History of Malta
Encyclopedia
Malta
has been inhabited since it was settled around 5200 BC from Sicily
. It was settled by the Phoenicia
ns (who called the island Maleth meaning "safe haven") and later the Greeks
who named the island Μελίτη (Melite) meaning "honey sweet" in reference to Malta's endemic variety of bee.
British take the islands under their protection in the name of the King of Two Sicilies. Battle of Aboukir Bay.
Simmons-Rampolla agreement.
Government under British rule.
of Malta Fever.
First Parliament opens. Joseph Howard
named
Prime Minister.
Dr. Francisco Buhagiar becomes Prime Minister.
Sir Ugo Mifsud becomes Prime Minister.
Malta reverts to the Crown Colony status
it held in 1813.
languages.
Germany invades Poland.
War II.
Dr. Paul Boffa becomes Prime Minister.
Incident at Rediffusion.
Colonial governor takes direct administration under British rule.
Stolper report delivered.
Two Vatican Agreements between the Malta Government and the Holy See signed in Rome. New Delimara Power Station opened.
New Air Terminal opened. 50th Anniversary of Operation Pedestal celebrated. Stock Exchange opened. Maritime Museum opened in Vittoriosa. Dr. Alfred Sant elected Leader of the Malta Labour Party.
zone and closer relations to EU but not membership.
. At some time in the distant past Malta was submerged, as shown by marine fossils embedded in rock in the highest points of Malta. As the ridge was pushed up and the straits of Gibraltar
closed through tectonic activity
, the sea level was lower, and Malta was on a bridge of dry land that extended between the two continents, surrounded by large lakes. Some caverns in Malta have revealed bones of elephants, hippopotami, and other large animals now found in Africa
, while others have revealed animals native to Europe
.
Man first arrived in Malta around 5200 BC. These first Neolithic
people probably arrived from Sicily (about 100 kilometres/60 miles north), and were mainly farming and fishing communities, with some evidence of hunting activities. They apparently lived in caves and open dwellings. During the centuries that followed there is evidence of further contacts with other cultures, which left their influence on the local communities, evidenced by their pottery designs and colours.
One of the most notable periods of Malta's history is the temple period, starting around 3600 BC. The Ggantia Prehistoric Temple in Gozo is the oldest free-standing building in the world (photo). Many of the temples are in the form of five semicircular rooms connected at the centre. It has been suggested that these might have represented the head, arms and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples is a fat woman — a symbol of fertility. The Temple period lasted until about 2500 BC, at which point the civilization that raised these huge monoliths seems to have disappeared. There is much speculation about what might have happened and whether they were completely wiped out or assimilated.
After the Temple period came the Bronze Age
. From this period there remains of a number of settlements and villages, as well as dolmen
s — altar-like structures made out of very large slabs of stone. One surviving menhir
, which was used to build temples, still stands at Kirkop
; it is one of the few still in good condition. Among the most interesting and mysterious remnants of this era are the so-called cart ruts as they can be seen at a place on Malta called Clapham Junction
. These are pairs of parallel channels cut into the surface of the rock, and extending for considerable distances, often in an exactly straight line. Their exact use is unknown. One suggestion is that beasts of burden used to pull carts along, and these channels would guide the carts and prevent the animals from straying.
and its suburb Rabat
.
In the late 8th century BC, a Greek colony called Melite (from the Doric Greek
word for "honeybee") was founded on the main island. The name is thought to be in reference to an endemic species of bee on the island, and the distinctive honey it produces.
(400 BC) and then of Rome
(218 BC). The islands prospered under Roman rule, and were eventually distinguished as a Municipium
and a Foederata Civitas
. Many Roman antiquities still exist, testifying to the close link between the Maltese inhabitants and the people of Rome.
In AD
60, the New Testament records that Saint Paul
was shipwrecked on an island named Melite, which many Bible scholars and Maltese conflate with Malta; there is a tradition that the shipwreck took place on the shores of the aptly named "Saint Paul's Bay
".
In 440 the island was captured by the Vandals
, which had recently occupied the Roman
province of Africa
. It was recovered by the east Roman
general Belisarius
in 533, along with the other Vandal possessions, and remained a part of the east Roman province of Sicily
for the next 340 years.
, who exerted 220 years of influence ( from 870 to 1090 CE/AD ) on the existing civilization. In addition to their language, Siculo-Arabic
, cotton
, oranges
and lemon
s and many new techniques in irrigation were introduced. Some of these, like the noria ("waterwheel"), are still used, unchanged, today. Many place names in Malta date to this period. The Phoenicia
n city of Mdina
was extensively modified in this period.
ruled the Maltese islands and a process of full latinisation
started in Malta.
In 1091, count Roger I of Sicily
, made an initial attempt to establish Norman rule of Malta and was greeted by the few native Christians. In 1127, his son Roger II of Sicily
succeeded. This marked the gradual change from an Arab cultural influence to a European one. In 1191, Tancred of Sicily
appointed Margaritus of Brindisi
the first Count of Malta
. Until the 1224 AD/CE, however, there remained a strong Muslim segment of society.
Malta was an appendage of Sicily
for nearly 440 years.
During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the rulers of Swabia, Anjou
, the Crown of Aragon
, the Crown of Castile
, and Spain. Eventually the Crown of Aragon, which then ruled Malta, joined with Castile in 1479, and Malta became part of the Spanish Empire
.
Malta's administration thus fell in the hands of local nobility who formed a governing body called the Università.
After the Norman conquest
the population of the Maltese islands kept growing mainly through immigration from the north (Sicily and Italy), with the exile to Malta of the entire male population of the town of Celano
(Italy) in 1223, the stationing of a Norman and Sicilian garrison on Malta in 1240 and the settlement in Malta of noble families from Sicily between 1372 and 1450. As a consequence of this one major academic study found that "the contemporary males of Malta most likely originated from Southern Italy, including Sicily and up to Calabria".
In the early 16th century, the Ottoman Empire
started spreading over the region, reaching South-East Europe. The Spanish king Charles V
feared that if Rome fell to the Turks, it would be the end of Christian Europe. In 1522, Suleiman II drove the Knight Hospitallers of St. John out of Rhodes. They dispersed to their commanderies in Europe. Wanting to protect Rome from invasion from the South, in 1530, Charles V handed over the island to these Knights.
For the next 275 years, these famous "Knights of Malta" made the island their domain and made the Italian language
official. They built towns, palaces, churches, gardens, and fortifications and embellished the island with numerous works of art and enhanced cultural heritage.
The order of the Knights of St. John was originally established to set up outposts along the route to the Holy Land, to assist pilgrims going in either direction. Owing to the many confrontations that took place, one of their main tasks was to provide medical assistance, and even today the eight-pointed cross is still in wide use in ambulances and first aid organisations. In return for the many lives they saved, the Order received many newly conquered territories that had to be defended. Together with the need to defend the pilgrims in their care, this gave rise to the strong military wing of the Knights. Over time, the Order became strong and rich. From hospitallers first and military second, these priorities reversed. Since much of the territory they covered was around the Mediterranean region, they became notable seamen.
ordered a final attack on the Order. By this time the Knights had occupied the city of Birgu
, which had excellent harbours to house their fleet. Also Birgu was one of the two major urban places at that time, the other most urban place being Mdina
the old capital city of Malta. The defences around Birgu were enhanced and new fortifications built on the other point where now there is Senglea
. Also a small fort was built at the tip of the peninsula where the city of Valletta
now stands and was named Fort St. Elmo.
