The Great Siege of Malta and hope for European history

The Great Siege of Malta refers to the period of history in which the Ottomans invaded the Maltese islands in the year 1565 in hopes of gaining control of the archipelago to begin their conquering of mainland Europe. The knights of Saint John, under the leadership of Jean Parisot de Valette, succeeded and came out victorious over the Ottomans after four months of ruthless fighting, assuring the safety of Europe for years to come. This battle is seen as one of the cruelest and most harsh battles in history, and a turning point in European history, one whose effects can still be seen today.

The rising ambitions of the great Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire was one of history’s greatest and most powerful dynasties. This Islamic power ruled over large parts of the middle east, eastern Europe and north Africa for more than six hundred years. The leader of this great empire was the sultan, a leader with absolute religious, political and military power. The Ottoman Empire saw its highest peak between 1520 and 1566, this period was marked with great power, stability and wealth. A few years earlier, in 1517, the Sultan Selim I brought Syria, Arabia, Palestine and Egypt under Ottoman control, and it seemed that there was no one who could beat their military strength.

Years later, when the Ottomans established and stabilized themselves in their newly conquered north African lands, they turned their sights towards Europe. From their strategic position on the Mediterranean coast, they could have easily invaded Italy or Spain, who were vulnerable at the time, but the Ottomans knew that Spain and Italy had far superior naval powers. Thus, they decided to invade the Maltese islands instead, and use them as a naval base as well as a steppingstone to conquer Sicily, which would then give them open access to Italy and mainland Europe. In 1551 the Ottomans invaded Gozo, but they failed to conquer the small island and retreated once they realized that they had underestimated the challenge they would face on their quest for Europe. They then waited a further 14 years before they invaded Malta once again in 1565.

Malta during the sixteenth century

In the year 1522, the time of the Crusades, the Knights of Saint John, who were based in Rhodes were kicked out of the island by the Ottomans, whose power was growing. Meanwhile, in the year 1530, King Charles V was fearing an Ottoman invasion of Rome, therefore he offered Malta to the Knights of Saint John, as their new base. To accept this offer the Knights came to an agreement with the King that they must assure the safety of southern Europe as well as Tripoli, part of Libya that was still under Christian control.

Once they arrived on the island, the Knights of Saint John based themselves in Birgu, a fortified city that had originally been built by the Phoenicians. Previously, all of Malta’s leading powers had their bases in Mdina, due to its superior fortifications and position in the middle of the island. But the Knights, due to their power coming from their naval forces, needed a city with a harbor, and thus chose Birgu, which thirty years later became neighbors with the city the Knights built, Valletta. When the great siege began, there were about 6,100 knights (including Spanish and Greek reinforcements) and 2,900 Maltese recruits. In total Maltese forces numbered at about 6,100 people to defend against the Ottomans, who had an army 48,000 men strong. A ratio of about 6 Ottomans per Maltese soldier.

After the attack on Gozo in 1551, the Knights of Saint John knew that another, stronger attack was imminent, thus, the Grand Master Juan de Homedes, order the strengthening of Fort Saint Angelo, as well as the building of two new forts, those of Saint Michael and Saint Elmo.

The siege

On the 18^th of May 1565, the Ottoman invasion of Malta began when a fleet of Ottoman ships landed in Marsaxlokk harbor, in the north of the island. The Maltese, seeing that the Ottoman forces were getting closer, took refuge in the fortified cities of Mdina, Isla and Birgu. Sultan Sueleymann’s army was lead by the admiral Piyale Pasha and the Grand Vizier Mustafa Pasha. The rivalry between the two became a public hatred once plans of the first attacks started to get drafted. Mustafa thought that attacking the capital of Mdina first would be the wisest option, but Piyale disagreed and said that they should instead attack Fort Saint Elmo, a quick operation that would make their siege of the capital more effective. Piyale’s argument eventually succeeded, and the Ottoman army went towards the forts. But instead of the quick operation that Piyale was expecting, it took the Ottoman forces weeks to gain control of the fort, which at that point was little more than rubble. Their army took great losses as they rid the fort of all its Maltese defenders, one of their losses was Admiral Turgut.

After this, Mustafa seized the opportunity and moved the army around the grand harbor, to avoid the well defended Fort Saint Angelo and instead attack Fort Saint Michael. But the intelligently planned attack on the fort failed, and the Ottomans suffered further losses. Then, the Ottomans proceeded to suffer the heaviest prolonged bombardment that history had seen up until that point.

