When Napoleon Conquered Malta in 72 Hours
Think the fall of powerful nations takes months? Napoleon Bonaparte dismantled 268 years of Knights' rule over Malta in three days. If you want to understand how empires truly fall, keep reading.
ORP Kujawiak: From Britain to Malta
During World War II, the Polish Navy operated under the auspices of the British Navy. One destroyer escort, the ORP Kujawiak, helped supply the island of Malta where it hit an Italian mine.
This article explains the short life of ORP Kujawiak, its final moments and its current status as an underwater diving site.
The independence of Ħal-Għargħur
In the 16th century, the rural village of Ħal-Għargħur became an independent parish for 3 brief years. It’s unusual that someone thought it should be independent and changed their mind a few years later.
This article explains the village politics behind the situation, and how Ħal-Għargħur became a parish.
The mysterious Marcomanni
I’ve often heard about the Marcomanni tribe when researching information about Czechia. References are always fleeting and there’s never enough information about them. I decided to look into this oddly-named Germanic tribe.
Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories
During World War II, the USA and UK plotted to place France under Allied administration after the war, instead of restoring the French government. Why would they consider this, and how different would the world today be if this had gone through?
This article examines the political context and the personalities behind what happened.
The lost Judith bridge
Prague's Charles bridge is the main attraction in this medieval city. Few have heard of its predecessor and fewer have heard about the stories behind it. This article delves into the myths and mythology about the Judith bridge.
The bombing of RAF Kalafrana
On 9 May 1942, at the tail end of the Siege of Malta, an unexpected switch in Axis tactics led to loss of life at one of Malta's airfields. This article describes the situation at that point, and the details of the men who lost their lives that day.
How the 1602 famine hit Malta and Sicily
We often don't think of how explosive and violent Mother Nature can be. In 1600 a volcano exploded in Peru, affecting life around the planet in many ways. In Malta, it led to a diplomatic spat with Sicily and caused a riot in the south of Malta.
This article explains how one led to the other.
The story behind a Maltese galleria
Maltese has adopted lots of Italian words over the years, much to the amusement of Italophones. It is rather curious then that some Italian words have a different meaning when used in Maltese. One of them is our word for balcony which is gallerija. Why don't we use the Italian word for balcony? How does a borrowed word's definition change so much?
The Samo Empire
Samo, a French arms dealer, became king after leading a Slavic federation to victory against the Turks. He established the first Slavic state, which dissolved after his death in 658.