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The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 8 September 1565.
At dawn on 18 May 1565, an invasion, which became known as the Siege of Malta, began when a fleet of Ottoman ships arrived at the island and docked at Marsaxlokk harbour. It was the job of the Knights of Malta, led by Jean Parisot de Valette, to protect the island from the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman armada arrived off Malta in May 1565 and anchored at Marsaxlokk close to Fort St. Elmo at the entrance to Grand Harbour. The sheer scale of the force—around 180 ships and 40,000 soldiers—may have been one reason why it took so long to invade.
The Siege of Malta did little, if anything, to alter the balance of power in the Mediterranean, but it was the first true defeat of the Ottoman Empire in a century and lifted European morale immeasurably.
The Great Siege of Malta of 1565 is considered to be the most represented military happening in 16th-century cartography. These maps are evidence of unprecedented and remarkable...
1 lip 2019 · In 1565, forces from Suleiman the Magnificent’s expanding Ottoman Empire launched an invasion to capture the island from the Knights Hospitaller, an order of military monks originally formed for service in the Holy Land.
The Great Siege and the Hospitallers’ triumph immediately gave Malta international recognition and a place on the map. The event sparked interest among travellers from the rest of Europe and led to representation in arts and literature.
