Editing History of Malta (section)

===After the siege===
[[File:Malta 250915 de Valletta 01.jpg|thumb|left|Memorial for [[Jean Parisot de Valette]] in [[Valletta]]]]
The year after, the Order started work on a new city with fortifications like no other, on the Sciberras Peninsula which the Ottomans had used as a base during the siege. It was named [[Valletta]] after [[Jean Parisot de Valette]], the Grand Master who had seen the Order through its victory. Since the Ottoman Empire never attacked again, the fortifications were never put to the test, and today remain one of the best-preserved fortifications of this period.

Unlike other rulers of the island, the Order of St.&nbsp;John did not have a "home country" outside the island. The island became their home, so they invested in it more heavily than any other power. Besides, its members came from noble families, and the Order had amassed considerable fortunes due to its services to those en route to the Holy Land. The architectural and artistic remains of this period remain among the greatest of Malta's history, especially in their "prize jewel" — the city of Valletta.

However, as their main ''[[wikt:raison d'être|raison d'être]]'' had ceased to exist, the Order's glory days were over. In the last three decades of the eighteenth century, the Order experienced a steady decline. This was a result of a number of factors, including the bankruptcy that was a result of some lavish rule of the last Grand Masters, which drained the finances of the Order. Due to this, the Order also became unpopular with the Maltese.

Indeed, in 1775, a revolt known as the [[Rising of the Priests]] occurred. Rebels managed to capture Fort St Elmo and [[Saint James Cavalier]], but the revolt was suppressed and some of the leaders were executed while others were imprisoned or exiled.<ref>{{cite web |title=Maltese Rebellion 1775 |website=World History at KMLA |url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/18cen/malta1775.html |access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref>