Timeline
Prehistory (5200 - 800 B.C.)
| 5200 | Neolithic settlers arrive on Malta and Gozo, probably by sea from Sicily. The first temples are built – Ghar Dalam phase. |
| 3600 | Megalithic temples constructed. |
| 2000 | Invasion of Bronze-using people. |
Phoenicians and Carthaginian (800 – 218 B.C.)
| 800 | The Phoenicians, merchants from the eastern Mediterranean, settle on the islands using the safe harbour as a trading post. |
| 550 | Cathage, originally a Phoenician colony, conquers Malta and controls sea routed in the Western Mediterranean. |
Roman Period (218 B.C. – 318 A.D.)
| 218 B.C. | The islands become part of the Roman Empire during the Second Punic War, and the Romans build their capital where Mdina stands today. |
| 60 A.D. | Shipwreck of St. Paul the Apostle who converts populace. |
Byzantine and Arab Periods (318 - 1090)
| 395 | Byzantine rule. |
| 870 | The Maltese Islands are conquered by the Aghlabid Caliphs. The Arabic language is adopted along with the Islamic region. |
The Medieval Period (1090 – 1530)
| 1090 | Count Roger the Norman, takes Malta and imposed taxes but leaves Arab rulers |
| 1127 | Roger II, son of Count Roger, establishes Norman rule and makes Malta part of the Kingdom of Sicily. Christianity returns. |
| 1194 | Malta comes under rule of Swabia (Germany) when the Queen of Sicily marries the Duke of Swabia. |
| 1224 | Final expulsion of Arabs from Sicily and Malta. |
| 1266 | Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX, conquers Kingdom of Naples and Sicily. Malta is now under Angevins (French) rule. |
| 1283 | Aragonese rule. |
| 1397 | Establishment of the Universita' (body of administration and non academic institution). |
| 1412 | Affiliation of the Houses of Castile and Aragon means that Sicily and Malta now form part of the new Spanish Empire. |
The Knights of St. John (1530 - 1798)
| 1530 | The islands of Malta are given to the Order of St John as their new base by Emperor Charles V (king Charles I of Spain). The Knights make Vittoriosa (then known as Birgu) their base. |
| 1551 | Dragut, prominent Turkish corsair, raids Gozo. |
| 1561 | Inquisition officially established. |
| 1565 | The Great Siege: For three months Suleiman the Magnificent's Ottoman fleet lays siege on Malta but the Knights helped by the Maltese resist and win. |
| 1566 | Founding of Valletta, the new capital city named after Grand Master La Valette, hero of the Great Siege. |
| 1768 | Jesuits expelled and property transferred to the Knights by Papal Order. |
| 1775 | Uprising of the priests brutally repressed. |
| 1784 | Creation of a legal code by Grand Master De Rohan. |
| 1792 | Possessions of the Knights of St. John located in France seized by the French revolutionary government. |
The French Occupation (1798 - 1800)
| 1798 | A French army under Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the Maltese Islands on its way to Egypt. The Knights are forced out, bearing only holy relics and personal possessions. |
| 1798 | The Maltese revolt against the French when these confiscate property belonging to the Maltese Church. The French take refuge behind the walls of Valletta and Cottonera and a two-year siege begins. |
| 1799 | Dun Mikiel Xerri and other Maltese executed by the French after a failed plot to storm the Valletta walls. The British take the islands under their protection in the name of the King of Two Sicilies. |
The British Period (1800 - 1964)
| 1800 | The French surrender. British rule begins. |
| 1802 | Treaty of Amiens. The Napoleonic Wars resume because of Malta. |
| 1814 | Malta is formally recognised as a British colony and becomes an important British naval base. |
| 1835 | First Council of Government under British rule. |
| 1849 | Council of Government with elected members under British rule. |
| 1887 | Council of Government with "dual control" under British rule. |
| 1903 | Return to the 1849 form of Council of Government under British rule. |
| 1914-18 | World War I; Malta is not directly involved in the fighting but becomes known as the "Nurse of the Mediterranean". |
| 1919 | Sette Giugno. Riots sparked by British pricing policies on imported grain. National Assembly convened. Self-government granted under British rule. |
| 1921 | Britain grants Malta its own constitution and partial self-government. |
| 1930-39 | Turbulent period of intermittent self government. |
| 1939-45 | Malta suffers severe aerial bombardment during World War II. For months the island is cut off from supply lines, causing severe famine. |
| 1942 | Award of the George Cross to the people of Malta to honour their bravery. Operation Pedestal Convoy arrives in Grand Harbour and saves Malta from starvation and surrender. |
| 1943 | Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and King George VI visit Malta. Invasion of Sicily from Malta. Italy surrenders on the 8th of September and the Italian Fleet comes to Malta. |
| 1947 | Self-government restored under British rule. |
| 1956 | Referendum on Integration with Britain. |
Independent Malta (1964 to the Present)
| 1964 | Referendum on Independence Constitution. Malta granted independence, becoming a sovereign nation within the British Commonwealth. |
| 1974 | Malta becomes a Republic, remaining in the Commonwealth. |
| 1979 | Military base agreement terminated. British forces leave. |
| 1990 | Government formally applies for full membership in the European Community. |
| 2004 | Having held a referendum, Malta becomes a full member of the European Union. |