Historical Landmarks

5300BC Settlers arrive, probably across a land bridge from Sicily.

4100BC onwards The first temples are built.

8th century BC The Phoenicians settle the islands.

550–218BC Malta is ruled by Carthage, a former Phoenician colony.

218BC The islands become part of the Roman Empire.

AD60 St Paul and St Luke are shipwrecked off Malta.

5th and 6th centuries Malta is conquered by Goths and Vandals.

870 The islands are conquered by the Aghlabid Caliphs.

1127 Malta reconquered by King Roger the Norman, and the islands become part of the Christian Kingdom of Sicily.

1266 The French House of Anjou takes over Sicily and Malta.

1282–1530 Aragonese rule Sicily and Malta.

1530 Emperor Charles V gives Malta to the Order of St John.

1546 and 1551 Privateers from the Barbary Coast attack Gozo.

1565 The Great Siege. Suleiman the Magnificent’s Ottoman fleet lays siege to Malta for three months, but is unsuccessful.

1566 Construction work begins on the new capital, Valletta.

1798 Napoleon takes Malta without a fight. The Knights are forced out.

1800 The Maltese call the British fleet under Admiral Nelson to their aid. The islands’ British period begins.

1814–64 As a British colony, Malta becomes an important naval base.

1869 Suez Canal opens; Malta at the forefront of Mediterranean trade.

1919 The ‘Bread Rebellion’: a result of British pricing policies on grain.

1921 Britain grants Malta its own constitution and partial self-government.

1934 Maltese becomes an official language alongside English.

1939–43 Malta is severely bombed in World War II. In acknowledgement of the islanders’ heroism, Britain awards the islands the George Cross.

1964 Malta gains its independence in the Commonwealth.

1974 Proclamation of the Republic of Malta.

2004 Malta becomes a member of the European Union.

2008 Malta adopts the euro. Ruling Nationalist Party wins elections.

2010 Works start on Valletta’s iconic City Gate project.

2012 Pjazza Teatru Rjal (the site of the old opera house) opens for the first time since World War II.

2014 Scheduled completion of the Renzo Piano project in Valletta.