Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 11 September 1565
- The Grand Master of the Order of Malta Jean Parisot de Valette, who was also a Knight Hospitaller, led defense of Malta during the Turkish siege. According to reports, he showed great personal commitment, and gained glory after the mentioned defense. It is interesting to note that Valletta, the capital of Malta, was named after him.
This day in 1565 marked the end of the famous Siege of Malta, which resulted in a Christian victory.
It was one of the largest siege battles during the wars in the Mediterranean (between Ottoman Turks and Christians).
The siege lasted about four months, and the Ottomans failed to conquer Malta – a very important Christian stronghold in the Mediterranean – despite their military superiority (they had more troops than the Christians).
The Knights Hospitaller defended Malta during the siege. They are also known as the Knights of Malta because their headquarters were located in Malta (they were located in Jerusalem, on the Rhodes island, and since 1530 in Malta).
The Grand Master of the Order of Malta Jean Parisot de Valette, who was also a Knight Hospitaller, led defense of Malta during the Turkish siege.
According to reports, he showed great personal commitment, and gained glory after the mentioned defense. It is interesting to note that Valletta, the capital of Malta, was named after him.
The former Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the attack on Malta. The fleet, which sailed from Constantinople to Malta, was one of the largest fleets at the time. It seems that the total number of Turkish troops was eight times bigger than the number of defenders.
At the time, Suleiman the Magnificent was 70 years old. He died in 1566, during the Siege of Szigetvár, defended by Nikola Zrinski.
The area of Malta covers 246 square kilometers. Over 6,000 people defended the island during the siege, and there were about 48,000 attackers.
