What happened during the Siege of Malta, in 1565? An island fortress against the might of an empire. The Ottomans sent thirty thousand men to crush the Knights of St John and found six thousand waiting for them behind the walls. Fort St Elmo fell first, but it took a month and cost the Ottomans dearly. When they turned on the rest, they met walls, fire, and sheer stubbornness. By the time Spanish reinforcements landed, the invaders were starving, sick, and broken. The Knights had bled, but they