Siege of Malta ( 1798 – 1800 ) The Siege of Malta was a two - year siege and blockade of the French garrison in Valletta , the largest city and main port on the Mediterranean island of Malta between 1798 and 1800 . Valletta had been captured by a French expeditionary force during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798 , and garrisoned with 3 , 000 men under the command of Claude - Henri Belgrand de Vaubois . When the French Mediterranean Fleet was destroyed at the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798 , the British Royal Navy was able to initiate a blockade of Malta , assisted by an uprising among the native Maltese population against French rule . Forced to retreat to Valletta , the French garrison faced severe food shortages , exacerbated by the effectiveness of the British blockade : although small quantities of supplies arrived in early 1799 , there was no further traffic until early 1800 , by which time starvation and disease was having a disastrous effect on health , morale , and combat capability of the French troops . In February 1800 , a significant convoy under Contre - Admiral Jean - Baptiste Perrée sent from Toulon made a determined effort to resupply the garrison . The blockade squadron under Rear - Admiral Lord Nelson intercepted the convoy within sight of the starving troops on Malta and in the ensuing , but brief , battle , Perrée was killed and his flagship captured . The following month , the ship of the line " Guillaume Tell " set sail from Valletta to Toulon , laden with soldiers , but this too was intercepted and in a hard - fought battle was forced to surrender to a larger British squadron . These defeats rendered the French position on Valletta untenable , and its surrender inevitable . Although Vaubois held out for another five months , he eventually surrendered on 4 September , by which time the garrison mortality from malnourishment and typhus had reached 100 men a day . Malta was retained by Britain , and control of the island was a factor in the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803 . Ultimately it remained under British government for 164 years , gaining independence in 1964 . French invasion of Malta . On 19 May 1798 , a French fleet sailed from Toulon , escorting an expeditionary force of over 30 , 000 men under General Napoleon Bonaparte . The force was destined for Egypt , Bonaparte seeking to expand French influence in Asia and force Britain to make peace in the French Revolutionary Wars , which had begun in 1792 . Sailing southeast , the convoy collected additional transports from Italian ports and at 05 : 30 on 9 June arrived off Valletta , the heavily fortified port - city on the island of Malta . At this time , Malta and its neighbouring islands were ruled by the Knights of St . John , an old and influential feudal order weakened by the loss of most of their revenue during the French Revolution . The order was composed of men from across Europe , including a significant proportion of Frenchmen , who ruled over the majority Maltese population of the islands . The head of government was Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim , refused Bonaparte ' s demand that his entire convoy be allowed to enter Valletta and take on supplies , insisting that Malta ' s neutrality meant that only two ships could enter at a time . On receiving this reply , Bonaparte immediately ordered his fleet to bombard Valletta and on 11 June General Louis Baraguey d ' Hilliers directed an amphibious operation in which several thousand soldiers landed at seven strategic sites around the island . The French Knights deserted the order , and the remaining Knights failed to mount a meaningful resistance . Approximately 2 , 000 native Maltese militia resisted for 24 hours , retreating to Valletta once the city of Mdina fell to General Claude - Henri Belgrand de Vaubois . Although Valletta was strong enough to hold out against a lengthy siege , Bonaparte negotiated a surrender with Hompesch , who agreed to turn Malta and all of its resources over to the French in exchange for estates and pensions in France for himself and his knights . Bonaparte then established a French garrison on the islands , leaving 4 , 000 men under Vaubois while he and the rest of the expeditionary force sailed eastwards for Alexandria on 19 June . Battle of the Nile . Bonaparte ' s convoy was pursued across the Mediterranean by a British fleet of 14 ships under Rear - Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson , who learned of the invasion of Malta while anchored off Sicily , and subsequently attempted to intercept the French on their passage to Egypt . Nelson ' s force overtook the French fleet on the night of 22 June in the dark without discovering their presence , and arrived off Alexandria on 28 June ahead of Bonaparte . Believing that the French must have had a different objective , Nelson turned northwards the following day to investigate the coast of Anatolia and missed Bonaparte ' s arrival on 31 June by less than 24 hours . Unopposed , Bonaparte landed his army and marched on Alexandria , capturing the city and turning inland . The fleet was ordered to anchor in nearby Aboukir Bay and await further instructions . On 1 August , Nelson returned to the Egyptian coast and discovered the French fleet at anchor . Attacking immediately , Nelson ' s ships managed to capture nine French ships of the line and destroy two , including the flagship " Orient " with only moderate damage to themselves . The destruction of the French Mediterranean fleet granted control of the sea to the Royal Navy , soon joined by the navies of Portugal , Naples , the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire as part of the hastily organised Second Coalition against France . Maltese uprising . On Malta , the French had rapidly dismantled the institutions of the Knights of St . John , including the Roman Catholic Church . Church property was looted and seized to pay for the expedition to Egypt , an act that generated considerable anger among the deeply religious Maltese population . On 2 September , this anger erupted in a popular uprising during an auction of church property , and within days thousands of Maltese irregulars had driven the French garrison into Valletta . Valletta was surrounded by approximately 10 , 000 irregular Maltese soldiers led by Emmanuel Vitale and Canon Frangisk Saverio Caruana . The Maltese were armed with 23 cannon and a small squadron of coastal gunboats . Although there was intermittent skirmishing between the garrison and the Maltese , the fortress was too strong for the irregulars to assault . Late in September , a British convoy consisting of 13 battered ships under Captain Sir James Saumarez appeared off the island . Survivors of the Battle of the Nile , they were in urgent need of repair and unable to directly assist in the siege . Nevertheless , Saumarez met with representatives of the Maltese and on 25 September , sent an offer of truce to Vaubois on their behalf . Vaubois replied " " Vous avez , sans doute , oublié que des Français sont dans la place . Le sort des habitans " [ sic ] " ne vous regarde pointe . Quant à votre sommation , les soldats français ne sont point habitués à ce style " " ( " You might have forgotten that the French hold this place . The fate of the inhabitants is none of your concern . As for your ultimatum , French soldiers are not accustomed to such a tone " ) . Unable to persuade the French to give in , Saumarez instead provided the Maltese forces with 1 , 200 musket s with which to continue the siege . Saumarez , unable to delay repairs any longer , sailed for Gibraltar at the end of the month . In mid - September , a squadron of Portuguese ships also had arrived at the island . They included the " Príncipe Real " ( Captain Puysigur ) , " Rainha de Portugal " ( Captain Thomas Stone ) , " São Sebastião " ( Captain Mitchell ) , " Afonso de Albuquerque " ( Captain Donald Campbell ) , and the brig " Falcao " ( Captain Duncan ) . Four of the captains were British , and all were under the command of Tomás Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama , Marquess of Niza . In addition , the British ship ( Captain Manley Dixon ) and the fireship ( Captain George Baker ) were attached to the squadron . The Portuguese government had sent this force from the Tagus to augment Nelson ' s fleet , and after a brief stay off Malta the squadron continued to Alexandria . There Nelson sent the squadron back to blockade Malta . On 12 October , the British ships of the line HMS " Alexander " under Captain Alexander Ball , HMS " Culloden " under Captain Thomas Troubridge and HMS " Colossus " under Captain George Murray joined Niza ' s ships off Malta , marking the formal start of the blockade . On the same day , Vaubois withdrew the last of his soldiers into the fortified new city of Valletta , accompanied by approximately 100 Maltese nationals who had joined the French forces . The garrison numbered over 3 , 000 men and initially at least was well supplied . In the harbour lay the ships of the line " Dégo " and " Athénien " and the frigate " Carthaginoise " , all of which were former ships of the Maltese Navy , as well as the newly arrived " Guillaume Tell " and frigates " Justice " and " Diane " , survivors of the Battle of the Nile under Rear - Admiral Pierre - Charles Villeneuve , which had reached Malta at the end of September . Capture of Gozo . On 24 October , after a ten day passage from Naples , Nelson joined the blockade squadron in HMS " Vanguard " accompanied by HMS " Minotaur " . On 28 October , Ball successful completed negotiations with the French garrison on the small island of Gozo , the 217 French soldiers there agreeing to surrender without a fight and transferring the island , its fortifications , 24 cannon , a large quantity of ammunition and 3 , 200 sacks of flour to the British . Although the island was formally claimed by King Ferdinand of Naples , it was administered by British and Maltese representatives , whose first action was to distribute the captured food supplies to the island ' s 16 , 000 inhabitants . Malta and the surrounding islands were not self - sufficient and quickly the challenge of feeding the population became a strain on the islands ' resources , particularly with so many men under arms , Although now formally in command of the islands , King Ferdinand refused to assist with supplies , and the responsibility was left to Ball and his captains to arrange for the transport of supplies from Italy . By the end of the year , the number of Maltese troops in the field had fallen from 10 , 000 to 1 , 500 , supported by 500 British and Portuguese marines from the blockade squadron . The blockade fleet , consisting of five British and four Portuguese ships , operated from St . Paul ' s Bay and Marsa Sirocco ( now Marsaxlokk ) on the island of Malta itself . Blockade . 