The French seized Malta from the Knights of St. John in 1798. The French troops left in Malta, under the command of General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois, immediately became unpopular. They frequently looted the churches of Malta, which led to Vitale hiding the treasures of the Church of Saint Joseph (Rabat) in his house. When the French attempted to loot damask and silver from a convent in Mdina, through Vitale's efforts, an angry mob amassed in order to prevent the French from doing so. The protests soon became an insurrection against the French, and Vitale was made commander-in-chief of the Maltese irregular forces (with the exception of the forces from Zebbug and Siggiewi who recognized Canon Francesco Saverio Caruana as their general). Under his command, they pushed the French out of Mdina, using a passageway behind St. Paul's Cathedral and by the following day the Maltese recaptured Mdina for themselves, massacring the French garrison there. Taken by surprise, the French retreated into Valletta, where they held out throughout the rest of the siege.