In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise.
Tag: Valletta
The Cippi of Melqart, discovered in Malta, are priceless because they were the key to deciphering Phoenician script.
This article explains who Melqart was, what cippi are and what this Maltese Rosetta Stone is all about.
Mentioning exiled Russians these days suggests pro-Ukrainian protesters or anti-Putin demonstrators. Malta’s reputation as a haven for Russians goes back more than 100 years before Putin’s antics.
I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there used to be one anyway.
If you ask people how Malta fought against French occupation, most will talk about how the British helped the Maltese out. Few know that the Portuguese navy played the decisive part in this battle. This article sets the record straight.
In the 19th century an offshore British bank in Malta issued its own banknotes. It’s unusual to think of a private company issuing banknotes, more so in a small country like Malta. This article explains why this bank did so and why it was in Malta.
British forces fought wars all over India in the 18th and 19th century. Between tribal feuds, and the British, there were many sources of conflict. This article describes the Battle of Ferozeshah, and its small connection to Malta.
In the 19th century, the monks at the convent annexed to the Ta’ Giezu church in Valletta would help young boys stay out of mischief during carnival. They would pray together and then give the boys food. In 1823, this act of charity turned into a catastrophe.
There are a few chapels and churches around Malta which sport an intriguing Latin sign: “Non gode immunity ecclesiastica” (“Doesn’t provide ecclesiastical immunity”). I wanted to understand why a church would not be a place of refuge, and why some other churches still were.
There weren’t many female physicians in the 19th century. Irishwoman Margaret Bulkley pretended to be a man for over 40 years to practise medicine. This article explains how this happened, Bulkley’s life in Malta and how we know what happened.