On 18 May 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to Malta. By the time the Ottoman fleet arrived the Knights were as ready as they could be. First the Ottomans attacked the newly built fort of St. Elmo and after a whole month of fighting the fort was in rubble and the soldiers kept fighting till the Turks ended their lives. After this they started attacking Birgu and the fortifications at Senglea but to no gain.
After a protracted siege ended on 8 September of the same year, which became known in history as "the Great Siege
", the Ottoman Empire
conceded defeat as the approaching winter storms threatened to prevent them from leaving. The Ottoman empire had expected an easy victory within weeks. They had 40,000 men arrayed against the Knights' nine thousand, most of them Maltese soldiers and simple citizens bearing arms. Their loss of thousands of men was very demoralising. The Ottomans made no further significant military advances in Europe and the Sultan died a few years later.
after Jean Parisot de Valette, the Grand Master who had seen the Order through its victory. Since the Ottoman Empire never attacked again, the fortifications were never put to the test, and today remain one of the best-preserved fortifications of this period.
Unlike other rulers of the island, the Order of St. John did not have a "home country" outside the island. The island became their home, so they invested in it more heavily than any other power. Besides, its members came from noble families, and had amassed considerable fortune due to their services in the route to the Holy Land. The architectural and artistic remains of this period remain among the greatest of Malta's history, especially in their "prize jewel" — the city of Valletta.
However, as their main raison d'être had ceased to exist, the Order's glory days were over.
capitulated.
During his very short stay (six days), Napoleaon accomplished quite a of reforms, notably the creation of a new administration with a Government Commission, the creation of twelve municipalities, the setting up of a public finance administration, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges, the abolition of slavery and the granting of freedom to all Turkish slaves (2000 in all). On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated. Public education was organised along principles laid down by Bonaparte himself, providing for primary and secondary education. Fifteen primary schools were founded and the university was replaced by an ’Ecole centrale’ in which there were eight chairs, all very scientific in outlook: notably, arithmetic and stereometry, algebra and stereotomy, geometry and astronomy, mechanics and physics, navigation, chemistry, etc.
He then sailed for Egypt leaving a substantial garrison in Malta. Since the Order had also been growing unpopular with the local Maltese, the latter initially viewed the French with optimism. This illusion did not last long. Within months the French were closing convents and seizing church treasures. The Maltese people rebelled, and the French garrison of General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
retreated into Valletta. After several failed attempts by the locals to retake Valletta, they asked the British for assistance. Rear Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson decided on a total blockade, and in 1800 the French garrison surrendered.
. Under the terms of the 1802
Treaty of Amiens
, Britain was supposed to evacuate the island, but failed to keep this obligation – one of several mutual cases of non-adherence to the treaty, which eventually led to its collapse and the resumption of war between Britain and France.
Although initially the island was not given much importance, its excellent harbours became a prized asset for the British, especially after the opening of the Suez canal
. The island became a military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet.
Home rule
was refused to the Maltese until 1921 although a partly elected legislative council was created as early as 1849, and the locals sometimes suffered considerable poverty. This was due to the island being overpopulated and largely dependent on British military expenditure which varied with the demands of war. Throughout the 19th century, the British administration instituted several liberal constitutional reforms which were generally resisted by the Church and the Maltese elite who preferred to cling to their feudal privileges. Political organizations, like the Nationalist Party
, were created or had as one of their aims, the protection of the italian language
in Malta.
In 1919, there were riots over the excessive price of bread. These would lead to greater autonomy for the locals. Malta obtained a bicameral parliament
with a Senate (abolished in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. The Constitution was suspended twice. In 1930 it was suspended that a free and fair election would not be possible following a clash between the governing Constitutional Party
and the Church and the latter's subsequent imposition of mortal sin on voters of the party and its allies. In 1934 the Constitution was revoked over the Government's budgetary vote for the teaching of Italian in elementary schools.
were declared the sole official languages.
In 1934, only about 15% of the population could speak Italian fluently. This meant that out of 58,000 males qualified by age to be jurors, only 767 could qualify by language, as only Italian had till then been used in the courts. This injustice carried more weight than concerns over fascism.
's Mediterranean Fleet's headquarters. However, despite Winston Churchill
's objections, the command was moved to Alexandria
, Egypt
, early in the war.[Elliot] At the time of the Italian declaration of war (10 June 1940), Malta had a garrison of less than four thousand soldiers and about five weeks' of food supplies for the population of about three hundred thousand. In addition, Malta's air defences consisted of about forty-two anti-aircraft guns (thirty-four "heavy" and eight "light") and four Gloster Gladiator
s, for which three pilots were available.
Being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the Axis
shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces. Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian navy and had a submarine base. It was also used as a listening post, reading German radio messages including Enigma traffic.
The first air raids against Malta occurred on 11 June 1940; there were six attacks that day. The island's biplane
s were unable to defend due to the Luqa Airfield
being unfinished; however, the airfield was ready by the seventh attack. Initially, the Italians would fly at about 5,500 m, then they dropped down to three thousand metres (in order to improve the accuracy of their bombs). Major Paine stated, "[After they dropped down], we bagged one or two every other day, so they started coming in at [six thousand metres]. Their bombing was never very accurate. As they flew higher it became quite indiscriminate." Mabel Strickland
would state, "The Italians decided they didn't like [the Gladiators and AA guns], so they dropped their bombs [thirty kilometres] off Malta and went back."
By the end of August, the Gladiators were reinforced by twelve Hawker Hurricane
s which had arrived via HMS Argus. During the first five months of combat, the island's aircraft destroyed or damaged about thirty-seven Italian aircraft. Italian fighter pilot Francisco Cavalera observed, "Malta was really a big problem for us—very well-defended." On Malta, 330 people had been killed and 297 were seriously wounded. In January 1941, the German X. Fliegerkorps
arrived in Sicily as the Afrika Korps
arrived in Libya
.
On 15 April 1942, King George VI
awarded the George Cross (the highest civilian award for gallantry) "to the island fortress of Malta — its people and defenders." President Franklin Roosevelt, describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny bright flame in the darkness."
seeking either full integration with the UK or else "self-determination (independence), and the Partit Nazzjonalista
(PN) of Dr. George Borg Olivier favouring independence, with the same "dominion status" that Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoyed.
In December 1955, a Round Table Conference was held in London, on the future of Malta, attended by Mintoff, Borg Olivier and other Maltese politicians, along with the British Colonial Secretary
, Alan Lennox-Boyd. The British government agreed to offer the islands their own representation in the British House of Commons
, with the Home Office
taking over responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office.
Under the proposals, the Maltese Parliament would retain responsibility over all affairs except defence, foreign policy, and taxation. The Maltese were also to have social and economic parity with the UK, to be guaranteed by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), the islands' main source of employment. A referendum was held on 14 February 1956, in which 77.02 per cent of voters were in favour of the proposal, but owing to a boycott by the Nationalist Party, only 59.17 per cent of the electorate voted, thereby rendering the result inconclusive.
In addition, the decreasing strategic importance of Malta to the Royal Navy meant that the British government was increasingly reluctant to maintain the naval dockyards. Following a decision by the Admiralty to dismiss 40 workers at the dockyard, Mintoff declared that "representatives of the Maltese people in Parliament declare that they are no longer bound by agreements and obligations toward the British government..." In response, the Colonial Secretary sent a cable to Mintoff, stating that he had "recklessly hazarded" the whole integration plan. This led to the islands being placed under direct rule from London, with the MLP abandoning support for integration and now advocating independence.
While France had implemented a similar policy in its colonies, some of which became overseas departments, the status offered to Malta from Britain constituted a unique exception. Malta was the only British colony where integration with the UK was seriously considered, and subsequent British governments have ruled out integration for remaining overseas territories, such as Gibraltar
.
.
, as its first President
. The Gieh ir-Repubblika Act, promulgated the following year, abolished all titles of nobility in Malta and mandated that they not be further recognized.
win by just over 4000 votes and again in 1976 by a slightly higher margin. Between 1976 and 1981 Malta went through difficult times and the Labour government demanded that the Maltese were to tighten their belts in order to overcome the difficulties Malta was facing. There were shortages of essential items; the water and electricity supplies were systematically suspended for two or three days a week. Political tensions increased, notably on Black Monday
when following an attempted assassination of the Prime Minister, the Times of Malta's premises were burned to the ground and the house of the Leader of Opposition was attacked.
The 1981 general elections saw the PN gaining an absolute majority of votes, yet the MLP winning the majority of Parliamentary seats under the Single Transferable Vote
and Mintoff remained Prime Minister, leading to a constitutional crisis. The PN, now led by Eddie Fenech Adami
, mounted a campaign demanding that Parliament should reflect the democratic will of the people; despite this, the MLP government remained in power for the full five year term. Mintoff resigned as Prime Minister and appointed Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici as his successor in 1984. After a five-year debate, Dr. Fenech Adami reached an agreement with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici to change the constitution whereby the party that won an absolute majority of votes had the right to govern, irrespective of the parliamentary seats won in constituencies. The general elections that followed in 1987 saw the PN achieve such a majority of votes. The new PN administration sought to improve Malta's ties with Western Europe
and the United States.
advocated Malta's membership in the European Union presenting an application on 16 July 1990. This became a divisive issue, with Labour
opposing membership. Labour
won the 1996 general election and Malta's application was frozen. On being returned to office in 1998 the Nationalist Party
reactivated the application. Malta was formally accepted as a candidate country at the Helsinki summit of December 1999.
Negotiations were concluded late in 2002 and a referendum on membership in 2003
saw 90.86% casting a valid vote of which 53.65% were "yes" votes. Labour
stated that it would not be bound by this result were it returned to power in the following general election that year. In the circumstances, elections were called and the Nationalist Party
won another mandate
. The accession treaty was signed and ratified and Malta joined the EU on 1 May 2004. A consensus on membership was subsequently achieved with Labour
saying it would respect this result.
In the context of EU membership, Malta joined the eurozone
on 1 January 2008.
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
has been inhabited since it was settled around 5200 BC from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It was settled by the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns (who called the island Maleth meaning "safe haven") and later the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
who named the island Μελίτη (Melite) meaning "honey sweet" in reference to Malta's endemic variety of bee.
B.C.
- 5000 First HumanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
settlers. Ghar Dalam phase. - 3600-2500 Megalithic temples constructed.
- 2000-1400 BronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
-using people. - 800-480 PhoeniciaPhoeniciaPhoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n rule. - 700-600 GreekGreeksThe Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
influence. - 480-218 Carthaginian rule.
- 264-146 Punic Wars.
- 218 RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
rule begins.
A.D.
- 60 Shipwreck of St. Paul the Apostle.
- 117-138 Islands become municipal under Emperor Hadrian.
- 395 Roman rule ends.
- 395-870 Byzantine rule.
- 454 Islands occupied by the Vandals (?)
- 464 Islands occupied by the Goths (?)
- 533 Islands restored to ByzantineByzantineByzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
rule (?) - 870-1090 ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
rule. - 1048 First Byzantine attempts to regain islands.
- 1090-1194 Norman conquest.
- 1122 Arab uprising.
- 1144 Second Byzantine attempt to regain islands.
- 1154 John made Bishop of PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
and MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. - 1154-1205 GenoeseRepublic of GenoaThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
influence. - 1194-1266 SwabiaSwabiaSwabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n rule. - 1224 Final expulsion of Arabs from SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and Malta. - 1266-1283 AngevinCapetian House of AnjouThe Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
rule.Creation of the University - 1282 Sicilian Vespers.
- 1283-1412 Catalan-AragoneseCrown of AragonThe Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
rule. - 1412-1530 Catalan-Aragonese and CastilianCrown of CastileThe Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
rule. - 1350 Establishment of Maltese Nobility.
- 1350-1357 First incorporation into Royal Domain.
- 1393-1397 Time of the Tyrants.
- 1397-1420 Second incorporation into Royal Domain.
- 1397 Università established. Petitions to Sicily.
- 1420 Feudal possession of Don Antonio Cardona.
- 1425 Revolt against Don Consalvo de Monroy.
- 1429 TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n Saracens attempt capture of islands. - 1428-1530 Last incorporation into Royal Domain.
- 1530 Knights of St. John take possession.
- 1551 Dragut's raid on GozoGozoGozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
. - 1561 Inquisition officially established.
- 1565 Great Siege. Malta besieged by Turks but the Knights helped by the Maltese resist and win.
- 1566 Founding of VallettaVallettaValletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
. - 1568 Jean Parisot de la ValetteJean Parisot de la ValetteFra' Jean Parisot de Valette was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1557 to 1568. He succeeded La Vallette as grandmaster and continued the construction of Valletta...
buried in Valletta. - 1571 Battle of LepantoBattle of LepantoThe Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...
occurs. ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
victory over TurksTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. - 1573 Foundation stone laid for St. JohnSan Gwann-History:The San Ġwann suburb is mostly made up of relatively modern buildings having been established as a parish only in 1965. However, the few scattered archeological remains found in the region suggest that San Ġwann has an ancient history which is woven into the national history of Malta.The...
's Co-Cathedral. - 1578 Consecration of St. John's Co-Cathedral.
- 1592 Founding of Jesuits College.
- 1615 Wignacourt Aqueduct completed.
- 1676 School of Anatomy and Surgery founded at the Sacred Infirmary.
- 1732 Manoel TheatreManoel TheatreThe Manoel Theatre is reputed to be Europe's third-oldest working theatre, and the oldest working theatre in the Commonwealth of Nations...
dedicated. - 1768 Jesuits expelled and property transferred to the Knights by Papal Order.
- 1769 Conversion of Jesuits College to a University.
- 1775 Uprising of the priests.
- 1784 Creation of a legal code.
- 1792 Possessions of the Knights of St. John located in France seized by the government.
