The sword of La Valette, which has long created a controversy whether it should be sent back to Malta or not, was stolen from the Louvre, in France! The sword and accompanying poniard were given to the Grandmaster by King Philip II of Spain as appreciation and to commemorate the victory in the great siege of 1565.

This is part of the story from the new novel written by Richard Attard, ‘Ix-Xabla Leggendarja,’ – ‘The Legendary Sword,’ which shows how the sword is stolen from France and brought back to Malta to be enjoyed by everyone. The novel, published by Horizons, recounts the adventurous plot of two old friends who are commissioned with this dangerous task. Involved in the story, amongst others, are the highest Maltese authorities, the Order of St. John and the Italian Mafia.

 

It was in 1798 that Napoleon Bonaparte stole from Malta numerous priceless treasures, including La Valette’s sword and poniard. Many Maltese argue that the sword should be returned from the Louvre, but according to Richard Attard’s novel, there is someone in particular who wants it back at all cost.

 

In order to write this book, the author did a lot of research about the subject to make the story sound as though it really happened! The novel, which can easily be made into film, even an action thriller, has a good and interesting story, written in flowing, modern language which is easy to understand and keeps you wanting to read till the end. The continuous action takes us to France and Italy but is based primarily in Malta.