On 24 May 1565 the Ottoman artillery opened fire
on Fort St. Elmo, one of the fortresses of the Knights hospitaller. This was the beginning of
the great siege of Malta. Behind the artillery, an army of 40,000 soldiers was
waiting to conquer the island, sent there by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent,
who wanted to strengthen the position of the Ottoman Empire in the struggle for
supremacy in the Mediterranean and wipe out the Order of St. John, also known
as Knights Hospitaller once and for all. But the Knights together with Maltese militia and
a number of mercenaries, put up a fierce fight. Europe was trembling as the siege developed
into a war of attrition of epic proportions. The possibility of an Ottoman bridgehead
so close to Italy had never been more real. Before we dive straight into the video, a quick
lesson on credential stuffing which is how most account hacking happens nowadays. If you have used
your usual e-mail address on a website that was not properly maintained or got compromised, it
might have ended up in the dark net. So, if you have one password for more than one login somebody
might successfully log in into your accounts. An easy fix is enabling two-factor-authentication
and tools such as the dark web monitor of today’s sponsor NordVPN to get alerted. Be sure to use a
password manager like NordPass to generate strong, unique passwords and always have them at your
hand without actually having to remember them. NordVPN now also comes with a threat-protection
feature that keeps malicious websites, annoying trackers and irritating advertisements at bay. Get
Nord for the price of a cup of coffee per month by clicking on the link in the description below.
All of this is entirely risk-free thanks to Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee.
Chapter 1: Sworn Enemies
As soon as Sultan Suleiman I, known as
the Magnificent, rose to power in 1520, he pushed the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
His armies quickly secured control of much of the eastern Mediterranean (1522-1540). In 1522,
they also conquered the island of Rhodes, which was then home to the knights hospitaller
who were a catholic military order founded in Jerusalem after the first crusade. After the
fall of Jerusalem in 1291 they established a domain on Rhodes, where they thrived
until 1522. Eight years later, Emperor Charles V granted them Malta as a perpetual
fiefdom in exchange for one falcon annually. However, according to Kenneth M. Setton, an expert
on the Crusades and Ottoman-European relations in the Mediterranean, the island was "a defenseless,
barren waste." Nevertheless, it had become the Knight's new home, and they immediately began
to turn it into an important maritime center. At the same time, the Ottomans were expanding
their military influence in the Western Mediterranean. The barbary corsairs, privateers
in Ottoman service, were gradually becoming an ever-greater threat, especially a certain Dragut
(Turkish: Turgut Reis), called "The Drawn Sword of Islam". He was constantly at odds with the Maltese
knights. A few years later, in 1551 he and the Ottoman Admiral Sinan Pasha attacked Malta
directly. They landed on the island with about 10,000 men but left only a few days later to
conquer the neighboring island of Gonzo instead. Dragut then sailed to Tripoli, which was also
garrisoned by the knights, defeated them in a short siege and took control of the area. Tripoli
then became a new center of corsair activity. Shocked by this direct blow the Knights
instantly set to improve Malta's defenses. They expected Dragut to return soon.
Over the next few years, the situation in the Mediterranean remained tense. By 1559,
hardly any coast in the western Mediterranean was safe from Dragut's corsairs. Among other
things, he plundered the Spanish coast, which prompted Philip II, together with his
allies, to equip a large fleet in order to drive them out of Tripoli. The Knights Hospitaller also
joined this operation. But this mission failed: an Ottoman fleet under the experienced Admiral
Piyale Pasha surprised the Christian ships near the Tunisian island of Djerba and defeated them.
Afterward, the Grandmaster of the order, Jean Parisot de la Valette, expected the
worst. He ordered to rebuild the fleet and had his men prepare. He was sure that the
Ottomans would strike again because foreign observers in Constantinople had reported that
the Sultan was preparing a formidable fleet. Malta was an obvious target because the island was
not only the headquarters of the knights and thus of the Sultan's enemies, but also very significant
strategically. It was the steppingstone to Sicily, from where the way to the western Mediterranean
and especially to Italy would be wide open. When one of the most notorious sailors of the
Order, Mathurin d'Aux de Lescout, called Romegas, attacked several merchant ships and captured
the governors of Cairo and Alexandria, this was the straw that broke the camel’s
back. Suleiman decided to conquer Malta and annihilate the Knights Hospitaller.
