1 comment.1565: Was it that great? – Prof. Victor Mallia-Milanes
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An article in the latest edition of Think magazine looks at 1565: Was it that great? – Historical discoveries are usually associated with the unearthing of new artifacts or documents. However, they can also be made through re-evaluation of already known facts.
The Great Siege of 1565 has often been analysed as an isolated incident. Prof. Victor Mallia-Milanes is looking at this prominent event in Malta’s history, within context, together with the rest of the Mediterranean at the time.
Mallia-Milanes questions the ‘greatness’ of the siege, defining it as the event’s ability to bring about long-term changes. The Siege did not bring about major changes in historical development for the Mediterranean, says Mallia-Milanes.
The fact that the Knights remained on the island was no doubt positive for Malta, seeing that they invested heavily in the cotton and cumin industries; however, is this enough for the siege to be labelled great since its impact on wider Europe was negligible? Mallia-Milanes asks.
Historical research is often set aside once made and accepted at face value. However, it is important for this to be continuously questioned, revisited and updated to achieve a better understanding of the past.
For more, read the in-depth feature in Think magazine: www.um.edu.mt/think/1565-was-it-that-great
Think, the University of Malta’s magazine, may be picked up for free in newsagents around Gozo and Malta and in Agenda bookstores, it is available online at http://www.issuu.com/thinkuni, on Issuu www.issuu.com/thinkuni or liked on Facebook www.facebook.com/ThinkUoM.
Current EU politicians learnt nothing from the Great Siege. If Malta had been lost the Ottomans would have invaded Europe and that would have been the end of Christendom. A little over 450 years later Europe has thrown in the towel and invited an invasion from the East which is breathtaking in its scale and will result in the Islamisation of Europe with all the barbarity that comes with it. The depths of our current politicians stupidity just cannot be plumbed.