Editing History of Malta

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{{Short description|Maltese history}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{History of Malta}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2023}}

[[Malta]] has been inhabited since 5900&nbsp;BC. DNA analysis indicates that the first inhabitants originated from various European and African regions of the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]. They practiced mixed farming after clearing most of the existing [[conifer]] forest that dominated the islands, but their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carroll |first=Francis A. |last2=Hunt |first2=Chris O. |last3=Schembri |first3=Patrick J. |last4=Bonanno |first4=Anthony |date=2012 |title=Holocene climate change, vegetation history and human impact in the Central Mediterranean : evidence from the Maltese Islands |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/21457 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |language=en |volume=52 |issue=2012 |pages=24-40 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.07.010}}</ref><ref name="Farrugia-2020-03-19">{{cite news |last=Farrugia |first=Claire |date=2018-03-19 |orig-date=2018-03-18 |title=First inhabitants arrived 700&nbsp;years earlier than thought |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/first-inhabitants-arrived-700-years-earlier-than-thought.673783.amp |access-date=2020-03-25 |newspaper=[[Times of Malta]]}}</ref><ref name="TimesMalta-2018-03-16" /> The islands were repopulated around 3850&nbsp;BC by a civilization that at its peak built the [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|Megalithic Temples]], which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed in around 2350&nbsp;BC; the islands were repopulated by [[Bronze Age]] warriors soon afterwards.

Malta's prehistory ends in around 700&nbsp;BC, when the islands were colonized by the [[Phoenicia]]ns. They ruled the islands until they [[Capture of Malta (218 BC)|fell in 218&nbsp;BC]] to the [[Roman Republic]]. The island was acquired by the Eastern Romans or [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] in the 6th&nbsp;century&nbsp;AD, who were expelled by [[Aghlabids]] following a [[Siege of Melite (870)|siege in 870&nbsp;AD]]. Malta may have been sparsely populated for a few centuries until being repopulated by [[Arabs]] in the 11th century. The islands were [[Norman invasion of Malta|invaded]] by the Norman [[County of Sicily]] in 1091, and a gradual Christianization of the islands followed. At this point, the islands became part of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] and were dominated by successive feudal rulers, including the [[Swabians]], the [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese]], and eventually the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]]. The islands were given to the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of St.&nbsp;John]] in 1530, which [[Hospitaller Malta|ruled them]] as a [[vassal state]] of Sicily. In 1565, the [[Ottoman Empire]] attempted to take the islands in the [[Great Siege of Malta]], but the invasion was repelled. The Order continued to rule Malta for over two centuries, and this period was characterized by a flourishing of the arts and architecture and an overall improvement in the social order [citation needed]. The Order was expelled after the [[French First Republic]] [[French invasion of Malta|invaded the islands]] in 1798, marking the beginning of the [[French occupation of Malta]].

After a few months of French rule, the Maltese [[Siege of Malta (1798–1800)|rebelled]] and the French were expelled in 1800. Malta became a [[Malta Protectorate|British protectorate]], becoming a ''de facto'' [[Crown Colony of Malta|colony]] in 1813. The islands became an important naval base for the British, serving as the headquarters of the [[Mediterranean Fleet]]. During the last quarter of the 19th century, there were advancements in technology and finance. In subsequent years, the Anglo-Egyptian Bank was established in 1882 and the Malta Railway began operating in 1883. In 1921, London granted self-government to Malta. This resulted in the establishment of a bicameral parliament consisting of a Senate (which was later eliminated in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. The Crown Colony of Malta was self-governing in 1921–1933, 1947–1958, and 1962–1964.

During [[World War II]] British forces in Malta were [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|heavily attacked]] by Italian and German air power, but the British held firm. In 1942 [[Award of the George Cross to Malta|the island was awarded]] the [[George Cross]], which today appears on Malta's flag and coat of arms.

In 1964 Malta became an independent [[Commonwealth realm]] known as the [[State of Malta]], and in 1974 it became a republic while remaining in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. Since 2004 the country has been a member state of the [[European Union]].

==Geology==
{{Main|Geology of Malta}}
Malta stands on an underwater ridge that extends from North Africa to [[Sicily]]. At some time in the distant past, Malta was submerged, as shown by marine [[fossils]] embedded in rock in the highest points of Malta. As the ridge was pushed up and the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] [[Messinian salinity crisis|closed through tectonic activity]], the sea level was lower, and Malta was on a bridge of dry land that extended between the two [[continents]], surrounded by large lakes. Some caverns in Malta have revealed bones of [[elephants]], [[hippopotamuses]], and other large animals now found in [[Africa]], while others have revealed animals native to [[Europe]].

==Neolithic (5900 BC–3850 BC)==
{{further|Cardium pottery culture}}
While until recently, it was believed that Malta's first inhabitants arrived in the islands in 5700 BC, it has now been established that this occurred around 5900&nbsp;BC, as is evidenced by studies of ancient soils.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/><ref name="Farrugia-2020-03-19" /> These first [[Neolithic]] people have generally been assumed to have arrived from Sicily (about {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=off|disp=or}} north),{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} but DNA analysis shows that they originated from different parts of the Mediterranean, including both Europe and Africa.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

They were mainly farming and fishing communities, with some evidence of hunting activities. They apparently lived in caves and open dwellings. During the centuries that followed there is evidence of further contacts with other cultures, which left their influence on the local communities, evidenced by their pottery designs and colours.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The farming methods degraded the soil; at the same time prolonged drought set in, and the islands became too dry to sustain agricultural practices. This occurred partly due to climate change and drought, and the islands were uninhabited for about a millennium.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16>{{cite news |title=700&nbsp;years added to Malta's history |date=16 March 2018 |newspaper=Times of Malta |language=en-GB |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180316/life-features/700-years-added-to-maltas-history.673498 |url-status=live |access-date=2021-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316111529/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180316/life-features/700-years-added-to-maltas-history.673498 |archive-date=16 March 2018}}</ref>

Research carried out as part of the FRAGSUS project, comprising analysis of soil cores from valleys, which contained ancient pollen and animal evidence from past environments, revealed that "climate change fluctuations made Malta uninhabitable in some periods of prehistory. There was a substantial break of around 1,000&nbsp;years between the first settlers and the next group who settled permanently on the Maltese islands and eventually built the megalithic temples."<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

== Temple period (3850 BC–2350 BC)==
[[File:Facade Hagar Qim.jpg|thumb|The [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|megalithic temple]] of [[Ħaġar Qim]]]]
[[File:Tarxien fat lady.JPG|thumb|One of the so-called "fat ladies" of ancient Malta, at the [[Tarxien Temples]]]]
[[File:Malta Valletta BW 2011-10-07 15-08-04.JPG|thumb|Spiral motif from one of the megalithic temples, now at the [[National Museum of Archaeology, Malta|National Museum of Archaeology]]]]
{{main|Megalithic Temples of Malta}}

A second wave of colonization arrived from Sicily in around 3850&nbsp;BC.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/> Prof.&nbsp;[[Caroline Malone]] has said: "Given the restricted land space of Malta, it is remarkable that the second colonisation survived for 1,500&nbsp;years. This sort of settlement stability is unheard of in Europe and is impressive in terms of how they were able to live on an ever-degrading land for such a period of time."<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

One of the most notable periods of Malta's history is the temple period, starting around 3600&nbsp;BC. The [[Ġgantija]] Temple in Gozo is one of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world. The name of the complex stems from the Maltese word ''ġgant'', which reflects the magnitude of the temple's size. Many of the temples are in the form of five [[semicircular]] rooms connected at the centre. It has been suggested that these might have represented the head, arms, and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples comprises obese human figures, popularly termed "fat ladies" despite their ambiguity of gender, and often considered to represent fertility.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The civilization which built the temples lasted for about 1,500&nbsp;years until about 2350&nbsp;BC, at which point the culture seems to have disappeared. There is speculation about what might have happened and whether they were completely wiped out or assimilated,{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} but it is thought that the collapse occurred due to climate conditions and drought.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

Prof. Malone has stated: "We can learn a lot from the mistakes made by the first Maltese. The lack of water, coupled with the destruction of soil that takes centuries to form, can cause the failure of a civilisation. The second group of inhabitants to Malta in 3850–2350&nbsp;BC managed their resources adequately and harnessed soil and food for over 1,500&nbsp;years. It was only when climate conditions and drought became so extreme that they failed."<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

Between 2600 and 2400 BC, half of those who died were children.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Irwin |first1=Aisling |title=Island cores unravel mysteries of ancient Maltese civilisation |url=https://phys.org/news/2019-07-island-cores-unravel-mysteries-ancient.html |work=Horizon Magazine |access-date=18 October 2024 |language=en |date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

==Bronze Age (2350 BC–700 BC)==
After the Temple period came the [[Bronze Age]]. From this period there are remains of a number of settlements and villages, as well as [[dolmen]]s — altar-like structures made out of very large slabs of stone. They are claimed to belong to a population certainly different from that which built the previous megalithic temples.

It is presumed the population arrived from Sicily because of the similarity to the constructions found in the largest island of the Mediterranean sea.<ref name=Piccolo-dolmens>{{cite book |author1=Piccolo, Salvatore |author2=Darvill, Timothy |year=2013 |title=Ancient Stones, The Prehistoric Dolmens of Sicily |publisher=Brazen Head Publishing |location=Abingdon, GB |isbn=9780956510624}}</ref>

One surviving [[menhir]], which was used to build temples, still stands at [[Kirkop]]; it is one of the few still in good condition.

Among the most interesting and mysterious remnants of this era are the so-called cart ruts as they can be seen at a place on Malta called [[Misraħ Għar il-Kbir]] (informally known as Clapham Junction). These are pairs of parallel channels cut into the surface of the rock, and extending for considerable distances, often in an exactly straight line. Their exact use is unknown. One suggestion is that beasts of burden used to pull carts along, and these channels would guide the carts and prevent the animals from straying. The society that built these structures eventually died out or at any rate disappeared.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Between 1400 BC and 1200 BC there was a Mycaenaean influence on the Malta, which is evidenced by presence of Mycaenaean artefacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kessler |first=P. L. |title=Kingdoms of Italy - Sicani |url=https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsEurope/ItalySicani.htm |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=www.historyfiles.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

== Antiquity ==

===Phoenicians and Carthage===
[[File:Cippus - Louvre.jpg|thumb|One of the [[Cippi of Melqart]] which were discovered in Malta]]
[[Phoenicians]]{{mdash}}possibly from [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]{{mdash}}began to [[Phoenician colonization|colonize]] the islands around the early {{nowrap|8th century BC}}{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}{{dubious|date=April 2024}}, using it as an outpost from which they expanded sea exploration and trade in the Mediterranean. They called the principal island Ann ({{langx|phn|𐤀𐤍𐤍}}, {{sc|ʾnn}}).{{sfnp|Culican|1992}}{{sfnp|Filigheddu|2006}}{{sfnp|Vella|2023}} Necropolises have been found at [[Rabat, Malta|Rabat]] on Malta and [[Victoria, Gozo|Rabat]] on Gozo, suggesting the main settlements were at present-day [[Mdina]] on Malta and [[Cittadella (Gozo)|Cittadella]] on Gozo.<ref name="cassar53–55">{{harvnb|Cassar|2000|pp=53–55}}</ref> The former settlement was also known as Ann,{{sfnp|Culican|1992}}{{sfnp|Filigheddu|2006}} suggesting it served as the colony's seat of government. The principal port, meanwhile, was at [[Cospicua]] on the [[Grand Harbor]]. Known simply as Maleth ({{lang|phn|𐤌𐤋𐤈}}, {{sc|mlṭ}}, "The Port"), it was probably the namesake of the Greeks' and Romans' names for the entire island.{{sfnp|Vella|2023}}

The Maltese Islands fell under the hegemony of [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] around the middle of 6th century BC,{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} along with most other Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean. By the late 4th century BC, Malta had become a trading post linking southern Italy and [[Sicily]] to [[Tripolitania]]. This resulted in the introduction of [[Hellenistic art|Hellenistic]] features in architecture and pottery. It is not known if Malta was settled like a traditional Greek {{translit|grc|apoikia}}, so some support that Malta was never a Greek colony.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bonanno|first1=Anthony|title=The Tradition of an Ancient Greek Colony in Malta|journal=Hyphen|date=1983|volume=4|issue=1|pages=1–17|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Hyphen/Hyphen.%204(1983)1/01.pdf}}</ref> Hellenistic architectural features can be seen in the Punic temple at [[Tas-Silġ]] and [[Punic building, Żurrieq|a tower]] in [[Żurrieq]]. The Greek language also began to be used in Malta, as shown in the bilingual Phoenician and Greek inscriptions found on the [[Cippi of Melqart]]. In the 18th century, French scholar [[Jean-Jacques Barthélemy]] deciphered the extinct [[Phoenician alphabet]] using the inscriptions on these cippi.<ref name="cassar53–55"/>

In 255 BC, the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] raided Malta during the [[First Punic War]], devastating much of the island.<ref name="cassar53–55"/>

===Roman rule===
[[File:Sudika Rabat Domus Romana.jpg|thumb|left|Roman mosaics in the ''[[Domvs Romana]]'' of ancient Melite]]

According to Latin historian [[Livy]], the Maltese Islands passed into the hands of the Romans at the start of the [[Second Punic War]] in the year {{nowrap|218 BC.}} Livy reports the commander of the Punic garrison on the Island [[Capture of Malta (218 BC)|surrendered without resistance]] to [[Tiberius Sempronius Longus (consul 218 BC)|Tiberius Sempronius Longus]], one of the two [[Roman consul|consuls]] for that year, who was on his way to North Africa. The archipelago{{mdash}}known to the Romans as Melita or Melite{{mdash}}became part of the [[Roman provinces|province]] of [[Sicilia (Roman province)|Sicily]], but by the 1st century it had its own local senate and people's assembly. By this time, both Malta and Gozo minted distinctive coins based on [[Ancient Roman units of measurement#Weight|Roman weight measurements]].<ref name="cassar56–57">{{harvnb|Cassar|2000|pp=56–57}}</ref>

Serving as the administrative hub of the islands, Mdina also became known as [[Melita (ancient city)|Melita]]. Its size grew to its maximum extent, occupying the entire area of present-day [[Mdina]] and large parts of [[Rabat, Malta|Rabat]], extending to what is now [[Collegiate church of St Paul, Rabat|St Paul's Church]]. Remains show that the city was surrounded by thick defensive walls and was also protected by a protective ditch that ran along the same line of St Rita Street, which was built directly above it. Remains hint that a religious centre with a number of temples was built on the highest part of the promontory. The remains of one impressive residence known as the [[Domus Romana]] have been excavated, revealing well-preserved [[Pompeian Styles|Pompeian style]] mosaics. This {{lang|la|domus}} seems to have been the residence of a rich Roman aristocrat, and it is believed to have been built in the 1st century BC and abandoned in the 2nd century AD.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Depasquale|first1=Suzannah|last2=Cardona|first2=Neville Juan|title=Site Catalogue: The Domvs Romana – Rabat Malta|date=2005|publisher=Heritage Books|location=[[Malta]]|isbn=9993270318|page=3}}</ref>

[[File:Roman columns and architecture at the Malta Maritime Museum.jpeg|thumb|right|Greek-Roman remains at the [[Malta Maritime Museum]]<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Hyphen|last=Bonanno|first=Anthony|date=1995|title=Underwater Archeology: A New Turning-Point in Maltese Archeology|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/25571/Hyphen%20Vol(7),%20no.3%201995.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|volume=7|issue=3|pages=109, 110}}</ref>]]

The islands prospered under Roman rule, and were eventually distinguished as a [[Municipium]] and a Foederata [[Civitas]]. Many Roman antiquities still exist, testifying to the close link between the Maltese inhabitants and Sicily.<ref>{{cite web|title=Roman (218 BC-870 AD)|url=http://maltahistory.info/index.php/roman-218-bc-870-ad|website=A Lawyer's History of Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107182214/http://maltahistory.info/index.php/roman-218-bc-870-ad|archive-date=7 January 2016 |url-status=usurped|date=2011}}</ref> Throughout the period of Roman rule, [[Latin]] became Malta's official language, and [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]] was introduced in the islands. Despite this, the local Punic-Hellenistic culture and language is thought to have survived until at least the 1st century AD.<ref name="cassar56–57"/>

In AD 60, the [[Acts of the Apostles]] records that [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]] was shipwrecked on an island named Melite, which many Bible scholars and Maltese conflate with Malta; there is a tradition that the shipwreck took place on the shores of the aptly named "[[St. Paul's Bay]]". In [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts 28]], Saint Paul is welcomed by the islanders who build him a fire. As Paul is gathering wood for the fire, a poisonous viper in the wood is driven out by the heat and bites Paul. Paul is unaffected by the bite, leading the people of Malta to believe he is a god. This assumption allows Paul the opportunity to introduce the [[Gospel]] to the island.

Malta remained part of the Roman Empire until the early 6th century.<ref name="cassar56–57"/> The [[Vandals]] and later the [[Ostrogoths]] might have briefly occupied the islands in the 5th century,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rix|first1=Juliet|title=Malta and Gozo|date=2013|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781841624525|page=9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzeTVgOkeRQC&pg=PA9}}</ref> but there is no archaeological evidence to support this.<ref>{{harvnb|Blouet|2007|p=38}}</ref>

== Middle Ages ==
=== Byzantine rule ===
{{Main|Byzantine Malta}}
[[File:Malta - Marsaxlokk - Triq Xrobb l-Ghagin - Tas-Silg 08 ies.jpg|thumb|Remains of a Byzantine basilica at [[Tas-Silġ]], which was built on the site of earlier [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|megalithic]] and Punic-Roman temples]]

In 533, [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] general [[Belisarius]] may have landed at Malta while on his way from [[Sicily]] to North Africa, and by 535, the islands were integrated into the Byzantine province of [[Sicily]]. During the Byzantine period, the main settlements remained the city of Melite on mainland Malta and the [[Cittadella (Gozo)|Citadel]] on Gozo, while [[Marsaxlokk]], [[Marsaskala]], [[Marsa, Malta|Marsa]] and [[Xlendi]] are believed to have served as harbours. The relatively high quantity of Byzantine ceramics found in Malta suggests that the island might have had an important strategic role within the empire from the 6th to 8th centuries.<ref>{{harvnb|Cassar|2000|p=58}}</ref>

From the late 7th century onward, the Mediterranean was being threatened by [[Early Muslim conquests|Muslim expansion]]. At this point, the Byzantines probably improved the defences of Malta, as can be seen by defensive walls built around the basilica at [[Tas-Silġ]] around the 8th century. The Byzantines might have also built the [[Retrenchment (military)|retrenchment]] which reduced Melite to one-third of its original size.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=The 'Castellu di la Chitati' the medieval castle of the walled town of Mdina|journal=Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification|date=2004–2007|issue=1–4|page=4|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/Arx/arx1_4_2008.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115113200/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/Arx/arx1_4_2008.pdf|archive-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

===Arab period ===
{{see also|History of Islam in southern Italy|Islam in Malta|Arabs in Malta}}
[[File:Maymūnah Stone, Gozo Museum of Archaeology, Victoria, Gozo 001.jpg|thumb|The [[Maymūnah Stone]], a 12th-century marble tombstone believed to have been found in [[Gozo]]]]

In 870 AD, Malta was occupied by Muslims from [[North Africa]]. According to [[Al-Himyarī]], [[Aghlabids]] led by Halaf al-Hādim [[Siege of Melite (870)|besieged the Byzantine city of Melite]], which was ruled by governor Amros (probably Ambrosios). Al-Hādim was killed in the fighting, and Sawāda Ibn Muḥammad was sent from [[Sicily]] to continue the siege following his death. The duration of the siege is unknown, but it probably lasted for some weeks or months. After Melite fell to the invaders, the inhabitants were massacred, the city was destroyed and its churches were looted. Marble from Melite's churches was used to build the castle of [[Sousse]].<ref name=al-himayri>{{cite web |last1=Brincat |first1=Joseph M. |title=New Light on the Darkest Age in Malta's History |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/1995proc%20Malta%20870-1054%20by%20J.M.%20Brincat.pdf |website=melitensiawth.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095600/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/1995proc%20Malta%20870-1054%20by%20J.M.%20Brincat.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
According to Al-Himyarī, Malta remained almost uninhabited until it was resettled in around 1048 or 1049 by a Muslim community and their slaves, who rebuilt the city of Melite as Medina, making it "a finer place than it was before". However, archaeological evidence suggests that Melite/Medina was already a thriving Muslim settlement by the beginning of the 11th century, so Al-Himyarī's account might be unreliable.<ref>{{harvnb|Blouet|2007|p=41}}</ref>
In 1053–54, the Byzantines [[Siege of Medina (1053–54)|besieged Medina]] but they were repelled by its defenders.<ref name=al-himayri/>
Although their rule was relatively short, the Arabs left a significant impact on Malta. In addition to their language, [[Siculo-Arabic]], [[cotton]], [[Orange (fruit)|oranges]] and [[lemon]]s and many new techniques in irrigation were introduced. Some of these, like the ''noria'' (waterwheel), are still used, unchanged, today. Many place names in Malta date to this period.

A long historiographic controversy loomed over Medieval Muslim Malta. According to the "Christian continuity thesis", spearheaded by [[Giovanni Francesco Abela]] and still most present in popular narratives, the Maltese population continuously inhabited the islands from the early Christian Era up to today, and a Christian community persisted even during Muslim times. This was contested in the 1970s by the medieval historian [[Godfrey Wettinger]], who claimed that nothing indicated the continuity of Christianity from the late 9th to the 11th century on the Maltese Islands – the Maltese must have integrated into the new Arab Islamic society. The Christian continuity thesis had a revival in 2010 following the publication of ''Tristia ex Melitogaudo'' by [[Stanley Fiorini]], Horatio Vella and Joseph Brincat, who challenged Wettinger's interpretation based on a line of a Byzantine poem (which later appeared to have been mistranslated). Wettinger subsequently reaffirmed his thesis, based on sources from the Arab historians and geographers Al Baqri, [[Al-Himyarī]], Ibn Hauqal, Qazwini, who all seemed to be in agreement that "the island of Malta remained after that a ruin without inhabitants" – thus ruling out any continuity whatsoever between the Maltese prior to 870 and after. This is also consistent with [[Joseph Brincat]]’s finding of no further substrata beyond Arabic in the [[Maltese language]], a very rare occurrence which may only be explained by a drastic lapse between one period and the following. To the contrary, the few Byzantine words in Maltese language can be traced to the 400 [[Rhodes|Rhodians]] coming with the knights in 1530, as well as to the influx of Greek rite Christians from Sicily.<ref>Yosanne Vella, [http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/54769/wettinger_has_been_vindicated_but_why_do_historians_still_disagree#.WKt8GVPhDIX  Wettinger has been vindicated, but why do historians still disagree?], ''Malta Today'', 7 July 2015</ref>

===Norman Kingdom of Sicily rule===
{{see also|Norman invasion of Malta|Kingdom of Sicily}}
[[File:Mdina-palazzo-falzon.JPG|thumb|[[Palazzo Falzon]], which was built between the late 15th and mid 16th centuries. It is the second oldest surviving building in [[Mdina]].]]

Malta returned to Christian rule with the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest]]. It was, with [[Noto]] on the southern tip of Sicily, the last Arab stronghold in the region to be retaken by the resurgent Christians.<ref>[[Charles William Previté-Orton|Previté-Orton]] (1971), pg. 507-11</ref> In 1091, Count [[Roger I of Sicily]], [[Norman invasion of Malta|invaded]] Malta and turned the island's Muslim rulers into his vassals. In 1127, his son [[Roger II of Sicily]] fully established Norman rule in Malta, paving the way for the islands' Christianization.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wettinger |first1=Godfrey |title=The 'Norman' Heritage of Malta : GODFREY WETTINGER sifts the evidence surrounding Count Roger's visit in 1091 |journal=Treasures of Malta |date=1995 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=34–39 |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/1995proc%20The%20Norman%20Heritage%20of%20Malta%20by%20G.%20Wettinger.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003533/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/1995proc%20The%20Norman%20Heritage%20of%20Malta%20by%20G.%20Wettinger.pdf |archive-date=8 December 2017}}</ref>

Malta was part of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] for nearly 440 years. During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the rulers of [[Swabians|Swabia]], [[Capetian House of Anjou|Anjou]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=de Borja |first1=Zeininger |title=Counts of Malta in Greece |journal=Scientia |date=January–March 1959 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=19 |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2025(1959)1(Jan.-Mar.)/01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418033347/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20%28Malta%29/Scientia.%2025%281959%291%28Jan.-Mar.%29/01.pdf |archive-date=18 April 2016 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> the [[Crown of Aragon]], the [[Crown of Castile]] and Spain. Eventually, the Crown of Aragon, which then ruled Malta, joined with Castile in 1469, and Malta became part of the [[Spanish Empire]].<ref>Gaul, Simon (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fevix8jSqg0C&dq=Andrea+belli+palazzo+parisio&pg=PA104 ''Malta, Gozo and Comino'']{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. New Holland Publishers. p. 25. {{ISBN|1860113656}}.</ref>
Meanwhile, Malta's administration fell in the hands of local nobility who formed a governing body called the ''Università''.

The islands remained largely Muslim-inhabited long after the end of Arab rule. The Arab administration was also kept in place<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Conflict in the Mediterranean before the First Crusade: B. The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095 |title=A History of the Crusades, vol. I: The First Hundred Years |last=Krueger |first=Hilmar C. |editor=Baldwin, M. W. |year=1969 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison |pages=40–53 }}</ref> and Muslims were allowed to practise their religion freely until the 13th century.<ref name="norman">{{cite web|url=http://baheyeldin.com/writings/culture/arab-heritage-in-malta.html|title=Arab Heritage in Malta - The Baheyeldin Dynasty|website=baheyeldin.com|access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref> Muslims continued to demographically and economically dominate Malta for at least another 150&nbsp;years after the Christian conquest.<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/>{{efn|"Of greater cultural significance, the demographic and economic dominance of Muslims continued for at least another century and a half after which forced conversions undoubtedly permitted many former Muslims to remain."<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/>{{rp|page=31}} }}

In 1122, Malta experienced a Muslim uprising and in 1127 [[Roger II of Sicily]] reconquered the islands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta|date=27 April 2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810873902 |page=xxviii |author1=Rudolf, Uwe Jens |author2=Berg, Warren G. |edition=2 (illustrated) |chapter=Chronology}}</ref>

Even in 1175, [[Burchard, bishop of Strasbourg]], an envoy of [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor]], had the impression, based upon his brief visit to Malta, that it was exclusively or mainly inhabited by Muslims.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Loud, Graham A. |author2=Metcalfe, Alex |date=1 January 2002 |title=The Society of Norman Italy |publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004125414 |page=337 |edition=illustrated |chapter=Religious Toleration in the South Italian Peninsula}}</ref><ref>''a Saracenis habitata, et est sub dominio regis Sicilie'' (inhabited by Saracens, and under the dominion of the King of Sicily).{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236800272 |title=Tristia ex Melitogaudo: Lament in Greek Verse of a XIIth-century Exile on Gozo |type=review |periodical=Parergon |date=January 2010 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=197–199 |doi=10.1353/pgn.0.0208|s2cid=143863224 }}</ref>

In 1192, [[Tancred of Sicily]] appointed [[Margaritus of Brindisi]] the first [[Count of Malta]], perhaps for his unexpected success in capturing [[Constance I of Sicily|Empress Constance]] contender to the throne. Between 1194 and 1530, the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] ruled the Maltese islands and a process of full [[Romanization (cultural)|latinisation]] started in Malta. The conquest of the Normans would lead to the gradual [[Romanization (cultural)|Romanization]] and [[Latinization (historical)|Latinization]] and subsequent firm establishment of [[Roman Catholicism]] in Malta, after previous Islamic domination.<ref name="Kenneth M. Setton 1956 pp. 1">Kenneth M. Setton, "The Byzantine Background to the Italian Renaissance" in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 100:1 (24 February 1956), pp. 1–76.</ref><ref name="Daftary">{{cite book |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |title=The Ismāʻı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines |year=1990 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/ismlstheirhistor0000daft|url-access=registration |isbn=0-521-37019-1 }}</ref> 

In 1224, [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]], sent an expedition against Malta to establish royal control and prevent its Muslim population from helping a Muslim rebellion in the [[Kingdom of Sicily]].<ref>{{cite book|title=From Islam to Christianity: the Case of Sicily |page=161 |url=http://www.cliohres.net/books/3/Dalli.pdf |author=Charles Dalli |access-date=9 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821054137/http://www.cliohres.net/books/3/Dalli.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2010  }}</ref>

After the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest]], the population of the Maltese islands kept growing mainly through immigration from the north (Sicily and Italy), with the exile to Malta of the entire male population of the town of [[Celano]] (Italy) in 1223, the stationing of a Norman and Sicilian garrison on Malta in 1240 and the settlement in Malta of noble families from Sicily between 1372 and 1450. As a consequence of this, Capelli et al. found in 2005 that "the contemporary males of Malta most likely originated from Southern Italy, including Sicily and up to Calabria."<ref>[http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/capelli2005.pdf C. Capelli, N. Redhead, N. Novelletto, L. Terrenato, P. Malaspina, Z. Poulli, G. Lefranc, A. Megarbane, V. Delague, V. Romano, F. Cali, V.F. Pascali, M. Fellous, A.E. Felice, and D.B. Goldstein; "Population Structure in the Mediterranean Basin: A Y Chromosome Perspective"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828233152/http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/capelli2005.pdf |date=28 August 2013 }} ''Annals of Human Genetics'', 69, 1–20, 2005.</ref>

