The Ottomans unsuccessfully besieged Malta in 1565. The Great Siege of Malta lasted from 18 May to 8 September, ending when the Ottoman expedition withdrew after failing to conquer the island.
Malta was strategically important because it sat in the central Mediterranean, between Ottoman North Africa and Spanish-controlled Sicily. The island was held by the Knights Hospitaller, a military order that had been expelled from Rhodes by the Ottomans in 1522. Their fortified harbours allowed them to threaten Ottoman shipping and raid Muslim merchant vessels.
The Ottoman force, commanded on land by Mustafa Pasha and supported by Piyale Pasha’s fleet, captured Fort Saint Elmo but suffered heavy losses. The defenders at Birgu, Senglea, and Fort Saint Michael held out until a relief force arrived from Sicily. The failed siege damaged the image of Ottoman invincibility, although Ottoman power in the Mediterranean remained formidable. Malta is sometimes confused with Rhodes because both islands were defended by the Knights Hospitaller against Ottoman attacks.