Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:45:16-1:45:32

Did disease or Maltese action kill more Ottoman besiegers?

Possible interference with water supplies complicates the distinction between disease and enemy action, but remains speculative.

DiseaseGreat Siege Of MaltaSiege WarfareWater Supply
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Question

Did Maltese resistance or disease kill more of the Ottoman besiegers?

Short answer

No reliable division is given. Some deaths attributed to disease might have resulted from Maltese interference with the water supply, but that remains speculation.

Notes

The relative contribution of Maltese attacks and disease to Ottoman deaths remains unresolved here. Interference with the water supply is suggested as one possible reason that deaths recorded as illness could still reflect Maltese action. The suggestion is speculative and supplies neither a documented incident nor a numerical division of losses.