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Malta has been inhabited since 5200 BC. The first Neolithic people are believed to arrive from the Italian island of Sicily. They were mainly farming and fishing communities, with some evidence of hunting activities. The earliest farmers used simple stone and wooden tools and also made pottery.
From about 3,600 BC-2,500 BC, they built great temples including those at Tarxien. They also carved the Hypogeum - a series of underground chambers, out of rock. The temple building society came to an end in 2,500 BC when Maltese began to use bronze tools and weapons.
The Phoenicians entered Malta in 800 BC. They called it Malet - meaning shelter or haven eventually giving the country its present name Malta. About 480 BC, the Phoenicians founded a city called Carthage on the north coast of Africa. From about 400 BC, The Carthaginians ruled Malta for about 250 years until 218 BC when the Romans conquered Malta. Malta flourished under Roman rule and it was known for honey and sailcloth.
Paul's ship was wrecked on Malta while he was sailing to Rome in 60 AD. He converted Publius - the Roman ruler, to Christianity. By the 3rd century AD, most of the Maltese were Christians. In the 4th century, the Roman Empire split into two halves, East and West. Malta was ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire, which became known as the Byzantine Empire.
In 870 AD, Malta was conquered by the Arabs who ruled it for more than 200 years. The Maltese were heavily influenced by Arab civilization. Arab rule was ended by the Normans when Count Roger captured Malta in 1090. By 1091, he had also driven the Arabs out of Sicily. For some time, Malta became part of the kingdom of Sicily. In 1266, Malta and Sicily were captured by the French.
In 1283, Malta was captured by the Aragonese (Aragon was part of Spain). In 1412, was ruled by the kings of Castile (part of Spain). Eventually, Castile and Aragon were united and Malta became part of the Spanish Empire. However, Malta was granted to the Knights of St John in 1530 by the Spanish king.
The Knights of St John made Malta their home. In 1562 the Inquisition was established in Malta. The Knights of St John continued to fight the Turks. In 1565, the Turks decided to try and capture Malta. The Turkish armada arrived at Malta on 18 May 1565 and their soldiers camped on the Plain of Marsa. The Maltese fled to the shelter of walled cities, Birgu (Vittoriosa), L'Isla (Senglea) and Mdina.
The Turks decided to capture the Fort of St Elmo that stood alone on the Sceberas Peninsula on the site of Valetta. They bombarded the fort and captured it on 23 June 1565. in the siege, the Turks lost about a quarter of their army in the siege and their commander, Dragut Rais was among the dead. The Turks then tried to capture Birgu (Vittoriosa) and L'Isla (Senglea) but failed and suffered heavy losses. A relief force of 8,000 Sicilians arrived in Northeast Malta on 7 September and shortly afterwards the Turks abandoned the siege and withdrew.
Fearing another Turkish attack, La Valette, Grand Master of Knights of St John, decided to build new fortifications and a new city on the peninsula. The foundation stone of city of Valletta was laid on 28 March 1566. La Valette himself died in 1568 aged 73 but the new city was named after him.
In 1574, the knights began building a hospital, the Sacra Infermeria in Valetta. Grand Master Cottoner founded the School of Anatomy and Surgery in 1676. During the 18th century, the Knights of St John became corrupt and lost favor with the Maltese people. The rule of the Knights was finally ended by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The French removed treasures from churches and also abolished the inquisition. On 2 September 1798, the Maltese rose in rebellion against the French at Mdina. The French withdrew to Valetta and the Maltese appealed to the British for help who imposed a naval blockade of the island. Yet the French held out in Valetta for 2 years and did not surrender until 5 September 1800.
In 1802, the British and French made a temporary peace by the Treaty of Amiens. The war between Britain and France began in 1803 as a result of which, the British stayed in Malta. In 1814, the other European powers recognized Malta as a British colony by the Treaty of Paris.
The Crimean War (1854-1856) brought prosperity as Malta was on the route between Britain and soldiers serving in Crimea. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 also brought prosperity as more ships sailed through the Mediterranean and stopped at Malta.
Meanwhile, the British allowed the Maltese a limited role in government. From 1835, a Council of Government made up of prominent Maltese was formed to advise the British governor. In 1849, the Maltese were allowed to elect some representatives and from 1887, the majority of representatives were elected.
Nevertheless the Maltese revolted on 7 June 1919. In 1921, the British gave Malta a new constitution and Joseph Howard became the first prime minister. Yet political unrest continued in Malta and therefore, the constitution was revoked in 1930. It was reinstated in 1932 but finally annulled in 1933.
On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and on the next day, bombed Malta. At first Malta was defended by only 3 Gloucester gladiator bi-planes. However, the British soon sent squadron of hurricanes to Malta. Nevertheless, Italian bombing continued and the raids grew worse when aircraft from the German Luftwaffe were sent to Malta. On 15 April 1942, King George VI awarded the entire population of Malta the George Cross and a relief convoy reached Malta on 15 August 1942.
The situation improved after November 1942 when the British won the battle of El Alamein in Egypt. The Germans and Italians in North Africa surrendered in May 1943 and in July 1943, the allies invaded Sicily.
In 1947, the British granted Malta another constitution together with £30 million for war damage. The Maltese pressed for independence, which they gained on 21 September 1964. At first, the Queen was head of state but in 1974 Malta became a republic. Dominic Mintoff of the Labour Party became prime minister in 1971. He weakened ties with Britain and the USA and the last British servicemen left Malta in 1979.
Malta joined the EU in 2004. Today the population of Malta is 400,000.
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