The Name Maida and its Place in History

The surname Maida is not the most common name in the United States; on my last count there were only ten or twelve Maida families in the Washington, DC area.  They are more common in Calabria in southern Italy.  If you travel on the auto strata you will see an exit for Maida about 100 kilometers north of the port city of Reggio di Calabria.

In 1998 I had the good fortune to have business in Italy and Sicily.  My friends and I were able to stop at the town on Maida on our way to catch the ferry to Sicily.  The town is along a mountain slope.  It was a special feeling to see the streets where my ancestors walked.  Unfortunately we were on a tight schedule and I didn’t have time to look up anyone who would have known my ancestors, but it was great just to be there.

I have talked to my three sons about their heritage many times.  My youngest son Matthew and I have talked about the importance of the area around the town of Maida in history.  It was thirty years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the United States, July 4 1806.  Napoleon had conquered the Kingdom of Naples and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as king.  The rightful king Ferdinand IV fled to his final stronghold in Sicily.  Napoleon was poised to push south and complete his conquest with an invasion of Sicily.  He sent General Jean Reynier south with 6000 troops.  The British were determined to stop Napoleon from taking Sicily.  They committed 5000 troops under the command of Major General John Stuart and they met the French out side of the town of Maida.  The British used a tactic that was attributed to the Continental Army during the American Revolution, but in fact the British perfected it before the Americans used it.  The British troops held their fire until the French column was almost in bayonet range.  The sudden and fierce volleys sent the French reeling.  The British followed up with a bayonet charge the broke the French line.

The defeat ended the French’s last major threat to Sicily.  They made attempts later but none had the strength to succeed.  Napoleon was denied Sicily and control of the central Mediterranean.  General Stuart was named the Count of Maida by King Ferdinand.  There are three places in the United Kingdom named for the battle.  There are Maida Hill and Maida Vale in London, and Maida Vale is written at the entrance to the tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar.  I was quite surprised to see my name written in large letters inside the Rock of Gibraltar.