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#1 Soleyman the First, Sultan of Turkey, was seventy years old in 1564. He had just taken the decision to attack the island of Malta in the spring of the following year. His had been a life of unparalleled distinction from the moment when he had succeeded his father, Selim, at the age of twenty-six.

#2 The Knights of Malta had been an irritation for the Sultan for a long time. They had helped the Spanish Emperor attack the port of Peñon de la Gomera, which was a favorite port for the corsairs of the Barbary coast.

#3 Soleyman was well aware that the Knights of St. John were not like other Christians. He had fought them at Rhodes, and he knew that death in battle was something they sought as ardently as did his own Janissaries.

#4 In October 1564, the Ottoman Empire decided to attack Malta and the Knights of St. John. The island was a stepping stone to Sicily, and beyond that, to Italy and southern Europe.

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