According to a report in 1240 or 1241 by [[Gililberto Abbate]], who was the royal governor of Frederick II of Sicily during the [[Count of Malta#Genoese Period|Genoese Period]] of the County of Malta,<ref name="Martin R. Zammit 389">{{cite book |title=Yearbook of Muslims in Europe |volume=4 |date=12 October 2012 |publisher=BRILL |place=Malta |isbn=9789004225213 |page=389 |author=Zammit, Martin R. |editor1=Nielsen, Jørgen S. |editor2=Nielsen, Jørgen |editor3=Akgönül, Samim |editor4=Alibasi, Ahmet |editor5=Racius, Egdunas}}</ref> in that year the islands of Malta and Gozo had 836&nbsp;Muslim families, 250&nbsp;Christian families and 33&nbsp;Jewish families.<ref>{{cite web |first=C. |last=Dalli |year=2002 |title=Malta Musulmana |page=37 |series=The Arabs in Malta |website=melitensiawth.com |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/2002%20Malta%20Musulmana%20by%20C.%20Dalli.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/The%20Arabs%20in%20Malta/2002%20Malta%20Musulmana%20by%20C.%20Dalli.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Around 1249, some Maltese Muslims were sent to the Italian colony of [[Lucera]], established for Sicilian Muslims.{{efn|"The establishment of an Italian colony for Sicilian Muslims at [[Lucera]] on the Italian Peninsula beginning in 1223 has led to much speculation that there must have been a general expulsion of all Muslims from Malta in 1224. However, it is virtually impossible to reconcile this viewpoint with a report of 1240 or 1241 by Gilibert to Frederick&nbsp;II of Sicily to the effect that in that year Malta and Gozo had 836&nbsp;families that were Saracen or Muslim, 250 that were Christian, and 33 that were Jewish. Moreover, [[Ibn Khaldun]] is on record as stating that some Maltese Muslims were sent to the Italian colony of Lucera around 1249.<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/>{{rp|page=28}} }} For some historians, including Godfrey Wettinger, who follow on this [[Ibn Khaldun]], this event marked the end of Islam in Malta. According to Wettinger, "there is no doubt that by the beginning of [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevin]] times [i.e. shortly after 1249] no professed Muslim Maltese remained either as free persons or even as serfs on the island."<ref name=Wettinger-1999>{{cite journal |last=Wettinger |first=G. |author-link=Godfrey Wettinger |year=1999 |title=The origin of the 'Maltese' surnames |journal=Melita Historica |volume=12 |number=4 |page=333 |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/43566/1/Binder1.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/43566/1/Binder1.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|"Ibn Khaldun puts the expulsion of Islam from the Maltese Islands to the year 1249. It is not clear what actually happened then, except that the Maltese language, derived from Arabic, certainly survived. Either the number of Christians was far larger than Giliberto had indicated, and they themselves already spoke Maltese, or a large proportion of the Muslims themselves accepted baptism and stayed behind. [[Henri Bresc]] has written that there are indications of further Muslim political activity on Malta during the last [[Swabia|Suabian]] years. Anyhow there is no doubt that by the beginning of Angevin times no professed Muslim Maltese remained either as free persons or even as serfs on the island."<ref name=Wettinger-1999/>}} The [[Maltese language]] nevertheless survived – an indication that either a large number of Christians already spoke Maltese, or that many Muslims converted and remained behind.

In 1266, Malta was turned over in [[fiefdom]] to [[Charles I of Naples|Charles of Anjou]], brother of France's King Louis&nbsp;IX, who retained it in ownership until 1283. Eventually, during Charles's rule religious coexistence became precarious in Malta, since he had a genuine intolerance of religions other than Roman Catholicism.<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/> However, Malta's links with Africa would still remain strong until the beginning of [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese and Spanish rule]] in 1283, following the [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]].<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/>{{rp|page=31}}

In September&nbsp;1429, [[Hafsid dynasty|Hafsid]] Saracens [[Siege of Malta (1429)|attempted to capture Malta]] but were repelled by the Maltese. The invaders pillaged the countryside and took about 3,000&nbsp;inhabitants as slaves.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cauchi |first=Mark |date=12 September 2004 |title=575th&nbsp;anniversary of the 1429 Siege of Malta |newspaper=Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040912/letters/575th-anniversary-of-the-1429-siege-of-malta.112708 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722013314/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040912/letters/575th-anniversary-of-the-1429-siege-of-malta.112708 |archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>

By the end of the 15th&nbsp;century, all Maltese Muslims would be forced to convert to Christianity and had to find ways to disguise their previous identities by Latinizing or adopting new surnames.<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2>{{cite book |first=Stefan |last=Goodwin |year=2002 |chapter=2. Islam and Realignments |title=Malta, Mediterranean Bridge |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780897898201 |edition=illustrated}}</ref>{{efn|"Though by the end of the fifteenth century all Maltese Muslims would be forced to convert to Christianity, they would still be in the process of acquiring surnames as required in European tradition. Ingeniously, they often used their father's personal Arabic names as the basis of surnames, though there was a consistent cultural avoidance of extremely obvious Arabic and Muslim names, such as Muhammed and Razul. Also, many families disguised their Arabic names, such as [[Kairouan|Karwan]] (the city in Tunisia), which became Caruana, and some derived family names by translating from Arabic into a Roman form, such as Magro or Magri from Dejf."<ref name=Goodwin-2002-ch2/>{{rp|page=24}} }}

==Hospitaller rule (1530–1798) ==
[[File:Deed of Donation, 1530.jpg|thumb|Deed of Donation of the islands of Malta, Gozo and Tripoli to the Order of St.&nbsp;John by Emperor Charles&nbsp;V in 1530.]]
{{Main|Hospitaller Malta}}

Malta was ruled by the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] as a vassal state of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] from 1530 to 1798.

===Early years===
[[File:Prise de Malte en 1530.jpg|thumb|''[[Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam]] takes possession of the island of Malta, 26&nbsp;October 1530'' by [[René Théodore Berthon]]]]

In the early 16th&nbsp;century, the [[Ottoman Empire]] started spreading over the region, reaching South East Europe. The Spanish king [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles&nbsp;V]] feared that if Rome fell to the Turks, it would be the end of Christian Europe. In 1522, [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Suleiman&nbsp;I]] drove the [[Knights Hospitaller]] of St.&nbsp;John out of [[Rhodes]]. They dispersed to their commanderies in Europe. Wanting to protect Rome from invasion from the south, in 1530, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles&nbsp;V]] handed over the island to these knights.

For the next 275&nbsp;years, the "Knights of Malta" made the island their domain and made the [[Italian language]] official. They built towns, palaces, churches, gardens, and fortifications, they embellished the island with numerous works of art, and enhanced cultural heritage.

The order of the Knights of St.&nbsp;John was originally established to set up outposts along the route to the Holy Land, to assist pilgrims going in either direction. Owing to the many confrontations that took place, one of their main tasks was to provide medical assistance, and even today the eight-pointed cross is still in wide use in ambulances and first aid organisations. In return for the many lives they saved, the Order received many newly conquered territories that had to be defended. Together with the need to defend the pilgrims in their care, this gave rise to the strong military wing of the knights. Over time, the Order became strong and rich. From hospitallers first and military second, these priorities reversed. Since much of the territory they covered was around the Mediterranean region, they became notable seamen.

From Malta the knights resumed their seaborne attacks of Ottoman shipping, and before long the [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent]] ordered a final attack on the Order. By this time the Knights had occupied the city of [[Birgu]], which had excellent harbours to house their fleet. Birgu was one of the two major urban places at that time, the other most urban place being [[Mdina]] the old capital city of Malta. The defences around Birgu were enhanced and new fortifications built on the other point where now there is [[Senglea]]. A small fort was built at the tip of the peninsula where the city of [[Valletta]] now stands and was named [[Fort Saint Elmo]].

===Great Siege===
{{main|Great Siege of Malta}}
[[File:Siege of malta 2.jpg|thumb|Capture of St.&nbsp;Elmo, 1565]]
On 18&nbsp;May 1565, [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] laid siege to Malta. By the time the Ottoman fleet arrived the Knights were as ready as they could be. First, the Ottomans attacked the newly built fort of St.&nbsp;Elmo and after a whole month of fighting the fort was in rubble and the soldiers kept fighting until they were wiped out. After this the Turks started attacking Birgu and the fortifications at Senglea but to no gain.

After a protracted siege ended on 8&nbsp;September of the same year, which became known in history as [[Great Siege of Malta]], the [[Ottoman Empire]] conceded defeat as the approaching winter storms threatened to prevent them from leaving. The Ottoman Empire had expected an easy victory within weeks. They had 40,000&nbsp;men arrayed against the Knights' 9,000, most of them Maltese soldiers and simple citizens bearing arms. Their loss of thousands of men was very demoralising. The Ottomans made no further attempts to conquer Malta and the Sultan died in the next year.

===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>

==French occupation (1798–1800)==
{{main|French occupation of Malta|Siege of Malta (1798–1800)}}
[[File:Napoleon Malta.png|thumb|left|Capitulation of Malta to [[Napoleon]], 1798]]

Over the years, the power of the knights declined; their reign ended in 1798 when [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s expeditionary fleet stopped off there en route to his [[French Campaign in Egypt and Syria|Egyptian expedition]]. Napoleon asked for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and when they refused to supply him with water, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] sent a division to scale the hills of Valletta. Grand Master [[Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim|Hompesch]] capitulated on 11&nbsp;June. The following day a treaty was signed by which the order handed over sovereignty of the island of Malta to the [[First French Republic|French Republic]]. In return the French Republic agreed to "employ all its credit at the [[Second Congress of Rastatt|congress of Rastatt]] to procure a principality for the Grand Master, equivalent to the one he gives up".<ref>[[Whitworth Porter]], ''A History of the Knights of Malta'' (London: Longman, Brown, Green, 1858), v.2, 451.</ref>

During his very short stay (six days), Napoleon accomplished quite a number of reforms, notably the creation of a new administration with a Government Commission, the creation of twelve municipalities, the setting up of a public finance administration, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges, the abolition of slavery and the granting of freedom to all Turkish slaves (2000 in all). On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated. Public education was organised along principles laid down by Bonaparte himself, providing for primary and secondary education. Fifteen primary schools were founded and the university was replaced by an ’Ecole centrale’ in which there were eight chairs, all very scientific in outlook: notably, arithmetic and stereometry, algebra and stereotomy, geometry and astronomy, mechanics and physics, navigation, chemistry, etc.<ref>{{cite web |last=Weider |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Weider |title=Chapter&nbsp;12 – The Egyptian Campaign of 1798 |website=International Napoleonic Society |url=http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/Life_Nap_Chap12.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926095958/http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/Life_Nap_Chap12.htm |archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>

He then sailed for Egypt leaving a substantial garrison in Malta. Since the Order had also been growing unpopular with the local Maltese, the latter initially viewed the French with optimism. This illusion did not last long. Within months the French were closing convents and seizing church treasures, most notably the sword of Jean de Valette which has since been returned to Malta in 2017, after a century in Paris, and for many years exhibited at the [[Louvre]], in [[Paris]]. The Maltese people rebelled, and the French garrison of General [[Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois]] retreated into Valletta. After several failed attempts by the locals to retake Valletta, the British were asked for their assistance. Rear Admiral Lord [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Horatio Nelson]] decided on a total blockade in 1799. The French garrison surrendered in 1800.

