A Short History of Malta

Malta formally known as the Republic of Malta is a southern European island nation consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 333 km north of Libya, 248 km east of Tunisia, and 80 km south of Italy. It is one of the world's smallest county's and has a population of about 450,000.

The country has a long history and has been occupied ever since settlers from Sicily arrived in 5200 BC. Malta's position has historically given it strategic significance as a naval base. A sequence of powers such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French, and British have also governed the islands. Malta became a sovereign nation in 1964, and a republic in 1974.

With this in mind, a brief history of Malta will be discussed below.

Prehistory of Malta

Ggantija Megalithic Temples in Malta, SourceArchaeologists have found pottery at the Skorba Temples resembling that found in Italy, thus suggesting that the Maltese Islands were first occupied in 5200 BCE by Stone Age farmers or hunters who arrived from Sicily, probably the Sicani. Prehistoric farming settlements dating back to the Early Neolithic period were also identified in open areas and in caves such as Gnar Dalam. The Sicani were the only tribe that settled on the island at the time and they are believed to be related to the Iberians. They raised livestock and grew cereals, and like other old Mediterranean cultures, they worshiped a fertility figure.

Around 3500 BC, a culture of megalithis temple builders arose and they constructed some of the oldest existing free-standing structures in the globe in the form of the megalithic Ġgantija temples on Gozo. Other early temples include those at Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim. Animal sacrifices were made at the temples but this culture disappeared from the island at around 2500 BC.

The Maltese Islands were depopulated for a number of years after 2500 BC. It was the arrival of Bronze Age migrants that introduced a new culture in Malta. This culture introduced smaller megalithic buildings called dolmens.

Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans

After 1000 BC, Malta was colonized by Phoenician traders who used the island as a stop on their trade paths from the eastern Mediterranean to Cornwall. The Phoenicians settled in the region presently known as Mdina, and its neighboring town Rabat, which they called Maleth. The Romans who settled in Mdina much later referred to the city and the island as Melita.

The Phoenicians fell in 332 BC, and the region came under Carthage rule, a former colony of Phoenicia. During this period, people on the island grew carob and olives and manufactured textiles.

During the First Punic War, Malta was seized by Marcus Atilius Regulus, but his expedition failed and the island fell back to Carthage hands, only to be seized again in 218 BC by Roman Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus during the Second Punic War. Malta, therefore, became Foederata Civitas, a title that meant it was exempt from the rule of Roman law or paying tribute, and it fell within the jurisdiction of the province of Sicily.

The Greeks settled in Malta since 700 BC, as testified by some architectural remains. The Greeks stayed in the country throughout the Roman dominium.

In the 2nd century, the status of Malta was upgraded to municipium or free town and the island's local matters were administered by a municipal senate and four quattuorviri iuri dicundo. A Roman procurator lived in Mdina and he represented the proconsul of Sicily. 

In 395, the Roman Empire was divided and both Sicily and Malta fell under the rule of the Western Roman Empire. The empire, however, collapsed during the Migration Period, and Malta was attacked and occupied or seized several times. From 454 to 464 Malta was seized by the Vandals, and after 464 by the Ostrogoths. In 533, Belisarius, on his way to seize the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, re-unified the islands under Imperial rule.

Little is known about the Byzantine rule in the country but it introduced Greek families to the Maltese collective. The country remained under Byzantine rule until 870, when it was seized by the Arabs.

Muslim period and the Middle Ages

Armoury of the Knights of Malta, 16th century, SourceThe Muslim geographer and chronicler al-Himyari explains that in 870 AD, after a violent struggle against the Byzantines, the Muslim invaders initially led by Halaf al-Hadim, and later by Sawada ibn Muhammad, pillaged the island, destroying the most significant buildings, and leaving it unoccupied until it was colonized again by the Muslims from Sicily in 1048-1049 AD. The Muslims introduced new irrigation, cotton and some fruits and the Siculo-Arabic dialect was adopted in the country from Sicily. This is the dialect that later evolved into the Maltese language.

