Malta 1626: The Corso That Built a Fortress Island

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Malta 1626: The Corso That Built a Fortress Island

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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadow economy that drove Malta's Golden Age: the corso, or licensed privateering against Muslim shipping. While the Knights of St. John are often remembered as holy warriors defending Christendom, their real wealth came from plunder. We trace the rise of the corso under Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt, the bustling slave market at Piazza degli Schiavi in Valletta, and the legal framework that turned piracy into a state enterprise. Along the way, we meet real corsairs like the Maltese captain Giovanni Battista Carafa, examine the role of Muslim slaves in the island's fortifications, and ask whether the corso was religious zeal or organized crime. The episode also touches on the decline of privateering after the 1640s and the uneasy legacy of a society built on captured labor. For listeners who know Malta through its sieges and cathedrals, this episode reveals the engine that kept the fortress running. #Corso #KnightsOfStJohn #AlofDeWignacourt #PiazzaDegliSchiavi #MalteseHistory #Privateering #MediterraneanHistory #Valletta #SlaveTrade #17thCentury #GrandHarbour #BarbaryCorsairs #EarlyModern #MaritimeHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #Malta Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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