French occupation of Malta
The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in Maltese history (as part of the French Republic), granted free education for all, and theoretically established freedom of the press, although only the pro-French newspaper Journal de Malte was actually published during the occupation.
Malta | |||||||||||
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| 1798–1800 | |||||||||||
| Motto: Liberté, Égalité Liberty, Equality | |||||||||||
| Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |||||||||||
French-language map of Malta and Gozo, c. 1798 | |||||||||||
| Status | Military occupation | ||||||||||
| Capital | Valletta | ||||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | (MT) Malti, (EN) Maltese | ||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||
• Military Governor | Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Commission of Government | ||||||||||
| Historical era | French Revolutionary Wars | ||||||||||
• French invasion | 9 June 1798 | ||||||||||
• Established | 11 June 1798 | ||||||||||
• Maltese rebellion | 2 September 1798 | ||||||||||
• Surrender to the British Empire | 5 September 1800 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Maltese scudo | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Malta | ||||||||||
The French abolished nobility, slavery, the feudal system, and the inquisition. The only remaining architectural reminder of the French occupation is probably the defacement of most coats of arms on the façades of buildings of the knights. The Maltese soon rebelled against the French and drove the French garrison into Valletta and the Grand Harbour fortifications where they were besieged for more than two years. The French surrendered Malta when their food supplies were about to run out.