Ottomans · 1565
Great Siege of Malta
Nearly four months of assaults failed against the forts of Malta, and the famous corsair Turgut Reis was killed. It marked the limit of Ottoman power in the western Mediterranean.
Key facts
- When
- 1565
- Where
- Malta
- Sides
- Ottomans vs Knights Hospitaller
- Commanders
- Mustafa Pasha and Piyale Pasha vs Jean de Valette
- Result
- Siege failed
- Type
- Ottomans
- Chapter
- 5. The Ottomans
Who led it
- Suleiman the Magnificent1494 to 1566
The longest reigning sultan, at 46 years.
The wider picture: Three gunpowder empires
Mehmed II took Constantinople in 1453. Selim I conquered Egypt in 1517 and the caliphate passed to the Ottomans. Suleiman won at Mohacs in 1526, and a second siege of Vienna failed in 1683. Further east, Safavid Iran and the Mughals of India ruled at the same time.
More ottomans battles
Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us