Malta's size disadvantaged an attacker as well as the defender. Ottoman armies had expanded across large territories partly through operational mobility and maneuver. Malta offered little open space in which to bypass a strong position, and each new fort narrowed that space further. The post-1551 construction programme strengthened individual walls and changed the campaign geography. A large invading army had fewer alternatives to costly siege assaults.
Notable Point · 29:31-30:18
How Malta's forts narrowed Ottoman options
On a small island, fortified positions progressively removed the room an Ottoman field army needed to exploit its mobility.