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
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    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
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    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
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    6 mins
  • Malta 1535: The Great Siege That Almost Didn't Happen

    Malta 1535: The Great Siege That Almost Didn't Happen
    Jul 3 2026
    In 1535, the Ottoman Empire had conquered most of Hungary and was threatening Vienna. But Suleiman the Magnificent had another target in mind: the tiny island of Malta, home to the Knights of St. John. This episode reveals how the Knights' aggressive corsairing from their new base in Birgu provoked the Sultan into a plan of annihilation — and how a young Grand Master, Jean de Valette, prepared for a siege that would decide the fate of the Mediterranean. We explore the diplomatic intrigues, the intelligence failures, and the naval raids that set the stage for the 1565 Great Siege. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of the Maltese militia, the fortress of Fort Saint Angelo, and the desperate plea for reinforcements from Charles V. Could the Knights have survived without the help of the Maltese population? And what if Suleiman had attacked in 1535 instead of waiting thirty years? #Malta #KnightsOfStJohn #GreatSiege #OttomanEmpire #Suleiman #JeanDeValette #FortSaintAngelo #Birgu #Corsair #MediterraneanHistory #Hospitaller #MilitaryHistory #SiegeWarfare #CharlesV #BarbaryCorsairs #NavalHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Malta 1799: The Blockade That Starved the French

    Malta 1799: The Blockade That Starved the French
    Jul 2 2026
    In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Malta in a lightning campaign. But within months, the island's Maltese and British allies turned the tables. This episode tells the story of the Maltese Insurrection and the two-year blockade that trapped the French garrison inside Valletta. We follow the rise of Maltese leader Emmanuele Vitale, the desperate French sorties under General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois, and the crucial British role under Captain Alexander Ball. From the burning of French supply ships to the silent starvation behind the fortifications, this is a forgotten chapter of resistance that shaped the island's future. We also explore how the blockade solidified Malta's ties with Britain, paving the way for its colonial era. #Malta #MalteseInsurrection #Blockade1799 #Napoleon #EmmanueleVitale #AlexanderBall #ClaudeHenriVaubois #Valletta #GrandHarbour #BritishNavy #FrenchOccupation #Siege #MediterraneanHistory #NavalHistory #18thCentury #KnightsofStJohn #Resistance #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Malta 1828: The Plague Doctor Who Defied the Quarantine

    Malta 1828: The Plague Doctor Who Defied the Quarantine
    Jul 2 2026
    In 1828, a mysterious disease struck the Maltese port of Marsaxlokk, prompting British authorities to enforce a brutal quarantine. Dr. Agostino Portelli, a local physician, risked everything to treat the sick, clashing with the military governor and the Lazzaretto's strict protocols. This episode explores the tension between public health and human compassion, the role of the plague doctor, and how Malta's experience shaped modern quarantine practices. We meet Portelli, his adversary Colonel Henry Pigot, and the forgotten victims of the quarantine lines. Discover the story of a man who chose to break the rules to save lives, and the cost of his defiance. #Malta #Plague #Quarantine #DrAgostinoPortelli #Marsaxlokk #Lazzaretto #ColonelHenryPigot #19thCentury #BritishMalta #PublicHealth #MedicalHistory #HistoryOfMedicine #Epidemiology #Isolation #Contagion #MalteseHistory #Mediterranean #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Malta 1530: The Knights and the Gift of a Fortress Island

    Malta 1530: The Knights and the Gift of a Fortress Island
    Jul 1 2026
    In 1530, the Knights of St. John accepted a new home: the barren, vulnerable island of Malta. This episode looks not at the Great Siege that came later, but at the first bewildering years of the Order's arrival. Emperor Charles V offered Malta as a fief, but the Knights almost refused. They found a landscape of limestone, tiny villages, and a population speaking Malti, a Semitic language that puzzled them. Lucas and Luna explore the initial impressions of the Knights, their uneasy relationship with the local Maltese, the practical challenges of fortifying a flat coast, and the early raids by corsairs like Dragut. They discuss the creation of the first auberges in Birgu, the role of the Università, and the slow transformation of Malta from a Sicilian backwater into the fortress that would later define Christendom's frontier. #Malta #KnightsOfStJohn #CharlesV #Birgu #Malti #Università #Dragut #Corsair #Fortress #Mediterranean #1530 #OrderOfStJohn #Auberges #FexingoHistory #Limestone #Gozo #Sicily #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Malta 1787: The Slave Market’s Last Cry

    Malta 1787: The Slave Market’s Last Cry
    Jul 1 2026
    In 1787, the Knights of St. John faced a moral and economic crisis as the slave trade that had funded their corsair empire for centuries came under pressure from Enlightenment ideals and British naval power. Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc implemented reforms, but the Inquisition and traditionalists pushed back. This episode follows the final decades of Malta's notorious slave market, the Piazza degli Schiavi in Valletta, where hundreds of Muslim captives were bought and sold. We explore the lives of slaves like the renegade captain Ali ibn Hassan, the diplomatic tensions with the Barbary states, and the quiet rebellions that foreshadowed the end of an era. Through the eyes of a Maltese merchant and a French philosopher visiting the island, we see the clash between profit and principle that defined Malta's last century under the Knights. #Malta #KnightsOfStJohn #SlaveTrade #PiazzaDegliSchiavi #EmmanuelDeRohan #Valletta #Corso #BarbaryCorsairs #Enlightenment #Inquisition #MediterraneanHistory #18thCentury #Slavery #MalteseHistory #GrandHarbour #Renegades #OttomanEmpire #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins