Knights vs Ottomans: The Great Siege of Malta
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What was the strategic importance of Malta in the 16th‑century Mediterranean?
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It was 1565, and the fate of the Mediterranean hung in the balance. Standing in their way here were the Knights of St. John, just 500 of them and a few thousand Maltese soldiers and civilians. The Knights' leader was Jean de Valette, a battle-hardened warhorse, a veteran, a grand master in his 70s. And there'd be nothing gentlemanly about this fight. For four brutal months, Harbours around me now became killing grounds. Cannon fire shook the island day and night. Time and again, the Ottomans launched assault after assault, particularly on Fort St. Elmo, which is standing behind me now across the harbour. Again and again, the defenders refused to break. They fought back and they stopped the Ottomans in their tracks.
This is one of history's greatest David and Goliath stories. And today, on Dan Snow's History Hit, I'm in Malta to tell you all about it. It's a beautiful summer's evening. The air is balmy. the sun is setting over the letter, I'm standing underneath the massive ramparts of Fort St Angelo and that's where I'm meeting Kirsty Greke, a curator with Heritage Malta because this is where everything reached a crisis all those centuries ago. So join us for this tale of clashing empires as we discover how this little island shaped the fate of Europe in the 16th century. Kirsty, good to see you.
Good to see you as well.
It's so exciting doing a podcast right here where it all happened. Give me a sense just quickly what was going on at the height of the siege here in 1565. What would you have seen around us now?
It would be complete madness, to be honest.
How did the Ottoman fleet under Suleiman the Magnificent arrive and begin the siege in 1565?
Soldiers running around, preparing all the provisions, all the supplies. The Grand Master here at the very top, you know, giving all the instructions and all the orders. And just the sea filled with boats of people crossing the harbour.
Enemy really all around us 360 degrees?
Yes,
yes for
sure and going to the top and being able to have a perfect clear view of what's happening at St. Elmo and being able to redirect all the orders to the troops here and over there.
Let's go back to the beginning. Malta, it's a very small place and yet it plays a big part in history. We seem to hear about it a lot. Why, talking about the geography, why does Malta matter?
Because we're sitting right at the center of the Mediterranean. So it's always been, throughout history, everyone has always wanted to take over Malta because its strategic value is immeasurable.
So Sicily, 80 kilometers to the north and North Africa,
very close as well
very close and then it's amazing it's almost the same distance is it from from gibraltar to well gaza to the sewers canal today it's pretty much exactly in the middle isn't it
so yes and so that has always been the goal for a lot of empires and a lot of uh people that they wanted to make sure they have more doubt that they could control the trade routes
And then Valletta, which we're looking out on now, the harbour is an amazing natural harbour, which is quite a rare thing. You can get sailing here and no matter which direction the wind's coming from, you're going to be okay.
Yes, and it's a very deep harbour
as
well. So that was one of the reasons why the Order of St John wanted it as well. It made a lot of sense for them.
Tell me about these knights. Who are these people and why are they running Malta?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What was the strategic importance of Malta in the 16th‑century Mediterranean?
0:00–2:30
2
How did the Ottoman fleet under Suleiman the Magnificent arrive and begin the siege in 1565?
2:30–11:01
3
Who were the Knights of St John and why did they accept Malta as their new base?
11:01–15:22
4
What fortifications did the Knights build at Fort St Angelo and surrounding peninsulas?
15:22–18:55
5
How did the early assaults on Fort St Elmo unfold and why was its fall so pivotal?
18:55–25:16
6
What tactics did Grand Master Jean de Valette use to wear down the Ottoman army?
25:16–28:28
7
How did the September 1565 relief force change the outcome of the siege?
28:28–29:47