The Old Prison is located in the Citadel of Victoria , Gozo , adjacent to the Courts of Justice to which it was originally connected. Today, the prison complex is divided into two different buildings: the entrance hall, which had been a common cell in the 19th century, and a free-standing block with six individual cells.
82-819: The prison was active from the mid-16th century until 1962. First, it used to host the rowdiest or most riotous knights, as a place to cool down. Even the most historical knight, Fra Jean Parisot de Valette (later Grand Master of Malta) was imprisoned there in 1538. The site is well preserved in its original state, and a large amount of graffiti is etched into the limestone walls. Representations are often of ships, hand-prints, crosses, names, dates, games, and anthropomorphic figures. 36°2′46.4″N 14°14′21.1″E / 36.046222°N 14.239194°E / 36.046222; 14.239194 Jean Parisot de Valette Fra' Jean " Parisot " de ( la ) Valette ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ paʁizo d(ə) (la) valɛt] ; c. 4 February 1495 – 21 August 1568)
164-508: A Spanish attack on Algiers and put down a revolt in Tripoli. In that same year he captured a Maltese ship near Messina . Learning from its crew that the knights were preparing for a major attack on Tripoli, he decided to sail back there and strengthen the city's defenses. In the meantime, Dragut had made enemies of many of the nominally Ottoman, but practically independent rulers in Tunis and
246-666: A base to assault the Knights of St. John in Malta . In April 1546 he raided the coasts of Liguria. In May, still in Liguria, he captured Laigueglia , a province of Savona , with a force of 1000 men. He later captured Andora and took the podestà of the town as a prisoner. There he and his troops rested for a brief period, before resuming their assault on the Italian Riviera and landing at San Lorenzo al Mare . He also destroyed
328-509: A month of fierce fighting, but the Order managed to hold out in Birgu and Senglea until a relief force arrived. Ottoman specialist engineers had originally assessed the fortification of Saint Elmo, from local informants and conducting reconnoitring missions, saying it would fall in three days. Knight Commander Le Sande, who had sailed from Sicily with reinforcements, ordered a general charge from
410-554: A possession of the Knights of St. John since 1530. Gaspare de Villers, the commander of the fort, was captured, along with other prominent knights of Spanish and French origin. However, upon the intervention of the French ambassador in Constantinople, Gabriel d'Aramon , the French knights were released. A local leader, Ağa Murat, was initially installed as governor of Tripoli , but subsequently Turgut himself took control of
492-544: A square was inaugurated in Valletta named Pjazza Jean de La Valette which also features a statue of the Grandmaster. The statue is 2.5m high and was cast in bronze by the local sculptor Joseph Chetcuti. In the statue, La Valette is shown in armour and holding Valletta's plan in one hand and a sword in the other. For many years, the widely accepted version of the Grandmaster's surname was de La Valette . However, during
574-504: A voice replied: I am she who has decimated the galleys of the Turk - And all the warriors of Constantinople and Galatia! As a result of the Order's victory La Valette gained much prestige in Europe , but he declined the offer of a cardinal 's hat in order to maintain independence from the papacy. This has been attributed to his sense of modesty and his humility as a warrior monk. After
656-526: A year by Barbary pirates under the command of Turgut Reis but was later freed during an exchange of prisoners. In 1546 La Valette became Governor of Tripoli , where he tried to restore order within the vulnerable city. In 1554 he was elected Captain General of the Order's galleys . This was a great honour to the Langue of Provence , as throughout most of the Order's history, the position of Grand Admiral
738-584: The Aegean coast of Asia Minor , in the sub-district called Saravalos in the western tip of Bodrum peninsula; or probably in the Karabağ village on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. His family were either Greek Christians or Turkish Muslims. At the age of 12 he was noticed by an Ottoman army commander for his extraordinary talent in using spears and arrows and was recruited by him. Under his support,
820-514: The Battle of Djerba . In March 1561 Turgut Reis and Uluç Ali Reis captured Vincenzo Cicala and Luigi Osorio near the island of Marettimo . In June 1561 Turgut landed on the island of Stromboli . In July 1561 he captured seven Maltese galleys under the command of knight Guimarens, whom he later freed for a ransom of 3,000 gold ducats. After stopping at Gozo to replenish his galleys with water, he sailed back to Tripoli. In August 1561 he laid siege to
902-667: The Battle of Preveza , Turgut Reis, with 20 galleys and 10 galiots, commanded the center-rear wing of the Ottoman fleet which defeated the Holy League , a short-lived Christian alliance consisting of the Knights of Malta , the Papal States , Venice, Spain, Naples and Sicily, who were then under the command of Andrea Doria . Despite the Holy League 's vastly superior numbers of ships, 302, and soldiers, 60,000, Dragut and
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#1732772420094984-926: The Bosphorus with 60 galleys and passed the winter in Chios . From there he sailed to the Adriatic Sea and landed at Vieste near Foggia , capturing and sacking the city, killing 5000 of its inhabitants. He then sailed towards Dalmatia and bombarded the port of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa . In August 1554 he landed at Orbetello and raided the coasts of Tuscany . The following year, in July 1555, he landed at Capo Vaticano in Calabria, and from there marched to Ceramica and San Lucido , bombarding these cities, before capturing Paola and Santo Noceto. He then sailed to Elba and captured
1066-585: The Crusades . Jean Parisot's grandfather, Bernard de La Valette, was a Knight and King's Orderly, and his father Guillot was a Chevalier de France . Jean Parisot was a distant cousin (through their mutual ancestor Almaric, Seigneur de Parisot) of Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette , first Duke of Épernon . Although his birth year is usually given as 1494, both chroniclers of the Great Siege of Malta , Francisco Balbi di Correggio and Hipolito Sans, say he
1148-670: The La and sometimes the double l in the Grandmaster's name. It is worth noting that an interesting development had occurred in 1539 when de Vallette was some 45 years old and already in Malta. It was then that Francis I, seeing the wide linguistic disparity in the use of various Romance and Germanic languages in France, enacted the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts which prescribed the use of standard French, mostly as spoken in northern France and in
1230-701: The Mediterranean ". He was nicknamed "the Drawn Sword of Islam". He was described by a French admiral as "a living chart of the Mediterranean, skillful enough on land to be compared to the finest generals of the time" and that "no one was more worthy than he to bear the name of king". Hayreddin Barbarossa , who was his mentor, stated that Dragut was ahead of him "both in fishing and bravery". In addition to serving as Admiral and Corsair in
1312-662: The Ottoman Empire 's Navy under Suleiman the Magnificent , Dragut was also appointed Bey of Algiers and Djerba , Beylerbey of the Mediterranean , as well as Bey, and subsequently Pasha , of Tripoli . While serving as Pasha of Tripoli , Dragut constructed great feats in the city, making it one of the most impressive to behold along the entire North African coast. Dragut was born in Karatoprak (known today as Turgutreis in his honour) near Bodrum , on
1394-615: The Venetians , who had taken the city back from the Ottomans. During the combat he sank two Venetian galleys and captured three others. Still in 1539, while landing on Corfu , he encountered 12 Venetian galleys under the command of Francesco Pasqualigo and captured the galley of Antonio da Canal. He later landed at Crete and fought against the Venetian cavalry forces under the command of Antonio Calbo. Later that year, when Sinan Pasha ,
1476-719: The Beni Oulid dynasty with a force of janissaries and added their territories to the Ottoman Empire. He later took Taorga, Misrata and Tagiora, before recapturing the island of Djerba and adding it to his province. In June 1558 he joined the fleet of Piyale Pasha at the Strait of Messina , and the two admirals captured Reggio Calabria , sacking the city. From there, Turgut Reis went to the Aeolian Islands and captured several of them, before landing at Amalfi , in
1558-774: The Crypt of the Conventual Church of the Order (now St. John's Co-Cathedral ), situated within the walls of Valletta. The inscription on his tomb, which was composed by his Latin Secretary, Sir Oliver Starkey , the last Knight of the English Langue at the time of the Great Siege, states in Latin: Here lies La Valette. Worthy of eternal honour, He who was once the scourge of Africa and Asia, And
1640-595: The Governor of Djerba , was appointed by Suleiman the Magnificent as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman Red Sea Fleet based in Suez , Turgut Reis was appointed as his successor and became the Governor of Djerba. In early 1540 Turgut Reis captured several Genoese ships off the coast of Santa Margherita Ligure . In April 1540, commanding two galleys and 13 galiots, he landed at Gozo and sacked
1722-464: The Gulf of Salerno , and capturing Massa Lubrense , Cantone and Sorrento . He later landed at Torre del Greco , the coasts of Tuscany, and Piombino. In August he captured several ships off Malta. In September 1558 he joined Piyale Pasha, and the two admirals assaulted the coasts of Spain before capturing Ciutadella ( Menorca ) and inflicting particular damage on the island's ports. In 1559 he repelled
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#17327724200941804-549: The Knights, mindful of the attack that was sure to come, elected La Valette to be Grand Master. In 1560 he formed an alliance with the Habsburg Empire to reconquer Tripoli, but the expedition resulted in a Christian defeat at the Battle of Djerba . Despite this the Order's galleys were able to rescue several other Christian vessels, and later on in his reign, La Valette greatly strengthened the Order's navy. He organised
1886-587: The Magnificent . After the loss of Rhodes, the Order was granted the Maltese Islands and Tripoli by Emperor Charles V . In 1538 he was imprisoned in the Gozo prison for four months after attacking a man. In 1541 La Valette was involved in a naval battle against Abd-ur-Rahman Kust Aly, in which he was wounded and his galley, the San Giovanni , was captured. La Valette was taken as a galley slave for
1968-534: The Maltese hills toward the end of the siege. They attacked the Ottoman forces until the Ottoman forces retreated to the sea, and at that point the sea had completely changed colour to red (from the sheer volume of blood lost). It was at that point the Ottoman forces boarded their ships, directed their course back to Constantinople. Whilst shaping course back to Constantinople they momentarily contemplated counterattacking. However, they had lost too many men, supplies, and
2050-415: The Ottoman Empire , which paid him 30,000 gold ducats for the expense of ammunition in the conquest. Leaving Corsica, Turgut Reis returned to Elba and attempted to capture Piombino and Portoferraio , but eventually gave up and captured the island of Pianosa and recaptured the island and castle of Capri (previously captured by Barbarossa back in 1535) before returning to Istanbul. In 1554 he sailed from
2132-562: The Ottoman admiral Sinan Pasha towards the Adriatic Sea and bombarded the Venetian ports, inflicting serious damage on Venetian shipping. In May 1551 they landed on Sicily and bombarded the eastern shores of the island, most notably the city of Augusta , as revenge for the Viceroy of Sicily's role in the invasion and destruction of Mahdia, where most inhabitants had been massacred by the joint Spanish-Sicilian-Maltese force. They then attempted to capture Malta, landing with about 10,000 men at
2214-512: The Ottoman fleet dealt the Christian alliance a decisive defeat, with only 112 ships, and 12,000 soldiers. During the battle, with two of his galiots, Dragut captured the Papal galley under the command of Giambattista Dovizi , the knight who was also the abbot of Bibbiena , taking him and his crew as prisoners. In 1539, commanding 36 galleys and galiots, Turgut Reis recaptured Castelnuovo from
2296-746: The Paris area where the langues d'oui prevailed. The name de Valette is now used in Malta, although many still refer to him as de La Valette due to the collective memory. The Order's successor, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , call the Grandmaster Fra' Jean de La Vallette-Parisot . Due to his key role in holding Malta during the siege of 1565, de Valette has appeared as a main and supporting character in several works of literature: Notes Turgut Reis Dragut ( Turkish : Turgut Reis ; 1485 – 23 June 1565)
2378-681: The Spanish-Italian fleet under Andrea Doria at the Battle of Ponza . Following this victory, Suleiman appointed Turgut Beylerbeyi ( Chief Regional Governor ) of the Mediterranean Sea. In May 1553, Turgut Reis set sail from the Aegean Sea with 60 galleys, captured Crotone and Castello in Calabria, and from there marched inland. Later he landed on Sicily and sacked most of the island until stopping at Licata for replenishing his ships with water. In August 1553, he sacked
2460-584: The activities of the Maltese Knights. He later sailed towards Liguria. In June 1550, while Turgut Reis was sailing near Genoa, Andrea Doria and Bailiff Claude de la Sengle of the Maltese Knights attacked Mahdia in Tunisia. In the meantime, Turgut Reis was busy assaulting and sacking Rapallo for a third time, before raiding the coasts of Spain. He then sailed to the Tyrrhenian Sea and towards
2542-432: The adjoining hinterland, and several of them entered into an alliance in 1560 with Viceroy Cerda of Sicily , who had orders from King Philip II of Spain to join his forces in an effort to capture Tripoli. Philip II's efforts ended in failure when the Ottoman fleet of 86 ships, under the command of Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis, decisively defeated the fleet of the Christian alliance of Philip II, consisting of 200 ships, at
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2624-522: The area. In recognition of his services, Sultan Suleiman awarded Tripoli and the surrounding territory to Turgut, along with the title of Sanjak Bey ( "Lord of the Standard" ). In September 1551, Turgut Reis sailed to Liguria and captured the city of Taggia , before capturing other ports of the Italian Riviera, after Ottoman troops landed at the beach of Riva Trigoso . Later that year, he returned to Tripoli and sought to extend his territory, capturing
2706-435: The beginning of July landed at the western shores of Sardinia, before returning to Djerba, where he learned that Doria and Claude de la Sengle had been attacking Mahdia and Tunis . He collected a force of 4500 troops and 60 sipahis and marched on Mahdia to assist the local resistance. He did not succeed and returned to Djerba with his troops. In September 1550 Mahdia surrendered to the joint Spanish-Sicilian-Maltese force. In
2788-447: The best commanders that the Christian forces could bring to the sea, the forces of Islam were able to call on the equally outstanding maritime and leadership skills of admirals such as Barbarossa and Dragut . La Valette was described by Abbe de Branthome as being a "very handsome man, speaking several languages fluently including Italian, Spanish, Greek, Arabic and Turkish." In 1557, upon the death of Grand Master Claude de la Sengle ,
2870-412: The city along with nearby Pozzuoli . From there he went to Procida . A few days later, he captured a Spanish galley loaded with troops and gold at Capo Miseno near Procida . In the same days he captured the Maltese galley, La Caterinetta , at the Gulf of Naples, with its cargo of 70,000 gold ducats which were collected by the Knights of St. John from the churches of France with the aim of strengthening
2952-569: The city of Palmi . In February 1550, sailing with a force of 36 galleys, he recaptured Mahdia along with Al Munastir , Sousse and most of Tunisia . In May 1550 he assaulted the ports of Sardinia and Spain and landed on their coasts with a force of six galleys and 14 galiots. Still in May he unsuccessfully tried to capture Bonifacio in Corsica. On his way back to Tunisia, he stopped at Gozo to replenish his ships with water and to gather information on
3034-438: The city of Populonia before assaulting Piombino . From there he sailed to Corsica and ransacked Bastia, taking 6000 prisoners. He later assaulted Calvi before setting sail towards Sardinia and bombarding the ports of that island. From there he turned towards Liguria and landed at Ospedaletti , capturing the city and the coastline around it. He later landed at San Remo before returning to Istanbul. In March 1556, Turgut Reis
3116-425: The city of Naples and blocked the port with 35 galleys. In April 1562 he sent scout ships to explore all corners of the island of Malta . Still in 1562 he laid siege to Oran which was under Spanish control. In 1563, he landed at the shores of the province of Granada and captured coastal settlements in the area like Almuñécar , along with 4,000 prisoners. He later landed at Málaga . In April 1563 he supported
3198-641: The coasts of Sicily and bombarded several ports on the Tyrrhenian Sea . In July he ravaged the island of Capraia and landed at the coasts of Liguria and the Italian Riviera with a force of 15 galleys and fustas. He sacked Monterosso and Corniglia , and later landed at Manarola and Riomaggiore . In the following days he landed at the Gulf of La Spezia and captured Rapallo , Pegli and Levanto . In 1546 he captured Mahdia , Sfax , Sousse and Al-Munastir in Tunisia , afterwards using Mahdia as
3280-428: The death of his master, Turgut went to Alexandria and began his career as a sailor after joining the fleet of Sinan Pasha . He immediately became one of the favourite crewmen of the famous corsair due to his success in hitting enemy vessels with cannons. Turgut soon mastered the skills of seamanship and became the captain of a brigantine , while given 1/4 of its ownership. After several successful campaigns, he became
3362-563: The defence of Malta, fought during the siege, and successfully repulsed the Turks at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. During the siege the vastly outnumbered Christians held out for over 3 months against an Ottoman force containing no less than 30,000 soldiers, including the Janissaries , as well as the Sultan's fleet of some 193 ships. The battle saw the fall of Fort St. Elmo after about
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3444-597: The defense of Malta. He later landed in Liguria and captured Bergeggi and San Lorenzo . In December 1556 he captured Gafsa in Tunisia and added it to his territory. In the summer of 1557 he left the Bosphorus with a fleet of 60 galleys and, arriving at the Gulf of Taranto , he landed in Calabria and assaulted Cariati , capturing the city. He later landed at the ports of Apulia . In 1558 he added Gharyan , about 70 miles south of Tripoli, to his territory. He then defeated
3526-505: The defenses of Tripoli , which was then under Maltese control. In May 1549 he set sail towards Liguria with 21 galleys and in July he assaulted Rapallo , later replenishing his ships with water and other supplies at San Fruttuoso . From there he sailed to Portofino and landed at the port, before appearing at San Remo where he captured an Aragonese galley from Barcelona ] heading towards Naples. From there he first sailed towards Corsica and later towards Calabria<, where he assaulted
3608-484: The entire coastline up to Minturno and Nola . In response, Andrea Doria set sail from Genoa with a force of 40 galleys and headed towards Naples. When the two fleets first encountered off Naples, Turgut Reis managed to capture seven galleys, with colonel Madruzzi and many German soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire on board. The two fleets later went southwards, where, on 5 August 1552, Turgut Reis defeated
3690-468: The entire region of Misrata all the way to Zuwara and Djerba to the west. Turning inland, he enhanced his territory until reaching Gebel. In 1552 Sultan Suleiman appointed Turgut Reis commander-in-chief of the Ottoman fleet which he dispatched to Italy (on the basis of a treaty between the Sultan and King Henry II of France ). Turgut Reis first landed at Augusta and Licata in Sicily, before capturing
3772-453: The extreme southern point of the island which faces the shores of Africa. From there the Ottoman troops quickly marched towards the vicinity of the Church of Santa Caterina. The guards of the church tower escaped as soon as they saw the forces of Turgut Reis, which prevented them from igniting the tub of gunpowder—a common method used then to warn the local inhabitants of attacks. After sacking
3854-589: The fleet of Salih Reis with 20 galleys during the Ottoman siege of Oran, bombarding the Fortress of Mers-el-Kebir . In September 1563, Dragut sailed to Naples and captured six ships near the island of Capri , which carried valuable goods and Spanish soldiers. He later landed at the Chiaia neighbourhood of Naples and captured it. From there he sailed to Liguria and Sardinia, raiding the coastal towns, particularly Oristano , Marcellino and Ercolento. He then sailed to
3936-541: The great siege, he commissioned the construction of the new city of Valletta in 1566, laying the first stone with his own hands. This took place on the slopes of Mount Sciberras , where the flower of the Turkish army had died whilst trying to storm Fort Saint Elmo, which the Turks thought would fall within three or four days, but which, due to the bravery of the defenders, held out for 30 days. The city named after its founder - Humilissima Civitas Vallettae - became known as
4018-470: The greatest sieges of all time. The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by Grandmaster La Valette in 1566. He did not live to see Valletta completed, as he died in 1568 and was succeeded by Grandmaster Pierre de Monte . He was born into the noble La Valette family in Quercy , South-western France, which had been an important family in France for many generations, various members having participated in
4100-409: The island and castle of Pantelleria . In July 1552 he landed at Taormina and later bombarded and disabled the ports on the Gulf of Policastro. He later landed at Palmi and captured the city, before sailing to the Gulf of Naples in order to meet with the other branch of the Ottoman fleet under the command of Sinan Pasha and the French fleet under the command of Polin de la Garde . After arriving at
4182-568: The island and sailed to Istanbul , capturing two galleys on the way, one Genoese and one Sicilian, which were en route to Djerba in order to assist the forces of Doria. Prince Abu Beker, son of the Sultan of Tunis, who was an ally of Spain, was on the Genoese galley. After arriving in Istanbul, Turgut Reis, under mandate by Sultan Suleiman , mobilized a fleet of 112 galleys and two galleasses with 12,000 Janissaries , and in 1551 set sail with
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#17327724200944264-451: The island of Aegina . In June and July 1538 he accompanied Barbarossa on his pursuit of Andrea Doria in the Adriatic Sea , while capturing several fortresses on the coasts of Albania as well as the Gulf of Preveza and the island of Lefkada . In August 1538 Turgut Reis captured Candia in Crete as well as several other Venetian possessions in the Aegean Sea . In September 1538, at
4346-419: The island of Pantelleria . Afterwards he assaulted Sciacca and Modica in southern Sicily. From there he went to the island of Tavolara and to Sardinia, later headed towards Porto Ercole and landed on the coast, before setting sail towards Elba, where he captured Marciana Marina , Rio and Capoliveri . From there he sailed to Corsica and took Bonifacio and Bastia on behalf of France, then ally of
4428-630: The island of Ponza . From there, the Turkish fleet sailed towards Lazio and bombarded the ports belonging to the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples, even though Henry II had guaranteed the Pope that the Ottoman fleet would not damage the Vatican 's possessions. Due to bad weather, however, Turgut Reis and Sinan Pasha sailed back to the Gulf of Naples and landed at Massa Lubrense and Sorrento , capturing both towns. They later captured Pozzuoli and
4510-433: The island, Turgut Reis headed towards Capo Passero in Sicily, where he captured the galley of Giulio Cicala, son of Duke Vincenzo Cicala. He later sailed to the Aeolian Islands , and at Salina Island he captured a Maltese trade ship with valuable cargo. From there he sailed to Apulia and towards the end of July 1547 he assaulted the city of Salve . He later sailed to Calabria , forcing the local population to flee towards
4592-500: The island. He later landed at Pantelleria and raided the coasts of Sicily and Spain with a force of 25 ships, inflicting so much damage that Andrea Doria was ordered by Charles V to chase him with a force of 81 galleys. From there, Turgut Reis sailed to the Tyrrhenian Sea and bombarded the southern ports of Corsica , most notably Palasca . He later captured and sacked the nearby island of Capraia . Turgut Reis later sailed back towards Corsica and docked his ships at Girolata on
4674-410: The islands with Isabella's wealth and was never heard from again. La Valette is well known for being the Grandmaster who won the Great Siege and founded Valletta. A street in the town of Naxxar as well as the flagship of Virtu Ferries MV Jean de La Valette are both named after him. La Valette was also featured on Maltese stamps , coins, banknotes and telecards a number of times. In 2012,
4756-400: The meantime, Turgut Reis was repairing his ships at the beach of Djerba. On October, Andrea Doria appeared with his fleet at Djerba and blocked the entrance of the island's lagoon with his ships, trapping the beached galleys of Turgut Reis inside the Channel of Cantera. Turgut Reis had all his ships dragged overland through hastily dug canals and on a heavily greased broadway to the other side of
4838-495: The meeting location, Turgut Reis anchored his ships off the beach of Scauri , near Formia , where he met with the fleet of Sinan Pasha, but their French ally did not show up in time. After waiting for several days, Sinan Pasha decided to return to Constantinople, following an order by Suleiman to do so in case of a delay or postponement of the meeting. Turgut Reis convinced Sinan Pasha to join him, and their combined fleet bombarded various ports of Sardinia and Corsica, before capturing
4920-460: The morale at that point to launch any substantial counterattack. During the first days after the siege a Maltese soldier sitting around a campfire at night began to frame the words of a song which would later become famous in the Mediterranean: Malta of gold, Malta of silver, Malta of precious metal, We shall never take you. No, not even if you were as soft as a gourd, Not even if you were only protected by an onion skin! And from her ramparts
5002-429: The most aristocratic and exclusive fortress in Europe - a city most often referred to as "Superbissima" - the "Most Proud". Valletta remains the Maltese capital to this day. La Valette suffered a stroke while praying in a chapel and died soon after on 21 August 1568, exactly eleven years after he became Grandmaster. La Valette never saw the completed city of Valletta. His tomb (in the form of a sarcophagus) can be found in
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#17327724200945084-511: The release of Turgut Reis in exchange for 3,500 gold ducats. Barbarossa gave Turgut his spare flagship and the command of several other vessels, and in that same year Turgut Reis landed at Bonifacio in Corsica and captured the city, inflicting particular damage to Genoese interests. Still in 1544 he assaulted the island of Gozo in Malta and fought against the forces of knight Giovanni Ximenes while capturing several Maltese ships which were bringing precious cargo from Sicily. In June 1545 he raided
5166-415: The safety of the mountains. From there he went to Corsica and captured a number of ships. In 1548 he was appointed Beylerbeyi ( Chief Governor ) of Algeria by Suleiman the Magnificent. In that same year he ordered the construction of a quadrireme galley at the naval arsenal of Djerba , which he started using in 1549. In August 1548 he landed at Castellamare di Stabia on the Bay of Naples and captured
5248-483: The security of a French port. After Barbarossa's death in July 1546, Turgut succeeded him as supreme commander of Ottoman naval forces in the Mediterranean . In July 1547 he once again assaulted Malta with a force of 23 galleys and galiots, after hearing the news that the Kingdom of Naples was shaken by the revolt against Viceroy Don Pietro of Toledo , which would make a naval support from there to Malta rather unlikely. Turgut Reis landed his troops at Marsa Scirocco ,
5330-480: The shield of Europe, Whence he expelled the barbarians by his Holy Arms, Is the first to be buried in this beloved city, Whose founder he was. La Valette has been referred to as one who never broke his vows, but it has been claimed that he had a mistress while in Rhodes called Catherine nicknamed Greque (Greek), and that he had an illegitimate son from her who was called Barthélemy de La Valette. Documentary evidence has been found by Bonello that proves Barthélemy
5412-443: The sole owner of the brigantine. Turgut later became the captain and owner of a galiot , and arming it with the most advanced cannons of that period, he started to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean , especially targeting the shipping routes between Venice and the Aegean islands belonging to the Republica Serenissima . In 1520, he joined the fleet of Hayreddin Barbarossa , who would become his protector and best friend. Turgut
5494-442: The southern port of Marsa Muscietto . They laid siege to the citadels of Birgu and Senglea , and later went north and assaulted Mdina , but lifted the siege after realizing that it was impossible to capture the island with the number of troops in hand. Instead, they moved to the neighboring island of Gozo , where they bombarded the citadel for several days. The Knights' governor there, Galatian de Sesse, realizing that resistance
5576-431: The unveiling of the statue at Pjazza Jean de Valette in November 2012, judge and historian Giovanni Bonello stated that the Grandmaster always signed his name as de Valette without the La . A week later, Désireé von la Valette Saint Georges, a descendant of the Grandmaster, stated that the family name was de la Valette not de Valette and since then, a dispute has started as to what his name actually was. Members of
5658-431: The various branches of the Valette family actually used both versions at the time, but the Grandmaster himself never used the La . In fact, all 138 coins and 19 medals minted by the Order during de Valette's reign show the names de Valette , de Valetta or just Valette . Bonello additionally stated that the La possibly originated since the city of Valletta was commonly called La Valletta , so people started including
5740-436: The village of Civezza . From there he once again sailed towards Malta and laid siege to the island of Gozo. In June 1546 Andrea Doria was appointed by Emperor Charles V to force Turgut Reis away from Malta, and Doria based his forces at the island of Favignana . The two admirals, however, did not meet up, as Turgut Reis had sailed to Toulon in August 1546, staying there for several months and letting his men have some rest in
5822-473: The western shores of the island. Taken by surprise in the Battle of Girolata while repairing his ships, Turgut Reis and his men were attacked by the combined forces of Giannettino Doria ( Andrea Doria 's nephew), Giorgio Doria and Gentile Virginio Orsini. Turgut Reis was captured and was forced to work as a galley slave in the ship of Giannettino Doria for nearly four years before being imprisoned in Genoa . Barbarossa offered to pay ransom for his release but it
