Almost four months of fighting that decided who would control the central Mediterranean.
The siege day by day
18 MayOttoman fleet arrives with 30,000 troops
23 JuneFort St Elmo falls after 31 days; defenders nearly annihilated
1–31 JulyContinuous assaults on Birgu and Senglea
1–6 AugustAssaults intensify; defender casualties mount
7 SeptemberRelief force lands from Sicily
8 SeptemberOttomans withdraw; siege lifted (Victory Day)
Almost four months of warfare in 1565 decided control of the central Mediterranean and confirmed Malta as a European fortress, not an Ottoman possession. The Great Siege remains one of history's most dramatic military events.
The siege as painted by Matteo Pérez d'Aleccio, who worked in Malta soon after 1565. Public domain
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Malta Resists: The (Great) Siege of Malta 1565
SandRhoman History
Explains the opening of the siege, the attack on Fort St Elmo, and the role of the Knights, the Maltese militia and other defenders.
Watch on YouTube ↗More videos
- Fortresses at War, Episode 3: The Great Siege of Malta ↗ · Free Documentary - HistoryCovers the Ottoman invasion, the Knights' fortifications and the defence of Malta.
- The Great Siege of Malta: Ottoman Turks vs. Knights of St. John ↗ · Real Crusades HistoryA dedicated documentary about the siege and its military consequences.
- Great Siege of Malta 1565: Ottoman Wars Documentary ↗ · Kings and GeneralsPlaces the siege within the wider history of Ottoman expansion and Mediterranean warfare.
- The Knights of St. John: Jean de Valette and the Epic Siege of Malta ↗ · Heroes and Legends Documentary ChannelA documentary focused on Jean de Valette, the Knights Hospitaller and the Ottoman siege of 1565.
- The Great Siege of Malta (trailer) ↗ · Journeyman PicturesTrailer for a docudrama filmed on the Maltese locations associated with the siege.
These videos are on YouTube. Nothing is loaded from YouTube until you press play. Videos are in English.
Photo: Txllxt TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0. All photo credits