Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The Knights of St John
VALLETTA, MALTA, c.1635 -1643
The history of Malta has been shaped by its strategic location in the centre of the Mediter-
ranean Sea. Between 1530 and 1798 the archipelago was controlled by the Knights Hospital-
lers, an international religious and military order of Catholic noblemen dedicated to St John
the Baptist. They came to Malta at the invitation of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V,
after Ottoman Turkish forces had ejected them from their previous headquarters on Rhodes.
In 1565 the Ottomans also challenged the Hospitallers' control of Malta. After a four-month
siege with heavy casualties on both sides, the Knights and native Maltese - with assistance
from Spain and Sicily - saw off the invaders.
Following this victory, the Hospitallers decided to build themselves a new capital on the
Xiberras peninsula. Lying between two natural harbours on the north-east coast of the main
