Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, medieval

Battle of Malta

Battle of Malta was a naval engagement fought on 8 July 1283 at Grand Harbour, in what is now Malta. It was part of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, which ran from 1282 to 1302. The recorded result: Aragonese victory. Recorded strength: 18–21 galleys; 5,500 men against 19–22 galleys; 7,800 men.

See it on the globe Read the article

Fort Saint-Angelo de La Valette au coucher du soleil.
Fort Saint-Angelo de La Valette au coucher du soleil.. 5afd4770411ca76c (talk), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought8 July 1283
WhereGrand Harbour, Malta35.895N, 14.521E
OutcomeAragonese victory
BelligerentsCrown of AragonagainstKingdom of Naples
Part ofWar of the Sicilian Vespers1282 to 1302

Where it sits in the War of the Sicilian Vespers

Siege of Messina, 1282Battle of Nicotera, 1282Battle of Malta, 1283Battle of the Gulf of Naples, 1284Siege of Augusta, 1287Battle of the Counts, 1287Capture of Squillace, 1297Battle of Falconaria, 1299Battle of Gagliano, 1300Battle of Ponza, 130012821300Battle of Malta, 1283
10 placed engagements of the War of the Sicilian Vespers in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date8 July 1283
PlaceGrand Harbour, Malta
35.895N, 14.521E
KindNaval engagement, medieval
Strength18–21 galleys; 5,500 men19–22 galleys; 7,800 men
Casualties and losses300 men dead; 200 men injured3,500 men dead; 860 men prisoners; 10 galleys captured; 2 galleys scuttled
Commanders
Battle of MaltaBattle of MaltaSiege of MaltaBattle of the Malta ConvoySiege of MaltaSiege of MaltaSiege of MaltaSiege of MaltaSiege of MaltaSiracusaRagusa100 km35.895N, 14.521E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between AD 870 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1283

Battle of Malta is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 9 in present-day Malta.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2889222, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Malta (1283), revision 1377076069, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.