==Malta in the British Empire (1800–1964)==
{{Main|Malta Protectorate|Crown Colony of Malta}}

=== British Malta in the 19th and early 20th centuries ===
[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq ir-Repubblika - Misrah San Gorg - Attorney General 01 ies.jpg|thumb|The British coat of arms on the [[Main Guard (Valletta)|Main Guard]] building in [[Valletta]].]]
[[File:Malta 1922 One Pound.jpg|thumb|Personification of [[Melita (personification)|Melita]] on a one-pound colonial-era stamp, 1922]]
In 1800, Malta voluntarily became part of the [[British Empire]] as a [[Malta Protectorate|protectorate]]. Under the terms of the 1802 [[Treaty of Amiens]] with France, Britain was supposed to evacuate the island, but failed to keep this obligation – one of several mutual cases of non-adherence to the treaty, which eventually led to its collapse and the [[Napoleonic Wars|resumption of war]] between the two countries.

Although initially the island was not given much importance, its excellent harbours became a prized asset for the British, especially after the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869. The island became a military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet.

[[Home rule]] was refused to the Maltese until 1921 although a partly elected legislative council was created as early as 1849 (the first Council of Government under British rule had been held in 1835), and the locals sometimes suffered considerable poverty.<ref>{{harvnb|Attard|1988|p=76}}</ref> This was due to the island being overpopulated and largely dependent on British military expenditure which varied with the demands of war. Throughout the 19th&nbsp;century, the British administration instituted several liberal constitutional reforms<ref>{{harvnb|Luke|1949|loc=Ch. VIII}}</ref> which were generally resisted by the Church and the Maltese elite who preferred to cling to their feudal privileges.<ref>{{harvnb|Attard|1988|p=64}}, {{harvnb|Luke|1949|p=107}}</ref> Political organisations, like the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]], were created or had as one of their aims, the protection of the [[Italian language]] in Malta.

In 1813 Malta was granted the Bathurst Constitution; in 1814 it was declared free of the [[plague (disease)|plague]], while the 1815 [[Congress of Vienna]] reaffirmed the British rule under the 1814 [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]]. In 1819, the local Italian-speaking ''Università'' was dissolved.

The year 1828 saw the revocation of the right of sanctuary, following the Vatican Church-State proclamation. Three years later, the See of Malta was made independent of the See of [[Palermo]]. In 1839, press censorship was abolished, and the construction of St.&nbsp;Paul's Anglican Cathedral began.

Following the 1846 Carnival riots, in 1849 a Council of Government with elected members under British rule was set up. In 1870 a [[referendum]] was held on ecclesiastics serving on Council of Government, and in 1881 an Executive Council under British rule was created; in 1887, the Council of Government was entrusted with "dual control" under British rule. A backlash came in 1903, with the return to the 1849 form of Council of Government under British rule.

The last quarter of the century saw technical and financial progress in line with the [[Belle Époque]]: The following years saw the foundation of the [[Anglo-Egyptian Bank]] (1882) and the beginning of operation of the [[Malta Railway]] (1883); the first definitive postage stamps were issued in 1885, and in 1904 tram service began.
In 1886 Surgeon Major [[David Bruce (microbiologist)|David Bruce]] discovered the microbe causing the [[Malta Fever]], and in 1905 [[Themistocles Zammit]] discovered the fever's sources.
Finally, in 1912, [[Dun Karm Psaila]] wrote his first poem in Maltese.

Between 1915 and 1918, during [[World War I]], Malta became known as ''the Nurse of the Mediterranean'' due to the large number of wounded soldiers who were accommodated in Malta.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Galea |first1=Michael |date=16 November 2014 |title=Malta earns the title 'nurse of the Mediterranean' |newspaper=Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141116/life-features/Malta-earns-the-title-nurse-of-the-Mediterranean-.544455 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206134215/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141116/life-features/Malta-earns-the-title-nurse-of-the-Mediterranean-.544455 |archive-date=6 February 2016}}</ref>

=== Interwar period ===
[[File:SetteGiugno2009.jpg|thumb|[[Sette Giugno]] monument]]
[[File:1930 elections in Malta.jpg|thumb|Voting document of Ernesto Laiviera for the later cancelled 1930 elections in Malta]]
{{main|Italian irredentism in Malta}}
In 1919, the ''[[Sette Giugno]]'' (7&nbsp;June) riots over the excessive price of bread led to greater autonomy for the locals during the 1920s. After Filippo Sciberras had convened a National Assembly, in 1921 self-government was granted under British rule. Malta obtained a [[bicameral]] [[Parliament of Malta|parliament]] with a Senate (later abolished in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. [[Joseph Howard (Prime Minister)|Joseph Howard]] was named Prime Minister. In 1923 the ''[[Innu Malti]]'' was played for the first time in public, and the same year Francisco Buhagiar became Prime Minister, followed in 1924 by Sir&nbsp;[[Ugo Pasquale Mifsud]] and in 1927 by Sir&nbsp;[[Gerald Strickland]].

The 1930s saw a period of instability in the relations between the Maltese political elite, the Maltese Catholic church, and the British authorities; the 1921 Constitution was suspended twice. First in 1930–1932, when British authorities assumed that a free and fair election would not be possible following a clash between the governing [[Constitutional Party (Malta)|Constitutional Party]] and the Church<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doi.gov.mt/en/islands/prime_ministers/strickland_gerald.asp |title=Strickland, Gerald |website=doi.gov.mt |access-date=15 April 2018 |archive-date=21 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221193721/http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/islands/prime_ministers/strickland_gerald.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Gerald Strickland (1924–1932) |website=[[Government of Malta]] |url=https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20of%20Malta/Prime%20Ministers%20of%20Malta/Pages/Sir-Gerald-Strickland.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729004840/https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20of%20Malta/Prime%20Ministers%20of%20Malta/Pages/Sir-Gerald-Strickland.aspx |archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> and the latter's subsequent imposition of mortal sin on voters of the party and its allies, thus making a free and fair election impossible. Again, in 1933 the Constitution was withdrawn over the Government's budgetary vote for the teaching of Italian in elementary schools, after just 13&nbsp;months of a Nationalist administration.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ardizzone |first=Pietro |chapter=Le iniziative culturali italiane negli anni ’30 per Malta e per le comunità maltesi all’estero |language=it |title=Studi maltesi – Lotte per l'egemonia culturale e politica a Malta: aspetti linguistici ed istituzionali |pages=69–101 |url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITA2413/_P6.HTM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905231020/http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITA2413/_P6.HTM |archive-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> Malta thus reverted to the Crown Colony status it held in 1813.

Before the arrival of the British, the official language since 1530 (and the one of the handful of educated elite) had been Italian, but this was downgraded by the increased use of English. In 1934 [[Maltese language|Maltese]] was declared an official language, which brought the number up to three. Two years later, the Letters Patent of the 1936 constitution declared that Maltese and English were the only official languages, thereby legally settling the long-standing '[[Language Question (Malta)|Language Question]]' that had dominated Maltese politics for over half a century.
In 1934, only about 15% of the population could speak Italian fluently.<ref name="Luke P.113">{{harvnb|Luke|1949|p=113}}</ref> This meant that out of 58,000&nbsp;males qualified by age to be jurors, only 767 could qualify by language, as only Italian had until then been used in the courts.<ref name="Luke P.113"/>

In 1936 the Constitution was revised to provide for the nomination of members to Executive Council under British rule (similar to the 1835 constitution) and in 1939 to provide again for a partly elected Council of Government under British rule.

=== British Malta during the Second World War ===
{{main|Siege of Malta (World War II)}}
{{further| Operation Herkules}}
[[File:BombDamageMalta.jpg|right|thumb|Service personnel and civilians clear up debris on the heavily bomb-damaged [[Strada Reale]] in [[Valletta]] on 1&nbsp;May 1942]]

Before World War&nbsp;II, Valletta was the location of the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[British Mediterranean Fleet|Mediterranean Fleet]]'s headquarters. However, despite [[Winston Churchill]]'s objections,{{refn|name=BJandCS-p36|Bierman & Smith (2002)<ref name=Bierman-Smith-2002>{{cite book |last1=Bierman |first1=John |first2=Colin |last2=Smith |year=2002 |title=The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-0-670-03040-8 |via=Internet Archive (archive.org) |url=https://archive.org/details/battleofalameint00bier |url-access=registration}}</ref>{{rp|page=[https://archive.org/details/battleofalameint00bier/page/36 36]}} {{cite book |title=page&nbsp;36 online |year=2002 |publisher=Viking |isbn=9780670030408 |url=https://archive.org/details/battleofalameint00bier/page/36 |url-access=registration}} }} the command was moved to [[Alexandria]], [[Egypt]], in April 1937 fearing it was too susceptible to air attacks from Europe.{{refn|name=BJandCS-p36}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Titterton |first=G.A. |year=2002 |title=The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean |volume=2 |page={{mvar|xiii}} |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7146-5179-8}}</ref><ref name=ElliottP--pxx>{{cite book |last=Elliott |first=Peter |year=1980 |title=The Cross and the Ensign: A Naval History of Malta, 1798-1979 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-0-87021-926-9}}</ref>{{page needed|date=December 2011}} At the time of the Italian declaration of war (10&nbsp;June 1940), Malta had a garrison of less than four thousand soldiers and about five weeks of food supplies for the population of about three hundred thousand. In addition, Malta's air defences consisted of about forty-two [[anti-aircraft]] guns (thirty-four "heavy" and eight "light") and four [[Gloster Gladiator]]s, for which three pilots were available.

