Slavery in Malta

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Slavery (Maltese: skjavitù; jasar) was practiced in Malta from classical antiquity to the early modern period, as was the case in many countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Sources dating back to when the islands were under Arab rule during the Middle Ages attest to the presence of slavery but lack details regarding the slaves' ethnic and religious backgrounds. When the islands were part of the Kingdom of Sicily during the late medieval period, it is apparent that many black Africans were domestic slaves on the islands.

The institution of slavery in Malta reached its apex during the period of Hospitaller rule between 1530 and 1798, when it took on unprecedented proportions and was largely maintained through commerce raids against enemy shipping and coastal targets by the Hospitaller navy and Malta-based corsairs. This led to an influx of mostly Muslim prisoners as slaves, but there were also lesser numbers of Jewish, Christian and black African slaves on the islands. Some were forced to work as galley slaves while others worked on land as labourers and had a variety of duties ranging from manufacturing to domestic roles.

Around the same time, there were Maltese people enslaved in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire after being captured during attacks on the islands or on Christian shipping, including in raids by the Barbary corsairs. Thousands were enslaved en masse during a major attack on Malta in 1429 and one on Gozo in 1551; these and other raids had a lasting impact on the islands' demographics and folklore.

When Hospitaller rule ended with the French occupation of Malta in 1798, slavery was abolished through a decree by Napoleon. Although French rule in Malta was short-lived, the abolition was upheld and confirmed by local rebel authorities in 1800 and by the British protectorate in 1812.