In August, the order came through for the Ottoman army to attack with all the power available, so that they could finally take over the island once and for all. The Ottomans had almost succeeded in this when the Maltese army did something unprecedented and sent a small group of soldiers to attack an Ottoman camp. After this attack Mustafa was convinced that there were Spanish reinforcements that had arrived and ordered for the retreat of the big attacking forces, losing the advantage the Ottomans had gained.

The end of the siege

By the end of August, after many losses on the Ottoman side, Mustafa tried to use siege towers to make a breakthrough in Maltese defenses, but each time the towers were built they would be quickly demolished. By the time Mustafa realized that they were in for a long siege, news arrived of the arrival of Christian reinforcements on the north coast. In that moment, Mustafa realized that the battle was lost, and ordered his army to retreat to their ships and return home. But on the way back to their fleet, which was waiting one of the northern harbors, the Ottoman army ran into the Christian reinforcements and the two clashed in a bloody battle that severely diminished the Ottoman numbers. Less than half of the Ottomans that landed on Maltese shores in May were on the returning ships in September.

The siege had failed, and the Maltese received immense admiration from all of Europe, and funding to rebuild and construct a new city. For the Ottomans, this was the worst loss they’d faced in over a century, a loss that gave hope to all of Europe that the Turkish expansion could be stopped.

Europe after the siege

Whilst nowadays there is no certainty that the Ottoman attempt for Europe would have been successful had they been able to capture Malta, until recently, historians and all of society believed that the Maltese victory was crucial. Queen Elizabeth I said “Should the Ottomans gain control of Malta, it is uncertain what peril should befall the rest of Christendom”. We have no idea what today’s Europe would look like if Malta had been lost to the Ottomans. Maltese history would certainly look vastly different, Valletta, today’s capital, wouldn’t exist at all, having been built right after the siege to ensure the island’s safety, and the Maltese language would be completely Arabized, with none of the Latin influences we see in it today.

Europe itself would also be vastly different if the Ottomans gained control. Christianity and its importance would be greatly diminished if not completely erased, and the American continents, which were discovered and colonized shortly after the siege would have been under Ottoman rule from the beginning, completely changing them from the America we know today. The great siege of Malta came right before a time of great change in Europe, where everything was changing and nothing was certain. If the Ottomans had gained control of western Europe, a lot of modern creations, ideas and cultures would look completely different from those we know and love today.

Meredith Clare Zahra / S5ENA / EEB1

L-Assedju l-Kbir tal-1565 u l-effett tiegħu fuq l-istorja Ewropea

L-Assedju l-Kbir jirreferi għaż-żmien meta l-Ottomani invadew il-Gżejjer Maltin fis-sena 1565 bit-tama li jieħdu kontroll tal-arċipelagu sabiex jibdew jieħdu wkoll partijiet mill-Ewropa. Il-Kavallieri, taħt it-tmexxija tal-Gran Mastru Jean Parisot de Valette, irnexxew u rebħu dan l-assedju wara erba’ xhur ta’ ġlied aħrax u li permezz tiegħu assiguraw is-sigurtà tal-Ewropa għal mijiet ta’ snin. Dan l-assedju huwa magħruf bħala wieħed mill-aktar battalji kiefra tal-istorja, u volta fl-istorja tal-Ewropa, waħda li għadha turi l-effetti tagħha sal-lum.

L-Ambizzjonijiet tal-Imperu Ottoman jikbru:

L-imperu Ottoman kien wieħed mill-ikbar imperi tad-dinja, ukoll wieħed mill-aktar imperi b’saħħithom u dewwiemi tal-istorja. Din is-saħħa Musulmana kienet tmexxi partijiet kbar mill-Ewropa tal-Lvant, l-Ilvant tan-nofs u l-Afrika ta’ fuq għal aktar minn sitt mitt sena. Il-mexxej ta’ dan l-imperu kien is-sultan, li kellu awtorità reliġjuża, politka u militari assoluta.

L-imperu Ottoman kien fil-quċċata tiegħu bejn l-1520 u l-1566. Dan iż-żmien kien immarkat b’qawwa kbira, stabbiltà u ġid. Ftit snin qabel, fl-1517 is-Sultan Selim I kellu s-Sirja, l-Arabja, il-Palestina u l-Eġittu taħt il-ħakma tal-imperu Ottoman, u deher li din is-saħħa militari ma kienx hemm min iwaqqafha.