Being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces. Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian navy and had a submarine base. It was also used as a listening post, reading German radio messages including [[Enigma (machine)|Enigma]] traffic.<ref name=CP-p42-44>{{cite book |last=Calvocoressi |first=Peter |title=Top Secret Ultra |volume=10 |series=Ballantine Espionage Intelligence Library |year=1981|edition=reprint |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0-345-30069-0 |pages=42, 44}}</ref>

The first air raids against Malta occurred on 11&nbsp;June 1940; there were six attacks that day. The island's [[biplane]]s ability to defend the island was limited due to the [[RAF Luqa|Luqa Airfield]] being unfinished;{{how|date=June 2024}} however, the airfield was ready by the seventh attack. Initially, the Italians would fly at about 5,500&nbsp;m, then they dropped down to three thousand metres (in order to improve the accuracy of their bomb-aiming). [[Journalism|Journalist]] [[Mabel Strickland]] spoke of the Italian bombing efforts as such: "The Italians decided they didn't like [the [[Gloster Gladiator|Gladiators]] and [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AA]] guns], so they dropped their bombs twenty miles off Malta and went back."{{refn|name=BJandCS-p38|Bierman & Smith (2002)<ref name=Bierman-Smith-2002/>{{rp|page=38}} }} Despite these words, the accuracy of Italian bombers improved after repeated attempts, causing a great deal of devastation to both military and civilian infrastructure in Malta. However, these raids proved ineffective to the Axis siege efforts, as any damage incurred was eventually repaired before a new wave of bombers could launch bombing runs over the islands.<ref name=Walker-2003>{{cite book |last=Walker |first=Ian W. |year=2003 |title=Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; Mussolini's elite armoured divisions in North Africa |place=Ramsbury, UK |publisher=The Crowood Press |isbn=1-86126-646-4}}</ref>

By the end of August, the Gladiators were reinforced by twelve [[Hawker Hurricane]]s which had arrived via [[HMS Argus (1917)|HMS ''Argus'']].<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> During the first five months of combat, the island's aircraft destroyed or damaged about thirty-seven Italian aircraft, while suffering even greater losses than the Italians. Italian [[fighter plane|fighter]] pilot [[Francisco Cavalera]] observed, "Malta was really a big problem for us—very well-defended.".<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> Nevertheless, the Italian bombing campaign was causing serious damage to the island's infrastructure and the ability of the [[Royal Navy]] to operate effectively in the Mediterranean.<ref name=Walker-2003/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 60–67}}

On Malta, 330&nbsp;people had been killed and 297 were seriously wounded from the war's inception until December&nbsp;1941. In January&nbsp;1941, the German [[10th Air Corps (Germany)|X. ''Fliegerkorps'']] arrived in Sicily as the [[Afrika Korps]] arrived in [[Libya]]. Over the next four months 820&nbsp;people were killed and 915 seriously wounded.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Shankland, Peter |author2=Hunter, Anthony |year=1961 |title=Malta Convoy |publisher=I. Washburn |page=60}}</ref>

[[File:Malta- the Harbour Barrage from the Upper Barracca Art.IWMARTLD3551.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the bomb-damaged [[Upper Barrakka Gardens]] in 1943]]
On 15&nbsp;April 1942, [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George&nbsp;VI]] awarded the [[George Cross (Malta)|George Cross]] (the highest civilian award for gallantry) "to the island fortress of Malta — its people and defenders".<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] arrived on 8&nbsp;December 1943, and presented a United States Presidential Citation to the people of Malta on behalf of the people of United States. He presented the scroll on 8&nbsp;December but dated it 7&nbsp;December for symbolic reasons. In part it read: "Under repeated fire from the skies, Malta stood alone and unafraid in the centre of the sea, one tiny bright flame in the darkness – a beacon of hope for the clearer days which have come."<ref>{{cite news |title=Mr.&nbsp;Roosevelt gives scroll to people on isle Of Malta |pages=1, 4 |newspaper=[[The Gettysburg Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=10 December 1943 }}</ref> (The complete citation now stands on a plaque on the wall of the Grand Master's Palace on Republic Street, in the town square of Valletta.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Rudolf, Uwe Jens |author2=Berg, Warren G. |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta |year=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5317-1 |pages=197–198}}</ref>)

In 1942, a convoy code-named [[Operation Pedestal]] was sent to relieve Malta. Five ships, including the tanker [[SS Ohio|SS ''Ohio'']], managed to arrive in the Grand Harbour, with enough supplies for Malta to survive. In the following year Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill visited Malta. George VI also arrived in Grand Harbour for a visit.

During the Second World War, [[Ugo Mifsud]] and [[George Borg Olivier]] were the only remaining Nationalist members of parliament of Malta. Mifsud fainted after delivering a very passionate defence against the deportation to concentration camps in [[Uganda Protectorate|Uganda]] of [[Enrico Mizzi]] and 49&nbsp;other [[Italian Maltese]] accused of pro-Italian political activities. He died a few days later.

In 1943, the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] coordinated the [[Allied invasion of Sicily|invasion of Sicily]] from the [[Lascaris War Rooms]] in Valletta. Following the [[Armistice of Cassibile]] later in 1943, a large part of the [[Regia Marina|Italian Navy]] surrendered to the British in Malta.

The [[Malta Conference (1945)|Malta Conference]] was held in 1945, in which Churchill and Roosevelt met prior to the [[Yalta Conference]] with [[Joseph Stalin]].

The 1946 National Assembly resulted in a new constitution in 1947. This restored Malta's self-government, with [[Paul Boffa]] as Prime Minister. On 5&nbsp;September 1947, universal suffrage for [[women in Malta]] was granted. That year, [[Agatha Barbara]] was the [[Women in Maltese General Elections|first woman elected]] as a Maltese Member of Parliament.

=== From home rule to independence ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Malta]] -->
[[File:MLT 1948 MiNr0201 pmB002.jpg|thumb|1947 stamp with [[George VI]] commemorating self-government]]
After the Second World War, the islands achieved self-rule, with the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Malta Labour Party]] (MLP) of [[Dom Mintoff]] seeking either full integration with the UK or else "self-determination" (independence) and the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Partit Nazzjonalista]] (PN) of [[George Borg Olivier]] favouring independence, with the same "dominion status" that Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoyed.

The 1953 Coronation incident (where, initially, no invitation was sent for a Maltese delegation to attend the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II), temporarily united Maltese politicians. After the MLP's electoral victory in 1955, in December Round Table Talks were held in London, on the future of Malta, namely the Integration proposal put forward by Mintoff. It was attended by the new Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, Borg Olivier, and other Maltese politicians, along with the British [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|Colonial Secretary]], [[Alan Lennox-Boyd]]. The British government agreed to offer the islands their own representation in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]], with three seats in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], with the [[Home Office]] taking over responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office.<ref name="hansard"/>
Under the proposals, the Maltese Parliament would retain authority over all affairs except defence, foreign policy, and taxation. The Maltese were also to have social and economic parity with the UK, to be guaranteed by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) the islands' main source of employment.

A [[1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum|UK integration referendum]] was held on 11 and 12&nbsp;February 1956, in which 77.02% of voters were in favour of the proposal,<ref>{{cite web |title=Referenda in Malta: The questions and the voters' responses |website=maltadata.com |url=http://www.maltadata.com/ref-votes.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111073623/http://www.maltadata.com/ref-votes.htm |archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> but owing to a boycott by the Nationalist Party and the Church, only 59.1% of the electorate voted, thereby rendering the result inconclusive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Referenda in Malta |website=vassallomalta.com |url=http://www.vassallomalta.com/Referenda.htm#1956%20Integration%20Referendum |access-date=2019-01-29 |archive-date=26 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726183917/http://www.vassallomalta.com/Referenda.htm#1956%20Integration%20Referendum |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There were also concerns expressed by British MPs that the representation of Malta at Westminster would set a precedent for other colonies, and influence the outcome of general elections.<ref name="hansard">{{cite web |title=Malta Round Table Conference |date=26 March 1956 |website=UK Parliament |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1956/mar/26/malta-round-table-conference}}</ref>

[[File:A view of shops with anti-British and pro-Independence signs, possibly on Kings Street, Valetta, Malta (5074435957).jpg|thumb|Malta Labour Party club in [[Valletta]] with anti-British and pro-Independence signs in the late 1950s]]
In addition, the decreasing strategic importance of Malta to the Royal Navy meant that the British government was increasingly reluctant to maintain the naval dockyards. Following a decision by the Admiralty to dismiss 40&nbsp;workers at the dockyard, Mintoff declared that "representatives of the Maltese people in Parliament declare that they are no longer bound by agreements and obligations toward the British government" (the 1958 ''Caravaggio incident''). In response, the Colonial Secretary sent a cable to Mintoff, stating that he had "recklessly hazarded" the whole integration plan.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Penny-wise |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=13 January 1958 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,862830,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302023516/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C862830%2C00.html |archive-date=2 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Under protest, Dom Mintoff resigned as Prime Minister along with all the MLP deputies on 21 April 1958. Georgio Borg Olivier was offered to form an alternative government by Governor Laycock but refused. This led to the Governor declaring a state of emergency thus suspending the constitution and Malta was placed under direct colonial administration from London. The MLP had now fully abandoned support for integration (when Mintoff's demands for financial guarantees were not accepted) and now advocated full independence from Britain. In 1959, an Interim Constitution provided for an Executive Council under British rule.

While France had implemented a similar policy in its colonies, some of which became [[overseas departments]], the status offered to Malta from Britain constituted a unique exception. Malta was the only [[British overseas territory|British colony]] where integration with the UK was seriously considered, and subsequent British governments have ruled out integration for remaining overseas territories, such as [[Gibraltar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gibraltar |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1976/aug/03/gibraltar |publisher=H.C. Deb |date=3 August 1976 |volume=916 |id=cc726-7W |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109000842/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1976/aug/03/gibraltar |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |archive-date=9 January 2016}}</ref>

From 1959 Malta's British governor started to pursue a plan of economic development based on promoting [[tourism]] and [[tax competition]], offering very low tax rates on pensions, royalties and dividends to attract British (referred to as ‘sixpenny settlers’) and former colonial pensioners. Malta saw a large influx of Britons from [[Rhodesia]] after 1967.<ref>{{cite periodical |first=Vanessa |last=Ogle |date=August 2020 |title='Funk Money': The end of empires, the expansion of tax havens, and decolonization as an economic and financial event |periodical=Past & Present |volume=249 |pages=213–249 |doi=10.1093/pastj/gtaa001 |url=https://academic.oup.com/past/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pastj/gtaa001/5896119}}</ref>

In 1961, the [[Blood Commission]] provided for a new constitution allowing for a measure of self-government and recognising the "State" of Malta. [[Giorgio Borg Olivier]] became Prime Minister the following year, when the [[Stolper report]] was delivered.

==Independent Malta (since 1964)==

=== Nationalist governments (1964–1971) ===
{{anchor|Malta Independence Act 1964}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Malta Independence Act 1964
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to make provision for, and in connection with, the attainment by Malta of fully responsible status within the Commonwealth.
| year                  = 1964
| citation              = [[List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1964|1964]] c. 86
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 31 July 1964
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = [[British Nationality Act 1981]]
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = amended
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1964/86/contents/enacted
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = Malta Independence Act 1964
| collapsed             = yes
}}
[[File:Ton-class minesweeper - HMS Stubbington (M1204) - Msida Creek, Malta 1964.jpg|thumb|Ton-class minesweeper HMS ''Stubbington'' (M1204) moored in Msida Creek, Malta. The ship, seen on 21 September 1964, is decorated in honour of Malta's independence.]]
[[File:Denkmal an die Unabhängigkeit Maltas in Valletta.jpg|thumb|Monument to the independence of Malta in [[Floriana]]]]

Following the passage of the Malta Independence Act 1964 (c. 86) by the [[British Parliament]] and the approval of a new [[Constitution of Malta|Maltese constitution]] by 54.5% of voters in a [[1964 Maltese constitutional referendum|referendum]], the [[State of Malta]] ({{langx|mt|Stat ta’ Malta}}) was formed on 21&nbsp;September 1964 as an independent [[constitutional monarchy]], with [[Elizabeth II]] as [[Queen of Malta]] and [[head of state]]. The date continues to be celebrated annually as Independence Day ({{langx|mt|Jum l-Indipendenza}}), a national holiday in Malta. On 1&nbsp;December 1964, Malta was admitted to the [[United Nations]].