Chapter 2: A Race Against the Clock When the Ottoman fleet was spotted off the coast
of Malta on 18 May, the Knights were ready. The Grandmaster had made sure that plenty of supplies
were stocked and that the defenses were prepared. The Knights’ new home was situated ideally for
a siege. Everything vital was located on the two peninsulas of Birgu and Senglea, accessible only
from the land side, where they were each guarded by a moat and massive walls. For some years, the
Knights had reinforced Fort St. Angelo, their headquarters, and built two new fortifications:
Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Michael. These two fortresses had been raised in less than
a year and now guarded the city’s weakest points. St. Elmo towered over the entrance to the
grand harbor and St. Michael barred the way from the south. Between Senglea and
Birgu lay the city's galley port, which was blocked by a heavy iron chain. So,
anyone who made it past the new Fort St. Elmo into the grand harbor was going to be met
with mighty bastions, massive ramparts, and a chain blocking access to the heart of the
city. Malta was an indefensible waste no more. When de la Valette learnt that the invasion was
imminent, he summoned the knights of his order from all over Europe. But it was clear that the
Knights Hospitaller wouldn’t be able to defend the island without allies. For this reason, the Grand
Master turned to the Catholic potentates of Europe for help, first and foremost to Pope Pius IV and
King Philipp II of Spain, who had an immediate interest in Malta because of his possessions in
southern Italy and Sicily and had an obligation to help because the knights were his fiefs.
Both the pope and the king promised their help. While more members of the order and financial aid
from all over Europe were on their way to Malta, those who were already there prepared the
defenses. They cleared the terrain in front of the walls by demolishing many of the buildings south
of Birgu and Senglea. In addition, De la Valette ordered all grain - ripe or not - to be harvested
and brought to the city along with other supplies. The Ottomans should not find any food on
the island. To the same end, he had all the wells which were not vital for the defenders
contaminated, probably with animal carcasses. This scorched earth policy would shape
the character of the fight decisively. The Ottomans were facing a set of formidable
fortresses, which according to historian Desmond Seward were defended by some 500-600 knights,
1,200 soldiers from Italy, Spain, and Greece. These professionals were supported by
non-professional fighters such as sailors and civilians. Although the Maltese population had
never been fond of the Knights Hospitaller, whom they regarded as occupiers, need prompted a large
number of them to join the ranks of the defenders. All in all, the Ottomans would have to wrestle the
sturdy walls off the hands of 6,000 to 9,000 men. And the clock was ticking, for relief could arrive any time.
Chapter 3: A Strategic Mistake On 19 May, 1565, the first 500 Ottomans set foot
on Malta at Marsa Sirocco (Marsaxlokk), a port six kilometers south of the grand harbor. The
Grandmaster sent a detachment of cavalry and 300 arquebusiers to welcome them, but after a
brief and bloody skirmish, the Maltese had to retreat. Their mission had been futile to begin
with, as became clear when 25,000 more Ottomans landed on the island the next day. The invaders
immediately began to build a fortified camp south of the grand harbor (near Marsa). There were so
many of them that offensive action was out of question. And yet even further reinforcements were
to arrive over the course of the next few days, especially the Corsairs under Dragut.
According to the Sultans orders, Dragut was to assume supreme command. This was quite
extraordinary because the Sultan's own commanders were men of high rank as well: The fleet was
commanded by Piyale Pasha, the hero of Djerba, and the land forces by the experienced Lala
Mustafa Pasha. There was an ongoing rivalry between these two because Mustafa Pasha had
been given special authority by the Sultan. Because of that, they had a hard time to agree
on a strategy in their council of war on 21 May, held after a reconnaissance expedition had led
to initial engagements south of Senglea. Dragut had not arrived yet, so they had to talk it out
among themselves. Piyale Pasha wanted to take Fort St. Elmo to give his fleet access to the port of
Marsamuscetto and the grand harbor. Mustafa Pasha was not too fond of this and instead wanted to
attack the poorly guarded inland capital of Mdina first, so that they could avoid attacking St. Elmo
and operate from a secure base afterward. After some discussion, Lala Mustafa gave in. He thought
taking the fort could only be a matter of days. That same day, Ottoman workers set up a
battery between the fort and Mount Sciberras, near present-day Valetta and soon the first
cannons opened fire. Simultaneously, sappers were digging trenches to cut St. Elmo off from the land
side and slowly approach the walls under cover. Because of the rocky ground this was hard work
and - fortunately for the defenders – progressed only slowly. The Ottoman's slow progress allowed
the Knights hospitaller to supply and reinforce the fort. On 28 May the last large bombards were
installed, and the fight for St. Elmo began in earnest. When on 2 June, Dragut finally arrived
on the island with the bulk of his corsairs, "the drawn sword of Islam" set up camp in St.
