In 1551, Ottoman forces attacked Malta and invaded Gozo. The whole Gozitan population was enslaved except for a few elderly people and those who managed to escape. This prompted the Order’s Grand Master, Juan de Homedes y Coscon, to invest in new fortifications. Isla and the edge of Sceberras Hill were the lands chosen to build two new fortifications. The first stone of Fort St. Michael was laid by the Grand Master on 8 May 1552. The fort was designed by military engineer Pedro Pardo d’Andrera.