Part Three: People and Events

Who could have predicted in the year 1,000 AD that the end of the Second Millennium would see Malta free itself from the shackles of foreign domination? The dawn of the Second Millennium greeted Malta under Arab rule, that was ousted by the Normans that restored Christian rule. Malta did not forsake its role as strategic base, acting as a bastion for Christianity in the Great Siege of 1565 and an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ in the fight for democracy and freedom against Nazism and Fascist during the Second World War. Victory in the later and the end of the British Empire launched Malta as a small democratic independent island-state, free from any foreign domination.

The dawn of the Second Millennium greeted Malta under Arab rule, which was ousted by the Normans that restored Christian rule in the 11th Century. However only during the reign of Frederick II Barbarossa in the 13th Century did Malta make bold steps towards its return to Christianity. Maltese Medieval History is chequered by foreign powers that battled out each other for the small set of rocky barren islands. The Angevins (French) and then the Aragonese (Spanish) ruled the island by remote control from Sicily. A string of feudal lords under Aragonese rule worsened the conditions of the small population, which lived in wretched conditions. Only in the 15th Century did the Maltese enjoy a form of autonomy with its governing body called Consiglio Popolare (Popular Council).

This autonomy ended in 1530 with the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who were given the Maltese Islands as a home after they were driven out of Rhodes eight years earlier. The Knights knew that Malta provided excellent harbours but it did not offer much than this. For the first years of their stay in Malta, the Knights were still dreaming of recapturing Rhodes. However, after the narrow victory over the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565, the Knights decided to stay in Malta for good.

Modern Malta was thus born through the vast building projects and economic and cultural renaissance. Malta stood as a small neutral power but a staunch Defender of the Christian Faith in the Centre of the Mediterranean. Howeverm as the Muslims threat subsided in the 18th Century, there was little scope for more crusading acts and the Knights became an anachronistic organisation.

The complacency that set in brought the quick fall of the Knights. Their two hundred and sixty-eight (268) year rule over Malta was swept away in a matter of a few hours by Napoleon and his army on its way to the conquest of the Middle-East. The French revolutionary slogans were sweet music for many Maltese ears. But as soon as Napoleon tried to overturn centuries-old ways of life in the space of nine days, he had produced a recipe for disaster. The same people that in June 1798 hailed Napoleon as a saviour, a few weeks later in September revolted against him.

The bitter struggle for freedom lasted two years, which scared the islands with untold sufferings. The British were called in to help as friends, but ended up as the new master of the Maltese Islands. The Islands became a crown colony and served as an important link in the communications of the British Empire.

The well-being of the Maltese Islands was inextricably related to Malta’s fulfilment of its role as a naval base.
The Maltese upper classes were disgruntled at the British colonial rule and pushed forward for some degree of autonomy. During the First World War Malta was not directly involved in the fighting but served as large hospital for the wounded in the Mediterranean campaigns. As a result of the upheavals brought by the Great War, Malta was granted self-government in 1921. This was a limited return to the autonomy enjoyed during the later Middle Ages.

Internal squabbling between pro-Italian and pro-British Maltese political parties, and the continuous interference of the Maltese Church in political matters that characterised the 1920’s and 1930’s, hasted a quick return to colonial rule.

During the Second World War Malta proved an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ in the fight for democracy and freedom against Nazism and Fascist. Malta was awarded the George Cross, the highest British honour for civilians, for its gallantry during the war. But the Maltese wanted much more than a medal. They wanted a secure future either within or without the British Empire which was breaking-up.

The calls for independence became louder and louder, while the fiasco in the Suez Canal crisis of 1957 meant that British would downsize their military presence around the globe, including Malta. Independence was granted on the 21st of September 1964, ending thousands of yeas of foreign rule. The British retained their base until 1979 when the government chose not to renew the agreement.

Malta has performed quite well as an independent, free, democratic country. Although the first years were hard, with thousands of Maltese forced to emigrate to distant Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, Malta has an excellent track record. It was also successful in maintaining a neutral and non-aligned stance in the Cold War.

Even though Malta obtained its independence, the prevalent thinking among many Maltese is that Malta cannot survive all alone. Many Maltese think that Malta’s future lies in the European Union, formerly the European Economic Community, that would secure Malta’s well being. However, many other Maltese think that Malta could do very well outside the Union.

Either way, Malta’s stature among the nations is high today. No one worked hard for it except the Maltese people. The challenges of the next millennium are to keep up to the expectations of the Maltese people who do not just want to be citizens of Malta but citizens of the world.

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