Siege of Malta
1565 CE · Malta
The Siege of Malta was fought in 1565 CE in Malta between Knights Hospitaller and Maltese defenders vs the Ottoman Empire; decisive Hospitaller victory; the Ottoman siege failed.
Siege of Malta: quick facts
- Date
- 1565 CE
- Location
- Malta
- Belligerents
- Knights Hospitaller and Maltese defenders vs the Ottoman Empire
- Commanders
- Jean Parisot de Valette vs Mustafa Pasha and Piyale Pasha
- Result
- decisive Hospitaller victory; the Ottoman siege failed.
- Era
- ⚔️ Ottoman & Islamic Empires
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Siege of Malta?
The Knights of St. John, led by Grand Master Jean de Valette, defended Malta against an Ottoman invasion force of over 40,000 with a garrison of only about 6,000. The brutal four-month siege saw Fort St. Elmo fall after weeks of fighting, but the Knights held their remaining fortifications until a Christian relief force arrived from Sicily. The Ottoman withdrawal marked a significant check on Ottoman expansion in the western Mediterranean.
Did you know?
Fort St. Elmo at Malta was expected to fall in days but held for over a month. When it finally fell, the Ottoman commander reportedly looked at the larger fortifications still to be taken and said, 'If the child cost so much, what price will the parent exact?'
Sources and further reading
- Siege of Malta on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.