George's Bay north of Marsamuscetto. He did not agree with the chosen plan of attack, because he
considered conquering St. Elmo a waste of time. However, it was too late to change plans now. So,
St. Elmo served its purpose perfectly. It bought the Knights Hospitaller a lot of time.
Chapter 4: Battle for St. Elmo Because Jean de la Valette was well aware that
the only way to prevail was help from outside, he devoted much of his energy to get assistance
as fast as possible. He asked the man in charge of coordinating the Spanish support, Don
Garcia de Toledo, the Viceroy of Sicily, to hurry up. The latter, however, hesitated
because Philip II had ordered him to intervene only if he could do so without endangering the
Spanish fleet. Thus, De Toledo asked for patience. Also very actively beating the drum on
the political stage was Pope Pius IV. He urged the Catholic princes to send men, money
and gunpowder to Malta, and even ordered a force to be raised for this purpose from his own
resources. But despite the Pope's admonition and the general concern raised across Europe by
the proximity of such a formidable Ottoman army, little was happening for the time being.
On 3 June, another battery opened fire on St. Elmo from Dragut Point. The resulting artillery
barrage kept the defenders so occupied that they only noticed the attacking Janissaries when it
was too late. The Ottomans quickly seized the ravelin INF , and in spite of five hours of fierce
fighting, the defenders couldn’t retake it. This was decisive because the Ottomans now held an
elevated position right at the walls of St. Elmo. They finished a new artillery platfo rm on the
ruins and their cannonballs started to hammer at the walls from close range. Over time, constant
battle and dwindling supplies weakened the defenders. After another assault on 8 June, the
demoralized knights asked De la Valette for his consent to withdraw. But the Grand Master ordered
them to stand firm. He knew they were fighting a losing battle, but every day they resisted
meant an additional day for help to arrive. Soon the walls of St. Elmo were crumbling. Two
more assaults on 15 and 16 June were barely pushed back. But in the Ottoman camp, Dragut was
dissatisfied. St. Elmo was costing the Ottomans far too much time. To speed things up, he ordered
his ships to join the bombardment from the sea, and personally visited the trenches to
instruct his artillerymen to aim lower and thus bring down the walls more quickly.
But his impatience was to cost him dearly. The sources disagree as to whether he was struck
down by a lucky shot from Fort St. Angelo, or whether one of the gunners he was correcting
accidentally aimed too low. In any case, a stone or bullet hit him in the head. Five days later,
the "Drawn Sword of Islam" died of his injuries. Regardless of this setback, Mustafa Pasha who was
now in charge, finally managed to cut off St. Elmo by establishing another battery on Gallows point.
This left St. Elmo under fire from all sides, so that the conditions of both the defenses
and the defenders deteriorated quickly. When further assaults branded against the defenses
on 21 and 22 June, the defenders couldn’t prevent the janissaries from lodging themselves in on the
walls. Starved, exhausted and nearly overrun, the knights' resistance on the following morning was
a symbolic formality. They stood no chance. The Ottomans entered the fort and killed all defenders
except for a handful of lucky ones who managed to swim to safety. The events following the fall of
St. Elmo are highly controversial. For example, the archivist Catherine Desportes reports that
Lala Mustafa Pasha had the bodies of the knights mutilated and thrown into the sea and the heads
of the fort's commanders impaled along the shore. De la Valette allegedly responded by having all
the Ottoman prisoners beheaded and their heads shot from the cannons of St. Angelo. However,
many historians doubt that such atrocities actually occurred because the primary sources
give conflicting evidence. Nevertheless, what is certain is that the battle for St. Elmo cost
many lives. According to historian Bruce Allen, about 1,500 defenders and 6,000 attackers died
- including half of the Janissaries. But what hurt the Ottomans more than the loss of their
soldiers, was the delay of more than a month. After investing so much time, all they had
to show was a pile of rubble once known as St. Elmo. It was a Pyrrhic victory.
