# The Fortress of the Baptist: Malta's Great Siege in Fiction

An episode of [The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1895465859), 11 Aug 2026, 7:22.

Audio: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-malta/episode-0197.mp3

In 1565, the Ottoman Empire threw its might against the tiny island of Malta, defended by the Knights of St. John. But how do we know what really happened? This episode digs into the writings of the siege's chroniclers — from the Italian knight Francesco Balbi da Correggio to the Spanish nobleman Hipólito Sans — and separates the myth from the eyewitness accounts. We look at the early 'history' written by the Knights' own grand master, Jean de Valette, and the later, often theatrical accounts that shaped popular memory for centuries. Along the way, we discover how the siege was used as propaganda, how the figure of the Ottoman admiral Dragut was demonised, and why the 'Great Siege' became the defining myth of Maltese identity. Join Lucas and Luna as they sift through the ink and the gunpowder of history's most famous Mediterranean showdown. #GreatSiege1565 #KnightsOfStJohn #OttomanEmpire #FrancescoBalbi #HipólitoSans #JeanDeValette #Dragut #MaltaHistory #MilitaryHistory #EarlyModernEurope #Historiography #SiegeWarfare #MediterraneanHistory #TurkishThreat #StElmo #GrandHarbour #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

## Transcript

Lucas: So we've done a lot of episodes on the Great Siege of 1565 — the forts, the galleys, the commanders. But I keep coming back to something we've only touched on: how do we actually know what happened? Who wrote it down, and what did they leave out?
Luna: I always assumed there were official records, you know, from the Knights themselves.
Lucas: There are, but they're trickier than you'd think. The most famous account is by Francesco Balbi da Correggio, an Italian soldier who was actually inside Birgu during the siege. He wrote his 'True Account of the Great Siege' in 1568, just three years after the fighting ended. Balbi was a matchlock musketman, not a scholar, and his book is full of vivid details — the heat, the smells, the chaos of hand-to-hand combat. But he also had a clear agenda: to celebrate the Knights and demonise the Ottomans.
Luna: So even the eyewitnesses were spinning the story.
Lucas: Absolutely. And that's the core of it. Balbi's account was translated into several languages and became the standard version for centuries. But there were other voices, like Hipólito Sans, a Spanish nobleman and Knight who wrote his own history in 1582. Sans was more critical of the Knights' leadership, especially Grand Master Jean de Valette's risky decision to abandon Fort Saint Elmo early on. He suggested that de Valette was more worried about his own reputation than the lives of his men.
Luna: That sounds like a pretty big controversy.
Lucas: Huge. And it's one of those things that gets smoothed over in later accounts. The official narrative, pushed by the Order itself, was that de Valette was a flawless hero. But Sans, writing from the perspective of a Knight who was actually there, painted a more complicated picture. He even hinted that some of the Knights were more interested in looting than in defending the island. So right from the start, you have this tension between what the chroniclers recorded and what actually happened.
Lucas: And that's not even getting into the Ottoman sources. There are beautiful Ottoman chronicles from the period, but they're mostly about the siege of Szigetvár in Hungary, which happened the year after. For Malta, we have a few letters and reports, but nothing as detailed as Balbi. So for centuries, the story of the Great Siege was told almost exclusively from the Christian side, with all its biases and blind spots.
Luna: Wow, so we really only have one side of the story.
Lucas: Pretty much. And that's why I think it's so interesting to look at the chroniclers themselves — not just as sources, but as people with agendas. And speaking of side projects, we keep this show ad-free because we think that's how history should be heard — no corporate sponsors, no interruptions. If you like that, and you want to support what we do, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep this going.
Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. Okay, so back to the chroniclers — what about the later, more dramatic versions?
Lucas: Right. So after the siege, the story got retold and embellished. The most influential was probably the one by the Italian historian Cesare Campana, who wrote a massive history of the world in the 1590s. He took Balbi's account and turned it into a full-blown epic, with speeches and dramatic flourishes. Later, in the 17th century, the French Knight Giacomo Bosio wrote an official history that was basically hagiography — de Valette as a saint, the Knights as crusaders, the Ottomans as barbarians. And that version stuck.
Luna: So the myth of the Great Siege was created by these later writers, not the actual witnesses.
Lucas: Exactly. And that myth has shaped Maltese identity ever since. The Knights became the defenders of Christendom, the siege became the defining moment of the island's history, and any criticism was buried. Even the name 'Great Siege' itself — the Ottomans called it 'the expedition of Malta' or 'the conquest of Malta', but they never called it 'great'. That's a Christian label that stuck.
Luna: Interesting. So when did people start to question that version?
Lucas: It wasn't until the 20th century that historians started to look at the Ottoman perspective and the political context more critically. They realised that the siege was as much about Ottoman internal politics as it was about religion. Suleiman the Magnificent was getting older, and his son Selim was eager to prove himself with a big victory. The campaign was also a way to secure the sea routes between the Ottoman heartland and the western Mediterranean, where corsairs were based. So it's a lot more complex than a simple clash of civilisations.
Lucas: And even the famous details get murky. For example, the story of Dragut being killed by a cannonball at Fort Saint Elmo — that's in all the chronicles. But some modern historians have questioned whether it was a bomb or a ricochet, and whether it was actually a Christian shot or friendly fire. The chronicles all agree he was killed, but the exact circumstances are still debated.
Luna: Huh, I never thought about that. So the chronicles we rely on are more like dramatic retellings than factual records.
Lucas: Exactly. And that's the lesson of historiography: every source is a product of its time, with its own biases and purposes. Balbi was writing to glorify the Knights and justify their existence. Sans was writing to criticise. Bosio was writing to create a founding myth. And we, modern listeners, have to read all of them with a critical eye.
Luna: So which one is the most reliable, in your view?
Lucas: Honestly, I'd say Balbi is the most valuable because he was there and he's not overly polished. But even he admits he had to rely on second-hand accounts for parts he didn't see himself. Sans is also valuable because he was a Knight, but he's more critical. The later ones, like Bosio, are more about mythmaking. So you have to triangulate between them and the occasional Arabic or Ottoman source, and even then, you're left with gaps.
Luna: It sounds like trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces.
Lucas: That's exactly what it is. And that's what makes history so endlessly fascinating — and so important. These chronicles aren't just dusty old books; they've shaped how people see Malta and the Mediterranean for over 400 years. And even today, the 'Great Siege' is used in political rhetoric, both in Malta and abroad, as a symbol of resistance against a powerful enemy. So understanding the chroniclers helps us understand the myths we inherit.
Luna: I've never really thought about it that way. So next time someone talks about the siege, I'll remember that it's a story with a point of view.
Lucas: Exactly. And that's a good place to stop for today. Next time, we might look at the other side — the Ottoman sources, if we can find any. But for now, I hope this gives you a new lens on that famous siege. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next one.

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