The Royal Regiment of Malta was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

which existed from 1804 to 1811. It was raised in

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 ...

, then a British protectorate, with the intention of being sent in overseas expeditions. The unit was raised following the success of the

Maltese Light Infantry The Maltese Light Infantry was a light infantry battalion of the British Army which existed from 1800 to 1802 in Malta, then a British protectorate. It consisted of eight companies of Maltese soldiers, and it saw action in the French Revolutiona ...

at the

Siege of Porto Ferrajo The siege of Porto Ferrajo was a French attempt to force the surrender of the Tuscan fortress town of Porto Ferrajo (now Portoferraio) on the island of Elba following the French occupation of mainland Tuscany in 1801 during the French Revolutio ...

in 1801. The regiment was established on 7 December 1804, and it appeared on the Army List of 30 March 1805. The military unit was commanded by Major General

William Villettes Lieutenant-General William Anne Villettes, (20 August 175413 July 1808) was a senior officer of the British Army during the early nineteenth century. His career saw service in the Mediterranean, particularly during the Invasion of Corscia (1794), ...

, who was also the overall commander of British troops in Malta and had the rank of Colonel of the regiment. It was led by British, Maltese and German officers, and it mainly consisted of men discharged from the

Maltese Provincial Battalions The Maltese Provincial Battalions were infantry battalions in the British Army which existed from 1802 to 1815 in Malta, then a British protectorate and later a colony. According to the Treaty of Amiens of 1802, Britain was to evacuate Malta and ...

along with around 100 Sicilians and some Spaniards. Due to the Royal Regiment having higher pay, many men resigned from the Provincials to join the new regiment, such that there was a shortage of men in the Provincials and the two-battalion military unit had to be reduced to a single battalion in 1806. The regiment included a total of 514 officers and men by mid-1805, and this increased to 758 in mid-1806. The Civil Commissioner of Malta, Captain

Alexander Ball Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet ( it, Alessandro Giovanni Ball, 22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Rear-Admiral and Civil Commissioner of Malta. He was born in Ebworth Park, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. He was the fourth son of Robert ...

, was dissatisfied with the regiment's lack of discipline, and wanted the men to be sent abroad to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. The Royal Regiment of Malta reached its peak strength of 942 men in 1807, when it consisted of ten companies. It took part in surrounding

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 ...

during the

Froberg mutiny The Froberg mutiny was a mutiny within the British armed forces staged between 4 and 12 April 1807 at Fort Ricasoli, on the island of Malta, then a British Protectorate, by the Froberg Regiment. The regiment had been formed using dubious methods ...

in April 1807. On 10 November 1807, about 950 men from the regiment joined the British forces in Sicily. The men embarked from

Milazzo Milazzo ( Sicilian: ''Milazzu''; la, Mylae; ) is a town (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy; it is the largest commune in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a p ...

to reinforce the garrison of

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...

in September 1808, occupying the town of

Diamante A diamanté (also spelled diamante) is a glittering ornament, such as an artificial jewel (e.g. a rhinestone) or a sequin. Diamante may also refer to: Places Argentina * Diamante, Entre Ríos, a ''municipio'' in Diamante Department * Diamante ...

on the way. The companies of the Royal Regiment of Malta were distributed between the main town of

and the rest of the island. Two weeks after the arrival of the regiment, on 4 October 1808, a French force of 6000 soldiers landed at Capri. The French attacked

Anacapri Anacapri () is a ''comune'' on the island of Capri, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. Anacapri is located higher on the island than Capri (about higher on average)http://www.capritourism.com/imgg/download/capri_map_en.pdf —the Anc ...

on 15 October and most of the Maltese contingent was captured or killed in the process. Sources differ as to how many men were killed: from about 75 men to three quarters of the regiment. 120 others were wounded. Around 250 men surrendered after running out of gunpowder, and they were subsequently imprisoned in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and

Castel Nuovo Castel Nuovo (; "New Castle"), often called Maschio Angioino (; "Angevin Keep"), is a medieval castle located in front of Piazza Municipio and the city hall ( Palazzo San Giacomo) in central Naples, Campania, Italy. Its scenic location and impo ...

. About 270 men managed to avoid capture and returned to Malta in 1809.Villettes remained in command of the unit until 3 January 1808, when he left Malta for the

Colony of Jamaica The Crown Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies was a British colony from 1655, when it was captured by the English Protectorate from the Spanish Empire. Jamaica became a British colony from 1707 and a Crown colony in 1866. The Colony was pri ...

and was succeeded by Gen. John Murray By 1810, the remaining men of the Royal Regiment of Malta were garrisoned at

Cottonera The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Birgu, Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle A ...

. In March 1811 they were sent to

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

where they guarded French prisoners, while a detachment served on a gunboat in Sicily. The regiment was disbanded by

Hildebrand Oakes Lieutenant-General Sir Hildebrand Oakes, 1st Baronet, GCB (19 January 1754 – 9 September 1822) was a British Army officer. Military career Oakes was commissioned into the 33rd Regiment of Foot in 1767 and served in the American War of Inde ...

Fort Tigné Fort Tigné ( mt, Il-Forti Tigné - Il-Fortizza ta' Tigné) is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour, and it is one of the o ...

on 26 April 1811, and the men were encouraged to join other British military units serving in the Mediterranean, or the Maltese Provincial Battalion.

References

{{reflist Infantry regiments of the British Army Military history of Malta Military units and formations established in 1804 Military units and formations disestablished in 1811 1804 establishments in Malta 1811 disestablishments in Malta British colonial regiments