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

Malta's Knights: The Secret War Against Slavery

21 Sep 2026 · 8:05 · S5 E238

In this episode of The Story of Malta, we explore the complex and often overlooked reality of the Knights Hospitaller’s relationship with slavery in the 16th century. While earlier episodes covered the Great Siege and the ransom economy, we now focus on the institutional machinery of bondage that sustained the Order. We examine the Monte di Redenzione dei Schiavi, the slave market at Piazza degli Schiavi, and the lives of the buonavoglia and forzati who worked alongside the Knights. Through the lens of figures like Grand Master Jean de Valette and Ottoman corsairs such as Dragut and Uluç Ali, we uncover how Malta became a hub for both capturing and ransoming enslaved people across the Mediterranean. This is not just a story of Christian vs Muslim conflict, but a deeper look at the moral ambiguities, economic dependencies, and human costs embedded in the fortress island’s survival. Discover how the Knights justified their participation in the Barbary slave trade while claiming to liberate captives, and what it meant for those caught in between.

#KnightsHospitaller #MaltaHistory #JeanDeValette #BarbarySlaves #MediterraneanSlaveTrade #MonteDiRedenzione #PiazzaDegliSchiavi #Buonavoglia #Forzati #Dragut #UluAli #OttomanCorsairs #GreatSiegeOfMalta #VallettaHistory #MalteseCross #RansomEconomy #HistoricalSlavery #FexingoHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Links in the notes 1

• https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo