Fort Tigné ( mt, Il-Forti Tigné - Il-Fortizza ta' Tigné) is a
polygonal fort
A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerabl ...
in
Tigné Point
Tigné Point is a peninsula in Sliema, Malta. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area ...
,
Sliema
Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...
,
Malta
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 ...
. It was built by
the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to
Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
, and it is one of the oldest polygonal forts in the world. The fort was extensively altered by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in the 19th century, and it remained in use by the military until 1979.
Fort Tigné was restored in the early 21st century, and it is now in good condition. It has been on Malta's tentative list of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s since 1998, as part of the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta.
History
Background and failed proposals
A watch post existed on ''Punta di Santa Maria'' (now known as
Tigné Point
Tigné Point is a peninsula in Sliema, Malta. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area ...
after the fort) in 1417. The post was probably a small unfortified structure, which was manned by three persons. The peninsula played a significant role during the
Great Siege of Malta
The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...
in 1565, when the invading Ottomans built a battery on it in order to bombard
Fort Saint Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort ...
. After the siege, the peninsula became known as ''Dragut Point'' after the Ottoman corsair
Dragut
Dragut ( tr, Turgut Reis) (1485 – 23 June 1565), known as "The Drawn Sword of Islam", was a Muslim Ottoman naval commander, governor, and noble, of Turkish or Greek descent. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended ...
.
The first proposal to build a fortification on Dragut Point was made by the Italian military engineer
Antonio Maurizio Valperga
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
in 1670. He proposed a fortified city known as ''Borgo della Città Piccola'', with a design similar to
Fort Ricasoli
Fort Ricasoli ( mt, Forti Rikażli) is a bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698. The fort occupies a promontory known as Gallows' Point and the north shore of Rinella Bay, commanding th ...
. The proposal never materialized, probably due to a lack of funds.
[
In 1715, ]Philippe de Vendôme Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prince Philippe, Count ...
made a second proposal, this time to build a casemated redoubt
A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...
. A year later, René Jacob de Tigné
René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.
René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...
proposed the construction of a large artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...
, similar to other coastal batteries that were being built around Malta's coastline at the time.[
In 1757, ]Lembi Battery
Lembi Battery, also known as Qala Lembi Battery ( mt, Batterija t'Għar il-Lembi), was an artillery battery in Sliema, Malta. It was built in 1757 by the Order of Saint John, and was considered as an outwork of Fort Manoel. The battery became obso ...
, an outwork
An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...
of Fort Manoel
Fort Manoel ( mt, Forti Manoel or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it i ...
, was built on the northern shore of the peninsula. A bastioned entrenchment was proposed in the early 1760s, but it was never built.
Construction
The designs for Fort Tigné were eventually made in 1792, possibly due to the threat of a French invasion. It was commissioned by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc
Fra' Emmanuel Marie des Neiges de Rohan-Polduc (18 April 1725, in La Mancha, Spain – 14 July 1797, in Valletta, Malta) was a member of the wealthy and influential Rohan family of France, and Prince and 70th Grand Master of the Order of St. Joh ...
, and was designed by the newly appointed engineer of the Order, Antoine Étienne de Tousard
Antoine Étienne de Tousard (9 December 1752 – 15 September 1813) was a French general and military engineer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was also the last military engineer of the Order of Saint John. He is the br ...
. Construction began in 1793 under the supervision of ''capomastro'' Antonio Cachia
Antonio Cachia (1739–1813) was a Maltese architect, civil and military engineer and archaeologist who was active in the late 18th and early 19th century.
He was the son of the architect Gio Domenico Cachia, who was possibly the same person as ...
, and was completed in July 1795. The fort was named after the knight François René Jacob de Tigné
François () is a French language, French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis (given name), Francis.
People with the given name
* Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of ...