- 1798 FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
invasion. Knights of St. John expelled. Inquisition abolished. - 1799 French occupation. revolt against the French. Dun Mikiel Xerri executed by the French.
British take the islands under their protection in the name of the King of Two Sicilies. Battle of Aboukir Bay.
- 1800 French occupation ends. British rule begins.
- 1802 Treaty of AmiensTreaty of AmiensThe Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
. - 1813 The Bathurst Constitution.
- 1814 Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1814)The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars, following an armistice signed on 23 May between Charles, Count of Artois, and the allies...
. Malta declared free of the plague. - 1815 Congress of ViennaCongress of ViennaThe Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
affirms Treaty of Paris. - 1819 The Università dissolved.
- 1828 Vatican Church-State proclamation. Right of Sanctuary revoked.
- 1831 See of Malta made independent of See of Palermo.
- 1833 Construction begins on Mosta dome.
- 1835 First Council of Government under British rule.
- 1839 Abolition of Press censorship. Laying of cornerstone for St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral.
- 1846 Carnival riots.
- 1849 Council of Government with elected members under British rule.
- 1869 Opening of the Suez Canal.
- 1870 Referendum on Ecclesiastics serving on Council of Government.
- 1881 Creation of Executive Council under British rule.
- 1882 Anglo-Egyptian BankAnglo-Egyptian BankThe Anglo-Egyptian Bank was a British overseas bank established in 1864. The founding banks were Agra and Masterman's Bank and the General Credit and Finance Co., and the bank incorporated Pastré Frères et Compagnie and Giovanni Sinadino and Co., which was the only one of the four to have its seat...
founded in Malta. - 1883 Malta RailwayMalta RailwayThe Malta Railway consisted of a single railway line from Valletta to Mdina and was the only railway line ever on the island of Malta. It was a single track line in meter-gauge, operating from 1883 to 1931.- History :...
begins operation. - 1885 First postage stamps issued.
- 1886 Surgeon Major David BruceDavid BruceDavid Bruce may refer to:* David Bruce , founder of the Firkin Brewery pub chain*David Bruce , Scottish physician* David II of Scotland , David Bruce, King of Scots, son of King Robert the Bruce...
discovers microbe causing Malta Fever. - 1887 Council of Government with "dual control" under British rule.
- 1888 Construction begins on Royal Opera House.
Simmons-Rampolla agreement.
- 1903 Return to the 1849 form of Council of
Government under British rule.
- 1904 Tram service begins.
- 1905 Dr. Themistocles Zammit discovers source
of Malta Fever.
- 1912 Dun Karm writes his first poem in Maltese.
- 1914-18 World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
starts; Malta becomes known as the Nurse of the Mediterranean. - 1919 Sette Giugno riots. National Assembly convened by Dr. Filippo Sciberras.
- 1921 Self-government granted under British rule.
First Parliament opens. Joseph Howard
Joseph Howard (Prime Minister)
Joseph Howard, OBE was Prime Minister of Malta from 1921 to 1923.Born in Valletta in 1862, Malta's first Prime Minister under the Colonial Government, Joseph Howard was educated at the Lyceum and abroad and served as an officer in the French Military academy...
named
Prime Minister.
- 1923 "Innu Malti" played first time in public.
Dr. Francisco Buhagiar becomes Prime Minister.
- 1924 Sir Ugo P. Mifsud becomes Prime minister.
- 1927 Sir Gerald Strickland becomes Prime Minister.
- 1930 Constitution suspended because of Church actions under British rule.
- 1931 Malta railway closes.
- 1932 Constitution restored under British rule.
Sir Ugo Mifsud becomes Prime Minister.
- 1933 Constitution withdrawn under British rule.
Malta reverts to the Crown Colony status
it held in 1813.
- 1934 Malti and English become dual official
languages.
- 1935 Rediffusion Radio begins.
- 1936 Constitution revised to provide for nomination of members to Executive Council under British rule.
- 1939 Constitution revised to provide for an elected Council of Government under British rule.
Germany invades Poland.
- 1939-45 World War II begins.
- 1940 First air raids of the Great Siege of World
War II.
- 1941 Italian e-boat attack on Grand Harbour. HMS Illustrious damaged, bombed, repaired and departs. Pearl Harbour bombed by Japanese.
- 1942 Award of the George Cross to the people of Malta. Operation Pedestal Convoy arrives in Grand Harbour.
- 1943 Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
visit Malta. George VI arrives in Grand Harbour for a visit. Invasion of Sicily from Malta. Surrender of the Italian Fleet in Malta. - 1945 Churchill and Roosevelt meet in Malta prior to the Yalta Conference with Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. - 1946 National Assembly results in 1947 constitution under British rule.
- 1947 Self-government restored under British rule.
Dr. Paul Boffa becomes Prime Minister.
- 1948 Red Flag incident.
- 1949 N.A.T.O. Treaty signed.
- 1950 Dr. Enrico Mizzi becomes Prime Minister from September to December. Dr. Georgio Borg Olivier becomes Prime minister in December.
- 1953 Coronation incident.
- 1955 Dom MintoffDom MintoffDom Mintoff is a Maltese politician, journalist and architect, who served as leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958 and again, post-Independence, from 1971 to...
becomes Prime Minister. Roundtable Conference held. - 1956 Referendum on Integration with Britain.
Incident at Rediffusion.
- 1958 Caravaggio incident. Dom Mintoff resigns as Prime Minister. Dr. Georgio Borg Olivier declines forming alternative government.
Colonial governor takes direct administration under British rule.
- 1959 Interim Constitution provides for an Executive Council under British rule.
- 1961 Blood Commission provides for a new constitutionallowing for a measure of self-government and recognizing the "State" of Malta.
- 1962 Dr. Georgio Borg Olivier becomes Prime Minister.
Stolper report delivered.
- 1964 "Innu Malti" recognized as the national anthem. Referendum on Independence Constitution. Malta granted independence, becoming a sovereign nation within the British Commonwealth.
- 1968 Central Bank established.
- 1970 Malta enters an Association agreement with the European Community.
- 1971 Dom Mintoff becomes Prime Minister. Sir Anthony Mamo becomes the first Maltese national to be named Governor-General.
- 1972 Military baseMilitary baseA military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
agreement signed by Malta, the United Kingdom and other N.A.T.O. nations. The King's Own Malta Regiment disbanded. Change to decimal monetary system. Government bars the United States Naval Forces from using Malta as a liberty port. - 1973 Formation of Air MaltaAir MaltaAir Malta plc is the national airline of Malta, headquartered in Luqa. It operates services to 36 destinations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The airline's hub and base is at Malta International Airport.- History :...
. - 1974 Malta becomes a Republic, remaining in the Commonwealth. Sir Anthony Mamo elected first President. Government increases its control over the University.
- 1975 Barclays Bank International, Ltd. taken over to become Mid-Med Bank.
- 1976 Dr. Anton Buttigieg becomes second President.
- 1979 Military base agreement terminated. British forces leave. First Referendum Day celebrated.
