225th Anniversary of the Arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French in Malta

An allegory of France, seated with a sceptre upon a throne. The inscription "225th ANNIVERSARY ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH IN MALTA" arcs along the upper edge. The dates "1798 – 2023" and the watchwords of the French Revolution, "Liberté" and "Egalité", flank the design. Along the lower edge: the year "2023" and the designer Noel Galea Bason's initials "NGB".

The arrival of the French in Malta in June 1798, part of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, fundamentally changed the island within just a few days. The Order of St John, which had ruled Malta since 1530, surrendered after barely a skirmish, and Bonaparte set up a short-lived French administration on the island. What followed was an ambivalent chapter: the occupiers introduced reforms in the spirit of the French Revolution — the abolition of feudal privileges, equality before the law, liberalisation of trade — but quickly met resistance from the Maltese population, who opposed the confiscation of church property and the suppression of religious traditions. Already in September 1798, an uprising began that eventually led to a British blockade and the French capitulation in 1800.

The event is still regarded as a turning point in Maltese history, as it marked the end of rule by the Order and the beginning of a new era that would ultimately be British. The ideas of liberté and égalité brought to Malta by the French left their mark on the island's political consciousness despite the brief occupation. Malta commemorates the 225th anniversary of the French arrival with its 2023 2-euro commemorative coin, bringing a complex chapter of colonial history into public discourse — factually, without romanticising it, but also without condemnation.