Maltese Empire?

Historically, Malta has been contested between dozens of different European and Mediterranean powers due to its strategic location. Is it possible for a local state or ruling family to use Malta's spot in one of the busiest parts of the Mediterranean to rise to power and have significant influence on the rest of the Mediterranean world?
 
A city on Malta becomes the dominant phonecan city, not carriage?
really don't know enough about mAlta to say how possible this is
 
Malta is short on farmland (being a very small island), I believe, which is a major problem for getting up to the point of being an independent power in its own right.
 
Malta is short on farmland (being a very small island), I believe, which is a major problem for getting up to the point of being an independent power in its own right.

It's short on farmland because of being a small island, yes. There's that, and there's the fact that the entire island is one big rock and thus the soil is so infertile that isn't worth toffee. The rock layer also makes it incredibly hard to build buildings, which is why so many buildings there simply have no foundations and consequently don't last long.
 

elkarlo

Banned
Malta is short on farmland (being a very small island), I believe, which is a major problem for getting up to the point of being an independent power in its own right.


Water too, is a problem. Which limits any super large city.
 
The issue is this: although Malta is in a strong strategic position it has a very small population and very few natural resources. Malta could never, for example, field a real navy or army without outside aid, and thus empire building is impossible. Political influence cannot be sustained without military power, and there's no way Malta can compete with states operating out of regions like Sicily or North Africa that are in much stronger positions demographically and economically.
 

elkarlo

Banned
The issue is this: although Malta is in a strong strategic position it has a very small population and very few natural resources. Malta could never, for example, field a real navy or army without outside aid, and thus empire building is impossible. Political influence cannot be sustained without military power, and there's no way Malta can compete with states operating out of regions like Sicily or North Africa that are in much stronger positions demographically and economically.


If they can dynasty build like the Hapsburgs, they may have a chance.
 

elkarlo

Banned
Yeah, but the Hapsburgs didn't use Aargau as their base once they'd broken out of being "merely" rich counts.


true. Well no other way. Maybe keep Malta as the place where you do the coronations? Thus is being the legal capital, in some way...?
 

birdboy2000

Banned
The Knights of Malta played at empire OTL. Controlled Tripoli for a decade or so, bought some Caribbean islands in the 17th century but ended up selling them to France. And of course, they have lots of holdings and charitable aid from outside the empire to help prop them up.

I don't know their history well enough to suggest an obvious PoD, but it seems quite plausible for them to have held some of their OTL territories or pick up some others.
 
The Knights of Malta played at empire OTL. Controlled Tripoli for a decade or so, bought some Caribbean islands in the 17th century but ended up selling them to France. And of course, they have lots of holdings and charitable aid from outside the empire to help prop them up.

I don't know their history well enough to suggest an obvious PoD, but it seems quite plausible for them to have held some of their OTL territories or pick up some others.

With what money? The Knights of St. John were overextended financially as is, more commitments are going to hurt rather than help.
 
With what money? The Knights of St. John were overextended financially as is, more commitments are going to hurt rather than help.

Instead have another Mediterranean nation build up a big empire, then transfer the capital to Malta?
 
Instead have another Mediterranean nation build up a big empire, then transfer the capital to Malta?

Why would you want your capital on an island as undesirable (for building) as Malta?

It's useful as a strategic air/sea base, but it's not something I'd want to treat as anything more than that.
 
Why would you want your capital on an island as undesirable (for building) as Malta?

It's useful as a strategic air/sea base, but it's not something I'd want to treat as anything more than that.

I know, but it is the only way I can think of at the moment. What is the exact problems plaguing a capital on the island again?
 
See the posts above about the soil and food & water.

Even if most capitals had to import from outside their immediate vicinity, this is extreme here.
 
See the posts above about the soil and food & water.

Even if most capitals had to import from outside their immediate vicinity, this is extreme here.

Malta could import everything I suppose, but the soil is still trouble.

Gonna be a fuckload of hassle though.
 
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