French occupation of Malta

Malta
*Malte* (French)
Malta Malte (French)
1798–1800
	Flag
	Motto: Liberté, Égalité; Liberty, Equality
	Anthem: La Marseillaise; ("The Marseillaise");
	French-language map of Malta and Gozo, c. 1798
Status	Military occupation
Capital	Valletta
Common languages	French; Italian; Maltese;
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Demonym(s)	(MT) Malti, (EN) Maltese
Government
• Military Governor	Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
Legislature	Commission of Government
Historical era	French Revolutionary Wars
• French invasion	9 June 1798
• Established	11 June 1798
• Maltese rebellion	2 September 1798
• Surrender to the British Empire	5 September 1800
Currency	Maltese scudo
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Hospitaller Malta
Gozitan Nation
Malta Protectorate
Today part of	Malta

The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in Maltese history (as part of the French Republic), granted free education for all,^[2] and theoretically established freedom of the press, although only the pro-French newspaper Journal de Malte was actually published during the occupation.^[3]

The French abolished nobility, slavery, the feudal system, and the inquisition.^[4] The only remaining architectural reminder of the French occupation is probably the defacement of most coats of arms on the façades of buildings of the knights.^[5] The Maltese soon rebelled against the French and drove the French garrison into Valletta and the Grand Harbour fortifications where they were besieged for more than two years. The French surrendered Malta when their food supplies were about to run out.^[6]

^ "French Rule, 1798-1800". The Coinage of Malta. Central Bank of Malta. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
^ Cite error: The named reference Marco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Grima, Joseph F. (14 July 1798). "It happened this month: The publication of Malta's first newspaper". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.
^ Pullicino, Mark (2013). The Obama Tribe Explorer, James Martin's Biography. MPI Publishing. pp. 75–77. ISBN 978-99957-0-584-8. OCLC 870266285.
^ Ellul, Michael (1982). "Art and Architecture in Malta in the Early Nineteenth Century" (PDF). Melitensia Historica: 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Savona-Ventura, C. (1998). "Human Suffering during the Maltese Insurrection of 1798" (PDF). Storja. 3 (6): 48–65.

[1] "French Rule, 1798-1800". The Coinage of Malta. Central Bank of Malta. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.

[Marco-2] Cite error: The named reference Marco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[times2019-07-14-3] Grima, Joseph F. (14 July 1798). "It happened this month: The publication of Malta's first newspaper". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.

[4] Pullicino, Mark (2013). The Obama Tribe Explorer, James Martin's Biography. MPI Publishing. pp. 75–77. ISBN 978-99957-0-584-8. OCLC 870266285.

[michael-5] Ellul, Michael (1982). "Art and Architecture in Malta in the Early Nineteenth Century" (PDF). Melitensia Historica: 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[6] Savona-Ventura, C. (1998). "Human Suffering during the Maltese Insurrection of 1798" (PDF). Storja. 3 (6): 48–65.

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