Remembering the Great Siege of Malta

through paintings, arms and armour

Part II

Part I of this article was published in Tesserae Autumn Issue 12, 2022, which focused on the historical aspect of the Great Siege of 1565, its commemoration as an historic event, and the detailed narrative of the wall paintings found in the Sala del Gran Consiglio inside the Grand Master’s Palace. In this second part of the article, the painted frieze depicting the highlights of the Great Siege is being studied and analyzed in view of the arms and armour represented, that were used throughout the Siege. The painted frieze, illustrating the most important turning point of the Maltese Islands, was and still is viewed as a monument to that glorious epic battle which stood against a tenacious bulwark. Apart from the painted frieze, the event is still regarded by the proud local population as a unifying event imbued with nationalism, even though it all happened over four centuries ago.

Troops, Armour and Artillery of the Order

The Knights of the Order of St John were also armed with artillery. In Fort St Elmo, there were 27 pieces of artillery that ranged from small cannons, possibly wrought iron swivel guns and very large harquebuses, or wall posts, also known as ‘moschetti di posta’

Fort St Angelo on the other hand, which was also equipped with artillery, is known to have had several ammunition stores that were laden with gunpowder. Some time prior to the Ottoman attack in 1565, the Duke of Florence had sent 200 barrels of gunpowder to be used in defence during the imminent attack.

The larger part of the troops making up the army of the Order was the land infantry. Apart from a pole arm and other accoutrements, each soldier was also armed with a sword. Most of them were specialised through intensive training in sword fighting, while others excelled in the use of the pike or other types of polearms. The main type of sword that was used during this period bore long and wide blades. This type of sword is clearly represented in an engraving showing one of the wall painted scenes of the 1565 Siege by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio at the Throne Room in the Grand Master’s Palace. In the scene of the Battle for the Post of Castile, Spanish knights carry two examples known as the ‘bastarda’. At the Palace Armoury, two slightly smaller but similar examples survive and are known as the ‘hand-and-a-half-sword’. this day at the Palace Armoury. The crossbow was regarded as important as the matchlock harquebus firearm. Its main potential was that its aim was more precise and accurate than the firearms of its time. It was an ideal backup weapon when at times gunpowder would not perform at its best. Such occasions included days with high humidity in the air, or during rainfall. The technology with gunpowder was not as yet refined and if wet, it did not ignite.

Another sword that was commonly used during the 1565 Siege was the rapier. This very early type had limited hand-guard protection and had a wider blade than the rapiers that were used later on in the 17th and 18th centuries. An example of the Siege rapier survives at the Parish Church Museum of Birgu. This is said to have been the same sword that was used in battle by Grand Master Jean de Valette and which was placed at the foot of the altar dedicated to the Virgin of Damascus as an ex-voto in thanksgiving for the victory of the Siege.

Another advantage of the crossbow was the fact that it was short and light in weight, and easily loaded and fired from atop high walls towards an enemy trying to climb up a fort’s ramparts. It also had a long range and the

With regards to body protection, the army of the Order had soldiers who wore steel armour that protected them against arrowheads and edge weapons but had very little defence against gunpowder propelled weapons. Some time prior to the beginning of the 1565 Siege, Grand Master de Valette had issued a decree where all knights of the Order living outside the islands were called to arms at the Convent (i.e. Malta) to defend the territory and Faith. They were also obliged to bring their own personal armour and weapons, since clearly there was a lack of arms.1

Apart from the steel armour, each knight was to wear a tabard, which was a sleeveless bib bearing the cross of religion in white against a red background. The intention for this was to encourage a sense of uniformity among the knights while also serving as a recognition factor for one’s own fighters during battle. The uniformity was also needed due to the fact that since knights came from various countries from all over Europe, they brought with them armour typical of their region, at times some that were also obsolete or outdated for its time.