French+and+British+rule


 * __French and British rule__**

Johan Nitter Order was replaced by the French, when Napoleon I conquered the islands on his way to his campaign against Egypt. Napoleon asked for safe haven to get supplies, but when he came into the harbour of Valletta, he aimed his guns against his hosts. The Grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim capitulated, and Napoleon stayed a few days in Malta, to be sure to take all removable personal property owned the Order. He also established a French administration of Malta, guarded by a major military unit. However, the Maltese did not much about the the French, and rebelled. The French behind the walls of Valletta. then sent ammunition and aid to the rebels, and eventually also its fleet to blockade the islands. In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became a part of the British Empire. Malta was an important supply port and fleet headquarters. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 increased Malta's importance, and the islands became an important stop on the route between Britain and India. In the 1930s, however, the British Mediterranean fleet moved to Alexandria in Egypt, since Malta is so close that when fascist Italy. Back.