under the control of the Barbary corsairs, allies of the Ottomans. The Knights accepted the offer reluctantly. Malta was a small, desolate island, and for some time, many of the Knights clung to the dream of recapturing Rhodes. Nevertheless, the Order soon turned Malta into a naval base. The island's position in the centre of the Mediterranean made it a strategically crucial gateway between East and West, especially as the Barbary corsairs increased their forays into the western Mediterranean throughout the 1540s and 1550s.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1522: 1522 Milestone — By the end of 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan, had forcibly ejected the Knights from their base on Rhodes after the six-month siege of Rhodes.
2. 1523: 1523 Milestone — Between 1523 to 1530, the Order lacked a permanent home.
3. 1530: 1530 Milestone — The Knights Hospitaller had been headquartered in Malta since 1530, after being driven out of Rhodes, also by the Ottomans, in 1522, following the siege of Rhodes.
4. 1551: 1551 Milestone — The Ottomans first attempted to take Malta in 1551 but failed.
5. 1565: 1565 Milestone — The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller.
6. 1753: 1753 Milestone — This victory became one of the most celebrated events of sixteenth-century Europe, to the point that Voltaire said in 1753: Rien n’est plus connu que ce siége, où la fortune de Soliman échoua ("Nothing is more known than this siege, where the fortune of Suleiman failed).

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Great Siege of Malta

True or False: “The Great Siege of Malta was fought entirely by land forces without any naval involvement.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Naval action was crucial; the siege involved both massive land assaults and significant Mediterranean naval engagements.

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