A History Of Malta: The Maltese Islands from Prehistory to the Present Day (World Histories) - Softcover

Bugeja, Dr Alex

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798341255807

Publisher: Independently published, 2024

Synopsis

At the heart of the Mediterranean lies an archipelago whose history is as dramatic and rich as any great empire. This sweeping narrative takes you on a remarkable journey through the story of the Maltese Islands, beginning in the mists of prehistory with a lost world of dwarf elephants and pygmy hippos. Discover the genius of a mysterious Neolithic civilization that built the Megalithic Temples of Ġgantija and Ħaġar Qim—vast stone structures older than Stonehenge and the pyramids. The story continues as the islands are drawn into the classical world, becoming a strategic outpost for the seafaring Phoenicians, a prosperous Roman municipality known as Melita that famously shipwrecked the Apostle Paul, and a distant province of the Byzantine Empire before an Arab conquest that would forever shape the unique, Semitic Maltese language.

The narrative pivots with the arrival of the Knights of St. John, the crusading order that transformed the islands from a feudal backwater into a formidable bastion of Christendom. Relive their defining moment in the Great Siege of 1565, a brutal and heroic stand where a small band of warriors and the Maltese people repelled the full might of the Ottoman Empire, a victory that echoed across Europe. Explore the golden age that followed, as the Knights embellished their new home with the magnificent fortifications and Baroque palaces of Valletta, a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen, attracting artistic giants like Caravaggio and Mattia Preti.

Witness the abrupt end of the Knights' long reign with the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte, an event that inadvertently ushered in a new global power. For the next 164 years, Malta became the linchpin of the British Empire's power in the Mediterranean, a vital naval fortress and the headquarters of the fleet. The islands endured another "Great Siege" during the Second World War, a relentless aerial bombardment that earned the entire population the George Cross for their heroism. This shared trauma forged a powerful national identity that would fuel the political struggles for self-government in the decades to come.

Explore the complex and often turbulent path from a Crown Colony to a sovereign nation. The book details the achievement of independence in 1964 and the dramatic post-independence years, marked by the fiery leadership of Dom Mintoff, the forging of a new Republic, and a period of intense political crisis in the 1980s that tested the young democracy to its limits. The story culminates with Malta's long and arduous journey to join the European Union, a defining national project that reshaped its politics and society, and its navigation of the complex challenges of the 21st century, from social change and economic booms to a political crisis that captivated the continent.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798341255807
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 166