The journey of the women’s right to vote start from their contributions in WW1. Maltese women indirectly contributed to winning World War I by taking care of up to 80,000 soldiers and prisoners of war while food was running out and death rates were going up. After World War I, the Sette Giugno riots in 1919 showed how class and...
History
Why the Knights of St. John came to Malta?
The Knights Hospitaller’s departure from the island of Rhodes stands as a significant moment in geopolitical and religious history. Rhodes, a jewel controlled by the Knights since 1309, held a position of profound strategic significance. Located southeast of Greece, it was a maritime crossroads, a potential springboard for Christian naval operations Ottoman might. The Knights of St. John, devout Christian warriors in...
How a murder got Malta entangled in the Middle-Eastern conflict
On October 26, 1995, a shocking event unfolded on the bustling streets of Sliema, Malta, catapulting the small island nation into the international spotlight. Libyan businessman Ibrahim Ali Al Shawesh was mercilessly gunned down outside The Diplomat hotel. What appeared to be a simple, albeit brutal, case of assassination, swiftly unraveled into a complex web of international espionage and terrorism,...
How old is independent Malta?
Yesterday we celebrated Malta’s 59th birthday as an independent nation. Or is our nation older than that? There is a case that could be made that independent Malta is actually 223 years old. Today we explore a remarkable chapter in our history. A story of a tiny island that dared to defy a mighty empire. This is the story of...
The roles of women and children during the Great Siege of 1565
Diving deep into Malta’s rich tapestry of history, one cannot help but be enthralled by tales of valiant knights and iconic figures such as Toni Bajada, renowned for his masterful espionage during the Great Siege of 1565. These tales, as gripping as they are, sometimes eclipse the narratives of numerous unsung heroes, particularly the roles of women and children during...
A history of the Gozo Channel
The story of the Gozo Channel linking Malta and Gozo is a testament to the enduring connectivity between these two Mediterranean islands. Spanning centuries, the history of this service is marked by evolution, challenges, and a commitment to facilitating travel and trade. 1241: Early Beginnings From the 13th century, the waters between Malta and Gozo witnessed the birth of a...
The forgotten convoys that kept Malta alive.
In the annals of World War II, the Santa Marija Convoy – or Operation Pedestal for the enthusiasts – shines as a beacon of Malta’s resilience. Yet, before this famed mission, several other convoys wrote their own tales of courage in the Mediterranean waters. The Mediterranean became a hotbed of conflict during WWII, with Malta, Britain, and the US (alongside...
Mintoff and the chocolate factory
Understanding the impact of protectionism on a nation’s economic landscape is key to global economics. This was palpably evident in 1970s Malta under the leadership of Dom Mintoff. As a strategic embodiment of protectionism, the Maltese government introduced dramatic measures to bolster local industries, reducing foreign goods dependency. Among these measures, the most contentious was the chocolate ban. Malta’s Economic...
The reasons behind the “INTERDETT”
What were the reasons behind the Interdett and the “war” between the Church and the Labour Party? A war that shed no blood but left everlasting wounds, the interdiction (l-interdett) has left a lasting mark on Malta. It’s 1961. The Catholic Church is led by Pope John XXIII, known as ‘The Good Pope’ and eventually declared a saint. Under his...
How Gorbachev & Bush ended the cold war in the Malta Summit.
This article is part of an ongoing collaborative series by Spunt.mt and Lovin Malta. The 1945 Yalta conference marked the beginning of the Cold War, a 40+ year period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies. Winds of change were sweeping through Soviet states by 1989, culminating in the fall of the...
Operation Husky
Operation Husky | How The Liberation Of Europe Was Launched From Malta It’s June 1942, and Axis forces are celebrating the takeover of Libya. Malta now remains alone, one of the last strongholds of freedom in Europe, surrounded by Axis forces on all sides. But with the arrival of the Santa Marija convoy, Malta took the fight back to the...
The history of Malta’s relationship with Libya
We often forget it, but Tripoli is the closest capital city to Malta. Today we look at the love-hate relationship between Malta and Libya.