by Ernle Bradford
The book was written by Ernle Bradford. It was true that in skill, seamanship, and fighting ability, there was no single vessel in the Mediterranean that could compare with a galley commanded by one of the Knights of St. John in Malta. Malta was small, it was the keystone to the western hemisphere. It was an ideal placed for Sultan Suleiman from Turkey to shelter its fleets, which would then be free for the conquest of Sicily and Southern Italy. Suleiman was well aware that the Knights of St. John were not like other Christians. They had dedicated their life to go against everything that Turkey, as the leader of the Muslim world represented. The Knights had approximately 8,000 people that included knights, islanders, and infantry. The Muslims brought a force of 80 ships and 40,000 fighters. The Knights fought bravery and after months of fighting they detoured the Muslims and sent them back to Turkey. This was a war where no prisoner was given quarters, everyone was slaughtered on both sides. The defense of Malta stopped any Muslim expansion to the Western Hemisphere for good.