, the nephew of the military engineer René Jacob de Tigné, in recognition of his long years of service with the Order. Tigné also paid 1000 scudi for the construction of the new fort, while de Rohan paid about 6000 scudi. Another 500 scudi were donated by the Bali de Tillet, while the rest of the funds were paid by the ''Fondazione Manoel''.[
The new fort was quite small by eighteenth century standards, and it was more similar to a large redoubt than a fort. Despite this, its design was considered to be revolutionary, since it was one of the earliest ]polygonal fort
A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerabl ...
s to be built around the world. Fort Tigné was also the last major fortification built by the Order of Saint John.
Upon the completion of Fort Tigné, the nearby Lembi Battery was decommissioned and converted into a private residence.[
In around 1797, a proposal was made to build a fortified city occupying the entire peninsula, with Fort Tigné as its keep. Like the earlier proposals in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, nothing materialized from this plan.] The fort was the last project by the order to have offered massive employment locally.
French invasion and occupation
The fort first saw use during the French invasion of Malta
The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part o ...
in June 1798. At the time, it was commanded by the Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n knight Joseph Maria von Rechberg, and had a garrison made up of men from the ''Cacciatori'', who were a volunteer chasseur
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a mor ...
light infantry regiment, as well as some bombardiers from the ship '' San Zaccharia'' and some Maltese militia. Fort Tigné was armed with 28 guns and 12 mortars as follows, but only 15 of the guns were serviceable:[
*Twelve 24-pounder guns
*Six 18-pounder guns
*Six 12-pounder guns
*Four 4-pounder guns
*Six shell-firing mortars
*Six stone-firing mortars
]
Fort Tigné was one of the few fortifications that actively tried to resist the invasion. On 10 June, the French attempted to capture it in a minor skirmish, but were successfully repelled. The fort also fired its guns in support of a counterattack by the Order's navy against the French, and it prevented French ships from entering Marsamxett.[
On 11 June, the French bombarded the fort from land and sea. The fort's garrison fought back, and its commander, Rechberg, managed to bring in more ammunition from ]Floriana
Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...
. On 12 June, the bombardment of the fort continued, but by then the French had captured Valletta, Floriana, and Fort Manoel
Fort Manoel ( mt, Forti Manoel or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it i ...
. The Maltese militia left the fort, reducing its garrison to 80 men. By the end of the day, the ammunition had run out, and parts of the fort were damaged during the bombardment. When Rechberg and his soldiers attempted to escape, the French captured them, and the fort was in French hands by 13 June.
During the subsequent Maltese uprising and insurrection against French rule, Maltese insurgents built six batteries facing Fort Tigné, which was held by the French. By 1799, its armament was reduced to 21 guns, which were as follows:[
*Seven 24-pounder guns
*Six 18-pounder guns
*Four 10-pounder guns
*Four 4-pounder guns
]
British rule
Fort Tigné was officially taken over by the British military in September 1800, and it became permanently garrisoned in 1805.[ The parts damaged during the French occupation were repaired, but no major changes were initially made. In 1815, after several years of British occupation, the fort was armed with 30 guns:][
*Fourteen 24-pounder guns
*Twelve 18-pounder guns
*Four 24-pounder carronades
In the 1860s, the British saw Fort Tigné as the 'perfection of a small fort without flanks ... capable of considerable resistance', and it was used as the prototype for other ]polygonal fort
A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerabl ...
s built elsewhere. By then, it was armed mainly with 68-pounder guns. The parapet on the circular keep was demolished to make way for a single gun mounted on a traversing platform, similar to the ones found on the Martello towers
Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand up ...
. By 1864, the fort was armed with eighteen 32-pounder guns, four 10-inch guns, and another 32-pounder on the keep.[
]
The first major modifications were made between 1870 and 1875, when some of the parapets with embrasures were demolished to make way for emplacements for RML 9 inch 12 ton gun
The RML 9-inch guns Mark I – Mark VIMark I – Mark VI = Mark 1 through to Mark 6. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this article describes the six models of RML 9-inch guns. were lar ...
