Malta part of the newly formed Kingdom of Sicily which also covered the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. The Catholic Church was reinstated as the state religion with Malta under the See of Palermo, and some Norman architecture sprung up around Malta especially in its ancient capital Mdina. Tancred, King of Sicily, the last Norman monarch, made Malta a fief of the kingdom and installed a count of Malta. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, it was during this time the men of Malta were militarised to fend off capture
North Stradbroke Island North Stradbroke Island North Stradbroke Island (Jandai: Minjerribah), colloquially "Straddie" or "North Straddie", is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, southeast of the capital Brisbane. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island. In that year a storm separated it from South Stradbroke Island, forming the Jumpinpin Channel. The Quandamooka people are the traditional owners of North Stradbroke island. At , it is the second largest sand island in the world. On the island there are three small towns, a number of lakes and beaches along most of the seaward coastline