Il 9 giugno 1798, una flotta Francese in partenza per l’Egitto con 30.000 uomini sotto Napoleone Bonaparte arrivò nella città fortificata di Valletta, governata da i Cavalieri di San Giovanni. Solamente i maltesi hanno resisto e tra tre giorni i Cavalieri hanno arreso.
In the first months after the insurrection against the French, Maltese leaders realised that they needed a great power to help them expel the French and protect the islands.
Nei primi mesi dopo l’isurrezione contro i Francesi, i leaders Maltesi realizzarono che avevano bisogno di un grande potere che li potesse aiutare a cacciare i Francesi e proteggere le isole.
Mdina, Malta’s old capital, has been besieged many times in the past but it was only defeated twice – the latest being in 1798, by the Maltese!
The Maltese are proud of British heritage, but few seem to know where the British flag was first flown over the islands. Maltese history is a rich tapestry of events, influences and war.
Priests, especially in the Christian tradition, are rarely militant or warmongering. So why did Roman Catholic priests revolt in Malta in the late eighteenth century?
This series of articles commemorating the 70th anniversary of Malta’s role World War II : Some historical facts
In 2012 Malta is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the award of the George Cross on April 15, 1942, and the arrival of the convoy codenamed Operation Pedestal, commonly known as the Santa Marija Convoy, on August 15 of that year
This series of articles commemorating the 70th anniversary of Malta’s role World War II recalls the situation after the end of the blitz on HMS Illustrious in January 1941 and the heavy Luftwaffe attacks on the island which continued until May of that year.
In September and October 1941, Malta, which had by then become a prime target for Italian and German bombers, continued to be reinforced by air and sea: fighter aircraft for the defence of the island and also another convoy to strengthen the garrison.
April 1942 was called l-April tat-Tnejn u Erbgħin by the Maltese because the death and destruction which occurred during this month remained in their mind for many years.
When Malta started to be affected by the Second World War, the Marfa-Gozo ferry service was gradually reduced from six crossings a week in 1940 to four, and eventually to two in 1941.
The first day of November 1942 started with a scramble at 12.05pm by four Spitfires of No. 1435 Squadron to investigate a raid which did not materialise.
We are welcome to argue about many issues, but that the most catastrophic event ever to hit Malta since recorded history was World War II should be beyond debate. World War I had only grazed Malta marginally, leaving minor casualties, but, overall, its financial impact on the island had almost been benevolent. The boom of […]
April 12, 1919: a secret telegram was sent to the Governor of Malta, Field Marshal Lord Methuen, by the Colonial Secretary Lord Milner, stating that: “HMS Marlborough due at Constantinople today is proceeding to Malta arriving probably on Tuesday to land the following persons who are on board: Empress Marie, the dukes Nicholas and Peter, […]
The fact that some of these chapels are found in the least likely places – sheltered in caves or hidden in some unreachable valley, for example – has heightened their mystery even further, as each chapel, wherever its location, has its own story to tell.
In 1798, French army officer Napoleon Bonaparte (later Napoleon I) seized the island, but the French occupation was brief. By mid-1800, British troops, summoned to aid the Maltese, had arrived. The French resisted for three months before surrendering the island to the British. The Treaty of Amiens in 1802 returned the island to the Knights. […]
At about 1.30pm on January 11, 1693, Malta and Gozo experienced the worst earthquake in their history. The tremor lasted some four minutes and was felt all over both islands. Although not totally destroyed, the old medieval Sicolo-Norman cathedral was very severally damaged.
St Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral standing on the site thought to have been the home of St Publius, father of the governor of the islands who features in the account of St Paul’s shipwrecked in Malta, has gone through many dramatic changes …
Although isolated, Malta’s art is rich and varied, starting with the decorations of its Neolithic temples, continuing with medieval religious art, reaching its apex with the Baroque art of the Knights’ period, while Maltese artists finally come to the fore in the nineteenth century.
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