Chapter 5: Encircled by Flames The day after the fall of St. Elmo the Ottomans
turned their attention to Senglea and Birgu. They moved their fleet to Marsamuscetto and transported
their guns to the other side of the bay, where they built four new batteries on the heights
of Corradino and St. Margaret in order to shoot at St. Michael and the Borgo, the residential
area at the land end of the Birgu peninsula. Before the attack began, Mustafa Pasha
sent an Spanish slave to de la Valette with a message to ask if he would receive an
embassy offering free passage for all knights, men and artillery if he surrendered. But the
Grandmaster knew he could not trust the Pasha and replied that he would hang anyone
who dared to bring him such an offer. Contrary to Don Garcia de Toledo’s promise,
there was still no help in sight by the end of June. The Spanish viceroy took so much time
to prepare that rumors spread in Constantinople that he was actually assembling a large armada
to strike eastward while most of the Ottoman fleet was trapped in Malta. In catholic Europe
people started wondering about the delay as well, so that De Toledo came under increasing
pressure and had to act if he didn’t want his reputation to take damage. In late July
he gave in and dispatched four ships to Malta. The defenders sighed in relief when a messenger
from Mdina brought news on 2 July that 700 men under Melchior de Robles, including 40 knights
and 20 artillerymen from Sicily had landed at the northern end of the island. This so-called piccolo
soccorso, the small relief, marched south the next day. Under the cover of a foggy night, they
marched along the west coast in a large semicircle and slipped past the Ottomans to Kalkara bay
where they were picked up by boats from the Borgo. When the sun rose over Malta, the guns of
Senglea were manned by fresh and able gunners, the ranks of the defenders were filled with rested men
and, most importantly, their morale was boosted. This boost was sorely needed, because the
atmosphere among the defenders was becoming more tense by the hour. The Ottomans completed
their batteries south of the fortifications and on July 5, 112 cannons opened fire on the Borgo
and Fort St. Michael.BATTERIES Protected by the barrage of this extensive artillery, the
Ottoman workers took to the shovels once more. Slowly they dug their way towards the walls.
When the Ottomans finally set up another battery on Mount Salvador (northeast of Kalkara Bay) to
bombard the southeastern end of the Borgo, bullets rained down on the defenders from all sides.
The ground was prepared for a general assault. Chapter 6: General Assault
But Mustafa Pasha didn’t content himself
with bombarding. He decided now was the time to mount a first general assault.
He wanted to overrun the Senglea Peninsula, seemingly the weakest point in the
defense, by attacking it from land and sea. Because St. Angelo was still a formidable threat
to any ship entering the great harbor and he preferred stealthy preparations, the Ottomans
hauled boats of various sizes over land from the Marsa Scirocco. It was laborious work, but
little by little a fleet was assembled in the grand harbor, hidden behind the Corradino.
Despite the efforts to hide the operation, it did not go undetected. To strengthen the weak
point in the defense, the Grand Master ordered his men to drive stakes into the ground along the west
coast of Senglea, about ten paces from the shore, and connect them with a heavy chain to prevent
the boats from landing. At the same time, the knights built a bridge of barrels and planks
across the southern end of the galley harbor so that they could send reinforcements and
supplies back and forth in case of emergency. When the Ottomans opened a dense barrage on St.
Michael on the 13 and 14 July, it had become crystal clear that something was going on. Early
in the morning of the next day, the attack began. The best Ottoman fighters, according to the
historian Kenneth Setton about 3,000, boarded 100 boats and rowed towards Senglea. At the
same time, the Corsairs advanced on St. Michael. The defenders were awaiting the approaching boats
nervously - and breathed a sigh of relief when the chains held. The barrage forced the Ottomans to
disembark early, which meant their powder got wet. As they were slowly wading to shore, the
defenders pelted them with large stones and fended them off with their spears.
All the same, the numerically superior Ottomans made it to the beach. The battle raged
fiercely on both fronts and soon the defenders had to retreat. At St. Michael's, Melchior de Robles
and his men held back the attackers bravely, but when a powder magazine exploded and tore down
part of the wall, the situation seemed hopeless. But now the newly built pontoon bridge
came into play. Five units from Birgu rushed over it to join de Robles men.