In the first two post-independence electoral rounds, in [[1962 Maltese general election|1962]] and [[1966 Maltese general election|1966]] the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] emerged as the largest party, gaining a majority of the Parliamentary seats. In these years, [[Italy-Malta relations|relations with Italy]] were of the utmost importance to secure independence and establish linkages with continental Europe. Malta signed four cooperation agreements with Italy in 1967, during a visit of [[Aldo Moro]] to the island.

In 1965 Malta joined the [[Council of Europe]], and in 1970, Malta signed an Association Treaty with the [[European Economic Community]].

=== Labour governments (1971–1987) ===
[[File:Proclamation-de-la-Républiq.jpg|thumb|President [[Anthony Mamo]] and Prime Minister [[Dom Mintoff]] at the proclamation of the Republic of Malta, 13&nbsp;December 1974]]

The [[1971 Maltese general election|elections of 1971]] saw the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour Party]] (MLP) under [[Dom Mintoff]] win by just over 4,000&nbsp;votes.
The Labour government immediately set out to re-negotiate the post-Independence [[military]] and financial agreements with the [[United Kingdom]]. The government also undertook [[nationalization]] programmes and the expansion of the [[public sector]] and the [[welfare state]]. [[Employment law]]s were updated with [[gender equality]] being introduced in salary pay. Concerning civil law, [[civil marriage]] was introduced and [[homosexuality]] and [[adultery]] were decriminalised (1973); [[capital punishment]] for [[murder]] was abolished in 1971. The following year, Malta entered into a Military Base Agreement with the [[United Kingdom]] and other [[NATO]] countries, after mediation by Italy's [[Aldo Moro]].
[[File:Malta 50 years as republic.jpg|thumb|218x218px|Advertisements in Valletta for Malta celebrating 50 years as a republic.]]
Through a package of constitutional reforms, Malta became a [[republic]] on 13&nbsp;December 1974, with the last Governor-General, Sir [[Anthony Mamo]], as its first [[President of Malta|President]]. The [[Xirka Ġieħ ir-Repubblika|''Ġieħ ir-Repubblika'' Act]], promulgated the following year, abolished all titles of [[nobility]] in Malta and mandated that they cease to be recognised.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chapter 251 – Ġieh ir-Repubblika Act|url=http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8745&l=1|website=[[Government of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129052951/http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8745&l=1|archive-date=29 November 2014|date=17 October 1975}}</ref>

The Party was confirmed in office in the [[1976 Maltese general election|1976 elections]]. Between 1976 and 1981 Malta went through difficult times and the Labour government demanded that the Maltese tighten their belts in order to overcome the difficulties Malta was facing. There were shortages of essential items; water and electricity supplies were systematically suspended for two or three days a week. Political tensions increased, notably on [[Black Monday (Malta)|Black Monday]], when following an attempted assassination of the Prime Minister, the premises of the ''[[Times of Malta]]'' were burned and the house of the Leader of Opposition was attacked.

==== End of British presence and new regional alliances ====
{{main|Libya–Malta relations|Italy–Malta relations}}
[[File:RIAN archive 667881 US president George Bush and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|U.S. President [[George H. W. Bush]] and USSR leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] meeting in [[Valletta]] in December 1989.]]
On 1&nbsp;April 1979 the last British forces left the island after the end of the economic pact to stabilise the Maltese economy. This is celebrated as [[Freedom Day (Malta)|Freedom Day]] (''Jum Il-Ħelsien'') on 31 March. Celebrations start with a ceremony in [[Floriana]] near the [[War Memorial (Floriana)|War Memorial]]. A popular event on this memorable day is the traditional regatta. The regatta is held at the Grand Harbour and the teams taking part in it give it their best shot to win the much coveted aggregate Regatta Shield.

Under Mintoff's premiership, Malta began establishing close cultural and economic ties with [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]],<ref name=TimeMag-1972-01-17>{{cite magazine |title=Gaddafi to the Rescue |magazine=Time |date=17 January 1972 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877632-1,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426225041/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C877632-1%2C00.html |archive-date=26 April 2009}}</ref> as well as diplomatic and military ties with [[North Korea]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Young |first=Benjamin R. |date=11 June 2014 |title=Kim Jong Il's unlikely Maltese mentor & a secret military agreement |work=[[NK News]] |url=https://www.nknews.org/2014/06/kim-jong-ils-unlikely-maltese-mentor-a-secret-military-agreement/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417033152/https://www.nknews.org/2014/06/kim-jong-ils-unlikely-maltese-mentor-a-secret-military-agreement/ |archive-date=17 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Falzon |first=Michael |date=22 October 2006 |title=Our man in Pyongyang |newspaper=Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20061022/opinion/our-man-in-pyongyang.37652 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415202409/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20061022/opinion/our-man-in-pyongyang.37652 |archive-date=15 April 2015}}</ref>

During the [[Dom Mintoff|Mintoff]] years, Libya had loaned several million dollars to Malta to make up for the loss of rental income which followed the closure of British military bases in Malta.<ref name=TimeMag-1972-01-17/> These closer ties with Libya meant a dramatic new (but short-lived) development in Maltese foreign policy: Western media reported that Malta appeared to be turning its back on [[NATO]], the [[UK]], and Europe generally.<ref>{{cite magazine  |title=Our sad adieu |magazine=Time |date=9 April 1979 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920217,00.html |access-date=8 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930064848/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920217,00.html |archive-date=2007-09-30}}</ref>
History books were published that began to spread the idea of a disconnection between the Italian and Catholic populations, and instead tried to promote the theory of closer cultural and ethnic ties with North Africa. This new development was noted by Boissevain in 1991: "The Labour government broke off relations with NATO and sought links with the Arab world. After 900&nbsp;years of being linked to Europe, Malta began to look southward. Muslims, still remembered in folklore for savage pirate attacks, were redefined as blood brothers".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Jeremy |last=Boissevain |year=1991 |title=Ritual, play, and identity: Changing patterns of celebration in Maltese villages |journal=Journal of Mediterranean Studies |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=87–100, quote at 88}}</ref>

Malta and Libya had entered into a ''Friendship and Cooperation Treaty'', in response to repeated overtures by [[Gaddafi]] for a closer, more formal union between the two countries{{when|date=September 2017}}; and, for a brief period, Arabic had become a compulsory subject in Maltese secondary schools.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boissevain |first=Jeremy |date=1984 |chapter=Ritual escalation in Malta |editor=Eric R. Wolf |title=Religion, Power and Protest in Local Communities: The Northern Shore of the Mediterranean |series=Religion and Society |volume=24 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |page=166 |isbn=9783110097771 |issn=1437-5370 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zobO6LmDLikC&pg=PA166}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Hans Peter |last=Mattes |year=1985 |title=Aspekte der libyschen Außeninvestitionspolitik 1972-1985 (Fallbeispiel Malta) |language=de |journal=Mitteilungen des Deutschen Orient-Instituts |volume=26 |place=Hamburg, DE |pages=88–126; 142–161}}</ref> In 1984 the [[Mariam Al-Batool Mosque]] was officially opened by Muammar Gaddafi in Malta, two years after its completion.

In 1980 an oil rig of the Italian company [[Saipem]] commissioned by [[Texaco]] to drill on behalf of the Maltese government 68&nbsp;nautical miles south-east of Malta had to stop operations after being threatened by a Libyan gunboat. Both Malta and Libya claimed economic rights to the area and this incident raised tensions. The matter was referred to the [[International Court of Justice]] in 1982 but the court's ruling in 1985 dealt only with the delineation of a small part of the contested territory.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malta Today |date=2009-04-29 |website=archive.maltatoday.com.mt |url=http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/04/29/t9.html |access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cour internationale de Justice – International Court of Justice |website=icj-cij.org |id=sum 353, code lm, pp 3–5, case 68, k a8 |url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?sum=353&code=lm&p1=3&p2=3&case=68&k=a8&p3=5 |access-date=15 April 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302202532/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?sum=353&code=lm&p1=3&p2=3&case=68&k=a8&p3=5 |archive-date=2 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1980, Malta signed a [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]] agreement with [[Italy]], under which Malta agreed not to enter into any alliance and Italy agreed to guarantee Malta's neutrality.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Peacetime Use of Foreign Military Installations Under Modern International Law |last=Woodliffe |first=John |year=1992 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff |place=Dordrecht, DE |isbn=0-7923-1879-X |pages=99–100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVW8d2NiXSYC&q=italy+malta+neutrality&pg=PA99 |access-date=2009-04-11}}</ref> Malta's relations with Italy have been described as "generally excellent".<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Attard |first2=Dominic |last2=Fenech |year=2000 |section=The Law of the Sea and jurisdictional issues in the Mediterranean |title=Naval Policy and Strategy in the Mediterranean: Past, Present and Future |editor-first=John B. |editor-last=Hattendorf |place=London, UK |publisher=Frank Cass |page=362 |isbn=0-7146-8054-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o20TToWpNYIC&dq=italy+malta+neutrality&pg=PA362 |access-date=11 April 2009 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

==== Constitutional crisis in the 1980s ====
[[File:Strait street, Valletta, 1980.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A "Vote PN" graffiti in Strait street, Valletta, 1980]]
The [[1981 Maltese general election|1981 general elections]] saw the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] (NP) gaining an absolute majority of votes, yet the Labour winning the majority of parliamentary seats under the [[Single Transferable Vote]] and Mintoff remained Prime Minister, leading to a political crisis. The Nationalists, now led by [[Eddie Fenech Adami]], refused to accept the electoral result and also refused to take their seats in Parliament for the first years of the legislature, mounting a campaign demanding that Parliament should reflect the democratic will of the people. Despite this, the Labour government remained in power for the full five-year term. Mintoff resigned as Prime Minister and Party leader and appointed [[Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici]] as his successor in 1984.

