| CODE | HST2019 | |||||||||
| TITLE | The Transition from Medieval to Hospitaller Malta in the Sixteenth Century | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | History | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit shall discuss the challenges which the Order of St John and the Maltese faced following the donation of the islands to the Hospitaller Order in 1530. It will look into the various conditions tied to the deed of transfer and how these translated into clear expectations for the local ruling elite. Furthermore it shall explore how the introduction of new laws by the Order reflected on their efforts to control the administration of the island. Additionally it will seek to show how the maritime nature of the Order’s activities hastened the development of an efficient maritime system which in turn saw the development of an enterprising business class. Study-unit Aims: The objective of this study is to give an overview of the administrative, political, economic and social activities taking place in Malta during a largely unexplored period. It aims to focus on the initial decisions taken by the Knights of St John as the new rulers and the aspirations of the local community as their subjects. Finally it aims to provide a better understanding of how the establishment of a naval power contributed to a meteoric rise in commercial activities making the Maltese harbour a point of intersection for people of different nationalities and faiths. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate a better understanding of the transitional period from Aragonese to Hospitaller rule; - explain the changes in institutions and how these functioned during the sixteenth century; - appreciate how the introduction of new laws reflected on the administration of the island and its economic activities; - illustrate a better understanding of Malta’s maritime activities within the wider Mediterranean context. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify which archival sources may be consulted to investigate economic, legal and social studies taking shape during the sixteenth century; - show an awareness of different coinage and weights and measures used during the period; - identify networks of commercial activity and how these functioned within the wider Mediterranean framework. - better understand what history is as a discipline; - proceed with greater ease to the study of specific areas in Maltese history that will be explored in detail in specific study-units within the course; - know what the key names are in the field of historiography; - appreciate what is necessary to undertake proper historical research. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Unpublished Dissertations Main Texts: - Abela, J., Port Activities in Mid-Sixteenth Century Malta, MA Dissertation, (University of Malta, 2007). - Sciberras, J., Women in Early Sixteenth-Century Malta, M.A. Dissertation, (University of Malta, 2004). - Vassallo, A. M., Prices of Commodities in Malta and Gozo, 1530-1630, B.A. Hons. Dissertation, (Royal University of Malta, 1976). Unpublished Dissertations Supplementary Reading: - Bezzina, D., Early Hospitaller Birgu – A Study of the Acts of Notary Nicolòò de Agatiis, 1538-1540, B.A. Hons. Dissertation, (University of Malta, 2001). - Buttigieg, E., Fifteen Years into Hospitaller Rule – A Study of the Acts of Notary Juliano Muscat, 1545, B.A. Hons. Dissertation, (University of Malta, 2002). Published Sources Main Texts: - Abela, J., Hospitaller Malta and the Mediterranean Economy in the Sixteenth Century, (Woodbridge, 2018) - Abulafia, D., The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean, (London, 2011) - (ed.), The Mediterranean in History, (London, 2003) - Braudel, F. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, (trans. S. Reynolds), (2 volumes, Berkeley, Los Angeles & London, 1995) - Bugeja, L., Buhagiar, M., Fiorini, S. (eds.), Birgu: A Maltese Martime City, Vol. I, (Malta, 1993) - Cassar, C., Society, Culture and Identity in Early Modern Malta, (Malta, 2000) - Daughters of Eve, Women, Gender Roles, and the Impact of the Council of Trent in Catholic Malta, (Malta, 2002) - Dalli, C., Malta, The Medieval Millennium, (Malta, 2006) - ‘Capitoli: The Voice of an Elite’, Fiorini, S. (ed.) Proceedings of History Week 1992, (Malta, 1994), 1-18. - Medieval Communal Organization in an Insular Context: Approaching the Maltese Universitàs’, in The Making and Unmaking of the Maltese Universitas, (Heritage Supplement) (Malta, 1993), 1-10 - Epstein, S.R., An Island for itself – Economic Development and Social Change in Late Medieval Sicily, (Cambridge, 1992) - Fiorini, S.,‘The Municipal councils in the Maltese Islands: 1530-1800’, in The Making and Unmaking of the Maltese Universitas ,(Heritage supplement) (Malta, 1993), 13-24. - ‘The Resettlement of Gozo After 1551’, Melita Historica, Vol. IX, No. 3, (1986), 203-235. - ‘The Rhodiot Community of Birgu, A Maltese Maritime City: 1530-c.1550’, in Mallia-Milanes, V. (ed.), Library of Mediterranean History, Vol. I, (Malta, 1994), 183-241. - Fusaro, M., Heywood, C., Omri, M. S. (eds.), Trade and Cultural Exchange in the Early Modern Mediterranean: Braudel’s Maritime Legacy, (London & New York, 2010) - Green, M, A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean, (Princeton, 2000). - Catholic Pirates and Greek Merchants, (Princeton, 2010) - ‘Resurgent Islam: 1500 – 1700’ in Abulafia, D. (ed.), The Mediterranean in History, (London, 2003), 219-249 - Luttrell, A., ‘Hospitaller Birgu: 1530-1536’, Crusades, Vol.II, (Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East) (2003), 121-150. - ‘The Rhodian Background of the Order of Saint John in Malta’, in J. Azzopardi (ed.), The Order’s Early Legacy in Malta, (Malta, 1989), 3-14. - Mallia-Milanes, V. (ed.), Hospitaller Malta 1530-1798: Studies on Early Modern Malta and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, (Malta, 1993). - Valentini, R., ‘I Cavalieri Di San Giovanni da Rodi a Malta: Trattative Diplomatiche’, Archivum Melitense, Vol. IX, No. 4, (1935), 137-237. - Wettinger, G., Slavery in the Islands of Malta and Gozo ca. 1000-1812, (Malta, 2002). - ‘Agriculture in Malta in the Late Middle Ages’, in Buhagiar, M. (ed.), Proceedings of History Week, 1981, (Malta, 1982), 1-48. - ‘Early Maltese Popular Attitudes to the Government of the Order of St. John’, Melita Historica, Vol. VI, No. 3, (1974), 255-278. - ‘Aspects of Daily Life in Late Medieval Malta and Gozo’, in Mallia-Milanes, V., & Fiorini, S. (eds.), Malta: A Case Study in International Cross Currents, (Malta, 1991). - ‘Wicc Malta qabel ma gie l-Ordni’ in Il-Malti, 2007. - Williams, A., ’Tripoli and the Knights of Malta Revisited’, in Xuereb, P. (ed.), Karissime Gotifride – Historical Essays Presented to Professor Godfrey Wettinger on his Seventieth Birthday, (Malta, 1999), pp. 97 -10. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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