- 1981 The Malta Labour Party wins the general election by its majority of seats in ParliamentParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, but the Opposition Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Malta)The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
has the absolute majority of votes. - 1982 Agatha BarbaraAgatha BarbaraAgatha Barbara was a Maltese politician, having served as a Labour Member of Parliament and Minister, and President of Malta. She was the first and, to date, the only female President of Malta.-Early life:...
becomes third, and first female, President. - 1984 Dr. Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici becomes Prime Minister after the resignation of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.
- 1987 Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami becomes Prime Minister.
- 1988 Freeport Corporation organized.
- 1989 First gathering of Knights of St. John in Malta since their departure in 1798. U.S./Soviet Summit meets in Malta. Dr. Vincent Tabone elected fourth President.
- 1990 Government formally applies for full membership in the European Community. Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
makes the first Papal visit. Prof. Guido De Marco elected President of 45th Annual UN General Assembly.
- 1991 Agreement signed for Malta Cable Television.
Two Vatican Agreements between the Malta Government and the Holy See signed in Rome. New Delimara Power Station opened.
- 1992 Nationalist Party wins election. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Malta for the 50th Anniversary of the awarding of the George Cross.
New Air Terminal opened. 50th Anniversary of Operation Pedestal celebrated. Stock Exchange opened. Maritime Museum opened in Vittoriosa. Dr. Alfred Sant elected Leader of the Malta Labour Party.
- 1993 Malta receives positive response, subject to a list of prior conditions, from the European Community. First University degree courses offered in Gozo. Government signs the International Convention banning the use of chemical weapons. The Fifth Games of the Small States of Europe held in Malta. First elections for Local Councils held.
- 1994 Dr. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici elected fifth President.
- 1996 Malta Labour Party wins the elections Dr. Alfred sworn in as Prime Minister of Malta.
- 1997 Malta's application to join the EU is 'frozen'. MLP government instead seeks industrial free trade
zone and closer relations to EU but not membership.
- 1998 Dr. Alfred Sant calls for election following vote of no-confidence. Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami is elected Prime Minister.
- 1999 Prof. Guido de Marco appointed President of Malta.
Geology
Malta stands on an underwater ridge that extends from North Africa to SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. At some time in the distant past Malta was submerged, as shown by marine fossils embedded in rock in the highest points of Malta. As the ridge was pushed up and the straits of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
closed through tectonic activity
Messinian salinity crisis
The Messinian Salinity Crisis, also referred to as the Messinian Event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event, was a geological event during which the Mediterranean Sea went into a cycle of partly or nearly complete desiccation throughout the latter part of the Messinian age of the Miocene...
, the sea level was lower, and Malta was on a bridge of dry land that extended between the two continents, surrounded by large lakes. Some caverns in Malta have revealed bones of elephants, hippopotami, and other large animals now found in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, while others have revealed animals native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Prehistory
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
people probably arrived from Sicily (about 100 kilometres/60 miles north), and were mainly farming and fishing communities, with some evidence of hunting activities. They apparently lived in caves and open dwellings. During the centuries that followed there is evidence of further contacts with other cultures, which left their influence on the local communities, evidenced by their pottery designs and colours.
One of the most notable periods of Malta's history is the temple period, starting around 3600 BC. The Ggantia Prehistoric Temple in Gozo is the oldest free-standing building in the world (photo). Many of the temples are in the form of five semicircular rooms connected at the centre. It has been suggested that these might have represented the head, arms and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples is a fat woman — a symbol of fertility. The Temple period lasted until about 2500 BC, at which point the civilization that raised these huge monoliths seems to have disappeared. There is much speculation about what might have happened and whether they were completely wiped out or assimilated.
After the Temple period came the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. From this period there remains of a number of settlements and villages, as well as dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s — altar-like structures made out of very large slabs of stone. One surviving menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
, which was used to build temples, still stands at Kirkop
Kirkop
Ħal Kirkop is a small village in the south of Malta. It is found near the Malta International Airport and this settlement has a rich history, that of even Punic times. The parish church is dedicated to St. Leonard. Apart from the feast of St. Leonard, a secondary big feast of St. Joseph is...
; it is one of the few still in good condition. Among the most interesting and mysterious remnants of this era are the so-called cart ruts as they can be seen at a place on Malta called Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction (Malta)
Misrah Ghar il-Kbir is a prehistoric site in Malta near the Dingli Cliffs. It is best known for its "cart ruts" - a complex network of tracks gouged in the rock. The age and purpose of the tracks are still a mystery of Maltese history...
. These are pairs of parallel channels cut into the surface of the rock, and extending for considerable distances, often in an exactly straight line. Their exact use is unknown. One suggestion is that beasts of burden used to pull carts along, and these channels would guide the carts and prevent the animals from straying.
Phoenicians and Greeks
The society that built these structures eventually died out or at any rate disappeared. Phoenicians from Tyre colonized the islands around 1000 BC, using them as an outpost from which they expanded sea explorations and trade in the Mediterranean. They named the island Malat ("refuge") and lived in the area now occupied by the city of MdinaMdina
Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly...
and its suburb Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
.
In the late 8th century BC, a Greek colony called Melite (from the Doric Greek
Doric Greek
Doric or Dorian was a dialect of ancient Greek. Its variants were spoken in the southern and eastern Peloponnese, Crete, Rhodes, some islands in the southern Aegean Sea, some cities on the coasts of Asia Minor, Southern Italy, Sicily, Epirus and Macedon. Together with Northwest Greek, it forms the...
word for "honeybee") was founded on the main island. The name is thought to be in reference to an endemic species of bee on the island, and the distinctive honey it produces.
Carthage and Rome
The islands later came under the control of CarthageCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
(400 BC) and then of Rome
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
(218 BC). The islands prospered under Roman rule, and were eventually distinguished as a Municipium
Municipium
Municipium , the prototype of English municipality, was the Latin term for a town or city. Etymologically the municipium was a social contract between municipes, the "duty holders," or citizens of the town. The duties, or munera, were a communal obligation assumed by the municipes in exchange for...
and a Foederata Civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
. Many Roman antiquities still exist, testifying to the close link between the Maltese inhabitants and the people of Rome.
In AD
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
60, the New Testament records that Saint Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
was shipwrecked on an island named Melite, which many Bible scholars and Maltese conflate with Malta; there is a tradition that the shipwreck took place on the shores of the aptly named "Saint Paul's Bay
St. Paul's Bay
Saint Paul's Bay is a town in Malta, situated in the north east of the island of Malta, sixteen kilometres from the capital city Valletta.Its name refers to the shipwreck of Saint Paul, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles, due to the tradition that Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the isles,...
".
In 440 the island was captured by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
, which had recently occupied the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
province of Africa
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
. It was recovered by the east Roman
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
general Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
in 533, along with the other Vandal possessions, and remained a part of the east Roman province of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
for the next 340 years.
Arab Period
Malta was occupied by the FatimidsHistory of Islam in southern Italy
The history of Islam in southern Italy begins with the Islamic conquest and subsequent rule of Sicily and Malta, a process that started in the 9th century. Islamic rule over Sicily was effective from 902, and the complete rule of the island lasted from 965 until 1061...
, who exerted 220 years of influence ( from 870 to 1090 CE/AD ) on the existing civilization. In addition to their language, Siculo-Arabic
Siculo-Arabic
Siculo-Arabic was a variety of Arabic spoken in Sicily and Malta between the ninth and the fourteenth centuries. It is extinct in Sicily, but it has developed into what is now the Maltese language on the islands of Malta....
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
and lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s and many new techniques in irrigation were introduced. Some of these, like the noria ("waterwheel"), are still used, unchanged, today. Many place names in Malta date to this period. The Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n city of Mdina
Mdina
Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly...
was extensively modified in this period.
Kingdom of Sicily
Between 1194 and 1530 the Kingdom of SicilyKingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
ruled the Maltese islands and a process of full latinisation
Romanization (cultural)
Romanization or latinization indicate different historical processes, such as acculturation, integration and assimilation of newly incorporated and peripheral populations by the Roman Republic and the later Roman Empire...
started in Malta.
In 1091, count Roger I of Sicily
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
, made an initial attempt to establish Norman rule of Malta and was greeted by the few native Christians. In 1127, his son Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
succeeded. This marked the gradual change from an Arab cultural influence to a European one. In 1191, Tancred of Sicily
Tancred of Sicily
Tancred was King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was an illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia, the eldest son of King Roger II, and of Emma, daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce...
appointed Margaritus of Brindisi
Margaritus of Brindisi
Margaritus of Brindisi , called the new Neptune, was the last great ammiratus ammiratorum of Sicily...
the first Count of Malta
Count of Malta
The County of Malta was a Feudal Lordship of the Kingdom of Sicily, relating to the islands of Malta and Gozo. Malta was essentially a fief within the kingdom, with the title given by Tancred of Sicily the last Norman king of Sicily to Margaritus of Brindisi in 1190 who earned acclaim as the Grand...
. Until the 1224 AD/CE, however, there remained a strong Muslim segment of society.
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
for nearly 440 years.
During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the rulers of Swabia, Anjou
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
, the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, the Crown of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, and Spain. Eventually the Crown of Aragon, which then ruled Malta, joined with Castile in 1479, and Malta became part of the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
.
Malta's administration thus fell in the hands of local nobility who formed a governing body called the Università.
After the Norman conquest
Norman conquest of southern Italy
The Norman conquest of southern Italy spanned the late eleventh and much of the twelfth centuries, involving many battles and many independent players conquering territories of their own...
the population of the Maltese islands kept growing mainly through immigration from the north (Sicily and Italy), with the exile to Malta of the entire male population of the town of Celano
Celano
Celano is a town and comune in the Province of L'Aquila, central Italy, east of Rome by rail.-Geography:Celano rises on the top of a hill in the territory of Marsica, below the mountain range of Sirente. It faces the valley of Fucino, once filled by the large Fucine Lake, which was drained during...
(Italy) in 1223, the stationing of a Norman and Sicilian garrison on Malta in 1240 and the settlement in Malta of noble families from Sicily between 1372 and 1450. As a consequence of this one major academic study found that "the contemporary males of Malta most likely originated from Southern Italy, including Sicily and up to Calabria".
Knights of St. John
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
started spreading over the region, reaching South-East Europe. The Spanish king Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
feared that if Rome fell to the Turks, it would be the end of Christian Europe. In 1522, Suleiman II drove the Knight Hospitallers of St. John out of Rhodes. They dispersed to their commanderies in Europe. Wanting to protect Rome from invasion from the South, in 1530, Charles V handed over the island to these Knights.
For the next 275 years, these famous "Knights of Malta" made the island their domain and made the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
official. They built towns, palaces, churches, gardens, and fortifications and embellished the island with numerous works of art and enhanced cultural heritage.
The order of the Knights of St. John was originally established to set up outposts along the route to the Holy Land, to assist pilgrims going in either direction. Owing to the many confrontations that took place, one of their main tasks was to provide medical assistance, and even today the eight-pointed cross is still in wide use in ambulances and first aid organisations. In return for the many lives they saved, the Order received many newly conquered territories that had to be defended. Together with the need to defend the pilgrims in their care, this gave rise to the strong military wing of the Knights. Over time, the Order became strong and rich. From hospitallers first and military second, these priorities reversed. Since much of the territory they covered was around the Mediterranean region, they became notable seamen.
The Great Siege
From Malta the knights resumed their seaborne attacks of Ottoman shipping, and before long the Sultan Suleyman the MagnificentSuleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
ordered a final attack on the Order. By this time the Knights had occupied the city of Birgu
Birgu
Birgu is an ancient city in Malta. It played a vital role in the Siege of Malta in 1565. Its population stood at 2,633 in December 2008.-History:...
, which had excellent harbours to house their fleet. Also Birgu was one of the two major urban places at that time, the other most urban place being Mdina
Mdina
Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly...
the old capital city of Malta. The defences around Birgu were enhanced and new fortifications built on the other point where now there is Senglea
Senglea
Senglea is a fortified city in the east of Malta, mainly in the Grand Harbour area. It is one of the Three Cities in the east of Malta, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa. The city of Senglea is also called Civitas Invicta, because it managed to resist the Ottoman invasion at the Great...
. Also a small fort was built at the tip of the peninsula where the city of Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
now stands and was named Fort St. Elmo.
On 18 May 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to Malta. By the time the Ottoman fleet arrived the Knights were as ready as they could be. First the Ottomans attacked the newly built fort of St. Elmo and after a whole month of fighting the fort was in rubble and the soldiers kept fighting till the Turks ended their lives. After this they started attacking Birgu and the fortifications at Senglea but to no gain.
After a protracted siege ended on 8 September of the same year, which became known in history as "the Great Siege
Siege of Malta (1565)
The Siege of Malta took place in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire invaded the island, then held by the Knights Hospitaller .The Knights, together with between 4-5,000 Maltese men,...
", the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
conceded defeat as the approaching winter storms threatened to prevent them from leaving. The Ottoman empire had expected an easy victory within weeks. They had 40,000 men arrayed against the Knights' nine thousand, most of them Maltese soldiers and simple citizens bearing arms. Their loss of thousands of men was very demoralising. The Ottomans made no further significant military advances in Europe and the Sultan died a few years later.
After the War
The year after, the Order started work on a new city with fortifications like no other, on a peninsula called Gholja Sciberras which the Ottomans had used as a base during the siege. It was named VallettaValletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
after Jean Parisot de Valette, the Grand Master who had seen the Order through its victory. Since the Ottoman Empire never attacked again, the fortifications were never put to the test, and today remain one of the best-preserved fortifications of this period.
Unlike other rulers of the island, the Order of St. John did not have a "home country" outside the island. The island became their home, so they invested in it more heavily than any other power. Besides, its members came from noble families, and had amassed considerable fortune due to their services in the route to the Holy Land. The architectural and artistic remains of this period remain among the greatest of Malta's history, especially in their "prize jewel" — the city of Valletta.
However, as their main raison d'être had ceased to exist, the Order's glory days were over.
French conquest
Over the years, the power of the Knights declined; their reign ended in 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte's expeditionary fleet stopped off there en route to his Egyptian expedition. Napoleon asked for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and when they refused to supply him with water, Napoleon Bonaparte sent a division to scale the hills of Valletta. Grand Master HompeschFerdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim
Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim was the 71st Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the first German to be elected to the office....
capitulated.
During his very short stay (six days), Napoleaon accomplished quite a of reforms, notably the creation of a new administration with a Government Commission, the creation of twelve municipalities, the setting up of a public finance administration, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges, the abolition of slavery and the granting of freedom to all Turkish slaves (2000 in all). On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated. Public education was organised along principles laid down by Bonaparte himself, providing for primary and secondary education. Fifteen primary schools were founded and the university was replaced by an ’Ecole centrale’ in which there were eight chairs, all very scientific in outlook: notably, arithmetic and stereometry, algebra and stereotomy, geometry and astronomy, mechanics and physics, navigation, chemistry, etc.
He then sailed for Egypt leaving a substantial garrison in Malta. Since the Order had also been growing unpopular with the local Maltese, the latter initially viewed the French with optimism. This illusion did not last long. Within months the French were closing convents and seizing church treasures. The Maltese people rebelled, and the French garrison of General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. On 20 August 1808 he was created Comte de Belgrand de Vaubois...
retreated into Valletta. After several failed attempts by the locals to retake Valletta, they asked the British for assistance. Rear Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson decided on a total blockade, and in 1800 the French garrison surrendered.
British rule
In 1800, Malta voluntarily became part of the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Under the terms of the 1802
Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
, Britain was supposed to evacuate the island, but failed to keep this obligation – one of several mutual cases of non-adherence to the treaty, which eventually led to its collapse and the resumption of war between Britain and France.
Although initially the island was not given much importance, its excellent harbours became a prized asset for the British, especially after the opening of the Suez canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. The island became a military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet.
Home rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
was refused to the Maltese until 1921 although a partly elected legislative council was created as early as 1849, and the locals sometimes suffered considerable poverty. This was due to the island being overpopulated and largely dependent on British military expenditure which varied with the demands of war. Throughout the 19th century, the British administration instituted several liberal constitutional reforms which were generally resisted by the Church and the Maltese elite who preferred to cling to their feudal privileges. Political organizations, like the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
, were created or had as one of their aims, the protection of the italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in Malta.
In 1919, there were riots over the excessive price of bread. These would lead to greater autonomy for the locals. Malta obtained a bicameral parliament
Parliament of Malta
The Parliament of the Republic of Malta is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta...
with a Senate (abolished in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. The Constitution was suspended twice. In 1930 it was suspended that a free and fair election would not be possible following a clash between the governing Constitutional Party
Constitutional Party (Malta)
The Constitutional Party was a Maltese political party which had representatives in the Maltese Legislative Assembly and Council of Government between 1921 and 1945 and 1950 and 1953, forming a government between 1927 and 1930 with the support of the Labour Party. A splinter group, the Progressive...
and the Church and the latter's subsequent imposition of mortal sin on voters of the party and its allies. In 1934 the Constitution was revoked over the Government's budgetary vote for the teaching of Italian in elementary schools.
Language issue
Before the arrival of the British, the official language since 1530 (and the one of the educated elite) had been Italian, but this was downgraded by the increased use of English. In 1934, English and MalteseMaltese language
Maltese is the national language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English,while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic...
were declared the sole official languages.
In 1934, only about 15% of the population could speak Italian fluently. This meant that out of 58,000 males qualified by age to be jurors, only 767 could qualify by language, as only Italian had till then been used in the courts. This injustice carried more weight than concerns over fascism.
World War II
Before World War II, Valletta was the location of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Mediterranean Fleet's headquarters. However, despite Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's objections, the command was moved to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, early in the war.[Elliot] At the time of the Italian declaration of war (10 June 1940), Malta had a garrison of less than four thousand soldiers and about five weeks' of food supplies for the population of about three hundred thousand. In addition, Malta's air defences consisted of about forty-two anti-aircraft guns (thirty-four "heavy" and eight "light") and four Gloster Gladiator
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
s, for which three pilots were available.
Being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces. Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian navy and had a submarine base. It was also used as a listening post, reading German radio messages including Enigma traffic.
The first air raids against Malta occurred on 11 June 1940; there were six attacks that day. The island's biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s were unable to defend due to the Luqa Airfield
RAF Luqa
Royal Air Force Luqa was a flying station and location of RAF Mediterranean Command headquarters of the Royal Air Force on the island of Malta during World War II...
being unfinished; however, the airfield was ready by the seventh attack. Initially, the Italians would fly at about 5,500 m, then they dropped down to three thousand metres (in order to improve the accuracy of their bombs). Major Paine stated, "[After they dropped down], we bagged one or two every other day, so they started coming in at [six thousand metres]. Their bombing was never very accurate. As they flew higher it became quite indiscriminate." Mabel Strickland
Mabel Strickland
Mabel Edeline Strickland, OBE was a Maltese journalist and politician, the daughter of Sir Gerald Strickland , the former Prime Minister of Malta....
would state, "The Italians decided they didn't like [the Gladiators and AA guns], so they dropped their bombs [thirty kilometres] off Malta and went back."
By the end of August, the Gladiators were reinforced by twelve Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s which had arrived via HMS Argus. During the first five months of combat, the island's aircraft destroyed or damaged about thirty-seven Italian aircraft. Italian fighter pilot Francisco Cavalera observed, "Malta was really a big problem for us—very well-defended." On Malta, 330 people had been killed and 297 were seriously wounded. In January 1941, the German X. Fliegerkorps
10th Air Corps (Germany)
X. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization was a formation of the German Luftwaffe in World War II, which specialised in coastal operations. It was formed 2 October 1939, in Hamburg from the 10...
arrived in Sicily as the Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
arrived in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.
On 15 April 1942, King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
awarded the George Cross (the highest civilian award for gallantry) "to the island fortress of Malta — its people and defenders." President Franklin Roosevelt, describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny bright flame in the darkness."
Attempted integration with the United Kingdom
After World War II, the islands achieved self-rule, with the Malta Labour Party (MLP) of Dom MintoffDom Mintoff
Dom Mintoff is a Maltese politician, journalist and architect, who served as leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958 and again, post-Independence, from 1971 to...
seeking either full integration with the UK or else "self-determination (independence), and the Partit Nazzjonalista
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
(PN) of Dr. George Borg Olivier favouring independence, with the same "dominion status" that Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoyed.
In December 1955, a Round Table Conference was held in London, on the future of Malta, attended by Mintoff, Borg Olivier and other Maltese politicians, along with the British Colonial Secretary
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Alan Lennox-Boyd. The British government agreed to offer the islands their own representation in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, with the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
taking over responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office.
Under the proposals, the Maltese Parliament would retain responsibility over all affairs except defence, foreign policy, and taxation. The Maltese were also to have social and economic parity with the UK, to be guaranteed by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), the islands' main source of employment. A referendum was held on 14 February 1956, in which 77.02 per cent of voters were in favour of the proposal, but owing to a boycott by the Nationalist Party, only 59.17 per cent of the electorate voted, thereby rendering the result inconclusive.