s. The remainder of the fort underwent further significant changes over the following years. In the 1880s, the British considered demolishing the fort and replacing it with a larger fortification, but in 1888 it was proposed that instead of demolition, the height of the ramparts should be reduced to the level of the glacis. In the 1890s, gun emplacements for breech-loading (BL) guns were built on the glacis, while further modifications were made when parts of the structure were converted to gun crew accommodation or magazines.[
Defence of Tigné Point was further enhanced with the construction of ]Cambridge Battery
Cambridge Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Cambridge) is a Victorian-era battery in Sliema, Malta. It is commonly referred to as Fort Cambridge ( mt, Forti Cambridge), although it was never classified as a fort while in use. It originally contained an ...
between 1878 and 1886. Garden Battery
Garden Battery is an artillery battery in Sliema, Malta. It was built by the British between 1889 and 1894. The battery is located at Tigné Point, between Cambridge Battery and Fort Tigné.
History
The battery was first proposed in 1885, and was ...
was then built between 1889 and 1894, covering the area between Cambridge Battery and Fort Tigné. Barrack blocks were constructed on the rest of the peninsula in the early 20th century.[
The fort was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. It was damaged by aerial bombardment during ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[
]
Recent history
When British troops left Malta in 1979, the fort was abandoned and fell into a state of disrepair. Parts of it were also vandalized. At some point it was also used as a desalination plant.
Since the early 2000s, the Tigné Point peninsula is being redeveloped by MIDI plc. The British barracks were demolished, and high-rise apartments were built instead. In 2008, MIDI plc also restored the fort as part of the project. The alterations made by the British, such as the BL gun emplacements, were also repaired, while landscaped gardens and walkways were built on the glacis.
There were a number of proposals on how to use the building, including for catering facilities, as a military museum, an exhibition space or as an art gallery.[ The key of the chapel around Fort Tigne still exists and is now located at Stella Maris Church.][https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/59540/1/Minn_Tigne_bdiet_il_grajja_2018.pdf ]
Layout
The design of Fort Tigné was mainly based on the Lunette d'Arçon, as well as the work of Marc René, marquis de Montalembert
Marc René, marquis de Montalembert (16 July 1714 – 29 March 1800) was a French military engineer and writer, known for his work on fortifications.
Life
He was born at Angoulême, and entered the French Army in 1732. He fought in the War of t ...
. The final design by Antoine Étienne de Tousard
Antoine Étienne de Tousard (9 December 1752 – 15 September 1813) was a French general and military engineer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was also the last military engineer of the Order of Saint John. He is the br ...
resulted in a revolutionary fortification, which made it one of the oldest polygonal fort
A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerabl ...
s in the world.[
The most noticeable feature of the fort is the circular keep. This was modeled on the ''reduit de surete'' of the Lunette d'Arçon, and it also bears similarities to the ''tour-reduits'' built in Malta in the early 18th century (the only surviving example is ]Vendôme Tower
Vendôme Tower ( mt, Torri Vendôme, colloquially ''Torri tal-Vandomu'') is a '' tour-reduit'' in Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Is ...
). It had two rows of musketry loopholes, and its roof contained a parapet with four embrasure
An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...
s. The latter was replaced with a sloping parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
to mount a single gun in the 1860s. The keep also contains the main gate, above which is a commemorative plaque.[
The main body of the fort consisted of a diamond-shaped structure made up of two flanks and two faces. The two faces and the right flank originally had embrasures, but they were dismantled in the late 19th century by the British. A ]blockhouse
A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...
, with courtyards on either side, was located in the centre of the fort.[
The main structure and the keep were surrounded by a ]ditch
A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...
, which had three counterscarp musketry galleries. These were also significantly altered by the British.[
The British also built three emplacements for breech-loading (BL) guns on the fort's ]glacis
A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in bastion fort, early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More genera ...
.[
]
References
External links
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
*
YouTube video showing a 3D model of Fort Tigné in its original configuration
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Tigne
Tigne
Tigne
Infrastructure completed in 1795
Sliema
Buildings and structures by French architects
Limestone buildings in Malta
Military installations closed in 1979
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
18th-century fortifications