History Summarized: Malta

Malta, the Island of A Dozen Empires, chilling in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most social butterflies in History. Having played host to or fought against every major power in the Mediterranean, this island bears a gorgeous architectural and linguistic record of its past, and is still a treasure to behold in the modern day. I've covered a lot of nations and empires in my time here, but between the rich cultural blends, the overflowing artistic treasures, and the Still-In-One-Piece-ness of it all, Malta may have one of the strongest claims to being the Winner of History in my book. What's so special about Malta? Watch and find out!

NOTE on 7:00 - 7:08 — I'm cheating the time-scales a little here. This church, the Rotunda of Mosta, was actually built mid 1800s. Malta's lavish church construction continued nearly unabated from C. 1565 to the modern day, so I use this example here — but St Paul's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, shown from 6:27-6:33 is a better example of pure original Baroque construction. Honestly, all of the churches in Malta deserve a look if you're curious.

[binchild]

ggantija: *spells itself the worst way possibly*

blue: 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂

[flashrobbie]

My great grandfather was rehabilitated in Malta after he lost his leg at Gallipoli during the first world war. He gave one of my aunts the middle name Valetta so their hospitality wouldn't be forgotten by my family. Thank you, Malta.

[NateTheGreat]

"Takes us back to the crusades."
*air horn blows*
Me: *standing ovation*

[lgwhwhqhgevr]

Malta: Anglo-Italians speaking Arabic in a latin form on a little tiny island in the mediterranean right by tunisia.

[beeball]

You just taught me everything that 5 years of history class in Malta tried to

[cmbeadle]

One of the most interesting things about Maltese independence is that it wasn't the initial plan of the Maltese government. The Maltese Labour Party led by then Anglophile (at least, he belonged to the tendency that preferred the Brits to the Church) Dom Mintoff heavily promoted literal integration with Britain: he wanted Malta to be a full-fledged part of the UK with representation in the House of Commons (a stance which infuriated the Church, who tried to excommunicate everybody who voted Labour). However this idea was met with skepticism by Britain, who saw the island's strategic view as less important and were very nervous about setting a precedent of ex-colonies voting themselves into Britain, so the integration referendum was ignored; the closure of the Royal Navy dockyards killed the economic argument for staying tied and Mintoff himself, very miffed with the Brits, did a U-turn and become a strong nationalist intent on loosening the remaining ties. (Mintoff himself was a very entertaining character as PM during the Cold War, often playing both sides off each other and creating a borderline cult of personality domestically)

[Gamemaniacization]

I greatly appreciate the Assassin's Creed background music.

[nanigov]

Malta's #1 Contribution to Society Is And will forever be Grandayy

[diranbodossian]

8:28 whoa - I've seen that Opera House. I just assumed at the time it was built to look like an old Roman ruin - never would have guessed it was bombed out by the Axis and then LEFT AS IS. That's really amazing, glad they didn't rebuild it cos it looks gorgeous.

[thoughtfulpug]

Malta during World War 2 is down right fascinatingg. The reason it was put under so much pressure was because it was perfectly situated between Italy/Sicily and Libya, providing a base from which the RAF could harrass the supply convoys fueling and arming Rommel's Afrika Korps. Thus it played a vital role in the victory in North Africa.

[gbkiller]

I leave for Valletta tomorrow for 2 weeks. This put a smile on my face

[EffieM]

I love Malta! I've been working here for the past 2 months and I dont think I ever want to leave ❤

[thehopeofeden]

A society I haven't learned about with admiration of linguistics and architecture?

Blue, you're spoiling us!

[SomeBlokeOrWhatever]

I was about to post a comment about bringing up the Maltese dogs. Then you did.

They are good boys.

[lanaattard]

As a maltese person, i love this video and the pronunciations make me chuccle everytime I watch it

[allanjohnson]

The Hospitallers are like the only wholesome part of the crusades, and I love them.

[TLSoulDude]

By the way, Valetta's namesake, Jean de Valette? Looking through his life story, he was the maverick biker who became the dependable authority figure.

[kathleenpage]

I was in Malta a few years ago for 5 weeks for school. I learned a bit of the history, but there was so much I forgot and so much I didn't know before watching this. Makes me even more determined to go back eventually

[valletta]

I’m a 25% Maltese I love history so I’ve been desperately trying to read as much as I can on Malta’s history and have been so surprised by how old and how much they’ve changed. The Mediterranean has amazing history

Great vid 🇲🇹

[Lolo]

It's so nice to give much deserved focus to a nation which played such an influential regional role throughout history. Keep up the amazing work!