Malta (island) built first fortifications in Malta. Malta was later ruled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs before it was occupied by the County of Sicily in 1091. The island then became part of the Kingdom of Sicily until it was given to the Order of Saint John along with Gozo and Tripoli in 1530. In 1565, the Order and the Maltese withstood a major Ottoman invasion which became known as the Great Siege of Malta. The Order ruled Malta for over 250 years and built many great pieces of architecture, including the capital city Valletta. In 1798 the French
The Jukebox Queen of Malta The Jukebox Queen of Malta The Jukebox Queen of Malta is the second novel by American author Nicholas Rinaldi, first published in 1999 by Bantam Press. It concerns Rocco Raven, an American radio operator posted to Malta to join a small intelligence unit during the Siege of Malta working closely with the British RAF who are defending the Island. Central to the novel is Rocco's affair with Melita, a Maltese woman who travels the island repairing jukeboxes. The story tells how the Maltese people and the military defence of the island react to the increasing privations caused by the siege,