1799 was a frustrating year for the British and Maltese forces deployed against Malta , as efforts to secure sufficient forces to prosecute the siege were repeatedly denied . Major - General James St Clair - Erskine , commander of British Army forces in the Mediterranean , considered the ongoing War of the Second Coalition in Italy and the defence of Minorca to be higher priorities than Ball ' s siege , while the defeated Neapolitans continued to refuse assistance . A Russian squadron under Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov briefly appeared off the island in January , but was almost immediately ordered to join the Russian and Turkish forces besieging the island of Corfu . In addition to the difficulties the Allies faced in obtaining food for the Maltese population , the French succeeded in bringing supplies through the blockade in the early part of the year : in January 1799 a schooner reached Valletta from Ancona , and in February the frigate " Boudeuse " evaded the blockade and entered the port with supplies from Toulon . In May , a major French expedition under Admiral Etienne Eustache Bruix entered the Western Mediterranean , forcing Nelson to recall his scattered fleet from across the region , temporarily raising the blockade of Malta . During this operation a number of French supply ships took advantage of the absence of the British squadron to enter Valletta . However , despite these occasional supply ships , the French garrison was rapidly running out of food . To conserve resources , the French forced the civilian population out of the city ; the civilian population dropped from 45 , 000 in 1799 to 9 , 000 by 1800 . Nelson himself took nominal command of the blockade , while Ball was made president of the Maltese National Congress . As liaison between the Maltese military and civilian commanders , he directed the distribution of supplies to the Maltese population , which was beginning to suffer from disease brought about by food shortages . He was replaced on " Alexander " by his first lieutenant , William Harrington . On 1 November Nelson again offered terms of surrender to Vaubois , and was again rebuffed , with the reply " " Jaloux de mériter l ' estime de votre nation , comme vous recherchez celle de la nôtre , nous sommes résolus défendre cette fortresse jusqu ' à l ' extrémité " " ( " Keen to deserve the esteem your nation , as you seek that of ours , we are resolved to defend this fortress until the end " ) . By this point , Nelson was conducting the blockade at a distance , based at the Neapolitan court in Palermo . There he indulged in gambling and social engagements , becoming closer and closer to Emma , Lady Hamilton , wife of the ambassador Sir William Hamilton . His behaviour was heavily criticised , not just by his commanding officer Vice - Admiral Lord Keith , who had recently replaced Earl St Vincent , but also by old friends such as Thomas Troubridge , who wrote to him " If you knew what your friends feel for you I am sure you would cut out all the nocturnal parties . . . I beseech your Lordship , leave off " . In December 1799 , Erskine was replaced by Lieutenant - General Henry Edward Fox , who immediately redistributed 800 troops from the garrison at Messina to Malta under Brigadier - General Thomas Graham . These troops filled the gap left by the withdrawal of Portuguese forces , which had been ordered to return to Lisbon . Disease began to spread within the city as rations became scarcer . The arrival of an aviso in January 1800 with the news of the events of 18 Brumaire that made Bonaparte First Consul of France prompted a brief respite and a public statement from Vaubois that the city would never be surrendered , although conditions continued to deteriorate . Starvation and relief . Convoy battles . At the beginning of February 1800 , the Neapolitan government , reinstated in Naples after being expelled the year before , finally agreed to participate in the siege and 1 , 200 troops were embarked on a squadron led by Vice - Admiral Lord Keith ' s flagship HMS " Queen Charlotte " and landed on Malta . For a time , both Keith and Nelson remained with the blockade squadron , which consisted of six ships of the line and several British and Neapolitan frigates . On 17 February a message arrived with the squadron from the frigate HMS " Success " , which had been stationed off Sicily to watch for French reinforcements . Captain Shuldham Peard reported that he was shadowing a squadron of six or seven French ships sailing in the direction of Malta . These vessels were a relief squadron , sent from Toulon with extensive food supplies and 3 , 000 additional troops under Contre - Admiral Jean - Baptiste Perrée in " Généreux " , one of the ships of the line that had escaped at the Nile two years earlier . On 18 February , the convoy was sighted by lookouts on " Alexander " . In the ensuing chase , " Success " captured a French transport and attacked the much larger " Généreux " . Although the frigate was damaged in the exchange , " Success " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > second broadside mortally wounded Perrée and delayed the ship of the line long enough for HMS " Foudroyant " , under Lord Nelson , and HMS " Northumberland " to join the battle . Heavily outnumbered , " Généreux " surrendered . Shortly after the capture of the " Généreux " , Keith returned to the Italian coast in " Queen Charlotte " , where his flagship was lost in a fire that killed more than 700 of its crew , although Keith was ashore at the time . Before departing , Keith issued strict instructions to Nelson that he was not to return to Palermo , but was to confine any shore leave in Sicily to Syracuse . Nelson ignored the order and by late March was in Palermo conducting an open love affair with Emma Hamilton . In his absence , Troubridge took over command of the blockade , delegating temporarily to Captain Manley Dixon . Dixon led the squadron on 31 March when " Guillaume Tell " attempted to break out on Valletta under Decrés . Spotted by the frigate HMS " Penelope " under Captain Henry Blackwood , " Guillaume Tell " was chased northwards and engaged by first " Penelope " and then by Dixon ' s HMS " Lion " , driving both ships back but suffering severe damage . Eventually the arrival of the powerful " Foudroyant " under Captain Sir Edward Berry proved too much for Decrés , but he continued fighting for another two hours before he was forced to surrender his battered and dismasted ship ; in the engagement , he lost more than 200 men killed and wounded . Nelson ' s cruise . In the aftermath of these defeats at sea , and with the food supply in Valletta dwindling , the British sent another demand for capitulation . Vaubois again refused , with the reply " " Cette place est en trop bon état , et je suis moi - même trop jaloux de bien servir men payset de conserver mon honneur , por écouter vos propositions . " " ( " This place is in too good a situation , and I am too conscious of the service of my country and my honour , to listen to your proposals " ) . In reality , the situation was dire : during February , prices of basic foodstuffs stood at 16 francs for a fowl , 12 francs for a rabbit , 20 sous for an egg , 18 sous for a lettuce , 40 sous for a rat and six francs per pound for fish . For the civilian typhus patients , the only food available was a horse - flesh soup . On 23 April , Nelson departed Palermo in " Foudroyant " , with both Sir William and Emma Hamilton on board as his guests . The party visited Syracuse and then travelled on to Valletta , where Berry took " Foudroyant " so close to the harbour that the ship came under fire from the French batteries . No hits were scored , but Nelson was furious that Emma had been taken into danger and immediately ordered Berry to withdraw . His anger was exacerbated by Emma ' s refusal to retire from the quarterdeck during the brief exchange . From there , " Foudroyant " anchored at Marsa Sirocco , where Nelson and Emma lived together openly and were hosted by Troubridge and Graham . Sir William Hamilton , a prominent antiquarian as well as a diplomat , spent his time exploring the island . By early June , Nelson and his party had returned to Palermo , the beginning of a lengthy overland journey across Europe to Britain . Nelson also detached " Foudroyant " and " Alexander " from the blockade , again in defiance of Keith ' s explicit orders , to assist the Neapolitan royal family in their passage to Livorno . Enraged at Nelson ' s disobedience , Keith publicly remarked that " Lady Hamilton has had command of the fleet long enough " . In May , Troubridge returned to Britain and was replaced in command by Captain George Martin , while Graham was superseded by Major - General Henry Pigot . Surrender . The British blockade continued to prevent French efforts to resupply Valletta during the early summer of 1800 , and by August the situation was desperate : no horses or pack animals , dogs , cats , fowls or rabbits still lived within the city , the cisterns had been emptied and even firewood was in short supply . So desperate was the need for wood that the frigate " Boudeuse " , trapped by the blockade , was broken up for fuel by the beleaguered garrison . With defeat now inevitable , Vaubois gave orders that the frigates " Diane " and " Justice " were to attempt a breakout for Toulon , the frigates given minimal crews of approximately 115 men each . On 24 August , when the wind was favourable and the night dark enough to obscure their movements , the frigates put to sea . Almost immediately , lookouts on HMS " Success " sighted them and Captain Peard gave chase , followed by HMS " Genereux " and " Northumberland " . " Diane " under Captain Solen was too slow and Peard soon overhauled the under strength French ship , which surrendered after a brief exchange of shot . The frigate later became HMS " Niobe " . " Justice " , under Captain Jean Villeneuve , was faster however and outran its pursuers , eventually making Toulon , the only ship from Malta to do so during the siege . On 3 September , with his men dying of starvation and disease at the rate of more than 100 a day , Vaubois called a council of his officers at which they unanimously decided to surrender . The next day , envoys were sent to the British and in the afternoon General Pigot and Captain Martin signed the agreed terms with Vaubois and Villeneuve . The Maltese were excluded from negotiations entirely , although their commander , Alexander Ball , subsequently became the first Governor of Malta . The terms of the surrender were absolute : the island , its dependencies , fortifications and military supplies were all turned over to British control . This included the ships of the line " Athenien " and " Dégo " and the frigate " Carthagénaise " , although only " Athenien " was of sufficient standard to be incorporated into the Royal Navy , becoming HMS " Athenienne " . The other ships were broken up in their berths . Two merchant ships and a variety of smaller warships also were taken . The capture of Malta returned control of the central Mediterranean to Britain and was an important step in the invasion and liberation of Egypt from French rule in 1801 . An essential condition of the Treaty of Amiens in the same year , which brought an end to the French Revolutionary War , was that the British leave Malta . Russian Tsar Alexander I had a long standing claim to the island as titular head of the Knights of St . John , and demanded that it be turned over to Russian control before agreeing any alliance with Britain . Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger flatly refused , and the Napoleonic Wars with France began soon afterwards , in part due to the failure of Britain to comply with this clause of the treaty . The island subsequently remained in British hands until its independence in 1964 .