L-Assedju l-Kbir

Throughout this week we talked in length about the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 where the Knights of St. John and the Maltese defended bravely these islands against the siege by the Ottoman Empire from June till September of 1565 which ultimately led to a Christian victory and the following year to the building of a new city called Valletta in honour of the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette.

We mentioned the three main fortifications used during the Siege - Fort St Elmo (Sant'Iermu); Fort St Angelo (Kastell Sant'Anglu) in Birgu & Fort St Michael (Forti San Mikiel) in Senglea. We talked about the importance of the death of the pirate Dragut for the Turks and the fact that the Siege took place in Summer.

Now enjoy this 10 minute video about the Great Siege. it's really interesting (and it is in English).