The Dejma (Maltese: ''Id-Dejma'') was a 14th century mercenary combatant force dedicated to protect the

Maltese Islands Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in case of an Ottoman raid on one or more of the island's

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

. The first reference to this was in 1462.

Duties

In the case of an attack on the islands, a fire would be lit on top of the several watchtowers on the Maltese Coast. The smoke from the fire (or the fire itself if it was night) would be seen from other watchtowers, who would do the same. This cycle would be repeated until all of the watchtowers were alerted. Upon seeing the smoke (or fire), the soldiers themselves would meet up at various designated locations around the islands. These locations would be marked by a customary "Dejma Cross" (Maltese ''Salib Tad-Dejma''). Upon arriving, the soldiers would prepare for battle. The civilians, on the other hand would make their way to one of the two fortified cities:

Mdina Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melite (ancient city), Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdin ...

Cittadella Cittadella ( vec, Sitadeła) is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around ...

. (

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

too if the attack occurred after the Great siege.)

References

{{reflist Knights Hospitaller Knights of Malta History of Malta