In June 1798, en route to his Egyptian campaign, Napoleon Bonaparte made an unexpected stop in Malta with his fleet. Denied permission by the Knights of St.John to enter Valletta’s port with more than four ships, he seized the moment as justification to invade. After just three days of siege, the Knights capitulated on June 12, handing over control of the island to the French. Napoleon stayed in Malta from June 9 to 19, but his presence, though brief, would leave a lasting mark on the island’s history.

In less than two weeks, Napoleon initiated a sweeping series of reforms aimed at aligning Malta with the values of the French Revolution:

• Established a French-style administration with local commissions and municipalities, granting all inhabitants French citizenship.
• Abolished feudal privileges, the nobility, and slavery—freeing Turkish slaves held by the Knights.
• Suppressed the Inquisition and weakened the Church’s power by seizing religious property and expelling foreign clergy, while still allowing Catholic worship.
• Introduced freedom of the press and free public education.
• Secularized civil status, transferring legal authority from parish priests to municipalities.
• Reinforced Malta’s defense by placing it under French military command.

Though progressive in nature, these changes were introduced rapidly and unilaterally, triggering unrest and resentment, especially among the clergy and traditional elites.

While Napoleon’s reforms reflected Enlightenment ideals, many Maltese saw them as foreign impositions. Tensions escalated when the French began to sell off Church property, an act viewed as both sacrilegious and opportunistic. The result? A Maltese uprising that erupted later in 1798, eventually leading to the collapse of French rule in 1799 and the beginning of British control of the island.

One of the most enduring controversies of Napoleon’s Maltese episode is the alleged looting of Maltese treasures to fund his Egyptian campaign. The primary accusation? That the Order of St. John’s treasury, including religious artifacts, gold, jewels, and silver, was seized and never returned.

• Estimated at 3 million francs, the treasure reportedly included sacred objects, coins, and Church valuables.
• However, no detailed inventory of these stolen goods has ever been found.
• Some claim the loot was lost when French ships were sunk by Nelson at Aboukir, yet no such treasures were recovered.
• Others suggest that Maltese elites may have quietly bought these valuables, meaning the wealth never left the island.

Historians argue that this tale was amplified by British propaganda, used to justify their takeover and cast Napoleon in a negative light. The legend persists in Malta’s collective memory, often overshadowing the more nuanced reality of reform and resistance.

Today, Napoleon’s time in Malta remains a highly debated chapter in the island’s history. For many Maltese, his arrival is associated with theft, upheaval, and the loss of traditions. For others, it was a moment of radical modernization, breaking centuries of religious and feudal dominance.

His rapid reforms, though rooted in revolutionary ideals, were met with religious opposition and economic discontent. The ambivalence in Maltese memory reflects this contradiction: resentment for what was lost, and a cautious recognition of what was gained.

Napoleon’s conquest of Malta was swift, strategic, and controversial. In just ten days, he dismantled centuries-old institutions, implemented Enlightenment-inspired reforms, and ignited a national uprising. Whether viewed as a modernizer or plunderer, Napoleon’s Maltese interlude is a fascinating intersection of revolution, resistance, and myth, shaped as much by history as by the narratives that followed.