Siege of Malta

French forces occupied Malta in 1798, but Maltese resistance confined the garrison to fortified positions around Valletta. British and allied naval forces maintained a blockade while local insurgents controlled most of the countryside.

The French garrison surrendered in September 1800 after prolonged shortage and isolation. Malta then became a central British naval base in the Mediterranean.

Command uses Malta and the remaining French position in the eastern Mediterranean as the setting for Kydd’s first independent command.