I often discuss Maltese history with others and have written about unusual parts of it here on this site. People sometimes claim ‘the British illegally took control’ of the Maltese islands. This is not true, but few are aware of this part of our history.

British rule did not start because of a major war but because of international treaties. Since it seems to be unknown, I thought to write about it. After all, if you can’t understand part of history, you can’t appreciate what followed.

This article summarises why the British ruled over the Maltese islands.

The Treaty of Amiens

France and the United Kingdom were at war until March 1802. It was the war of the Second Coalition which led to a negotiated ceasefire and the Treaty of Amiens^{1 2}.

Britain was at war with Napoleon’s France. French behaviour in Malta led to the Portuguese securing the Maltese islands.

Under the conditions of this Treaty³, the major European powers agreed:

1. Britain would restore all French colonial lands captured since 1794⁴.
2. Britain would evacuate Malta and restore it to the Order of the Knights of St John⁴.

1. One or more European powers would guarantee the sovereignty of the Knights (and Malta). The treaty didn’t specify which powers would do so or how this would happen. Napoleon was the person who proposed this. He did not specify how the Order should be re-established. It had disbanded after he’d kicked them out of Malta. Its contemporary support, if any, came from Russia and its territories in Poland. My guess is he had some way of controlling the remaining Knights.
2. France would restore Egypt to Ottoman control⁴.
3. France would withdraw from Italy⁴.
4. France would preserve Portuguese sovereignty⁴.

The British negotiators were under pressure to reach an agreement. Back home, Parliament knew peace would mean they could cancel an unpopular tax which Prime Minister Pitt had imposed this to pay for the war⁵.

The French treated the Dutch negotiators with a complete lack of respect. The French felt the Dutch were a “vanquished and conquered” people⁶ and didn’t think of them as equals. In fact Napoleon installed his brother as King in the Netherlands.

Louis ruled over the country when the Leiden explosion disaster happened.

In January 1802, as the treaty was being agreed, Napoleon travelled to Lyons to accept the presidency of the Italian Republic. This is, roughly, today’s northern Italy. It shows they weren’t interested in keeping their side of the bargain.

The principal sticking point at this point of the negotiations was the status of Malta. Napoleon proposed the British should withdraw 3 months after signing the treaty. Britain was not happy this. Nevertheless, the British negotiators signed it stating, “the ruinous consequences of… renewing a bloody and hopeless war⁷.” They signed the preliminaries in London on 1 October 1801⁸.

Most people I meet stop reading their history books at this stage. I’ve lost count of the number of times people insist with me that I’m wrong. The Treaty of Amiens states Malta should have been given back to the Knights, they point out, so the British were here illegally. The interesting part of the story is what comes next.

Violating the treaty

Britain was angry at Napoleon’s actions after France violated the terms of the treaty by:

1. Sending French troops into Switzerland⁸ (known at the time as the Helvetian Republic.)
2. Annexing northern Italy⁹ (known at the time as the Cisalpine Republic.)
3. Sending troops to Louisiana⁸, threatening British interests in North America.

At the time, Britain was struggling to control its markets and trade in Europe. In February 1803, Napoleon announced he’d go to war if Britain did not evacuate Malta, which it still hadn’t². He also suggested it was Britain who wanted war for not respecting the Treaty of Amiens. Both sides continued to violate the treaty.

Since Napoleon was not ready for battle, Britain sensed an opportunity. On 18 May 1803, it declared war on France^{9 10}. This started the Napoleonic wars which ravaged Europe for a further 12 years.

The Treaty of Paris

On 23 April 1814 an armistice stopped the Napoleonic wars. Napoleon had abdicated a few days earlier on 13 April. The powers held peace talks from 9 May which led to a new treaty signed on 30 May. This treaty¹¹ set out the following main points:

1. France’s borders went back to what they were in 1792. This restored the independence of neighbouring countries, like the Netherlands. This included parts of what is now Germany like the Saarbrücken. France benefited as it regained territory the British had captured during the war.
2. Britain kept sovereignty over Malta.
3. Switzerland became independent.
4. The main European powers pledged to abolish all slavery in Europe within 5 years.

The powers discussed this at the Congress of Vienna between November 1814 and June 1815. The result of all this was a political situation that lasted until World War I, 100 years later.

Effects

Following the Treaty of Paris, Europe changed in several key ways:

1. Britain saw Malta’s potential as a naval base and as a stepping stone to India. It invested in the islands and built a military base with ship-building facilities. This was to prove critical to the Allied effort in World War II.
2. France stopped its imperialistic behaviour in Europe.
3. In central Europe, countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland took shape. These countries still look the same today.
4. In Italy, the wish to unite the papal states and form a single country kept burning leading to a single Italy¹².
5. The 300 German states of the defunct Holy Roman Empire became a confederation of 39 states¹². Prussia began to gain more power and influence in the region.

The confederation of 39 German states did not last long. Both Prussia and Austria wanted to be dominant in the region and this led to the Punctation of Olomouc.

Conclusion

This treaty led to Britain exercising sovereignty over the Maltese islands.

One of the major headaches the British had in Malta was about monetary policy.

In summary, they had arrived when invited by the Maltese who revolted against the French in 1799¹³. They intended to leave in 1802 with the Treaty of Amiens. When Napoleon broke that agreement the British announced war and kept Malta when it won.

References

1. The Treaty of Amiens; Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩]
2. France: Campaigns and conquests, 1797-1807; Encyclopaedia Brittanica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩][↩]
3. Treaty of Amiens; WikiSource.org; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩]
4. The Treaty of Amiens; Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
5. William Pitt the Younger;Encyclopaedia Brittanica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩]
6. A history of the people of the Netherlands; Petrus Johannes Blok Ph.D; 1898[↩]
7. Victorious Century: The United Kingdom, 1800-1906; David Cannadine; Penguin Press; 2018-02-20[↩]
8. Napoleon I; Encyclopaedia Brittanica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩][↩][↩]
9. France: Campaigns and conquests, 1797-1807; Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩][↩]
10. William Pitt the Younger;Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩]
11. Treaty of Paris (1814); WikiSource; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩]
12. Napoleon I; Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-09-30) [↩][↩]
13. Do you know when the Union Jack first flew over Malta?; Antoine Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2017-12-04[↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.