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This is a timeline of Maltese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Malta and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Malta .
Malta has been inhabited since 5900 BC. [1] [2] The first inhabitants were farmers; their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable.The islands were repopulated around 3850 BC by a civilization that at its peak built the Megalithic Temples, which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world.
Malta (/ ˈ m ɒ l t ə / ⓘ MOL-tə, / ˈ m ɔː l t ə / MAWL-tə, Maltese: [ˈmɐːltɐ]), officially the Republic of Malta, [14] is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa.
The history, languages and culture of Malta and Sicily share many key events, including occupation by the Fatimids and an invasion by Roger I of Sicily in 1091. The islands parted ways in a decisive and permanent manner in 1799, when Malta became a British Crown colony. British colonial rule over Malta lasted 165 years.
British warship in the Grand Harbour in 1896. In 1825, the Maltese scudo and the other circulating currencies at the time were officially replaced by the pound sterling, with the lowest-valued coin being a one-third farthing coin minted at irregular intervals, the last such issue occurring in 1913, keeping alive the tradition of the Maltese "grano", equal to one-twelfth of a penny.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta (Maltese: It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta) are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, [1] built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island country of Malta. [2]
The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 8 September 1565.
The Norman invasion of Malta was an attack on the island of Malta, then inhabited predominantly by Muslims, by forces of the Norman County of Sicily led by Roger I in 1091. The invaders besieged Medina (modern Mdina ), the main settlement on the island, but the inhabitants managed to negotiate peace terms.