The Christians in Malta were allowed freedom of worship. They, however, had to pay a tax for non-Muslims, Jizya but were exempted from paying the Muslim tax, zakat.

In 1901, Malta was captured by the Normans as a section of their conquest of Sicily. The Norman period was very fruitful. Malta became a section of the newly established Kingdom of Sicily, the Catholic Church was reinstated as the country's religion, and some Norman architecture materialized especially in Malta's old capital Mdina. Malta was made a fief of the kingdom by Tancred, the King of Sicily, who also appointed a count of Malta. The kingdom was passed on to the Hohenstaufen dynasty from 1194-1266. It was during this period when western religion and culture started to exert their influence more aggressively. The island formed a fraction of the Roman Empire for 72 years and it was also declared a marquisate and a county.

Crown of Aragon rule and the Knights of Malta

From 1282 to 1409, Malta was ruled by an Aragonese Dynasty, known as the House of Barcelona. In 1409, the country was officially passed to the Crown of Aragon. On 23 March 1530, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, gave Malta to the Knights Hospitaller led by Frenchman Philippe Villiers de L'Isle, Grand Master of the Order, in a perpetual lease for which they had to pay a yearly tribute of one Maltese Falcon. These knights are a military religious order presently referred to as the Knights of Malta.

In 1565, the Knights, led by Jean Parisot de Valette withstood the Great Siege of Malta by the Ottomans, and with help from the Maltese and Spanish forces were victorious. After the siege, they increased the islands fortifications, especially in the inner-harbor region, where Valletta city, named in honor of Valette, was constructed. They also developed watchtowers along the coast – de Redin, Lascaris, and Wignacourt towers. Their presence also led to the completion of numerous cultural and architectural projects, construction of new towns, and the introduction of new social and academic resources.

French Period

Roman columns and architecture found in Malta, SourceThe reign of the knights ended when Malta was captured by Napoleon in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars. During his tenure, Napoleon reformed national administration by creating a Government Commission, a public finance administration and twelve municipalities. He also abolished slavery and all feudal rights and privileges and granted freedom to all Jewish and Turkish slaves.

British Empire and World War II

In the early 1800s, Malta dissatisfied with French rule, presented the island to Sir Alexander Ball, requesting that the islands become a British Dominion. In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta formally became a portion of the British Empire and was used as a fleet headquarters and shipping-way station.

During World War I, Malta was referred to as the Nurse of the Mediterranean because of the many wounded soldiers who were given shelter in the country. During World War II, Malta played a significant role for the Allies; the British used the country to launch attacks on the Italian navy. It was also used as a listening post, to read German radio messages even Enigma traffic.

Independence and Republic

After extreme negotiations with the United Kingdom, led by George Borġ Olivier, Maltese Prime Minister, Malta was able to achieve its independence on 21 September 1964. Under its 1964 constitution, the country retained Queen Elizabeth II as the Queen of Malta, and thus the Head of State, with a Governor-General carrying out executive authority on her behalf. This is celebrated as Jum I-Indipendenza or Independence Day in Maltese. The Malta Labor Party led by Dom Mintoff won the General Elections in 1971. As a result, Malta declared itself a republic on 13 December 1974 with the president as the head of state.

Malta was admitted to the United Nation on 1 December 1964. It joined the Council of Europe in 1965, and in 1970, the country signed an Association Treaty with the European Economic Community. A policy of neutrality was adopted by the country in 1980 and on 16 July 1990, the country, through Guido de Marco, the foreign minister, applied to join the European Union. After intense negotiations, a referendum was held on 8 March 2003, resulting in a favorable vote. On 12 April 2003, General Elections were held and they gave a clear mandate to Eddie Fenech Adami, the Prime Minister, to sign the Treaty of accession to the European Union on 16 April 2003. It was on 1 May 2004 when Malta finally joined the European Union. Malta also became a member of the Eurozone on 1 January 2008.