The History of Malta

Abstract

The long and unsteady history of Malta has shaped its culture into a unique blend of mainland European and Mediterranean influences. These influences have reached deep into what Malta is today and is evident in Malta’s economic, political, educational and religious values. As Malta has progressed throughout histories many twists and turns, it has been molded by many other civilizations and each contributing in its own way to the culture we see today. Keeping this in mind, it is quintessential to look at a broad spectrum of Malta’s history to fully apprehend this unique culture while playing close attention to how Malta was shaped by events that changed the world. In addition, this research based project of Malta’s history will be critical to the ICEX program and will allow the group to gain a wider scope of what it means to be a global engineer before ever setting foot in Malta.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Attard, Sonia, Peter Prictoe, Joseph Vella, and Alexander Borg. "HISTORY [aboutmalta.com]." AboutMalta.com – All about Malta and the Maltese Islands. Ed. Martin Debattista. 28 Aug. 2008. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. .

The website aboutmalta.com is an incredible resource ranging from women's rights to history in the middle ages. Many of the sub-articles written on this website are by technical writers, like Alexander Borg, who work for government agencies, increasing the website's credibility. However, some of the posts are based on one person's opinion but these articles are easy to spot and offer a good perspective on the way the people of Malta view their own country. What I am finding most useful is the related topics section ranging from: Art, folklore, government and politics, language, literature, religion and tourism. These articles offer a contemporary look at Malta's recent history and by looking at each of these related topics I will be able to piece together a more modern look of what it means to be Maltese. I think it is very useful when studying history to deconstruct how the people live now in order to see where it may have stemmed from in the past. This website will be vital to my connection between Malta's deep history and how that history has influenced the Maltese people today.

2. Grove, Dr Eric. "The Siege of Malta in World War Two." BBC - History - World Wars: The Siege of Malta in World War Two. BBC. 08 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. .

The BBC, or The British Broadcasting Corporation, is the largest broadcasting network in the world. This alone builds on its credibility as I doubt a large news network would intentionally alter historical facts. This article is a crucial component in understanding Malta's involvement in World War II. What really makes this article unique is that it is written from a British perspective. The Siege of Malta paints a picture of a tiny island struggling to stay afloat. Malta played a key role in the "Mediterranean campaign". If either the Axis or Allies controlled Malta, it was a huge leverage on trade routes in the Mediterranean and thus supplies to the ground troops on both sides. This article shows a dominant image of Maltese history because if the Allies did not succeed in defending this tiny nation, Malta would have been captured by the Axis powers, forever altering the course of Malta politically, militarily, and economically among many others.

3. Hardman, William. A History of Malta during the Period of the French and British Occupations. Ed. J. H. Rose. London, New York, Bombay, and Calcutta: Longmans, Green, and, 1909. Google Books. Longmans, Green, and CO. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. .

This book of history in Malta is very specific to the years between 1798-1815. As many of my other sources have covered the beginnings of Malta up to the 19th and 20th centuries, I think it is vital to include this narrow timeline of dates due to the intense history changing events that took place between these years. This article focuses on the period of the French and British occupations in Malta and these occupations directly influence the culture of Malta (among many other things). These specific years signify a great change in Maltese history by becoming occupied by the French and then immediately followed by the British occupation until the 1960's until they gained full independence. What I found interesting about this book, and most useful to my project, was the brief discussion on Napoleon in regards to Malta becoming prosperous as a result of Napoleon's conquests. Considering this book was written within 30 years of Napoleon's conquest and by a Maltese citizen, I think this would be a great addition to my resources and a unique view on Malta's history.

4. Olson, James Stuart, and Robert Shadle. Historical Dictionary of European Imperialism. New York: Greenwood, 1991. Google Books. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. .

The Historical dictionary of European imperialism gives a good overview of the main events in Maltese history. This source does not go into a deep explanation of each event but would be considered a timeline. This book is very helpful because it clearly defines the major events of Maltese history and moreover it shows which time periods were pivotal in the economic, political and military developments. In particular, and what I find most helpful about this timeline is the emphasis on 19th and 20th century history in Malta. This is far more relevant to our trip to Malta as these more recent historical events will probably hold more weight in shaping the countries outlook on subjects like politics, economics, education, morality and ethics. Although I am not directly researching these topics, an important aspect of these topics, and a question I can potentially help answer is, what aspects of Malta's history has shaped the way these topics have developed? Overall, this book will be very useful as a guide in which aspects of Maltese history play a prevalent role in Malta as we know it today.

5. Order of the Knights of Malta. 2005. Google Video, 16 Mar. 2007. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. .

The Order of the Knights of Malta radically shaped Malta in the 16th century CE. The Knights of Malta brought a new emphasis on religion and highly contribute to the Catholic dominated islands comprising the country of Malta. The almost 300 year influence by the Knights of Malta is surely worth exploring into further detail. This documentary not only highlights the Knights of Malta but also to the very beginning of when the organization was formed. Many of the defensive structures seen on the islands of Malta, specifically the Fort St. Elmo, in Valletta, the capital of Malta, were constructed as a result of the Knights of Malta. Aside from the increased fortifications, the Knights of Malta heavily influenced the styles of art to early Baroque as evident from the documentary. This documentary adds an enormous database of facts, pictures and depictions while incorporating the history of both before and after settling in Malta. I think this documentary adds a great deal to my research project because we will be dealing with many of the cisterns and structures in Malta and it is imperative that we understand the deep history of these structures and how they may have been introduced by these early settlers.