Great Siege of Malta is one of my favorite battles in of the early modern period. It was a battle fought in CE 1565 between the Ottomans and the Knights of St. John, the battle was a very bloody battle. The Knights won despite the number of men on the Ottomans side. I looked up the statistics of the siege and the Ottoman's advantage in men is staggering: The attackers: The Ottomans 6,000 Spahis (cavalry) 500 Spahis from Karamania 6,000 Janissaries 400 adventurers from Mytheline 2,500 Spahis from Rouania 3,500 adventurers from Rouania 6,000 volunteers 4,000 "religious fanatics" Various corsairs from Tripoli and Algiers Total: 28,500 from the East, 48,000 in all The the Maltese Defenders: The Knights of St. John 500 Knights Hospitaller 400 Spanish soldiers 800 Italian soldiers 500 soldiers from the galleys 200 Greek and Sicilian soldiers 100 soldiers of the garrison of Fort St. Elmo 100 servants of the knights 500 galley slaves 3,000 soldiers drawn from the Maltese population Total: 6,100 It's an near impossible battle in my mind how could the knights have won? Even if most of the Ottomans forces where militia and mercenaries. Well, as an old friend of mine says, "It may seem improbable but nothing is impossible." Let us dive deeper into the history of this siege. There was a really famous fort on the island called Fort St. Elmo, It garrisoned 100 knights. Well the Ottomans placed three dozen large guns on Mt. Sciberras and bombarded on the fort. The Turk's plan was to destroy the fort and capture in within a week. Despite the large Ottoman artillery bombarding the fort weeks on end, Elmo was able to hold out for an entire mouth. After Elmo fell The Ottomans marched to the remains of the fort and captured what was left of it, 8000 Turks died in the capture. Most of the surviving knights where killed, a total of over 1,500 Maltese men. 9 knights where captured by spahis and were held hostage, and 5 other men jumped from the fort and swam to safety. Then as word of the siege spread into the rest of Europe Queen Elizabeth I remarked "If the Turks should prevail against the Isle of Malta, it is uncertain what further peril might follow to the rest of Christendom" However no support was given to Malta. The fighting resumed and for the next few months the Ottomans keep attacking but by September the Ottomans where in retreat. As they where packing the artillery the hot-headed knights of Malta randomly charged the Ottoman ending in a slather of the retreating Ottomans. In the end Malta lost a third of its population and the Ottomans lost 35,000 men. The Ottomans never tried to besiege Malta again. If your a fan of the story of the Great Siege of Malta check our these items of fiction of the event: * Angels in Iron by Nicholas Prata remains faithful to the historical narrative and tells the story from a distinctly Catholic point of view. * The novel Ironfire: An Epic Novel of Love and War by David Ball is the story of kidnapping, slavery and revenge leading up to the siege of Malta. It takes a somewhat less sympathetic view of the Catholic Knights Hospitaller and maintains a more romantic approach. (British edition called,"The Sword and the Scimitar") * The novel The Religion by Tim Willocks (2006) tells the story of the siege through the eyes of a fictional mercenary called Mattias Tannhauser, who is on Malta fighting (at times) alongside the Knights (referred to primarily as The Religion), while trying to locate the bastard son of a Maltese noblewoman. In this attempt his opponent is a high-ranking member of the Inquisition. The story presents a picture of both sides of the conflict without romanticising or sanitising the content for modern consumption. * The novel Blood Rock by James Jackson tells the story of the siege with a focus on a fictional English mercenary called Christian Hardy. Throughout the siege, Hardy works to discover the identity of the traitor within The Religion who works to ensure a Moslem victory. The traitor works on behalf of the French king, Francis I, who believed that peace with the Ottoman Empire was in the French interest and that the marauding Knights Hospitaller, by annoying the Sultan, threatened the security of France. * It is the main plot of Pirates of Christ, the historical novel by Edward Lamond. * Dorothy Dunnett in "The Disorderly Knights" (book 3 of "The Lymond Chronicle") gives a detailed fiction account of the events of 1551 in Malta, Gozo and Tripoli. Although several of the characters are fictional, the bulk of the personages are historical. I hope this was interesting to you and NOT drop dead boring. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I do know a lot about the siege. ~FabianScarus
You've posted this article like 3 times on this site...
Yes, once in the History research section, then someone told me to move Musaeum it to the so I did. Now it's in the group discussions for any group member to see.
Does anybody knows what are the best books on Siege of Malta??
Angels in Iron is really neat. Then again I'm Catholic...
Didn't the Knights of Saint John employ flaming hoop throwers? I believe they lit these hoops on fire and rolled them towards the Janniseries. It is kind of interesting as this is the only place I have heard of such weapons being used...
Yes an exotic and interesting weapon!
So what kinds of weapons would the Knights have used during this siege?
