Lord Nelson and Malta: 5 Brilliant Facts Revealing Our Shared British–Maltese History
If you’re a British traveller with a soft spot for history, heroics, or the occasional bit of scandal involving admirals behaving badly, Malta may well become your new favourite holiday destination.
This island offers far more than sunshine and fortresses. It is a place where British history in Malta comes alive (more info in our other in-depth blog post HERE) — a story of heroism, friendship, sacrifice, and a bond that became a lasting part of Lord Nelson and Malta’s shared Mediterranean legacy. Malta didn’t just feature in Nelson’s career; it played a surprisingly intimate role in the life of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, a man who could command fleets, topple empires… and still find time for romantic complications.
As a boy, I grew up watching Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, leading his “Chosen Men” soldiering across Europe, and Horatio Hornblower, navigating storms, battles, and impossible decisions with unwavering resolve. What unites Sharpe, Hornblower, and the real men who inspired them? A singular purpose: to stop Napoleon — and no one achieved that with greater brilliance or greater cost than Lord Nelson, whose monument can be found in Trafalgar Square, London.
As a military history enthusiast and tour guide, I’ve walked many battlefields. I’ve stood in places shaped by courage and tragedy and rarely felt shaken. But in April 2025, during a research trip to Clerkenwell, I visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, timing it to coincide with their Pirate exhibition, and took the opportunity to revisit the Nelson galleries.
There it was: Nelson’s Trafalgar uniform — the very coat he wore during his final battle, still pierced by the musket ball that ended Nelson’s life. That small bullet hole, so devastating in consequence, moved me more than I expected. It was the closest I’ve ever felt to the man behind the legend. I found myself wondering what the 6 recorded Maltese mariners aboard HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar thought in that moment — watching history unfold, unaware of how deeply it would echo across generations.
Nelson is not just one of Britain’s greatest heroes. Less widely known is that before he saved Britain, Nelson helped save Malta, liberating the island from French rule and shaping its future in ways still felt today. This enduring Nelson–Malta connection is one of the most powerful chapters of Lord Nelson and Malta’s past.
This article is for British visitors who want to understand that connection — a story of strategy, loyalty, sacrifice, and the deep bond that still ties our two island nations together. For UK guests looking for meaningful things to do in Malta, following the story of Lord Nelson and Malta is a powerful place to start.
Here are five essential facts about Lord Nelson and Malta, and why his presence is still felt across the island today.
1. Nelson Helped Create Malta’s Naval Hospital — A Visionary Ahead of His Time
During the blockade against the French in 1799–1800, Nelson assessed the state of naval healthcare in Malta and concluded, in classic British fashion, that it simply would not do.
Suffering from malaria himself whilst in Malta during his Mediterranean service, Nelson recommended the creation of a proper Naval Hospital — not a makeshift infirmary, but a fully functioning medical facility capable of treating sailors, marines, and officers across the fleet. This vision eventually led to Bighi Naval Hospital, which went on to care for:
casualties of the Napoleonic Wars
wounded from the Crimean War
and thousands during the First World War, when Malta became known as the “Nurse of the Mediterranean”
In a roundabout but very real way, Nelson’s foresight helped shape Malta’s later role in treating nearly half of the wounded from the Gallipoli campaign — a lasting contribution to British naval history in Malta.
2. The Maltese Went Looking for Nelson — and Alexander Ball’s Friendship Was Forged
When the Maltese rebelled against French occupation, they didn’t send letters or form committees. Instead, they sailed out in a small boat to find Nelson himself.
They located HMS Vanguard and made their appeal. Nelson responded by sending Captain Alexander Ball — a man who, by most accounts, did not warm to Nelson at first. That all had changed when Captain Ball saved Nelson’s ship during a storm.
Back to the Maltese. Nelson couldn’t dash over to Malta himself — not for lack of interest, but because he was rather busy in Naples. At the time, he was:
juggling delicate diplomatic talks with the King of Naples to secure support for the Maltese,
overseeing repairs to his fleet after the Battle of the Nile,
handling ongoing naval business with the British ambassador, Sir William Hamilton,
and, quite possibly, being distracted by Lady Emma Hamilton (history strongly suggests this was not a minor distraction).
So, with his diary rather full, Nelson authorised Portuguese naval assistance to support Malta and then sent Captain Alexander Ball — a decision that would prove pivotal for the island’s future.
What followed changed Malta’s future:
Ball helped starve out the French garrison
Ball became Malta’s Civil Commissioner, well-loved by most Maltese.
and ultimately Ball proved to be one of Nelson’s most trusted Band of Brothers
It was a partnership forged through shared hardship — and one that left a permanent mark on Malta British naval history and Malta history for UK visitors
3. Nelson Stayed in Malta for Two Weeks — With the Hamiltons, Naturally
In 1800, Nelson spent around two weeks anchored off Malta aboard HMS Foudroyant, accompanied by Sir William Hamilton and Emma Hamilton.
During this stay, they:
toured the island, and is said to have visited St.Paul the Apostle’s Grotto in Rabat (where a plaque still can be seen mentioning Nelson’s visit)
visited St Paul’s Bay and Marsaxlokk
entertained Maltese nobility
and conducted diplomacy with a distinct undercurrent of scandal
The visit coincides with the conception of their daughter Horatia, later born in January 1801 — proof that legends are not forged only in battle, and that even malaria failed to slow Nelson’s enthusiasm for life.
4. Nelson’s Hook — The Strangest Royal Navy Ritual
In Valletta, a metal loop embedded in a wall is known as Nelson’s Hook.
Legend has it that after a lively evening ashore, Nelson was dared to squeeze through it — and, refusing to back down from anything, he succeeded. This sparked an informal Royal Navy ritual: officers seeking promotion would attempt to “pull a Nelson” by squeezing through the same hook.
A photograph of one such attempt in 1972 even made UK newspapers — a reminder that naval tradition has always had a sense of humour.
5. Lady Emma Hamilton’s Bed — Yes, That Bed — in Malta’s Maritime Museum
Malta’s Maritime Museum in Birgu houses many treasures, but few raise eyebrows quite like Emma Hamilton’s bed, possibly shared with Nelson during their Neapolitan years.
The museum also displays:
a bust of Nelson
and a Valentine’s-week letter to Emma, signed “Nelson & Brontë”, in which he admits he cannot fully express his feelings for fear of French interception and scandal
Their daughter Horatia, almost certainly conceived during Nelson’s time in Malta, remains one of the most human reminders that great historical figures lived complicated, passionate lives.
Bonus 1: Malta, Master & Commander, and Royal Naval Fiction
Fans of the Master & Commander by will recognise Malta as the setting for Treason’s Harbour, a tale of espionage and naval intrigue set against Valletta’s formidable fortifications — one of the most evocative settings in Malta history for UK visitors. Treason’s Harbour is the 9th historical novel in the Aubrey – Maturin Series by British author Patrick O’Brian, first published in 1983, whilst the famous Russell Crowe film “Master and Commander” is a mixture of three other novels in the same series. However in Treason’s Harbour Captain Aubrey’s “HMS Surprise” does make a surprise of its own feature in Malta’s Harbour
Bonus 2 : The Real “Master & Commander” — Thomas Cochrane
The real-life inspiration for Captain Jack Aubrey, Sir Thomas Cochrane, the 10th Earl of Dundonald, ( nicknamed “the Sea Wolf” by the French) had his own Maltese controversies, including clashes with Maltese pirates that led to even bigger clashes with Malta’s Admiralty Court so fierce that he openly described the Admiralty court as “piratical.” However, that is a Maltese story for another time.
Bonus 3: Britain’s First Maltese Cannoneers Regiment — Raised in Secret to fight the French
During the final years of the Knights of St John 1794, a covert agreement created the Maltese Cannoneers, the first Maltese regiment in British pay fighting the French in Corsica and later Portugal. They later evolved into the Royal Malta Artillery, cementing a military relationship between Britain and Malta long before empire made it official.
Final Thoughts for UK travellers and guests to Malta
The story of Lord Nelson and Malta is not confined to museums or plaques. It lives in harbours, fortifications, letters, friendships, and the shared history of two island nations. And also a third nation as Nelson’s spirit lives on… Interestingly the Italian World war 2 surrender was signed between General Dwight Eisenhower and Marshal Pietro Badoglio aboard the ship HMS Nelson on 29 September 1943 in Malta’s Grand Harbour
For British travellers interested in British heritage sites in Malta and authentic, story-rich experiences, following Nelson’s footsteps offers one of the most powerful ways to understand the island’s past.
Walk the harbours he sailed into.
The streets he walked.
The coastline where Malta’s future — and his — were shaped.
You can experience it all without losing a limb… or squeezing through any iron hooks.
Unless, of course, you’re feeling brave enough to join one of our guided experiences. Now that, lads and lassies, as the Sean Bean Richard Sharpe series taught us – is soldiering.
Dive into Valletta with a Maltese guide who can navigate the Knights, the British, and the occasional scandal — all before lunch.
If you want a tour that goes beyond the “here’s a nice building” routine, join our award-winning experiences, where UK visitors discover:
• Why Valletta owes more to British naval strategy than you think
• How the Knights left secret traces across London
• And how these two islands shaped each other more than anyone realises
British history… Maltese flair… unforgettable stories at our award winning tours?
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