Maltese history - ESE Malta

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Malta’s history (in brief!)

77 Malta has a rich and varied history dating back to around 5200 BC, when the first Neolithic settlers arrived from neighbouring Sicily. After the first Sicilian settlers, Malta was occupied by the Phoenicians and then the Greeks.

Around 3600 BC to 2500BC, the world renowned Temple building period started. Some of the world’s oldest free-standing buildings, Ggantija in Gozo and the Mnajdra temples in Malta, date back to these times.

Malta went on to be taken over by a number of rulers including the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs and the Normans in 1092. It then fell in the hands of the Angevins and the Aragonese.

In 1530, Malta was granted to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem in an effort to protect Rome from Ottoman invasion. 1565 marks an important date in Malta’s history – Malta defeated the assault led by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and the Ottomans. Some 9000  defenders  managed to hold fort for 4 months and keep 40,000 Turks from defeating Malta.

In 1566, a year after the Great Siege, the new capital city Valletta was founded and named after Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette.

The Knights of Malta made Malta their hub – building towns, palaces and fortifications all around the island and embellishing them with remarkable works of art. During this time, the Italian language was made official on the island.

In 1798 Napoleon captured Malta en route to his Egyptian expedition but triggered a revolt by the Maltese. As a result, they asked the British for help and by 1800 the French had surrendered Malta.

In 1800, Malta voluntarily became part of the British Empire. English was eventually declared an official language alongside Maltese in 1934. During the Second World War, Malta was heavily bombed and the Maltese were later awarded the George Cross (the highest civilian award for gallantry) in 1942 by King George VI for the gallantry and bravery displayed during the war.

Malta gained independence on 21st September 1964.

In 2004 Malta became a member of the European Union.

If you want more information about the history of Malta, you can visit the wikipedia website at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Malta or www.visitmalta.com

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