An island cannot be held cheaply when its people oppose the occupier and outnumber the garrison. Napoleon's rapid seizure of Malta looked like a Mediterranean success, but French rule alienated a population that had included substantial Francophile sympathies through the Knights of St John. Maltese resistance then trapped the garrison while the Royal Navy could support the struggle from the sea. Malta's shift toward durable hostility to France and long loyalty to Britain turned a quick conquest into a major naval and political reversal.
Notable Point · 3:43:19-3:44:46
Malta and the strategic cost of alienating an island population
Napoleon's seizure of Malta became a strategic loss when French rule alienated the population and allowed the Royal Navy to support resistance.