This brought the Ottoman wave to a halt. Still, the Pashas were not done yet: they
sent another 10 large boats with about 1,000 Janissaries to the tip of the peninsula to
outflank the defenders. This attempt, however, failed because of a low-lying battery near
the chain that was blocking the galley port. The Ottomans only noticed it
when it opened fire at the boats. Within a short time, the close-range fire sent
eight ships and 800 soldiers to the bottom of the grand harbor. With this the tide turned.
The attack from the water became hopeless and the corsairs at Fort St. Michael had a
hard time against the reinforced defenders. After about five hours, the fighting petered out
and the Ottomans retreated. On this day alone, they allegedly lost about four thousand
men. Slowly but surely, the siege turned into a battle of attrition.
Chapter 7: Battle of Attrition The unfolding events shocked not only Pope Pius
IV but all of Catholic Europe. The situation of the defenders was getting worse and worse,
and the possibility of Malta falling into the hands of the Ottomans became ever more
real. If the Ottomans controlled Malta, they could invade mainland Europe from the south
at any time. Pius did everything in his power to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality. But
raising money and support was difficult and slow. In an attempt to help in whatever ways possible,
the pope issued a plenary indulgence to everyone who gave their lives defending Malta. If he could
not fill the empty granaries and powder towers, he at least wanted to raise the morale
of the defenders by forgiving their sins. Back on Malta, the Ottomans refrained from direct
assaults for now. They took to a strategy that was less risky and cost fewer lives. Mustafa Pasha
now planned to close the gaps in the Ottoman lines to establish a full encirclement. His artillery
should batter against the fortifications until a breach large enough for the Janissaries to
comfortably storm through it would open up. A hail of bullets, exhaustion and
starvation were to wear the defenders down. The defenders were already next to exhaustion,
but De la Vallette had them work hard day and night to repair and improve the defenses. He knew
all too well that his defense had two weak spots. St. Michael seemed to hold for now, so he turned
his attention to the exposed southeastern side of the Borgo. He had the bastions of Castile and
Germany reinforced to make an approach from land more difficult and ordered to block Kalkara Bay
to prevent an outflanking maneuver by sea. To do this, his men sank ships loaded with stones in
a line across the bay and connected them with chains and anchors. This made approaching
the Borgo from the sea almost impossible. On 24 July, the Ottomans finally managed to close
their encirclement completely. The Knights of Malta were cut off. Communication with the outside
world was now only possible thanks to brave men who risked their lives in order to secretly swim
to Kalkara and bring messages to Mdina. However, the defenders were not the only ones operating
in secret, as they learned at the end of July. The Ottoman trenches nearly reached the walls
of St. Michael, when the defenders suddenly noticed movement under the Fort. It didn’t take
them long to figure out what was going on – the Ottomans were notorious for their use of mines,
after all. As quickly and quietly as possible the defenders dug a countermine and indeed, they
found two mine tunnels already reaching under the walls and ready to be filled with explosives. When
the defenders entered the tunnels, a fierce melee ensued. Eye in eye the miners of the two sides
struggled for survival and control of the tunnel. Finally, the defenders gained the upper
hand. After they had routed the enemies, they brought heavy stones and bricked
up the two tunnels. They had avoided disaster by the skin of their teeth.
Chapter 8: Attack from the Rear The defenders were not the only ones suffering
from the drawn-out conflict. The Ottomans were running out of supplies as well, suffered from
sickness and found themselves increasingly under pressure because they had to expect a relief
army at any moment. When their cannons opened another breach in the bastions of St. Michael
on 2 August, the Ottomans were quick to launch another assault. Within five hours, five waves of
Ottoman infantry tried to push through the gap, where Melchior de Robles and his men awaited them.
Despite fierce resistance more than 20 Janissaries made it onto the wall where a bloody struggle
for the control of the rampart ensued. After a desperate back and forth, the defenders eventually
prevailed. However, in some places their defenses were mere heaps of rubble, their numbers shrunk
from day to day, and still no help was in sight. When a Spanish soldier defected to the
Ottomans, de la Valette anticipated the worst. As expected, the defector informed Lala Mustafa
just how desperate the situation of the defenders was. The Pasha immediately planned a second
major attack. As dawn broke on 7 August, some 8,000 Ottoman soldiers charged the fortifications
of St. Michael. The defenders did their utmost to stop them, but by now the walls had several large
breaches and, in many places, had been patched-up only hastily. The battle was fought as much on
the walls as in front of them. The situation was even worse at the Bastion of Castile, where 4’000
attackers assaulted a mere handful of defenders. Jean de la Valette himself had to intervene.
