Malta had been the target of previous Ottoman invasions, as the seafaring Knights Hospitaller, the last surviving crusade military order, controlled the island and were a thorn in the side of Ottoman naval hegemony. On May 18th 1565, the Ottomans showed up to the island with over 30,000 soldiers, 200 ships, 50 pieces of heavy artillery, and 80,000 shots. The defenders had around 7000 men and only a fraction of them professional soldiers.
The main focus of the siege was around a peninsula with several fortifications and harbors. St. Elmo was a fortress that sat at the tip of the peninsula and was garrisoned by 1500 men throughout the siege. Across the bay were the fortresses of St. Michael and Birgu, which were able to use row boats to support St. Elmo with supplies and reinforcements
On June 22nd, a large assault was ordered on the fort but the Ottomans were beaten back at great cost to the garrison. The fortress had held out for 27 days so far and many of its walls were destroyed and most of its garrison wounded. It was decided that no more efforts would be made to assist the fortress that miraculously held out for almost a month and inflicted thousands of casualties on the Turks. All men and resources would be dedicated to the next fortresses.
On the morning of June 23rd, across the bay the Christians used looking-glasses to observe what would likely be the final assault. After hours of fighting the Ottomans breached the defenses and massacred all the defenders they could find. On the rooftop a Knight Hospitaller made his final stand with a two handed sword, slaying as many Turks as he could before being overwhelmed.
After 28 days of fighting, the garrison was wiped out, but they managed to inflict around 8000 causalities, almost 1/4th of the entire invasion force. The garrison’s sacrifice allowed the other fortifications to hold out for another 2 months, until a relief force arrived and drove the Ottomans away. The Siege of Malta became one of the most celebrated Christian victories for the next 3 centuries.
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