Malta, Valletta and Their History

Beyond its stunning scenery, Valletta is also the story of a Mediterranean capital shaped by waves of peoples, conquests, and rulers.

During Antiquity, the island passed through the hands of the Greeks and then the Romans.

Arab forces took control during the middle ages, but it was during the Renaissance that Valletta truly began to take shape. Let’s rewind to 1530, when Charles V — Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain — granted the Maltese islands to the Knights of the Order of St John. His aim was to establish a military force in the Mediterranean to counter the growing Ottoman threat. As soon as the Knights arrived on their coastal territory, they began strengthening their defenses, starting with the construction of Fort St. Elmo on the site of an old watchtower.

During their rise as a sovereign power, the Knights soon faced one of Malta’s most defining moments in history: the Great Siege of Malta. In 1565, the Ottoman Empire launched a massive assault on the island. The Ottoman forces were eventually defeated, forced to retreat, and ultimately lost the battle, thanks to the Knights’ resistance. Following this hard-earned victory, Jean Parisot de La Valette, Grand Master of the Order, founded the new capital between 1566 and 1571. It was named Valletta, after the Grand Master.

In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte tried his luck at conquering the island and its capital. He succeeded and remained here until 1800, when the Maltese, with help from the British, ended the French occupation. The French may have left, but the British stayed—turning Malta into a British colony in 1814. After 150 years under British rule, Malta finally gained its independence in 1964 and became a republic in 1974.

The island joined the European Union in 2004, and as for its capital, Valletta has grown into a most beloved Mediterranean destination.