In addition, the decreasing strategic importance of Malta to the Royal Navy meant that the British government was increasingly reluctant to maintain the naval dockyards. Following a decision by the Admiralty to dismiss 40 workers at the dockyard, Mintoff declared that "representatives of the Maltese people in Parliament declare that they are no longer bound by agreements and obligations toward the British government..." In response, the Colonial Secretary sent a cable to Mintoff, stating that he had "recklessly hazarded" the whole integration plan. This led to the islands being placed under direct rule from London, with the MLP abandoning support for integration and now advocating independence.
While France had implemented a similar policy in its colonies, some of which became overseas departments, the status offered to Malta from Britain constituted a unique exception. Malta was the only British colony where integration with the UK was seriously considered, and subsequent British governments have ruled out integration for remaining overseas territories, such as Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
.
Independence
On 21 September 1964, Malta became an independent state. This is celebrated as Independence Day or Jum l-Indipendenza in MalteseMaltese language
Maltese is the national language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English,while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic...
.
Republic Day
Malta became a republic on 13 December 1974, with the last Governor-General, Sir Anthony MamoAnthony Mamo
Sir Anthony Joseph Mamo, OBE, QC was the first President of Malta and previously served as the last Governor-General, representing Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta, when the country was a Commonwealth realm...
, as its first President
President of Malta
The President of Malta is the constitutional head of state of Malta.The President is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives of Malta for a five year term, taking an oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution....
. The Gieh ir-Repubblika Act, promulgated the following year, abolished all titles of nobility in Malta and mandated that they not be further recognized.
Freedom Day
On 1 April 1979 the last British forces left the island after the end of the economic pact to stabilise the Maltese economy. This is celebrated as Freedom Day (Jum Il-Ħelsien) on 31 March. Celebrations start with a ceremony in Floriana near the War Memorial. A popular event on this memorable day is the traditional regatta. The regatta is held at the Grand Harbour and the teams taking part in it give it their best shot to win the much coveted aggregate Regatta Shield.Constitutional amendment
The elections of 1971 saw the Malta Labour Party under Dom MintoffDom Mintoff
Dom Mintoff is a Maltese politician, journalist and architect, who served as leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958 and again, post-Independence, from 1971 to...
win by just over 4000 votes and again in 1976 by a slightly higher margin. Between 1976 and 1981 Malta went through difficult times and the Labour government demanded that the Maltese were to tighten their belts in order to overcome the difficulties Malta was facing. There were shortages of essential items; the water and electricity supplies were systematically suspended for two or three days a week. Political tensions increased, notably on Black Monday
Black Monday (Malta)
Black Monday in Malta refers to 15 October 1979 when the Progress Press and the home of Eddie Fenech Adami, then Leader of the Opposition, were ransacked following a rally by Labour Party.-Background:...
when following an attempted assassination of the Prime Minister, the Times of Malta's premises were burned to the ground and the house of the Leader of Opposition was attacked.
The 1981 general elections saw the PN gaining an absolute majority of votes, yet the MLP winning the majority of Parliamentary seats under the Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
and Mintoff remained Prime Minister, leading to a constitutional crisis. The PN, now led by Eddie Fenech Adami
Eddie Fenech Adami
Edward “Eddie” Fenech Adami is a Maltese politician who was Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and again from 1998 until 2004...
, mounted a campaign demanding that Parliament should reflect the democratic will of the people; despite this, the MLP government remained in power for the full five year term. Mintoff resigned as Prime Minister and appointed Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici as his successor in 1984. After a five-year debate, Dr. Fenech Adami reached an agreement with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici to change the constitution whereby the party that won an absolute majority of votes had the right to govern, irrespective of the parliamentary seats won in constituencies. The general elections that followed in 1987 saw the PN achieve such a majority of votes. The new PN administration sought to improve Malta's ties with Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and the United States.
EU membership
The Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
advocated Malta's membership in the European Union presenting an application on 16 July 1990. This became a divisive issue, with Labour
Malta Labour Party
The Labour Party is, along with the Nationalist Party, one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. It is the party of opposition in the Maltese House of Representatives where it has thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats.- Party Structure :...
opposing membership. Labour
Malta Labour Party
The Labour Party is, along with the Nationalist Party, one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. It is the party of opposition in the Maltese House of Representatives where it has thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats.- Party Structure :...
won the 1996 general election and Malta's application was frozen. On being returned to office in 1998 the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
reactivated the application. Malta was formally accepted as a candidate country at the Helsinki summit of December 1999.
Negotiations were concluded late in 2002 and a referendum on membership in 2003
Maltese European Union membership referendum, 2003
The 2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum took place on Saturday, 8 March 2003 to decide whether Malta should join the European Union . A narrow majority voted in favour of joining but the opposition Labour Party rejected the result of the referendum...
saw 90.86% casting a valid vote of which 53.65% were "yes" votes. Labour
Malta Labour Party
The Labour Party is, along with the Nationalist Party, one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. It is the party of opposition in the Maltese House of Representatives where it has thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats.- Party Structure :...
stated that it would not be bound by this result were it returned to power in the following general election that year. In the circumstances, elections were called and the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
won another mandate
Maltese general election, 2003
General elections were held in Malta on 12 April 2003. They were won by the Nationalist Party on a pro-EU platform....
. The accession treaty was signed and ratified and Malta joined the EU on 1 May 2004. A consensus on membership was subsequently achieved with Labour
Malta Labour Party
The Labour Party is, along with the Nationalist Party, one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. It is the party of opposition in the Maltese House of Representatives where it has thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats.- Party Structure :...
saying it would respect this result.
In the context of EU membership, Malta joined the eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
on 1 January 2008.
See also
- Arab-Norman cultureArab-Norman cultureThe term Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture, Norman-Sicilian culture or, less inclusive, Arab-Norman culture respectively Norman-Arab culture, refers to the interaction of the Norman, Arab and Byzantine culture following the Norman conquest of Sicily from 1061, to around 1250...
- Culture of MaltaCulture of MaltaThe culture of Malta is the culture of the Maltese islanders and reflects various societies that have come into contact with the Maltese Islands throughout the centuries, including neighbouring Mediterranean cultures, and the cultures of the nations that ruled Malta for long periods of time prior...
- History of the Jews in MaltaHistory of the Jews in MaltaThe history of the Jews in Malta can be traced back to approximately 62 CE. Most contemporary Maltese Jews are Sefardic, however an Ashkenazic prayer book is used.-Antiquity:...
- History of EuropeHistory of EuropeHistory of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...
- List of Prime Ministers of Malta
- List of heads of state of Malta
- Malta SummitMalta SummitThe Malta Summit consisted of a meeting between U.S. President George H. W. Bush and U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev, taking place between December 2-3 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was their second meeting following a meeting that included then President Ronald...
- Monarchs of MaltaMonarchs of MaltaThe Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo have been ruled by Phoenician, Byzantine and Roman aristocrats, before passing to various European monarchies. Foreign monarchical rule over Malta lasted a total of 874 years...
- Operation PedestalOperation PedestalOperation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
- Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
- Politics of MaltaPolitics of MaltaThe politics of Malta takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malta is the constitutional head of state. Executive Authority is vested in the President of Malta with the general direction and control of the Government of Malta...
- Timeline of Maltese historyTimeline of Maltese historyThis is a timeline of Maltese history, listing the key dates and events from the history of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. For background information on the events, refer to History of Malta...