The
Malta Pages
Malta
is an archipelago, made up of three islands of significance and some other small
islands that are really so small they are considered to be more like rocks. The
main island is Malta (Insula Melitae), then Gozo (Insula
Gaudens), and Comino. The rocky islands include Filfla, Kemmunett, Selmunett,
and the islands of St. Paul. They have their particular fauna and flora, but the
major interest lies in the main islands, especially Malta and Gozo.
The
Maltese archipelago is situated in the heart of the Inner Sea, the old name
given to the Mediterranean, (which in Latin means the centre of the earth). It
is 60 miles off the southern tip of Sicily and about 180 miles from North
Africa. For many years the archipelago had been conquered and colonized, and the
islands boast of a rich array of history, culture, a rich mix of language and
customs whose roots are traceable as far back as the earliest Phoenician
settlements in Malta, long before the Punic Wars were even heard of.
A
rich history of the islands can most probably be accessed and there are various
online sites and research books that deal with the subject. I am particularly
interested in the mediaeval history of the Maltese islands, and to this I owe a
lot to Professor Godfrey Wettinger (University of Malta) for his unstinting
research and love of the period, to Professor Anthony Bonanno (University of
Malta) for his major contribution to the study of antiquity in Malta, and to the
documented works of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Vella.
The
Islands
This is the map of the Maltese
archipelago, the capital of Malta is Valletta, and the main city in Gozo is
Victoria. Malta covers an area of about 317 squared km, and the population is
now close to 400,000. Malta’s main industry is tourism, followed by textile
manufacturing and component building.
Malta
became a Republic in 1973 and achieved independence in 1964.
Some
History – a pathway
To
go back to the very beginning, it is not easy to establish exactly how the first
settlers came to Malta, though it is widely believed that they could have
arrived from Sicily. There is also evidence that Malta formed part of a bridge
that linked Africa to Europe because of fossils and bone remains appertaining to
animals not endemic any longer to the islands. Very similar forms of
archaeological evidence corroborate the theory that the earliest settlers were
Sicilian. The evidence, in fact, is so striking that there is little to wonder
when Malta was considered one of the two Sicilies when it fell under the
jurisdiction of that reign.
There
are early neolithic remains in Malta, with some of the oldest and most striking
evidence that can be seen in Grey and Red Skorba, (Sqolba) and in the
magnificent temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and Ggantija in Gozo.
The
Phoenicians came to Malta, and settled here, bringing with them trade, and, of
course, their language. The roots of Maltese are Phoenician – the closest
language of the Arabic languages that has similar striking features is Lebanese,
even if the later colonization of Malta brought radical changes in Maltese. The
name Malta (probably from malet, meaning shelter) goes back a very long
time. The Phoenicians were replaced by the Carthaginians who strengthened their
hold on Malta when the islands were plundered by the Romans around 255 BC. The
Romans, however, did not give up so easily on Malta. Considering it as a
strategic point for their war against Carthage, the Romans conquered Malta in
218 BC, at the very start of the second Punic War. And for almost a thousand
years, Malta was Roman, a small republic within a greater republic. Little Latinization occurred, and this can be seen in the account St. Luke gives in his
Acts of the Apostles, where the inhabitants are described as barbarians,
meaning speakers of a language which is neither Greek nor Latin. In 535 AD,
Malta became attached to Byzantium under the Emperor Justinian.
The
Arabs took Malta in 870 AD. This take over was systematic – the emphasis on
the spoken language was reinforced, most probably Christianization died out in
this period, and evidence shows that the Maltese became Muslim to avoid paying a
hefty tax called harag. The Arabs brought with them their agricultural
knowledge, they introduced the production of cotton, and stayed on for 210 years,
until the Normans, under Count Roger, took over the island, reinstating
Christianity, and from then onwards Malta became part of the reign of the two Sicilies. The Aragonese and the Anjuvines also left their mark on Malta, but the
greatest impact definitely came when Charles V gave Malta to the
Knight-Hospitalliers of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, following their
defeat by the Turks in Rhodes. 1530 was the year when Grand Master Jean de l’Isle
Adam was handed the keys to the capital city of the time, Mdina.
Palazzo Inguanez - Mdina, Malta
The
Knights were not exactly happy to be in Malta, but this was the only option left.
