Feeding the besieged

Abstract

Since time immemorial, siege warfare required the blockade of supply lines or the physical encirclement of a settlement to intercept any provisions from reaching the besieged, then wailing for the decimation of the same people through starvation or disease. The Jack of food and drink could diminish the collective effort of the combatants; therefore, stockpiling and the distribution of food reserves deserve some attention. The geography of Malta influenced the nature of preparations required to supply food and drink for a long-drawn siege. Both the Order of St John and the Ottomans were aware of the limited natural resources available in Malta. The archipelago concurred to a 'land of hunger', sterile to the point that its agricultural output could not sustain the population for more than six months.' Apart from a civilian population, the Grand Master had to provide for all the foreign soldiers engaged to fight in the siege. For the Ottoman commanders, supplies had to be ferried from distant supply stations. Victuals lost due to rough seas or corsairing activity was another reality the had to contend with. The consequences of bad provisioning preparations and management of reserves had to be avoided at all cost.