some geography
The Maltese archipelago is located in the heart of the Inland Sea, the old name given to the Mediterranean, (which in Latin means center of the earth). It is located 60 miles from the southern tip of Sicily and about 180 miles from North Africa. For many years the archipelago had been conquered and colonised, and the islands boast a rich variety of history, culture, a rich mix of languages and customs whose roots go back to the earliest Phoenician settlements in Malta, long before the Punic . There was even talk of wars.
Chances are a rich history of the islands can be accessed and there are various online sites and research books dealing with the subject. I am particularly interested in the medieval history of the Maltese islands, and to this I owe much to Professor Godfrey Wettinger (University of Malta) for his tireless research and love of the period, to Professor Anthony Bonanno (University of Malta) for his important contribution to the study of antiquity in Malta, and to the documented works of Rev. Dr Andrés Vella.
The capital city of Malta is Valletta, and the main city of Gozo is Victoria. Malta covers an area of approximately 317 square kilometers, and the population is now close to 440,000. Malta’s main industry is tourism, followed by textile manufacturing and component construction.
Malta became a Republic in 1974 and achieved independence in 1964. It joined the European Union in 2004.
some history
To go back to the beginning, it is not easy to establish exactly how the first settlers arrived in Malta, although it is believed that they could have arrived from Sicily. There is also evidence that Malta was part of a bridge linking Africa to Europe due to fossils and skeletal remains of animals that are no longer endemic to the islands. Very similar forms of archaeological evidence corroborate the theory that the first settlers were Sicilians. The evidence, in fact, is so striking that it is not surprising that Malta was considered one of the two Sicilies when it fell under the jurisdiction of that kingdom.
There are remains of the Early Neolithic in Malta, with some of the earliest and most striking evidence to be seen at Gray and Red Skorba (Sqolba) and at the magnificent temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and Ggantija in Gozo.
The Phoenicians came to Malta and settled here, bringing with them trade and, of course, their language. The roots of Maltese are Phoenician: the closest language of the Arabic languages that has similar striking features is Lebanese, even if the subsequent colonization of Malta brought radical changes in Maltese. The name Malta (probably from malet, meaning refuge) goes back a long way. The Phoenicians were replaced by the Carthaginians, who tightened their control over Malta when the Romans sacked the islands around 255 BC. The Romans, however, did not give up Malta so easily. Considering it a strategic point for their war against Carthage, the Romans conquered Malta in 218 BC. C., just at the beginning of the second Punic War. And for almost a thousand years, Malta was Roman, a small republic within a great republic. Little Latinization occurred, and this can be seen in the account given by Saint Luke in his Acts of the Apostles, where the inhabitants are described as barbarians, that is, speakers of a language that is neither Greek nor Latin. In 535 AD, Malta joined Byzantium under Emperor Justinian.
The Arabs took over Malta in AD 870. This takeover was systematic: emphasis on spoken language was strengthened, Christianization most likely died out in this period, and evidence shows that the Maltese became Muslim to avoid pay a heavy tax called harag. The Arabs brought with them their agricultural knowledge, introduced the production of cotton, and remained so for 210 years, until the Normans, led by Count Roger, took over the island, reestablishing Christianity, and from then on Malta became part of the kingdom of the two Sicilies. The Aragonese and the Anjuvins also left their mark on Malta, but the greatest impact was definitely made when Charles V handed over Malta to the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, following their defeat by the Turks at Rhodes. 1530 was the year that Grand Master Jean de l’Isle Adam received the keys to the capital of the time, Mdina.
The Knights weren’t exactly happy to be in Malta, but this was the only option left to them. Carlos V did not want to give them Corse (Corsica). Upon their arrival here, the Knights made a study of the island and decided that they wanted to settle in the area where the three cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea are located today or what is known as the Cottonera Zone, near the Grand Harbor. . They fortified the existing Castel Sant’Angelo and built their Auberges in Vittoriosa, most of which are still there, although heavy bombing during World War II destroyed architectural gems and historic sites…too many to mention.
In 1551, the Turks attacked Gozo, pillaging the island, destroying the crops and taking the entire population as slaves, leaving behind the old and the sick. It was a warning: the Turks were determined to defeat the Knights and infiltrate Europe. In May 1565, the Knights were again attacked by the Turks. The Maltese found themselves sheltering behind the bastions at Cottonera and actively aiding the Knights against the Turks. The Maltese Dejma (militia) also helped. A victory over the Turks was not only important to the Knights themselves, but the Maltese were now considered an integral part of the system of government under the jurisdiction of the Grand Master. The Knights lost San Telmo to the Turks on June 23, 1565, but then continued to fight from the strongholds of San Angelo and San Miguel, finally obtaining help from Europe in September 1565. The Turks, decimated by malaria and after the loss of his general Dragut, confused and grieving as he was, withdrew, and on September 8, 1565, the Knights kept the Turks out of Europe, and that great event shaped the rest of Maltese and European history.
The Knights stayed in Malta, 28 Grand Masters ruled this island from 1530 to 1798, the greatest of these Grand Masters is still considered to be Jean Parisot de la Valette, who not only led the Knights against the Turks in the Great Siege, but who also paid for and supervised the construction of a new city, the city that bears his name, Valletta, the capital of Malta, another jewel of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, with Auberges, chapels and the magnificent Co-Cathedral dedicated, of course, to Saint John Baptist .
In 1798 Hompesch ceded the islands to the French and the Knights set out for Europe. For two years the Maltese fought bitterly against the French, and the revolt against the French, coordinated by Dun Mikiel Xerri, ended in disaster when one of the group betrayed his friends in a moment of weakness. The French were noted for their looting and their accumulation of wealth; the truth is that treasures of immense value were taken from the island. To this day, there is a desire among the Maltese to give back to Malta what rightfully belonged to it. It is likely that some of the treasure will never surface: one of Napoleon’s galleys sank off Alexandria, and it is believed that the treasure, especially gold and silver, would have been found in this galley, most of it coming from Malta.
The British came to the aid of the Maltese. In 1800, the British drove out the French and Malta became a British colony. British rule also brought with it a number of constitutions and political dissent: World War II saw a number of Maltese of Italian origin or sympathetic to Italians being deported to Uganda. (Among them were my great-aunt and great-uncle. My grandmother, being Italian, was forced to return to Italy. It was only after the end of World War II that she was able to return.) The people suffered and gained under British rule, but it was obvious that the Maltese wanted something different. India had achieved independence in 1947, and at the time Malta was politically turbulent: should the islands join the UK or should they fight for freedom? The second option seemed more viable. While the Church influenced the negative result of the integration referendum, the Maltese achieved Independence on September 21, 1964. The Prime Minister at the time was George Borg Olivier. Independence, however, was not enough. Dom Mintoff refused to see Malta only as an independent country still under the British crown. He, in fact, did not want any allegiance to any foreign country, closing the NATO base in Malta in 1971. In 1974 a new constitution was written, and on December 13, 1974, Malta was proclaimed a Republic, being the first president Sir Antonio Mammo. British military and naval bases in Malta were symbolically closed on March 31, 1979, and Freedom Day is celebrated on this date.
today’s malt
After almost 50 years of Independence, Malta is still going strong, it is still the jewel of the Mediterranean. It is considered a safe place, envied for its climate, its natural and historical heritage and the Maltese are warm, generous, hard-working and hospitable people. Many EU citizens have made Malta their home. Before entry into the EU, the largest group of foreigners residing in Malta were British.
To all those who wish to visit Malta; I would like to make a suggestion. Malta is not just sea and sun. There is so much to see here, natural beauty, found nowhere else, and architectural and archaeological heritages that are unique to Malta and have been classified by UNESCO as unique World Heritage Monuments.