The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History cover art

The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History

The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History

By: Fexingo
Listen for free

Malta, a speck of limestone in the central Mediterranean, has been a fortress coveted by empires for millennia. From the Phoenicians to the Romans, the Arabs to the Normans, and most famously the Knights of St. John, every power understood that controlling Malta meant controlling the sea lanes between east and west. In this series, Lucas and Luna trace the island's extraordinary history: the mysterious temple builders who erected Ġgantija and Ħaġar Qim before the pyramids; the catacombs and mosaics of Roman Melite; the Great Siege of 1565 when the Knights, led by Grand Master Jean de Valette, repelled the Ottoman war machine of Suleiman the Magnificent; the Baroque flowering of Valletta, a ‘city built by gentlemen for gentlemen’; the brutal French occupation under Napoleon and the subsequent Maltese revolt aided by Britain; the island’s role as the HMS Mediterranean ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ during World War II, enduring the most intense bombing campaign in history; and the post-war journey to independence, republic status, and EU membership. Along the way, we explore the Maltese language — a unique Semitic tongue infused with Sicilian and English — the enduring legacy of the Knights, and the modern debates over identity, heritage tourism, and neutrality. This is not just the story of a small island: it is a lens through which to understand the clash of civilizations, the evolution of fortification, and the resilience of a people shaped by siege and survival. Why does a place so tiny loom so large in the memory of the Mediterranean? Tune in to find out. #KnightsOfStJohn #GreatSiege1565 #Valletta #Malta #OttomanEmpire #Hospitaller #Phoenicians #RomanMelite #GrandMasterDeValette #WorldWarIIMalta #GeorgeCross #GeorgeCrossIsland #MegalithicTemples #MaltaIndependence #MalteseLanguage #MediterraneanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo© 2026 Fexingo. All rights reserved. Hourly Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Malta 1626: The Corso That Built a Fortress Island

    Malta 1626: The Corso That Built a Fortress Island
    Jul 4 2026
    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
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Malta 1645: The Spy Who Leaked the Ottoman Invasion Plans

    Malta 1645: The Spy Who Leaked the Ottoman Invasion Plans
    Jul 4 2026
    In 1645, the Ottoman Empire launched a massive invasion of Crete, but the Knights of St. John in Malta got wind of it first — thanks to a double agent inside the sultan's own court. This episode dives into the shadow war of espionage between Christendom and the Sublime Porte, centering on the mysterious figure of 'Signor Settimio' — a Venetian merchant who risked everything to smuggle coded letters from Constantinople to Valletta. We trace how the Order's intelligence network operated, the role of the Inquisition in vetting informants, and the tense months when Malta itself feared it might be the next target. Along the way, we explore the divided loyalties of the Mediterranean — corsairs, renegades, and the blurred lines between friend and foe. A story of paranoia, betrayal, and the high cost of knowing too much. #Malta #KnightsOfStJohn #Spycraft #OttomanEmpire #Crete #SignorSettimio #Espionage #Inquisition #Mediterranean #1645 #SeventeenthCentury #Intelligence #Valletta #GrandHarbour #Corso #History #FexingoHistory #EuropeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Malta 1813: The Plague That Brought British Quarantine

    Malta 1813: The Plague That Brought British Quarantine
    Jul 3 2026
    In 1813, a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague struck Malta, killing thousands and reshaping the island's public health infrastructure. This episode follows the arrival of the disease on a merchant ship from Alexandria, the struggle of British military governor Sir Thomas Maitland to impose a strict quarantine, and the creation of the Lazzaretto on Manoel Island as a permanent isolation facility. We explore the tension between trade and safety, the role of Dr. John Crawfurd as chief medical officer, and how the plague accelerated British administrative reforms. The episode also touches on the legacy of quarantine in Malta, from the 1676 plague under the Knights to the enduring architecture of the Lazzaretto. A story of fear, resilience, and the painful birth of modern epidemiology. #Malta #1813Plague #SirThomasMaitland #JohnCrawfurd #Lazzaretto #ManoelIsland #BritishMalta #Quarantine #BubonicPlague #PublicHealth #Epidemiology #GrandHarbour #Valletta #MediterraneanHistory #19thCentury #PlagueHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet