MATSEC SEC History flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Ġgantija temples

Two megalithic temple buildings on the Xagħra plateau in Gozo, built during the Ġgantija phase (c. 3600–3000 BC). They are among the oldest free-standing stone monuments in the world and part of the UNESCO-listed Megalithic Temples of Malta.

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

A three-level underground complex at Paola, cut into globigerina limestone and used for burial and ritual in the Saflieni phase (c. 3300–3000 BC). It produced the 'Sleeping Lady' figurine and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Għar Dalam phase

The earliest Neolithic culture in Malta, dated c. 5200–4500 BC and named after the cave in Birżebbuġa. It is identified by impressed and incised pottery and evidence of early farming and animal husbandry.

Tarxien Temples

A complex of four connected megalithic temples in Tarxien, built between roughly 3600 and 2500 BC. They are noted for spiral reliefs, a colossal statue fragment and the Tarxien Cemetery phase reuse of the site in the Early Bronze Age.

Mnajdra temples

Three limestone temples on the southern cliffs near Qrendi, the lowest aligned so that sunlight enters on the equinoxes and solstices. The site spans the Ġgantija to Tarxien phases and is part of the UNESCO megalithic listing.

Borġ in-Nadur phase

A Bronze Age culture of roughly 1500–700 BC, named after the site near Birżebbuġa. It is characterised by a fortified settlement, wheel-made pottery and cremation burial, marking a break from temple-building traditions.

Phoenician and Carthaginian Malta

From roughly the eighth century BC Malta lay within Phoenician, then Carthaginian, trading networks. Sites such as Tas-Silġ show a sanctuary reused across pagan and later Christian phases, and Punic inscriptions and tombs survive.

Roman conquest of Malta

Malta came under Roman control in 218 BC during the Second Punic War and was administered within the province of Sicilia. The episode of St Paul's shipwreck, traditionally dated to c. AD 60, is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

Arab period in Malta

Arabs from Sicily took Malta around AD 870, introducing irrigation, cotton cultivation and elements of language and place-names. The period ended with the Norman conquest of 1090–1091 under Count Roger I.

Norman conquest 1091

Count Roger I of Sicily took Malta in 1091, ending Arab rule and linking the islands to Sicilian feudalism. Norman rule shaped the later county of Malta and the island's Latin Christian institutions.

Order of St John 1530

A military-religious order founded in the eleventh century and granted Malta, Gozo and Tripoli by Emperor Charles V in 1530. It governed the islands until 1798, building fortifications and Valletta.

Great Siege of 1565

An Ottoman siege of Malta from May to September 1565, commanded by Mustafa Pasha and Dragut against Grand Master Jean de la Valette. Ottoman forces withdrew after heavy losses, and Valletta was founded the following year.

Jean de la Valette

Grand Master of the Order of St John from 1557 to 1568, who led the defence during the Great Siege of 1565. The new fortified city built after the siege was named Valletta in his honour.

Fort St Elmo

A star fort on the Sceberras peninsula guarding the entrances to the Grand and Marsamxett harbours. Its prolonged resistance and fall in June 1565 during the Great Siege cost the Ottomans time and troops.

Mdina and the 1693 earthquake

The old capital Mdina was rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1693 Sicily earthquake under Grand Master Ramon Perellos and Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri. Its cathedral facade by Lorenzo Gafà dates from this rebuilding.

Hospitaller fortifications

The Order built bastioned trace fortifications including Valletta's enceinte, Fort St Elmo, Fort St Angelo, Floriana lines and coastal towers. These reflected sixteenth- to eighteenth-century Italian military engineering.

French occupation 1798

Napoleon Bonaparte took Malta in June 1798, ending Order rule and introducing reforms such as the abolition of slavery and feudalism. French financial and religious policies provoked a Maltese uprising in September 1798.

Maltese uprising 1798–1800

A revolt by Maltese townsfolk and clergy against French rule, supported by Britain and Portugal. The French garrison capitulated in September 1800, after which Britain occupied the islands.

Treaty of Paris 1814

The peace settlement ending the Napoleonic Wars formally ceded Malta and its dependencies to Britain. Maltese petitions for rights and representative institutions followed, shaping nineteenth-century constitutional demands.

George Cross 1942

Awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI in April 1942 for collective bravery during Axis bombing. The cross appears on the Maltese flag and symbolises the 1940–1943 siege experience.

1921 self-government

A constitution granting Malta a diarchy: an elected Legislative Assembly with responsibility for domestic affairs and a Senate, while reserved matters remained with the British governor. It was suspended in 1933 and revoked in 1936.

Maltese independence 1964

Malta became an independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth on 21 September 1964, under a constitution negotiated with Britain. Defence and foreign affairs initially remained linked to Britain by mutual agreement.

Republic of Malta 1974

Constitutional amendments effective 13 December 1974 replaced the British monarch with a Maltese president as head of state. The office became a largely ceremonial presidency elected by parliament.

Freedom Day 1979

31 March 1979, when the British defence base closed and the Military Facilities Agreement expired. It is a Maltese national holiday marking the end of foreign military presence.

EU accession 2004

Malta joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 after a referendum in March 2003. It later joined the euro area and the Schengen area, integrating its economy and border arrangements with the EU.

Primary versus secondary source

A primary source was produced in the period studied, such as a diary, inscription or treaty. A secondary source interprets the past afterwards, such as a textbook, and depends on primary evidence.

Provenance of a source

The origin of a source: who made it, when, where and for what audience. Provenance underpins judgements about bias, purpose and reliability in source-based questions.

Corroboration of sources

Comparing two or more sources to see whether they agree on a point. Agreement strengthens a claim only if the sources are independent; copying or shared bias weakens the corroboration.

Bias and purpose

Bias is a slant arising from the author's position, interests or audience. Purpose is what the source was created to achieve; identifying it helps explain selection and omission of facts.

Utility versus reliability

Utility asks how far a source helps answer a specific question. Reliability asks whether its content is trustworthy. A biased source can be useful evidence of attitudes even when unreliable as fact.

Causation and consequence

Causation explains why an event happened through long-term, short-term and trigger factors. Consequence examines later effects, distinguishing intended from unintended outcomes.

Chronology and periodisation

Chronology orders events in time using dates, centuries (e.g. 1565 is the sixteenth century) and BC/AD conventions. Periodisation groups years into named eras such as medieval or early modern.