Capture of a Turkish warship in the Canal of Malta par Bailli Russo 25 January 1652

The Maltese Corso, also known as the ''Corto Maltese'', was a long-standing naval operation from 1530 to 1798 conducted by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

based on the Island of Malta, waged against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

's navy and merchant shipping on the coast of North Africa, and (as the Ottoman influence weakened) against the semi-independent Ottoman vassals, the Deylik of Algiers, the Eyalet of Tripoli, the Eyalet of Tunis, and the

Barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

. The Corso reached its peak intensity in the years from 1660 to 1675, and slowly waned during the following decades, eventually reduced to only seven ships in 1724, before finally coming to an end with Malta's capitulation to Napoleon in June 1798. Although the Maltese Corso is not well known, it was one of the main factors in the economic decline of the Islamic World, and rise of European military dominance at sea, which would have a pronounced impact across the globe facilitating European commerce and colonization. This legacy makes the Maltese Corso one of the most pivotal events in history.

References

{{reflist Military history of Malta