Following the visit of the President of the Republic of Malta, H.E. George Vella, to the Grand Master H.M.E.H. Fra\u2019 John T. Dunlap, which has been widely reported on different sites of the Order, it is timely to publish a contribution from James Wilson on the history of this beautiful island with which the Order of Malta continues to have historical, spiritual and operational collaborations.<\/p>\n
”Sometimes confused, the Order of Malta and the Republic of Malta are two entirely separate sovereign entities, but with a significant shared history on the island of Malta.<\/p>\n
The connection to the island of Malta dates back nearly 500 years, where in 1530 the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, with Pope Clement VII\u2019s approval, ceded the island to the Order. With this, Malta became a fortress and headquarters for the Order, where under Grand Master Jean de Valette, the Order successfully withstood the Ottoman siege of 1565. The new capital city of Valletta, founded in 1566, became a town of splendid palaces and unparalleled fortifications. Growing in power and wealth\u2014owing mainly to their maritime adventures against the Ottomans\u2014the Order of Malta left the island an architectural, artistic, and spiritual legacy. <\/p>\n
The Order was forced from the island of Malta in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte, when the French captured the island during their expedition to Egypt. A few years later, the island came under British control for nearly a century-and-a-half. Self-government was granted to Malta in 1947, although this was revoked in 1959, and then restored in 1962. Malta achieved its independence on 21 September 1964, becoming a member of the Commonwealth and subsequently a member of the Council of Europe. Malta became a republic on 13 December 1974. It joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, after a 2003 referendum in favour of joining.<\/p>\n
The modern Republic of Malta\u00a0is a European state consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The country has a population of 518,536 people (2021, World Bank), and land area of 316 km\u00b2. Roman Catholicism remains the official religion of Malta, where more than nine-tenths of Maltese are Roman Catholic, nevertheless there is full freedom of religious belief in the country. <\/p>\n
As discussed in a previous article, the Sovereign Order of Malta is now based in Rome, and maintains functional sovereignty, as well as diplomatic relations with over 100 countries \u2013 including the Republic of Malta. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Order and the Republic of Malta in 1966, as of March 2024, there have been 17 visits of Presidents of the Republic and Grand Masters, and six of Ministers and Grand Chancellors.<\/p>\n
As of 2001, the Order has returned\u2014albeit in a limited presence\u2014to the island of Malta, after signing and ratifying an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Malta which granted the Order the use of Fort St. Angelo for a term of 99 years. Located in the town of Birgu, the Fort belonged to the Knights from 1530 to 1798. Today, after its restoration, the Fort hosts historical and cultural activities related to the Order of Malta<\/p>\n
Although they are two fully separate and sovereign entities, the Order of Malta and Republic of Malta, maintain shared values, objectives, and aims, strengthened through a common history, and forever linked to the beautiful island of Malta.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_aWKqAiW9w0 <\/a> ”<\/p>\n