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History of Malta

An island country whose location at the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great geostrategic importance. 5 eras, 1130 to today.

Kingdom of Sicily, 1130–1816 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in North Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. The lands that Roger II united included the Maltese Archipelago, which was conquered from the Arabs of the Emirates of Sicily. In 1530, in an effort to protect Rome from Ottoman invasion from the south, Charles V, as king of Spain and Sicily, gave the islands of Malta and Gozo to the Knights Hospitaller in perpetual fiefdom.

Seat of power: Palermo

Rulers

Hospitaller Malta, 1530–1798 Draft, not yet reviewed

Hospitaller Malta, known in Maltese history as the Knights' Period, was a de facto state which existed between 1530 and 1798 when the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo were ruled by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. It was formally a vassal state of the Kingdom of Sicily, and it came into being when Emperor Charles V granted the islands as well as the city of Tripoli in modern Libya to the Order, following the latter's loss of Rhodes in 1522. An Ottoman attempt to take Malta in 1565 failed. Following the 1565 siege, the Order decided to settle permanently in Malta and began to construct a new capital city, Valletta.

Seat of power: Valletta

Rulers

Crown Colony of Malta, 1813–1964 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Crown Colony of the Island of Malta and its Dependencies was the British colony in the Maltese islands, that has become the modern Republic of Malta. Malta became a Crown Colony on 23 July 1813, when Sir Thomas Maitland was appointed as Governor of Malta. Malta's status as a Crown Colony was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris of 1814, which was itself reaffirmed by the Congress of Vienna of 1815. The colony gained independence in 1964.

Seat of power: Valletta

Rulers

State of Malta, 1964–1974 Draft, not yet reviewed

The State of Malta, commonly known as Malta, existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974. The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Malta Independence Act 1964 passed by the British Parliament. Under the new Constitution of Malta, approved in a referendum held in May of that year, Queen Elizabeth II became the Queen of Malta. On 13 December 1974, following amendments to the Constitution by the Labour government of Dom Mintoff, the monarchy was abolished and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth with the function of head of state vested in a president appointed by Parliament.

Seat of power: Valletta

Rulers

Malta, 1974 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea. Malta came under British rule as a crown colony in the early 19th century and served as the headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet. The country gained independence in 1964, and established its current parliamentary republic in 1974.

Seat of power: Valletta

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.