5904-644: The young Turgut became a skilled sailor, an outstanding gunner, and was trained as a cannoneer and master of siege artillery , a skill which would play an important role in Turgut's future success and reputation as a superb naval tactician. The Ottoman Turkish governor eventually carried Turgut off to Egypt in 1517, where he participated in the Ottoman conquest of Egypt as a cannoneer. He further improved his skills in this field during his presence in Cairo . Following
5986-413: Was 67 at the time, thereby implying that he was born in 1498. In his history of the Order of St. John, the 18th-century historian Abbe Vertot (whose history is largely based on - but often contradicted - the earlier one of Giacomo Bosio ) indicates that La Valette was indeed the same age as both Suleiman I and Kızılahmedli Mustafa Pasha (the commander of the Ottoman land forces), which would mean that he
6068-596: Was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta , from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller , joining the order in the Langue de Provence , he fought with distinction against the Turks at Rhodes . As Grand Master, Valette became the Order's hero and most illustrious leader, commanding the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, sometimes regarded as one of
6150-466: Was actually 70 years old at the time of the siege. La Valette joined the Order when he was 20 years old in around 1514, and he never returned to France or his family estates from that day on. He was present during the Great Siege of Rhodes in 1522, and accompanied Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam , after the Order's expulsion from Rhodes by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Suleiman
6232-403: Was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble . Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the most dangerous" of corsairs, Dragut has been referred to as "the greatest pirate warrior of all time", "undoubtedly the most able of all the Turkish leaders", and "the uncrowned king of
6314-450: Was appointed Pasha of Tripoli . There, he strengthened the walls of the citadel surrounding the city and built a gunpowder bastion (Dar el Barud). He also strengthened the defenses of the port and built the Turgut (Dragut) Fortress in place of the old Fortress of San Pietro. In July 1556 he again set sail and landed at Cape Santa Maria at the island of Lampedusa , where he captured a Venetian ship which transported ammunition and weapons for
6396-581: Was futile, surrendered the citadel, and the corsairs sacked the town. Taking virtually the entire population of Gozo (approximately 5,000 people) into captivity, Turgut and Sinan set sail from the port of Mġarr ix-Xini in Gozo and headed towards Libya, where they shipped the captives to Tarhuna Wa Msalata . They later sailed towards Tripoli with the aim of conquering the strategic port city and its environs. In August 1551 Turgut Reis attacked and captured Tripoli ( Ottoman Tripolitania , modern Libya ) which had been
6478-423: Was legitimatized in 1568 by a decree of King Charles IX of France . Claims have also been put forth that La Valette had at least another child, Isabella Guasconi, after a presumed affair with the wife of a Rhodiot nobleman of Florentine descent. Isabella later married a Florentine gentleman Stefano Buonaccorsi, but he murdered her on 31 July 1568, sometime after their marriage. After the murder, Buonaccorsi escaped
6560-434: Was rejected. In 1544, when Barbarossa was returning from France with 210 ships sent by Sultan Suleiman to assist King Francis I in a Franco-Ottoman alliance against Spain , he appeared before Genoa, laying siege to the city and forcing the Genoese to negotiate for the release of Turgut Reis. Barbarossa was invited by Andrea Doria to discuss the issue in his palace at Fassolo, and the two admirals reached an agreement for
6642-620: Was soon promoted to the rank of Chief Lieutenant, by Barbarossa, and was given command of 12 galiot-class naval vessels. In 1526, Turgut Reis captured the fortress of Capo Passero in Sicily . Between 1526 and 1533 he landed several times at the ports of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples , while intercepting the ships which sailed between Spain and Italy , capturing many of them. In May 1533, commanding four fustas and 18 barques , Turgut Reis captured two Venetian galleys near
6724-545: Was usually held by a Knight Grand Cross of the Italian Langue. In that capacity, he won a name that stood conspicuous in that age of great sea captains, and was held in the same regard as the Chevalier Mathurin Romegas – one of the greatest Christian maritime commanders of the age. In fact both sides had extremely talented sailors. If La Valette, Romegas and Juan de Austria could be considered
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