Cotonera Lines
The Cotonera Lines are a fortification in Malta .
They were designed by Antonio Maurizio Valperga. Its construction began in 1670 under the rule of the Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner and was not completed until the 18th century. After the construction of the city of Valletta , they are considered the most ambitious project of the Order of St. John .
The aim of the construction was to further strengthen the fortifications of the three cities of Birgu , Senglea and Cospicua and to protect the important structures of the Order of St. John in the area of the Grand Harbor, to prevent this area from being shot at from the heights above and to create a refuge for the rural To offer population. Located south of the Sta Magherita Lines , the fortifications spanned a length of approx. 4.5 km from French Creek to Kalkara Creek, including the heights mentioned. They consisted of a total of six bastions and two half bastions. Access to the urban area was possible through St Helen's Gate in the west and Notre Dame Gate in the east.
The cost of building it was enormous. Initially, a sum of 8,000 scudi per month was made available. New taxes had to be levied for financing. Cotoner provided money and slaves from his property for the construction. Grand Master Gregorio Carafa ordered the suspension of this building in 1680 in order to complete other, already started buildings with the saved finances. The Cotonera Lines therefore remained incomplete, the planned external works were never built. In 1715 the construction costs totaled 1,400,000 Scudi. After the British took possession of the islands in 1800, the existing fortifications were initially used unchanged. Significant changes and additions were made about 50 years later. The wide, unpaved space between the Cotonera Lines and the Sta Margherita Lines 300-400 m behind it offered an enemy room to maneuver in the event of a breakthrough through the unfinished Cotonera Lines. This meant that the Cotonera Lines could be cut off. To counter this danger, the space between the two fortification lines was fortified by the St Clement's Retrenchment in 1849.
See also
literature
- Ernle Bradford : The Shield of Europe . Ullstein Buchverlag, ISBN 3-548-34912-9 (from the English, title of the original edition The Great Siege, Malta 1565 )
- Charles Stephenson: "The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945", Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004, ISBN 1-84176-836-7
- Denis Castillo: "The Maltese Cross, a Strategic History of Malta"