The Great Siege 1565 : separating fact from fiction

Abstract

It was in September 2000 that Mr Stephen C. Spiteri, a Council Member of the Sacra Militia Foundation convened a two-day symposium with the title 'The Great Siege 1565: Separating Fact from Fiction'. It proved to be quite a successful event as it assembled together a number of researchers and scholars who examined this well known, yet much idealized, conflict from various angles and points of view. The aim of the symposium was to scrutinize to what extent the observation "Nothing is better known than the siege of Malta" (Voltaire) could stand. The Sacra Militia Foundation had the intention of publishing such studies as soon as it was feasibly possible. It fell upon me to complete the work required so that such an aim could materialise. The majority of the papers presented at that particular symposium are to be found in this volume. These have been duly revised and edited as required and two other contributions not presented then have also been included, as it was felt that they would further enhance the final product. The book being presented holds an interesting assortment of studies which examine the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 from different perspectives, thus helping the reader to have an all round view of this particular historical event. The subject has normally been included in histories dealing with the Order of St John. A few have written books focussing specifically on this mid-sixteenth century siege. Yet, this publication seeks to tap the expertise of various academics in the field with the aim of giving this arguably famous event in the annals of Maltese heritage an even deeper flavour of detail, analysis and focus. Each participating author has concentrated on a particular area that somehow led to, was part of, or was affected by, the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. The Sacra Militia Foundation and I, as the editor, feel duty bound in offering our most grateful appreciation- to all the distinguished contributors who have accepted the invitation to have their research included in this book. As the editor, I would also like to thank those who encouraged through their support this enterprise, which has now finally become a reality. However, I take full responsibility of any fault of consistency that still remains in the text and· bibliography. A word of gratitude must also be offered_ to .Valletta Fund Management, which had been forthcoming with an initial sponsorship to help in the publication of this book. Finally, I am very much indebted to my-wife Pauline whose moral support and understanding has never faltered, even though much of my time and attention was shared between my family and the computer, with the latter many a time gaining the larger share.