Charles V did not want to give them Corse (Corsica). On their arrival here, the
Knights made a study of the island and decided that they wanted to settle in the
area where today there are the three cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea
or what is known as the Cottonera Area, close to the Grand Harbour. They
fortified the already existing Castel Sant’Angelo, and built their Auberges in
Vittoriosa, most of which are still there, though heavy bombardment during the
Second World War destroyed jewels of architecture and historical places… to
many to mention.
In
1551, the Turks attacked Gozo, pillaged the island, destroyed the crops and took
the whole population as slaves, leaving behind the old and the infirm. It was a
warning – the Turks were determined to vanquish the Knights, and to infiltrate
Europe. In May 1565, the Knights were hit again by the Turks. The Maltese found
themselves taking refuge behind the bastions in Cottonera, and actively aiding
the Knights against the Turks. The Maltese Dejma (militia) helped along
too. A victory over the Turks was not only important for the Knights themselves,
but the Maltese considered themselves by now an integral part of the system of
government under the jurisdiction of the Grandmaster. The Knights lost St. Elmo
to the Turks on the 23rd June 1565, but then continued fighting from
the bastions of St Angelo and St. Michael, finally getting aid from Europe in
September 1565. The Turks, depleted by malaria and following the loss of their
general Dragut, confused and stricken as they were, retreated, and on the 8th
September 1565, the Knights kept the Turks away from Europe, and that great
event shaped the rest of Maltese and European history.
The
Knights stayed in Malta, 28 Grandmasters ruled this island from 1530 to 1798,
the greatest of these Grandmasters is still considered to be Jean Parisot de la
Valette who not only led the Knights against the Turks in the Great Siege, but
also paid for and monitored the building of a new city, the city that bears his
name, Valletta, Malta’s capital city, another jewel of Renaissance and Baroque
architecture, with Auberges, chapels and the magnificent Co-Cathedral dedicated,
of course, to St. John the Baptist.
In
1798 Hompesch ceded the islands to the French, and the Knights left for Europe.
For two years the Maltese fought the French bitterly, and the revolt against the
French, coordinated by Dun Mikiel Xerri, ended in disaster as one of the group
betrayed his friends in a moment of weakness. The French were notorious for
their pillaging and their amassing of wealth – it is certain that they took
from the island treasures of immense value. Up to this very day, among the
Maltese lies the wish of bringing back to Malta that which rightfully belonged
to it. Some of the treasure will probably never surface – one of Napoleon’s
galleys sank off Alexandria, and it is believe that treasure, especially gold
and silver, was to be found on this galley, most of it coming from Malta.
The
British came to the aid of the Maltese. In 1800 the British ousted the French,
and Malta became a British colony. British rule brought about a number of
constitutions and political dissent too – the Second World War saw a number of
Maltese of either Italian origins or who sympathized with the Italians being
deported to Uganda. (Among these were my great aunt and my great uncle. My
grandmother, being Italian, was forced back to Italy. It was only after the end
of the Second World War that she could come back.) People suffered and gained
under British rule, but it was evident that the Maltese wanted something
different. India had achieved independence in 1947, and at that time Malta was
politically in turmoil – should the islands integrate with the United Kingdom
or should they strive for freedom? The second option seemed more viable. While
the Church influenced the negative result of the integration referendum, the
Maltese went on to obtain Independence on the 21st September 1964.
The Prime Minister then was George Borg Olivier. Independence, however, was not
enough. Dom Mintoff refused to see Malta only as an independent country still
under the British crown. He, in fact, wanted no allegiance whatsoever to any
foreign country, closing down the NATO base in Malta in 1971. In 1974 a new
constitution was drafted, and on the 13th December 1974, Malta was
proclaimed a Republic, the first president being Sir Anthony Mamo. The British
Military and Navy bases in Malta were closed symbolically on the 31st
March 1979, and Freedom Day is celebrated on this date.
After
34 years of Independence, Malta is still going strong, it remains the jewel of
the Mediterranean, and, in my opinion, the Maltese still have a long way ahead
of them, and they can make it. And to all those who still wish to visit Malta; I
would like to make a suggestion. Malta is not just sea and sun. There is so much
to see here, natural beauty, which is not found elsewhere, and architectural and
archaeological heritages that are unique to Malta.
