Podcasts · The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History
Malta's Forgotten Fleet: The Knights' Privateers
· 8:16 · S5 E207
Episode Malta's Forgotten Fleet: The Knights' Privateers
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy world of the Knights of Malta's privateering enterprise — the corso — and how it transformed the island from a defensive outpost into a predatory naval power. They trace the rise of the corso under Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam after the Knights' expulsion from Rhodes, examine the legal and religious justifications for attacking Muslim shipping, and follow the careers of famous corsairs like Mathurin d'Aux de Lescout and the renegade captain Uluç Ali. The episode unpacks the economics of the corso: how captured galleys and cargoes were auctioned in Valletta, how slaves were ransomed through the Monte di Redenzione, and how the profits rebuilt Malta's fortifications. It also touches on the moral ambiguity — the Knights' vow of poverty versus their role as merchants of war — and the eventual decline of the corso as the Order's military power waned. Through vivid anecdotes and sharp analysis, this episode reveals how Malta's 'holy war' at sea was also a business, and how that legacy still shapes the island's identity.
#Malta #KnightsOfMalta #Corso #Privateering #MediterraneanHistory #NavalWarfare #Slavery #Ransom #Valletta #UluçAli #MathurindAuxdeLescout #PhilippeVilliersdeLIsleAdam #GrandHarbour #MonteDiRedenzione #16thCentury #History #FexingoHistory
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Transcript
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