The Knights of Saint John are one of the oldest knightly orders. It was founded around 1120 in Jerusalem and originally maintained a hospital in the Holy City. That is why its members were called "Hospitaliers". After the occupation of the Holy Land by the Muslims, the Order fled to Cyprus and then to Rhodes. They were expelled from Rhodes by Suleiman the so-called "magnificent", in 1522, after an epic conflict.
Even the Turkish sultan appreciated the heroism of the Knights and allowed them to leave Rhodes. After wanderings the Habsburg emperor Charles V ceded Malta and the islands of its archipelago to the Order. From there the Knights continued to fight against Islam becoming the fear and terror of the Berber pirates and the Turks.
In 1551 Turgut Reis, a former pirate and Admiral of Suleiman the Magnificent, invaded the island of Gonzo, north of Malta, and captured the entire population – about 5,000 men, women and children. This fact, however, did not discourage the Knights who continued their action. According to a Turkish captain, "there was never a time when they attacked one of our ships and did not sink or capture it"...
In 1564 a ship of the Knights captured a large Turkish vessel carrying money and goods of Suleiman's daughter. This was the occasion for the sultan to decide on the attack. In fact Malta was the key to the Mediterranean. If the Turks conquered it, they could, taking advantage of its excellent natural ports, strike at will in Europe and especially in Sicily and the Italian peninsula.
In Malta
In the autumn of 1564 the decision had been made. Suleiman assembled a formidable force, over 200 ships of all types would transport 40,000 men to Malta. Of these 6,000 were janissaries, 9,000 hardy horsemen and footmen, 4,000 fanatical Muslim warriors, 6,000 disorderly Azapis, and another 15,000 disorderly Anatolians, fleet passengers and gunners. The Turks also had many heavy guns. They were also reinforced by Tunisian, Egyptian and Algerian pirates and volunteers.
Against these forces the Order could line up around 500 Brother Knights, 800 Italians, 400 Spanish and 200 Greek regular soldiers, mainly arquebusiers, musketeers, sarrissers and halberdiers, 1,000 sailors of the fleet, 100 servants of the Knights and about 3,000 mischievous Maltese volunteers.
In Malta the order had four forts in the old capital of Mdina, at Senglia, where St. Michael's Fort was located, at Birgu, where St. Angelus' Fort was located, and at the small fort of St. Elmo, on Mount Skimbera. The latter was a small star fort with a 100 manguard , which controlled the entrance to the great port, and covered Senglia and Birgu from the west. Mdina was located in the interior of the island.
The Knights , under the leadership of Grand Master Jean Perissot de La Valette, with very few men at their disposal, they could not of course even contemplate facing the Turks on the landing beach . Fate decided to shut themselves up in their forts and wait there for the enemy. After all, La Valette, thanks to the extensive espionage network he had created, knew right from the start Suleiman's decisions and the forces he would unleash against Malta.
The Turkish armada departed from the City and on May 19, 1565 appeared in Malta. The problem for the Turks was that Suleiman had appointed two commanders, Mustafa Pasha in charge of the army and his son-in-law, the converted Piali Pasha in charge of the fleet . The two men were in constant conflict which had an impact on the result.
Descent and first collisions
The Turks first anchored in Marsasiroko Bay, to the southeast and began the landing. Opposing them they found only small detachments of Knights' cavalry that had been sent out to scout. In one of these conflicts the young knight Adrien de La Riviere was captured. The knight, after severe torture, "revealed" to the Turks the weakest point of the defense in Birgu. It was the gate of Castile. Immediately Mustafa unleashed his janissaries on the spot, but there was the strongest point of the defense. The knight had misled them…
The Turks were repulsed with more than 300 dead and several hundred wounded... The Christians had only 21 dead. Immediately Mustafa ordered de La Riviere to be beaten to death with wooden stakes. The Turks crushed, literally, the body of the brave who misled them.
The fatal little fort
After the fact, a serious conflict broke out between Mustafa and Piali. The former wanted to attack Mdina and clear his back. The second demanded an attack on the fort of Agios Elmos in order to open the safe port of Marsamuceto for his ships. Finally the opinion of the admiral prevailed and on May 29 the Turks began the siege of the small fort that in the meantime his guard had been strengthened and numbered 564 men, of whom 64 were Knights and the rest of the soldiers under Colonel Mas.
These few accepted the attacks of the Turkish mass but did not relent, even when part of the wall collapsed. In one attack the defenders, using incendiary missiles and grenades roasted alive hundreds of janissaries . Every night, the wounded were taken by boat to the other forts and reinforcements sent. Nevertheless, the situation in the fort became desperate and Knights who were in it asked the grand wizard to abandon the fort.
De La Valette had understood that the longer he held the fort of St. Elmo, the better his chances of victory as he bought time while awaiting reinforcements from the Spanish Viceroy of Sicily. So he refused the suggestion. But he told the Knights that whoever wanted could not return to the doomed fortress. They all returned and with them several volunteers, soldiers, Maltese citizens and two Jews.
In the meantime Torgut Reis had arrived in Malta to take over the supreme command. He completely cut off the fort's sea supply and ordered a general attack. The isolated defenders, however, endured beyond all expectations. And Turgut Reis was hit by a fragment of a cannon shell of the Knights and mortally wounded.
Until the end
The defenders knew the end was coming. They all went to confession, received communion of the Immaculate Mysteries and then dug up and buried the Holy Altar of the fort's chapel so that the Turks would not "burn it". Then the priest of the fort began to ring the bell mournfully. He continued until he fell, later, dead from the knife of the Islamists.
On June 23, the Turks launched the final attack against the fort. They threw nearly 20,000 men into battle against less than 400 defenders who could still stand on their feet. The Knights de Gouras and de Miranda who could not stand due to their wounds, were tied to chairs in front of a breach in the wall through which the Turks rushed.
There they fought to the last and after killing many Turks, they were literally torn to pieces by their opponents. The same fate had the brave colonel Mas, commander of the fort, who died fighting with his sword against a multitude of enemies. The last defenders, after lighting the fire - signal that the fort had fallen, fought until one in front of the chapel of Agios Ioannou, in the fort. Only five Maltese were saved who at the last moment dived into the sea from the walls and were saved by swimming.
Nine Knights, very badly wounded, fell into the hands of the Turks. They stripped them, nailed them to crosses they made and threw them into the sea for the defenders of the other fortresses to see. De La Valette answered immediately. He ordered the beheading of all the Turkish prisoners and cannonballed their heads into the Turkish camp. The battle had cost the Turks 8,000 casualties. The Knights' losses were about 1,500. Mustafa himself exclaimed in despair:"Allah... If such a young son has cost us so dearly, what shall we pay for the father?", referring to the other larger strongholds. Turgut Reis also learned of the fall of the fort and cooled down.