Wow! Heritage Malta acquires letter sent by Napoleon ordering troops to set sail for Malta
How cool is this? Heritage Mata have added something pretty cool to their collection dating back to the 18th century during the invasion of the French.
“Heritage Malta has just acquired the letter by which Napoleon Bonaparte ordered General Desaix to gather the troops and set sail towards Malta, which, up until 1798, had belonged to the Order of the Knights of St John,” Heritage Malta says in a post on Facebook, sharing shots of the original letter.
#HeritageMalta has just acquired the letter by which Napoleon Bonaparte ordered General Desaix to gather the troops and...
Posted by Heritage Malta on Sunday, 19 July 2020
“This letter, signed by Napoleon himself, instructs General Desaix, one of his most trusted men, to ‘assemble the armies, impound ships, arm them, and meet off Syracuse,” so as to eventually inch closer to the island fortress.’”
The Knights ruled the islands from 1530 to 1798 (268 years) but surrendered the island once the French invaded. It is said they almost gave us up without a fight. This paved the way for the two-year French occupation which didn’t last very long. THe French were ousted by Maltese revolutionaries with a little help from the British. #CiaoAdios