The Mifsud Bonnici years were characterised by political tensions and violence. After a five-year debate, Fenech Adami, through the intervention of Dom Mintoff, reached an agreement with [[Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici]] to improve the constitution. Constitutional amendments were made voted and made effective in January 1987 which guaranteed that the party with an absolute majority of votes would be given a majority of parliamentary seats in order to govern. This paved the way for the return of the Nationalist Party to government later that year.

=== Accession process to the European Union (1987–2004) ===
[[File:Edward Fenech Adami.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Eddie Fenech Adami]], Prime Minister of Malta 1987–96 and 1998–2004, and President of Malta 2004–09]]
The [[1987 Maltese general election|general elections that followed in 1987]] saw the Nationalist Party achieve such a majority of votes. The new Nationalist administration of Edward Fenech Adami sought to improve Malta's ties with [[Western Europe]] and the [[United States]].
The [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] advocated Malta's membership in the European Union presenting an application on 16 July 1990. This became a divisive issue, with [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] opposing membership.

A wide-ranging programme of liberalisation and public investments meant the confirmation in office of the Nationalists with a larger majority in the [[1992 Maltese general election|1992 elections]]. In 1993, local councils were re-established in Malta.

[[1996 Maltese general election|General elections were held in Malta on 26 October 1996]]; although [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] received the most votes, the Nationalists won the most seats. The 1987 constitutional amendments had to be used for the second time, and the Labour Party was awarded an additional four seats to ensure they had a majority in Parliament.
Malta's EU application was subsequently frozen.
A split in the Labour Party in 1998, between the PM Sant and the former PM Mintoff (died in 2012) resulted in the government losing the majority. Notwithstanding the President of the Republic's preference for a negotiated solution, all attempts proved futile, and he had no other option but to accept Sant and his government's resignation and a call for early elections.

On being returned to office in the [[1998 Maltese general election|1998 elections]] with a wide 13,000&nbsp;vote margin, the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] reactivated the EU membership application. Malta was formally accepted as a candidate country at the Helsinki European Council of December&nbsp;1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presidency Conclusions – Helsinki European Council – 10 and 11&nbsp;December 1999 |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/acfa4c.htm |website=Council of the European Union|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206132601/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/acfa4c.htm |archive-date=6 February 2016}}</ref>
In 2000, [[capital punishment]] was abolished also from the military code of Malta.

EU accession negotiations were concluded late in 2002 and a [[2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum|referendum on membership in 2003]] saw 90.86% casting a valid vote of which 53.65% were "yes" votes. [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] stated that it would not be bound by this result were it returned to power in the following general election that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maltese back EU entry |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2833889.stm |date=9 March 2003}}</ref> In the circumstances, elections were called and the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]], led by Prime minister Fenech Adami, [[2003 Maltese general election|won another mandate]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Malta votes for pro-EU party |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2943597.stm |date=13 April 2003}}</ref> In April 2004, Eddie Fenech Adami was sworn in as [[President of Malta]]. [[Lawrence Gonzi]] succeeded him as Prime Minister and the leader of the Nationalist Party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Malta prime minister resigns |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2004/03/24/Malta-prime-minister-resigns/89751080128026/ |work=UPI |language=en}}</ref> The accession treaty was signed and ratified and Malta joined the EU on 1&nbsp;May 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=WTO {{!}} Malta - Member information |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/malta_e.htm |website=www.wto.org}}</ref> A consensus on membership was subsequently achieved with [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] saying it would respect this result. [[Joe Borg]] was appointed as first Maltese [[European commissioner]] in the first [[Barroso Commission]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Borg re-nominated as EU commissioner |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/joe-borg-re-nominated-as-eu-commissioner.116747 |work=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref>

=== Malta in the European Union (2004–present)===
Malta's accession to the European Union in 2004 had important implications for the state's foreign policy. Notably, Malta was required to withdraw from the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] of which the state had been an active member since 1971.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cini|first=Michelle|date=September 2004|title=Culture, institutions and campaign effects: Explaining the outcome of Malta's EU accession referendum |journal=West European Politics|volume=27|issue=4|pages=584–602|doi=10.1080/0140238042000249911|s2cid=154334621|issn=0140-2382}}</ref>[[File:Welcome-Europe.jpg|thumb|Celebrations at [[Fort Saint Angelo]] commemorating Malta's entry into the EU in 2004]]

In the context of EU membership, Malta joined the [[Eurozone]] on 1&nbsp;January 2008;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/articles/euro/change_over_cyprus_and_malta_en.htm|title=Cyprus and Malta: Welcome to the euro area! - European Commission|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> the [[2008 Maltese general election|2008 election]] confirmed Gonzi in the premiership,<ref>{{cite news|title=Gonzi Beats them all - The Malta Independent|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-03-13/newspaper-letters/Gonzi-Beats-them-all-204973|work=[[The Malta Independent]]|date=13 March 2008|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> while in 2009 [[George Abela]] became President of Malta.<ref>{{cite news|title=Abela to be nominated President tomorrow|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/abela-to-be-nominated-president-tomorrow.240259|work=Times of Malta|date=11 January 2009|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

On 28 May 2011, the Maltese voted 'yes' in the consultative [[2011 Maltese divorce referendum|divorce referendum]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Sharrock|first=David|title=Malta votes yes to legalising divorce|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/29/malta-votes-yes-legalising-divorce|work=The Guardian|date=29 May 2011|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> At that time, Malta was one of only three countries in the world, along with the [[Philippines]] and the [[Vatican City]], in which divorce was not permitted. As a consequence of the referendum outcome, a law allowing divorce under certain conditions was enacted in the same year.<ref>{{cite news|title=MPs in Catholic Malta pass historic law on divorce|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14285882|work=[[BBC News]]|date=25 July 2011|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

Following a corruption scandal [[John Dalli]] had to resign and was replaced by [[Tonio Borg]] as Maltese commissioner in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Malta's Tonio Borg appointed EU Health Commissioner|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20523924|work=BBC News|date=28 November 2012|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> A [[2013 Maltese general election|snap election was called for March&nbsp;2013]] after the Gonzi government lost the Parliamentary majority. The Nationalist Party lost the election after having governed Malta more than 15 years since 1987 (except for a period from 1996 to 1998).<ref>{{cite news |title=Malta general election vote ends|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21722936|work=BBC News|date=9 March 2013|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> Labour Party leader [[Joseph Muscat]] was elected as Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Muscat-sworn-in-as-PM.461157|last=Sansone|first=Kurt|title=Muscat sworn in as PM|work=Times of Malta|date=12 March 2013|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Labour returns to power in Malta after 15 years|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21734277|work=BBC News|date=10 March 2013|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

In April 2019, the parliament elected [[George Vella]] as the 10th [[President of Malta|President of the Republic of Malta]] to succeed [[Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Watch: George Vella - Who is Malta's new President of the Republic?|date=4 April 2019|newspaper=The Malta Independent|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-04-04/local-news/Watch-George-Vella-Who-is-Malta-s-new-President-of-the-Republic-6736206151|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

On 16 October 2017, Maltese [[journalist]] and anti-corruption activist [[Daphne Caruana Galizia]] was assassinated in a car bomb near her residence in [[Bidnija]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Malta car bomb kills Panama Papers journalist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/16/malta-car-bomb-kills-panama-papers-journalist|last=Garside|first=Juliette|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=16 October 2017|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> Her murder caused an uproar of criticism for the Labour government and the judicial system on the islands. Following evidence of implication between Joseph Muscat's close circle and the arrest of [[Yorgen Fenech]], a long series of protests on the islands and international criticism precipitated the [[2019–2020 Maltese protests|2019–2020 political crisis]]. This resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister [[Joseph Muscat]], Minister [[Konrad Mizzi]], and Prime Minister's Chief of Staff [[Keith Schembri]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Malta's PM quits in crisis over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/01/malta-pm-joseph-muscat-quits-daphne-caruana-galizia|last=Garside|first=Juliette|work=The Guardian|date=1 December 2019|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> An internal election on 11&nbsp;January 2020 within the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Maltese Labour party]] elected [[Robert Abela]], son of former president George Abela, as party leader, and Prime Minister of Malta.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robert Abela elected Labour Party leader and will be Malta's new PM|date=11 January 2020|newspaper=Times of Malta|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/robert-abela-elected-labour-party-leader-and-will-be-maltas-new-pm.762714|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Malta: Robert Abela elected new PM after crisis over journalist's murder|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51080574|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2020|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

Malta became the first country in the European Union to legalize [[cannabis (drug)|recreational use of cannabis]] on 14 December 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bubola |first=Emma |date=2021-12-15 |title=Malta Becomes First E.U. Country to Legalize Marijuana |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/world/europe/malta-eu-marijuana-legalize.html |access-date=2023-04-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In March 2022, the ruling Labour party, led by Prime Minister Robert Abela, won its third successive [[2022 Maltese general election|election]]. It gained even bigger victory than in 2013 and in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Labour Party claims victory in Malta elections|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/27/malta-elections-ruling-labour-party-claims-victory|work=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]|date=27 March 2022|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> On 4 April 2025, [[Myriam Spiteri Debono]] was sworn in as the President of Malta.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dr Myriam Spiteri Debono has been sworn in as the President of Malta |url=https://maltaembassy.orderofmalta.int/en/news/dr-myriam-spiteri-debono-has-been-sworn-in-as-the-president-of-malta/ |work=Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Malta}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Culture of Malta]]
* [[History of the Jews in Malta]]
* [[List of heads of state of Malta]]
* [[Malta Summit]]
* [[Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture]]
* [[Operation Pedestal]]
* [[Timeline of Maltese history]]
<!-- * [[History of Europe]] -->

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|25em}}

===Bibliography===
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{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}

* {{cite web
 |title=Malta Elections Data
 |url=http://www.maltadata.com
}}

* {{cite news
 |title=Study reveals how Malta looked 20,000&nbsp;years ago
 |date=2013-01-03
 |newspaper=Malta Star
 |url=http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20130103-study-reveals-how-malta-looked-20-000-years-ago#.UOVRtgiNIiw.facebook
}}

* {{cite web
 |title=History of Malta: Primary documents
 |publisher=[[Brigham Young University]]
 |url=http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Malta:_Primary_Documents
}}

{{Malta topics}}
{{History of Europe}}
{{European history by country}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Malta}}
[[Category:History of Malta| ]]
[[Category:History of the Mediterranean]]