Ftit snin wara, meta l-Ottomani kellhom stabbiltà u kontroll komplut tal-pajjiżi Afrikani ta’ fuq, dawru ħarsithom fuq l-Ewropa. Setgħu jinvadu kemm Spanja kif ukoll l-Italja mill-pożizzjoni strateġika tagħhom fuq il-kosta Mediterranja, imma l-Ottomani kienu jafu li ma kellhomx forza navali daqs kemm kellhom Spanja u l-Italja. Għalhekk iddeċidew li jinvadu lil Malta, biex jużawha bħala bażi navali kif ukoll tarġa għal Sqallija.

Fis-sena 1551 l-Ottomani invadew lil Għawdex, imma ma rnexxilhomx u rtiraw lura meta ntebħu bid-diffikultà li kienu se jiffaċċjaw biex jiksbu ’l-Ewropa. Stennew erbatax-il sena qabel ma reġgħu invadew lil Malta fis-sena 1565.

Malta waqt is-seklu sittax:

Fis-sena 1522, żmien il-kruċjati, il-Kavallieri li kienu bbażati f’Rodi ġew imkeċċija mill-Ottomani, li kienu qed jikbru f’saħħithom. Sadanittant, fis-sena 1530, ir-re Karlu V kellu biżgħat li l-Ottomani kienu se jjattakkaw lil Ruma, għalhekk offra lill-Kavallieri li setgħu jieħdu lil Malta bħala l-bażi ġdida. Biex jagħmlu dan imma, il-Kavallieri kellhom ftehim mar-re li kellhom jassiguraw is-sigurtà tal-Ewropa t’isfel kif ukoll ta’ Tripli, parti mil-Libja li kienet taħt il-kontroll Kristjan.

Meta waslu, il-Kavallieri bbażaw ruħhom il-Birgu, belt iffortifikata fit-tramuntana ta’ Malta. Qabel, il-mexxejja ta’ Malta dejjem ibbażaw ruħhom l-Imdina, li kienet belt bl-aħjar fortifikazzjonijiet, imma l-Kavallieri, minħabba li saħħithom kienet ġejja mill-forza navali tagħhom, riedu jibbażaw ruħhom f’belt b’port, u għalhekk għażlu l-Birgu, li tletin snin wara kellha tkun il-belt maġenb il-belt li bnew huma stess, il-Belt Valletta.

Meta beda l-Assedju l-Kbir, kien hemm madwar 6,100 suldat, u madwar 2,900 Malti li setgħu jiġġieldu u suldati minn Spanja u l-Greċja. B’kollox kellhom madwar 9,000 persuna biex jiġġieldu kontra l-Ottomani, li kellhom madwar tmienja u erbgħin elf.

Wara l-attakk fuq Għawdex fl-1551, il-Kavallieri kienu jafu li kien ġej attakk ieħor, għalhekk il-Gran Mastru Juan de Homedes ordna t-tisħiħ tal-fortizza ta’ Sant’Anġlu, kif ukoll il-bini ta’ żewġ fortizzi ġodda, dawk ta’ San Mikiel u ta’ Sant’Iermu.

L-Avvenimenti tal-Assedju:

Fit-tmintax ta’ Mejju tas-sena 1565 bdiet l-invażjoni Ottomana. Dan seħħ meta flotta Ottomana niżlet fil-port ta’ Marsaxlokk. Il-poplu Malti, meta ra lill-Ottomani ġejjin, mar jistkenn fl-ibliet iffortifikati tal-Imdina, l-Isla u l-Birgu.

L-armata tas-sultan Sueleymann kienet immexxija mill-ammiral Piyale Pasha u l-Gran Viżier Mustafa Pasha. Ir-rivalità bejn Piyale u Mustafa saret mibegħda pubblika meta Mustafa ried li jattakkaw lill-Imdina l-ewwel, sabiex jieħdu l-kapitali, imma Piyale ried li l-ewwel jieħdu l-fortizzi. Piyale rnexxa fl-argumenti tiegħu u attakkaw lil Sant’Iermu. Imma dan kien żball kbir min-naħa Ottomana, għax il-Gran Mastru ħaseb li kienu se jattakaw il-fortizza ta’ Sant’Iermu, u għalhekk mexxa l-akbar armati kollha hemm.

Minflok ix-xogħol ta’ malajr li kien stenna Piyale, damu ġimgħat twal sa ma ħadu l-fortizza, li sa dak il-punt saret biss ġebel, u mietu numru kbar ta’ suldati Ottomani sakemm qatlu d-difiżi tal-kavallieri. Wieħed mill-Ottomani li miet hawn kien l-ammirall Turgut.

Wara dan, Mustafa ħa l-opportunità u mexxa l-armati madwar il-Port il-Kbir sabiex jaħarbu mill-fortizza ta’ Sant’Anġlu, li kienet b’saħħitha wisq, u minflok attakkaw lill-fortizza ta’ San Mikiel. L-Ottomani għamlu attakk intelliġenti ħafna fuq il-fortizza imma ma rnexxewx, u tilfu ħafna mis-suldati tagħhom. Imbagħad, l-Ottomani sofrew l-akbar bombardament sostnut li qatt rat l-istorja sa dak iż-żmien, u tilfu aktar suldati.

F’Awwissu, ġie ordnat attakk komplut mill-Ottomani, sabiex fl-aħħar jieħdu l-gżira. Kienu kważi rnexxew meta l-Kavallieri għamlu xi ħaġa ta’ barra minn hawn, u bi grupp żgħir attakkaw kamp Ottoman. Mustafa li kien mingħalih li l-Kavallieri kellhom rinforzi Spanjoli, qata’ qalbu u ordna li niesu jieqfu jattakkaw b’saħħithom kollha.

L-aħħar tal-Assedju:

Sal-aħħar t’Awwissu, wara ħafna telfiet żgħar min-naħa tal-Ottomani, Mustafa pprova juża s-siege towers, imma kull darba li kienu jinbnew, kienu jiġi mwaqqgħin.

Malli Mustafa rrealizza li kellu assedju twil quddiemu, waslet aħbar li r-rinforzi Kristjani kienu waslu fit-tramuntana tal-gżira. Mustafa f’dak il-mument ra li kien tilef, u ordna l-armati Ottomani biex jitilqu minn Malta u jmorru lura pajjiżhom. Imma waqt li kienu fit-triq għad-dgħajjes tagħhom, li kienu fil-portijiet tat-tramuntana, iltaqgħu mar-rinforzi Kristjani u ż-żewġ armati ġġieldu. Inqas minn nofs l-Ottomani li waslu f’Mejju kienu fuq id-dgħajjes lura f’Settembru.

L-assedju falla, u l-Maltin irċevew l-ammirazzjoni tal-Ewropa u l-fondi biex jerġgħu jibnu d-difiżi u jibnu belt ġdida. Għall-Ottomani, din kienet l-agħar telfa f’aktar minn mitt sena, telfa li fdiet lill-Ewropa Kristjana u fejn l-espansjoni Torka ġiet imwaqqfa.

L-Ewropa wara l-Assedju:

Waqt li llum il-ġurnata m’hemmx ċertezza li l-Ottomani kienu jirnexxu fl-Ewropa kieku rebħu l-Assedju, l-istoriċi emmnu għal żmien twil li din ir-rebħa tal-Maltin kienet kruċjali. Ir-reġina Eliżabetta I qalet “jekk it-Torok jirbħu kontra l-Maltin, mhuwiex ċert x’periklu għandu jsib ruħu fih il-Kristjaneżmu.”

Kieku Malta ntilfet u waqgħet f’idejn l-Ottomani, ma nafux kif kienet tkun l-Ewropa tal-lum. Għal Malta, l-istorja tidher differenti ferm, il-Belt Valletta, li llum hija l-aktar belt importanti tal-pajjiż u l-kapitali, ma kinitx teżisti, u l-lingwa Maltija kienet tkun kompletament Għarbija, mingħajr l-aspett Latin. L-Ewropa nnifisha kienet tkun differenti ħafna wkoll, kieku l-Ottomani rnexxew u rebħuha. Il-Kristjaneżmu u l-importanza tiegħu kienu jsiru żgħar ħafna, u l-kontinenti Amerikani, li ġew skoperti wara l-Assedju, kienu jkunu taħt l-Ottomani wkoll.

L-Assedju l-Kbir ġie eżatt qabel żmien ta’ bidla kbira għall-Ewropa, fejn kollox kien qed jinbidel u xejn ma kien ċert. Kieku l-Ottomani ħakmu l-Ewropa tal-punent, ħafna mill-affarijiet tal-lum, f’aspett kulturali kif ukoll industrijali, kienu jkunu diversi minn dawk li nafu u nħobbu aħna llum.

Meredith Clare Zahra / S5ENA / EEB1