Raid of Żejtun
- When
- 1614
- Where
- Marsaxlokk; Żejtun and Ghizira
- Episodes
- 2
In July 1614, Ottoman forces under Damat Halil Pasha raided Żejtun, Malta. After an initial landing attempt was repelled, they disembarked troops who pillaged the town before being driven back by local defenders and Order cavalry.
Episodes
- Initial Landing Repelled
Ottoman fleet attempts landing at Marsaxlokk but is driven off by artillery fire from Saint Lucian Tower.
- Żejtun Pillage
Ottoman troops disembark at Ghizira and pillage Żejtun before being driven back by local defenders and Order cavalry.
Background and detail
Background. Following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Ottoman incursions into the central Mediterranean resumed at the end of the 16th century. In 1614, reports of an Ottoman fleet heading toward Malta or Sicily reached the Spanish Viceroy of Sicily, prompting defensive preparations.
Engagement. On July 6, 1614, a fleet of sixty ships under Damat Halil Pasha attempted to land at Marsaxlokk but was repelled by artillery from Saint Lucian Tower. The Ottomans then landed six thousand men at Ghizira in Saint Thomas' creek to pillage Żejtun.
Outcome. The raiders were beaten back to their ships by the Order's cavalry and inhabitants of south-eastern towns. The attack is remembered as the last major Ottoman assault on Malta, with local parishes affected until September 1614.
People involved
- Damat Halil Pasha · Ottoman commander
- Pedro Téllez-Girón, Duke of Osuna · Spanish Viceroy of Sicily
Sources
- Raid on Żejtun Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.