Podcasts · The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History
Malta's Forgotten Slave Quays and the Knights' Economy
· 8:27 · S6 E269
Episode Malta's Forgotten Slave Quays and the Knights' Economy
For over two centuries, Malta served as a critical hub in the Mediterranean slave trade, where captured corsairs were rowed into Grand Harbour to power the Knights Hospitaller’s galley fleet. This episode explores the grim reality of Aqqa l-Imramma, the forced labor system that sustained Valletta’s economy while fueling endless warfare against Ottoman privateers. We examine how Jean de Valette institutionalized this brutal industry, turning prisoners of war into 'buonavoglia' and 'forzati' to defend Christendom from the sea. Through the lens of Malta’s hidden infrastructure—the secret quays, the damp galleys, and the legal frameworks governing slavery—we uncover the moral contradictions at the heart of the Order. Listeners will encounter specific figures like Turgut Reis, the concept of buonavoglia, and the architectural remnants of this dark history that still echo beneath the sunny streets of Birgu.
#MaltaHistory #KnightsHospitaller #GrandHarbour #AqcaLImramma #JeanDeValette #TurgutReis #Buonavoglia #Forzati #MediterraneanSlavery #OttomanEmpire #Valletta #Birgu #GalleySlaves #BarbaryCorsairs #SublimePorte #MalteseLanguage #FexingoHistory #History
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Transcript
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