On 10 June 1798, Mdina was captured by French forces without much resistance during the French invasion of Malta. A French garrison remained in the city, but a Maltese uprising broke out on 2 September of that year. The following day, rebels entered the city through a sally port in Despuig Bastion and massacred the garrison of 65 men. These events marked the beginning of a two-year uprising and blockade, which ended in 1800 with Malta becoming a British protectorate.