At the heart of the Mediterranean lies a small group of islands with an extraordinary history.

The History of Malta takes readers across thousands of years of conflict, civilisation, faith, empire, survival, and transformation. Beginning with the earliest human crossings and Malta’s remarkable prehistoric temple builders, the story follows the islands through the Phoenician and Carthaginian worlds, Roman rule, early Christianity, Byzantine and Islamic Malta, and the medieval centuries.

The journey continues through the arrival of the Knights of St John, the Great Siege of 1565, the construction of Valletta, Malta’s magnificent Baroque age, Napoleon’s invasion, British colonial rule, and the devastating struggle for survival during the Second World War. It concludes with independence, republican government, and Malta’s emergence as a modern European nation.

More than a history of rulers and battles, this illustrated volume explores the people who inhabited the islands: farmers, sailors, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, captives, clergy, workers, families, and political leaders. It examines how Malta’s strategic position between Europe and North Africa repeatedly transformed a tiny archipelago into a place of international importance.

For readers fascinated by Mediterranean history, ancient civilisations, the Knights of Malta, military history, archaeology, or the rise and fall of empires, The History of Malta offers an expansive journey through one of the Mediterranean’s most remarkable stories.