History's bloodiest siege used human heads as cannonballs (Siege of Malta in 1565 against Muslims)

UK Daily Mail ^ | 7/7/07 | James Jackson

[wagglebee]

And more recently, Sherman, Pershing and Patton knew these things (even though only Pershing had any interaction with Islam).

[MacDorcha]

Any body got any information on the fire-hoops they mentioned?

I thought they were very unique units in AoEIII, and cannot even pretend to having any historical referance to base them on.

Any help?

[SauronOfMordor]

in 1569, the turkish navy was utterly destroyed for all time by a combined christian fleet in the “battle of Lepanto”. Don Juan organized this fleet.

G. K. Chesterton wrote a famous poem about Don Juan and the Battle of Lepanto

[afraidfortherepublic]

I think this is an interesting take on the symbolism behind the use of the Maltese Cross as a fireman's badge:

The badge of a firefighter is the Maltese Cross. This Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. Its story is hundreds of years old.

When a courageous band of crusaders known as the Knights of St. John, fought the Saracens for possession of the holy land, they encountered a new weapon unknown to European warriors. It was a simple, but a horrible device of war, it wrought excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters for the cross. The Saracen's weapon was fire.

As the crusaders advanced on the walls of the city, they were struck by glass bombs containing naphtha. When they became saturated with the highly flammable liquid, the Saracens hurled a flaming torch into their midst. Hundreds of the knights were burned alive; others risked their lives to save their brothers-in-arms from dying painful, fiery deaths.

Thus, these men became our first firefighters and the first of a long list of courageous firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded each here a badge of honor - a cross similar to the one firefighters wear today. Since the Knights of St. John lived for close to four centuries on a little island in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta, the cross came to be known as the Maltese Cross.

The Maltese Cross is your symbol of protection. It means that the firefighter who wears this cross is willing to lay down his life for you just as the crusaders sacrificed their lives for their fellow man so many years ago. The Maltese Cross is a firefighter's badge of honor, signifying that they work in courage - a ladder rung away from death..

[gbaker]

Will it be on Amazon?

[EverOnward]

Great read - thank you.

[patton]

Not that I know which is correct, but it was the knights using fire on the Sarcerens, according to the article.

Interesting that the story you relate has it the other way.

[Westbrook]

> When the next Pearl Harbor takes place, political
> correctness will evaporate into a mist of blood and we
> will do what we need to do.

In case you didn’t notice, “the next Pearl Harbor” already happened on September 11, 2001.

What needs to be done is to eviscerate Mahometanism by destroying the Karbala rock and shrine, and perhaps all of Mecca.

No Karbala, no Mecca.
No Mecca, no Hajj.
No Hajj, no Islam, as we know it today.

This will flush out all the wild-eyed musselmen, who can then be dispatched prejudiciously.

The musselmen who value their lives more than their silly, malignant superstitions will have to reform.

[JohnBovenmyer]

“A Knight of the White Cross” is about the earlier siege of Rhodes, also a very notable battle, but one the Knights lost.

[JohnBovenmyer]

la Valette was a GREAT MAN. Many world capitals are named for historical figures. Few, if any, deserved the honor more than he deserves having Malta's capital named Valetta. Even George Washington may be less deserving. Without him Malta would have fallen. Without the win at Malta 6 years earlier Lepanto may well have turned out differently. Lose Lepanto and the west would have been in a world of trouble. Had they SF and Fantasy fiction in Middle Earth, la Valette's tale would have made a great novel for adventurous young hobbits, but in this reality the tale is all the more amazing for being true. The best version of it I've read is "The Great Siege: Malta 1565."

[wardaddy]

yes Sherman waged total war on his own former countrymen and their families and nobody anguished till later

we are so hamstrung now we anguish over whether or not to let them emigrate here or whether or not refusing to call them religion of peace is bigoted...much less wage total war on them

and Sherman did what he did not against an enemy that desired to annihilate or destroy his country and culture...he waged total war just to win the war and prevent seccession or preserve the union...take yer pick

Islam is a real threat to all of us.

[SunkenCiv]

Nope.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks wagglebee.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[Sundog]

Human Heads as cannonballs...

[Cardhu]

This picture was taken last week from the Barracca Gardens in Valetta.


Fort St. Angelo - Grand Harbour, Malta

[Charles Martel]

lessons to be learned

Martel knew them

Coeur de Lion knew them

Don't forget Sobieski - or El Cid Campeador.

There are so many others who understood the threat, but have been largely erased by time and by the West's growing tendency to steer away from all things "Christian" when it comes to writing the history textbooks.

Take the example of King Dinis of Portugal, for instance. Not a name that is often discussed in our high schools or universities. However, he was the man who encouraged the building of a large fleet to assist in protecting against Muslim raids. When the Templars were eradicated throughout most of Europe, Dinis incorporated their Portuguese members and the wealth of the institution in the newly created Order of Christ. That order was responsible not only for the maritime defense of southern Europe against the Moors, but it was also responsible for the Age of Exploration (we've all seen pictures of the Portuguese galleons with the red cross of the Order on their sails).

Muslim raids on Morocco and Algeria forced Portugal to build a navy which, ironically, was powerful enough to explore the world and take over the Indian spice trade, thus leading the Muslim world into the economic swamp it is relegated to until this very day - despite all the oil in the Middle East.

The Age of Imperialism (and the wealth flowing in from Europe's colonies) also gave Europe the economic might to resist the Muslim onslaught. You'll never see a history teacher stitch all that together, though... and more's the pity.

[Charles Martel]

Re: #60 - Thanks for posting the links to the geneology material. I believe that I'm distantly related to the New Orleans branch of the La Vallette family (local spelling "Valette"). It was my great-grandmother's maiden name.

No wonder this stuff stirs my blood.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Antoninus]

The absolute best historical fiction take on the Great Siege.

[Antoninus]

OK, lets make the movie like 300 to tick off the ME.

I keep praying Mel Gibson will tackle the job. He's one of the few who could do it justice.