French invasion of Malta
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The French invasion of Malta was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part of the Mediterranean campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Letter dated 19 April 1798 written by Napoleon instructing General Louis Desaix to set sail from Civitavecchia and meet up with him at Malta
Painting of Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, the last Grand Master to rule Malta
Fort Rohan, which fell to the French after some resistance
The Sopu Tower, which was located close to the landing site and offered some resistance to the invasion
Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, O.S.I. was the 71st Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, formally the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, by then better known as the Knights of Malta. He was the first German elected to the office. It was under his rule that the Order lost the island of Malta to France, after ruling there since 1530. This effectively marked the end of their sovereignty over an independent state, dating from the time of the Crusades.
Hompesch Gate in the city of Żabbar.
A 30 Tarì coin of Ferdinand, dated 1798.