If it was true that the Spanish soldiers were no longer willing to stand their ground, then St.
Elmo short, which to Valette was unthinkable. The signatories had no leverage (other than surrender) but the threat to cut the siege of St.
The threat of a quick suicidal attack might have been bluff, or might not. These were not outsiders, but brothers in faith, men sworn to obedience, and their letter was tantamount to insubordination bordering on mutiny. Balbi, ever tactful, says only that Valette was “deeply troubled” by the letter, largely because of the number of knights who signed it. Accordingly, thus resolved, we kiss your hand and keep a copy of this letter.įra Vitellino Vitelleschi of Corneto (modern-day Tarquinia) had the thankless task of crossing to Fort St. We also point out to Your Highness that galleots have been cruising past the end of the point. This is the determined resolution of us the undersigned. We likewise see ourselves as at the end of our rope, and because we can no longer execute the obligations of the Order, we are determined, absent Your Highness’s sending us boats tonight in which we can withdraw, to rush out and die like proper knights.ĭo not send further reinforcements, as they must surely die as well. Perfectly aware that the fort is doomed, they prepare themselves to swim for safety. The soldiers are dispirited, and their officer can no longer get them to man the walls. We have lost several men there, and only the chapel provides any measure of safety at all. We are reduced to such an extent that we are no longer able to use the piazza at the center of the fort. In consequence, our sentries are killed as quickly as they take up their positions. They have raised the ravelin so high that it overlooks the entire fort. They have tunneled beneath the walls, leaving us to expect an explosion at any moment. They have built a bridge by which they can come and go at will. They have carved steps into the very ramparts. They now hold the counterscarp and the ditch. Now, however, the enemy has brought us down to such a state that we can neither injure them nor defend ourselves. In the doing we have shirked neither fatigue nor danger. We have done this with fullness of spirit and to the best of our abilities and with some good outcome, as we believe Your Highness is aware. When the Turks first landed on Malta, Your Highness ordered the present knights to repair to this fortress and defend it. Most Illustrious and Very Reverend Monseigneur: The members of the Order came together in the fort’s small chapel and by candlelight drafted a letter for the grand master and the council: Now for the first time, they were openly joined by fifty-three of the Knights of St. Captain Juan de la Cerda: who nevertheless resolved to die valorously and honorably while fighting for Birgu.” The Spanish soldiers already had petitioned to abandon the place. Among those who most wanted to abandon the fort was the “recently accused (poco tacciato). Not that they feared dying or at least, so they said. Despite the greater number of Muslim casualties, the exhausted Christians doubted they could take another fight like today’s and saw little point in trying. The threat of a general assault, following on the heels of the day’s fighting and the hard line taken by Valette, proved too much for the defenders.
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