Byzantine and Muslim Malta (5th century – 1090)

The decline of the Roman Empire in the west affected the islands of Malta. Like other parts of the Roman empire in the west, Malta became part of the new Germanic kingdoms. Malta, with Sicily, was ruled by the Vandals and the Visigoths in the 5th century.

Justinian, the sixth-century Byzantine emperor, tried to bring these lost Roman provinces back into the empire. The Greek historian Procopius reports that Belisarius, the Byzantine general, touched at Malta and Gozo in 533, preparatory to the recapture of Sicily in 535. The first evidence for a bishop on Malta dates from 553.

The Muslim raids on the Maltese islands began in the ninth century. The traditional date of the Muslim conquest of Malta is 870, although that was also the year that the Byzantines tried to recapture the islands. It is possible that the inhabitants of the islands fled to Sicily or were taken into captivity.

There are not many existing records from this era. Historians speculate the Muslims introduced citrus fruits and cotton to the island. Like Muslim settlers in North Africa, the Middle East, and Spain, these new settlers understood how to conserve scarce water supplies. The Muslims introduced irrigation machines like the noria, or waterwheel.

The Muslims used Malta's fine harbors as a safe haven for their ships. The Muslims reduced the size of the Roman city and named it Mdina (the Arabic word for city). They built new fortifications at Mdina and constructed a fort on the present site of Fort St. Angelo. They left a lasting influence upon the language and place names of Malta.

Find detailed chronology here: History 03