LSE3495922 Attack of the Saracens on the Island of Malta, defended by the Knights Hospitaller in 1565 (oil on canvas) by Italian School, (17th century); 99x74 cm; Museum of Fine Art, Malta; (add.info.: The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) took place in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire tried to invade the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The Knights, with approximately 2,000 footsoldiers and 400 Maltese men, women and children, withstood the siege and repelled the invaders. This victory became one of the most celebrated events in sixteenth-century Europe. ); Photo 穢 Leonard de Selva.