Along with the few knights he had kept back as a last reserve, the Grandmaster climbed the wall
and bloodied his hands in the thick of the melee. Despite these last reserves
the resistance was dying away. It was a question of time until it would break.
But then, after eleven hours of incessant bloody fighting, the Ottomans retreated suddenly.
The defenders believed they were witnessing a miracle. The explanation, however, was mundane:
By chance, a reconnaissance troop from Mdina (100 horse + infantry) had noticed that the
Ottoman camp was almost deserted. Only the wounded and sick remained in the camp, guarded by
a handful of guards and a number of noncombatants. The reconnaissance unit quickly set to work and
eliminated the guards, massacred the defenseless, and set fire to tents and huts. Then they shouted
"Victoria! Socorro!", victory, relief is here! The Ottomans in St. Elmo noticed the disaster
first. They mistook the scouting party for the dreaded relief army. Soon rumor spread in
the trenches that a Christian relief army, thousandfold superior in numbers, had landed. This
seemed quite credible, because even the defenders were joining in the roars of victory and plumes
of smoke were rising from the destroyed camp. The Ottomans were fully convinced that they
would be crushed between the walls and the relief army and hastily retreated. When they
realized their mistake, Lala Mustafa Pasha was furious. He swore to give no quarter.
Chapter 9: Near Desperation Everybody within the walls knew that sheer
luck had saved them. Because of this, some of the Knights of the order of Malta
proposed to retreat to Fort St. Angelo and abandon St. Michael and the Borgo. The
Grandmaster, however, had none of it. He did not want to abandon the inhabitants of the
Borgo and – on a more practical note – knew all too well that the fort could not withstand
bombardment for long if it was isolated. To make his stance very clear, he ordered that
the holy relics and other valuables be brought to St. Angelo and that then the bridge over the
moat of the fortress be torn down. De la Valette made sure the Knights of Malta would not retreat
and he was fully aware that this meant death if no help would arrive very soon. What he didn’t
know, however, was that Don Garcia de Toledo was finally assembling a fleet in Syracuse. But still,
things went very slowly. When a letter from the viceroy reached De la Valette two weeks later,
he no longer believed in his promises of help. Meanwhile, Mustafa Pasha prepared yet
another general assault for 18 to 20 August. This time he wanted to overrun the weakened
Fort St. Michael and the Bastion of Castile. According to Kenneth Setton, this was to be the
largest and most dangerous attack of the siege. Unfortunately, not much about this climactic
moment can be said with certainty. The sources give conflicting information and scholars
are in disagreement about the events. There are some accounts, modern and historical,
which mention details such as a siege tower, huge mines blowing up half of the borgo
and a heroic last stand of De la Valette, but according to pretty much all modern
historians none of this can be confirmed. Regardless of the details, the attack would
tip the scales for good — in either way. A tremendous barrage heralded the assault. It
did more damage to the crumbling walls than any before and it was followed by several
waves of attackers on the 18th and 19th, aimed mainly at tiring the defenders in
preparation for the main attack on the 20th. For this last assault, Mustafa Pasha once
again brought everything he had to the table. Meanwhile, the Grandmaster mobilized every hand
he could. Noncombatants had been included in the defense but now he called anybody to arms who
could hold a pike. The Maltese and the Knights Hospitaller fought a desperate last stand but
the walls of Birgu and the Bastion of Castile were soon reduced to rubble. The defenders'
lines began to waver. This was the end of the line. But somehow, the Ottomans did still not
break through and they eventually retreated. The grandmaster came to understand the reasons
only 10 days later, when a prisoner escaped from the Ottomans' camp and brought news that
the situation of the Ottomans was as dire as the one of the defenders and that they had been
decimated by the fighting, hunger, and diseases. In addition, they were running out of gunpowder.
