Casemate 76

The Siege of Malta, 1565:

Francisco Balbi di Correggio, translated from the Spanish edition of 1568 by Ernle Bradford. PB, 192pp. 8 b/w prints, 27 maps and plans. ISBN 1.84383.140.6. £14.99.
Published by the Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2005.

This is an extremely welcome reprint of the Folio Society edition of 1965, not easy to come by nowadays, of a seminal work on the subject and the prime reference source for all those who have written about the 1565 siege since. Typically the prints of the siege, of engravings made after the originals, still to be seen in full colour high on the walls of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, are reproduced blacker than is desirable, but the detail within them is usually discernible, crucial if you are to understand the process of the siege. Balbi himself, at 60, fought throughout the siege as an arquebusier, so his 'I was there' story has limitations, but was enlarged in this second edition after contributions from various Knights and others present, to help present the larger picture. Political considerations were also well to the fore, and some events remain unrecorded or quickly passed over, but Bradford's introduction makes clear the pros and cons of the story and elucidates many new aspects. It is also an extremely readable account.

Charles Blackwood.