The history of Malta is a long and colourful one dating back to dawn of civilisation.

The Maltese Islands went through a golden Neolithic period, the remains which are the mysterious temples dedicated to the goddess of fertility. Later on, the , the Carthaginians, the Romans and the Byzantines, all left their traces on the Islands.

60 A.D. St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island while on his way to and brought Christianity to Malta. The Arabs conquered the islands in 870 A.D. and an important mark on the language of the Maltese. Until 1530 Malta was an of Sicily: The Normans, the Aragonese and other conquerors who ruled over Sicily also the Maltese Islands. It was Charles V who bequeathed Malta to the Sovereign Military of St. John of Jerusalem who ruled over Malta from 1530 to 1798. The took Malta through a new golden age, making it a key player in the scene of 17th and 18th century Europe. The artistic and cultural lives of the Islands were injected with the presence of artists such as Caravaggio, Mattia Preti and who were commissioned by the Knights to embellish churches, palaces and auberges.

In 1798, Bonaparte took over Malta from the Knights on his way to Egypt. The French on the islands was short lived, as the English, who were requested by the to help them against the French, blockaded the islands in 1800.

British rule in lasted until 1964 when Malta became independent. The Maltese adapted the British system of , education and legislation.

Modern Malta became a Republic in 1974 and joined the European in May 2004.