History

Malta was first settled around 5,200 BC — farmers from Sicily crossed the 80 km wide strait, bringing grain, livestock, and pottery. The Temple Phase (3,600–2,500 BC) is the most fascinating chapter of Maltese prehistory: A Neolithic society without writing, metal, or the wheel erected the oldest free-standing structures of humanity.

The Temple Culture

Between 3,600 and 2,500 BC, at least 30 monumental temple complexes were built on Malta and Gozo, seven of which are now UNESCO World Heritage sites: Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien, Ġgantija (Gozo), Ta' Ħaġrat, Skorba, and the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni. The temples had cloverleaf-shaped layouts, were constructed from massive limestone blocks (up to 20 tons), and likely served the cult of a fertility goddess — as suggested by the numerous "Fat Lady" figures.

Around 2,500 BC, the temple culture abruptly ended — and no one knows why. The islands were then settled by a Bronze Age culture that practiced cremation and no longer built temples. Climate change, overpopulation, or epidemics? The mystery remains unsolved.

Phoenicians, Romans & Arabs

From around 800 BC, the Phoenicians colonized Malta as a trading post — their name "Malet" (refuge) gave the island its current name. The Phoenicians left behind tombs, pottery, and the Semitic linguistic tradition that lives on in today's Maltese.

The Romans (218 BC – 395 AD) made Malta a prosperous province. The famous Roman villa in Rabat (Domus Romana) with its exquisite mosaics testifies to the wealth of the era. According to tradition, the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked on Malta in 60 AD — an event that still shapes the island today and made Paul its patron saint.

After Vandals and Byzantines, the Arabs conquered Malta around 870 AD. They fortified Mdina (their name: "Medina"), introduced irrigation technology, citrus fruits, and cotton. Their most important legacy is the Maltese language: Maltese is an Arabic dialect with strong Italian and English influences — the only Semitic language written in Latin script.

Normans & Medieval Malta

1091 saw the Norman Count Roger I of Sicily conquer Malta from the Arabs — the beginning of the Christian reconquest. Malta became part of the Kingdom of Sicily and changed hands among various European rulers over the following centuries. The medieval period left behind the fortified city of Mdina, numerous village churches, and a feudal societal structure that was only dissolved in the 19th century.

The golden age of Malta began in 1530 when Emperor Charles V granted the islands to the Sovereign Military Order of the Hospital of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta) as a fief — for the symbolic annual rent of a Maltese falcon.

The Knights Arrive (1530)

The Knights Hospitaller were a military-religious order that had defended the Holy Land since the Crusades and then Rhodes. After being expelled from Rhodes by the Ottomans (1522), they were homeless — until Malta was offered to them. The knights transformed the islands into one of the most heavily fortified regions in the world.

The Great Siege (1565)

On May 18, 1565, 40,000 Ottoman soldiers under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent landed on Malta to destroy the knights. The defenders: 8,000 men — 500 knights, 4,000 Maltese soldiers, and Spanish mercenaries. What followed was one of the most epic sieges in military history.

For four months, the defenders held out. Fort St. Elmo fell after 31 days of heroic resistance — the Ottomans lost 8,000 men for a small fortress. Grand Master Jean de Valette personally fought on the walls of Birgu (Vittoriosa). On September 8, a Sicilian relief force arrived, and the exhausted Ottomans withdrew. Malta had repelled the onslaught of the world's most powerful empire — and became famous overnight throughout Europe.

Valletta is Built (1566–1571)

Immediately after the siege, Grand Master Jean de Valette began constructing a new, impregnable fortress city on the Sciberras peninsula: Valletta, "the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen." Europe's best military engineers planned the city on the drawing board — a grid of streets flanked by bastions and a deep moat. In just five years, the basic structure was completed. The knights ruled Malta for another 230 years, leaving behind palaces, churches, fortifications, and the Co-Cathedral as their masterpieces.

Napoleon & the British

1798 saw Napoleon conquer Malta on his way to Egypt — in just three days, without much resistance. The knights capitulated ignominiously. Napoleon's troops looted the churches and palaces, sparking a popular uprising. The Maltese asked the British for help — and they did not need to be asked twice.

1800–1964: British Crown Colony
Malta became one of the most important naval bases of the British Empire — the Grand Harbour housed the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet. The British introduced English as an official language, left-hand traffic, post boxes, pubs, and a legal system that still applies today.

World War II: "The Island that Would Not Surrender"

Malta's most heroic chapter. From 1940 to 1943, Malta was one of the most bombed places in the world. The Axis powers (Italy and Germany) dropped over 15,000 tons of bombs — more than during the entire Blitz on London. The goal: to starve the strategic island and eliminate the British Mediterranean fleet. The Maltese lived for months in rock caves and tunnels, food became scarce. Yet they did not surrender.

On April 15, 1942, King George VI awarded the entire Maltese people the George Cross for their heroism — an unprecedented honor. The George Cross is still depicted on the Maltese flag and is a source of deep national pride.

Independence & EU

On September 21, 1964, Malta became independent from Britain. In 1974, it became a republic, and in 1979, the last British troops left the island. In 2004, Malta joined the EU, and in 2008, it adopted the Euro. Today, Malta is one of the smallest but economically most dynamic EU countries — with tourism, financial services, online gaming, and a growing tech scene as its economic pillars.