Podcasts · The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History

Malta’s Knights and the Barbary Corsairs

25 Oct 2026 · 8:16 · S6 E267

In this episode of The Story of Malta, Lucas and Luna explore the tense diplomatic and military standoff between the Knights Hospitaller in Valletta and the Ottoman Empire during the late sixteenth century. After the Great Siege of 1565, the Order did not retreat into isolation; instead, they became active naval predators, launching raids across the Mediterranean from their fortified island. We examine the life of Grand Master Jean de Valette and his successors, who viewed the sea not as a barrier but as a hunting ground against Barbary corsairs like Turgut Reis and Dragut. The conversation details the complex legal frameworks of privateering, the use of galley slaves, and the brutal reality of capturing 'buonavoglia' or volunteers for forced labor on Ottoman galleys. We also look at how the Knights navigated relationships with the Sublime Porte in Constantinople, balancing aggression with necessary truces to protect trade routes and ransom captives. This is a story of maritime warfare, religious zeal, and the gritty economics of survival on a small island fortress.

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