[wagglebee]

The Siege of Malta in 1565 was a clash of unimaginable brutality, one of the bloodiest - yet most overlooked - battles ever fought. It was also an event that determined the course of history, for at stake was the very survival of Christianity.

And we are still continuing the struggle against the barbarian Islamofascists today.

[wagglebee]

GGG Ping

[rageaholic]

F islam

[edcoil]

OK, lets make the movie like 300 to tick off the ME.

[BenLurkin]

Keep your powder dry!

[VOA]

bump

[Tanniker Smith]

I don’t know why I can’t read about Malta without first thinking of falcons and then of Sidney Greenstreet.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Man, talk about getting “medieval” on their ass...

[Vince Ferrer]

The “300” that should have been made, but never will.

[RichInOC]

I want an M-79 that can launch gerbils as grenades. I shall call it “The Richard Gere”.

[Rennes Templar]

“We owe those knights.”

True. But not nearly as much as the Catholic Church owes them.

[BigFinn]

“We are in a new phase of a very old war.”

[LeoWindhorse]

I never knew this story , now I shall never forget it

[Joe Boucher]

I read this long story earlier. Good read.

[Fitzcarraldo]

When the next Pearl Harbor takes place, political correctness will evaporate into a mist of blood and we will do what we need to do.

Sad that we have to wait for infamy to prod us into action, but that seems to be our temperment.

[nralife]

bookmark bump

[PastaMan]

Two bowls of pasta later.....now, that was a good story. Very inspiring to keep the faith and to never give up. Give it your best to the very end. In essence, the world is under another siege by the Muzzies. Oooopps, the EU says that we’re not supposed to use that word.

[TheSpottedOwl]

What’s that saying? “Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it”? Something like that...

Thanks for posting a very powerful reminder about Muslim determination to rule the world by whatever means.

[DariusBane]

A hundred years earlier the West stood aside and let Constantinople fall to the Turks. It strikes me that the only reason Malta survived was because of the determination of a few in the face of the apathy of the many. Reminds me of today.

[mjp]

Jean Parisot de la Valette

[Gritty]

[Sherman Logan]

These knights lived by raiding and disrupting his Ottoman shipping routes.

IOW, the Christian equivalent of the Barbary pirates.

Except that the real Barbary pirates were less motivated by religion than by desire for riches. Most of them were Christian renegades.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Wow! What a gripping story. I think I’ll have to get this book to read more.

But it is no wonder that this battle is forgotten. It is pretty hard for today’s warriors and politicians to take pride in the tactics of warfare used on either side.

I believe that this is the FIRST battle that I’ve ever heard of that was saved by the Sicilians. I’ll have to show this account to my husband and send this article to all my friends of Sicilian descent.

I’d like to visit Malta some day. I’ve known a couple of priests from there. Fine men.

[NonValueAdded]

Guess we showed them! Don't mess with me!

[NonValueAdded]

James Jackson’s Blood Rock, ISBN: 0-7195-6914-1 / 978-0-7195-6914-2 (UK edition) Appears to only be available in UK & Canada.

[dennisw]

If only George Bush would read this and get a flippin clue about our enemy

[in the Arena]

Another view...

http://www.storialibera.it/epoca_moderna/turchi_ed_europa/assedio_di_malta_1565/malta_of_the_knights.html

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Lest we forget...

[gcruse]

An octogenarian with a harem of 300? Pass the Viagra, I feel faint.

[Tzimisce]

This is lie, Islam is a religion of peace.

(/sarcasm)

[mamelukesabre]

I’d never read this story before. Thanks for posting it. I would like to add something that I do know.

Just a few short years after this battle, in 1569, the turkish navy was utterly destroyed for all time by a combined christian fleet in the “battle of Lepanto”. Don Juan organized this fleet. A new warship was used in this battle and they were called galleasses. The Christians were greatly outnumbered but they had their secret weapons...the galleasses. Up untill the galleasses, warships were rowing vessels with cannons positioned in the front that fired forward. Galleasses were the first warships with cannons positioned on the sides that fired laterally. Putting the guns on the sides enabled one ship to carry many more guns than otherwise possible. So the christians, although greatly outnumbered, had more guns. In order to defeat the turks, they had to use their brains and superior naval tactics against a larger fleet. In order to use galleasses to their full potential, the ship would have to be turned sideways at the moment of battle to bring all guns to bear on the enemy. Cannoners marksmanship abilities were much more important, as were the skills of the ship captains and his crew to precisely maneuver the ship with sails alone. The turks’ strategy was much more simple...encircle the smaller enemy fleet and charge straight into them by use of oars with forward guns blazing...little skill required.

Well, the turks failed and never recovered from their maritime defeat. From then on, turks threatened christians from the land only. Thus this is the battle that sealed the fate of the turks and the ottoman empire as well.

[B.O. Plenty]

enemy of islam bump

[stylin19a]

There would be no negotiation, no compromise, no surrender, no retreat.<>/i>

sounds like a good plan...even today.

[kalee]

ping

[ChessExpert]

Thanks for the post. The story reminds me of the movie the 300.

[MacDorcha]

Age of Empires III starts with this very campaign.

[TASMANIANRED]

Same struggle, different day.

[sheik yerbouty]

Their valor and ingenuity are still an inspiration today.

[Sherman Logan]

Suleiman) was the most powerful figure on the planet

Arguably both the Ming Emperor and the King of Spain were contenders for this title.

Ottoman military power was based on essentially pre-modern organization of men and animals. It was largely funded by loot.

Modern military power, based on chemically-powered weapons and fiscally sound governments, was just developing. Although it was not obvious to many at the time, on either side, the Turks could just not compete on this level.

[dirtbiker]

Then he returned a communiquè of his own: the heads of his Turkish captives were fired from his most powerful cannon direct into the Muslim lines. There would be no negotiation, no compromise, no surrender, no retreat.

Nor should there be....Evil can only be defeated by KILLING IT!

[wardaddy]

lessons to be learned

Martel knew them

Coeur de Lion knew them

[MacDorcha]

Any body got any information on the fire-hoops they mentioned?

I thought they were very unique units in AoEIII, and cannot even pretend to having any historical referance to base them on.

Any help?

[EverOnward]

Great read - thank you.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks wagglebee.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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[Sundog]

Human Heads as cannonballs...

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Antoninus]

The absolute best historical fiction take on the Great Siege.

[Antoninus]

So savage was the fighting, so mismatched the two sides and so important the moment, that I chose the Siege of Malta as the subject of my latest novel, Blood Rock. It was the stage, as we thriller writers say, for epic and mind-blowing history.

New book on the Siege of Malta. As good as Angels in Iron, maybe? Naaaaah.

[BJungNan]

What was the ending? Did they hold the fort. Attention span waning and have to get back to Live Earth show. Madonna is about to come on.

[DreamsofPolycarp]

I had heard of this, and forgotten the name of the group of knights. Thanks for posting this. I am a history buff of sorts, and eagerly look forward to reading up on this.

[Cacique]

ping