Do you know when the Union Jack first flew over Malta?

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Do you know when the Union Jack first flew over Malta? The answer will surprise you.

Maltese history is a rich tapestry of events, influences and war. The Maltese are proud of British heritage, but few seem to know where the British flag was first flown over the islands.

By the 18th century the threat of invasion from the Ottoman Empire had receded so the Maltese started to build on land outside the fortified cities, now that pirate attacks were also a distant memory. In the central town of Birkirkara, they built farmhouses around agricultural land including on the hill overlooking Valletta which is now part of San Gwann. One farmhouse built there is Ta’ Xindi farmhouse on the road between San Gwann and Mater Dei hospital.

The building is modest and not too large. Today the road is busy with traffic leading to the hospital, while constant urbanisation has meant that the vast fields it once controlled no longer exist. The building looks like any other and one wouldn’t think it has any special significance unless one spots the plaque on the wall.

Records don’t show who build it but by 1798 it was owned by 21-year-old cotton merchant Vincenzo Borg. This was the year when the French occupied the islands however the French soon offended the Catholic Maltese by looting churches to fund the French war effort against the British. On the 2th September 1798 the Maltese revolted against the French during an auction of church property, and soon 10,000 Maltese surrounded Valletta, bayng for blood. https://culture-malta.org/the-french-occupation-1798-1800/

Vincenzo Borg was one of the ringleaders of the campaign against the French, chosen by the people of Birkirkara and neighbouring Mosta as their leader. Together with two other Maltese, he was one of the main figureheads in the uprising, leading one of the largest battalions in the 10,000-strong irregular (volunteer) militia that was set up. Arms were scarce at first however the British and Portuguese navies supplied the insurgents with arms.

Borg used his home as his field headquarters. Under his command insurgents built batteries around Valletta harbour but the fortified city was strong enough to repel attacks. Borg spoke to British Admiral Alexander Ball to see if the United Kingdom was interested in taking the islands. Ball was already well-loved Malta but was suspicious of Borg’s intents. Despite this, Borg wrote to Ball explaining “the majority of us (Maltese) wish to see the islands under British jurisdiction”. It was clear that the Maltese expected Britain to act.

On 9 February 1799, Borg hoisted the British Union Jack over his farmhouse showing his commitment to the cause, the first time the British flag flew over Malta.

The French surrendered and left Malta by 1800, ending a 2-year occupation following which the British held onto the islands under the Treaties of Amiens and Paris, ruling until Malta gained its independence in 1964.

Antoine Borg

This article first appeared in: http://www.unexpectedtraveller.com/Blog/tag/valletta/