Despite their failed assault, the Ottomans managed to keep up the pressure for now. But Mustafa Pasha
knew that it would be a tight squeeze. Soon the first autumn storms were expected, which would
make it dangerous to cross the Mediterranean with a fleet like his. As chances of conquering the
crusaders' headquarters in time were dwindling, he conferred with Piyale Pasha again. They
decided to seize Mdina and spend the winter there. When the governor of the city learned that an
Ottoman army was marching in his direction, he knew all too well that his small garrison
would not stand a chance. In his desperation he resorted to a ruse. He equipped and armed as
many peasants and townspeople as possible, and positioned them on the rampart in order to make
the impression of a well-guarded fortification. When the Ottomans closed in, the guns of
Mdina welcomed them with an intense salvo. Soon, they had used almost all of their powder
and ammunition to intimidate and deter the Ottomans. Anxiously, they then waited for the
Ottoman reaction. And what they had barely dared to hope actually happened: the attackers turned
away. The Sultan's soldiers did not have the strength to attack another seemingly well-defended
fortress. When Mustafa Pasha saw his soldiers returning to camp, he was close to despair.
Chapter 10: Defeat On 7 September, the guards on St. Michael's
again noticed movement among the Ottomans. But something was different this
time. The Ottomans were regrouping, had ships patrol in front of the Marsamuscetto
and were tampering with their artillery. The defenders were afraid of whatever Mustafa
Pasha might have cooked up. Then they spotted the sails of a fleet on the horizon. It was
Don Garcia de Toledo. The defenders cheered in relief. Just before driving by the defenders, De
Toledo had disembarked a relief army of just over 8,000 men under the command of Ascanio
della Corgna, an Italian condottiero, at Mellieha Bay and then went on to Sicily to get
even more troops. However, after some time the joy of the defenders faded. For some reason, the
relief army did not attack right away as expected, but remained in their camp near Mdina, despite
the obvious fact that every minute counted. As De la Valette should learn later, this was
in line with the orders of Philipp II and Don Garcia de Toledo. He had ordered Ascanio della
Corgna not to intervene, but to save Malta with a show of force. The viceroy wanted to protect
both his reputation and the Spanish troops. His plan seemed to work. When he received the news
about a relief army, Mustafa Pasha ordered his men to abandon the siege. By 8 September, the Ottomans
had cleared most of their positions and were embarking their ships. But Mustafa Pasha was no
fool. His scouts had been watching the debarking of the relief army and soon brought news that
it was much smaller than expected. After a quick council of war, Mustafa cancelled the retreat and
had his men march north. If they could defeat the relief army before further help arrived, he
expected to be in the clear for this year. When della Corgna spotted the Ottomans on 11
September, he had his men await them on the ridge of a hill east of Mdina. Even though the Spanish
had the high ground, the Ottomans attacked. But soon their confidence waned, because della
Corgna's rested troops were a tough nut to crack. After initial skirmishes, parts of the Ottomans
took to flight. However, Lala Mustafa managed to keep the bulk of his men together and battle
dragged on. Finally, the exhausted and demoralized invaders gave in. Half fleeing, half retreating,
they flocked to St. Paul's Bay, where Piali Pasha was waiting with the fleet. While the cannons of
his ships kept the pursuing Spanish at a distance, the defeated boarded hastily. When the
burningly hot sun of 12 September was setting, the ships of the Corsairs set out for Algiers and
Tripoli, while the Sultan's fleet set its course for the Morea. Malta was saved.
Epilogue On 14 September, Jean de la Valette welcomed
the leaders of the relief army in the grand harbor. They brought food and other supplies for
the haggard men. It didn't take much, as barely 1,000 of the originally 6,000-9,000 men were
left. The Ottomans had suffered heavy losses, too. Estimates vary widely, but most are in
the range of 25,000 dead and 10,000 wounded. Some days after the relief, De la Valette wrote
to the Pope, Don Garcia and King Philip II to thank them for their help, but clearly there was
more than a strain of bitterness in his words of appreciation. By delaying the departure of the
relief army, the Spanish had not only risked the fall of Malta but had also sacrificed the lives of
many defenders – all to spare their own resources. The siege of Malta was one of the greatest events
of its time and attracted so much attention that the French historian Alain Bondy calls it "the
Verdun of the 16th century" and the enlightenment Philosopher Voltaire was sure that “Nothing is
better known than the siege of Malta.» People had followed it with excitement, fear and terror.
But now the drama of Malta was over and it found a happy ending for the Europeans. The Knights of
Malta had successfully defended their headquarters and stopped the enemy on the threshold to Europe.
However, the Ottoman wars were far from over. The next year the frustrated Sultan would direct his
focus toward Hungary, where the small town of Szigetvar would bring fatal consequences both
to the Sultan and his advance towards Vienna.
