https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/113932 2026-04-16T00:34:24Z 2026-04-16T00:34:24Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/118623 2025-01-17T15:18:56Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The early modern history of the Maltese harbour towns : Birgu, Bormla and Isla from 1530 to 1630 Abstract: The present study undertakes the writing of the early modern social history of Birgu, Bormla and Isla, and their communities from 1530 to 1630, a period which from 1566 was in parallel to the building of the new capital, Valletta. The purpose of this study is to show how Birgu, Bormla and Isla remained essential towns in the southern harbour area after the Order’s relocation in 1571. The first chapter sets out the context of the physical space of the port-towns, and traces the development of Bormla and Isla from hamlets to towns. It provides a review of the archival sources, the secondary literature, the theoretical framework, and approach applied. The following chapters argue for the development of a market economy in the port-towns in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, and for the presence of a ‘conspicuous consumption mentality’ for the case of clothing within the community. The third chapter tackles one of the most recurring and yet unresearched subjects for the harbour area: crime. It sets out to determine which town experienced the highest instances of crime recorded, and which type of crime emerges as the largest category of reported crime for each town. It also compares and contrasts the number of criminal instances in the towns under study, before and after the building of Valletta in 1571. The fourth chapter investigates the role and expansion of the early modern parishes of Birgu, Bormla and Isla from the parochial delimitations in place under the Order of St John. This is reached through four case studies: the first parish priest of Bormla, a Dominican Prior, an Abbess of Santa Scholastica, and the benefactors of the parish Church of Our Lady of Victory in Isla. The next chapter covers the administrative local government in Malta the Università. The first part explores the Order’s establishment of another Università on the island and traces the development of the nomenclature of the institution. The second part sets out to analyse the relationship between the elected jurats and the inhabitants of the towns, and through parish records it establishes a correlation between godfatherhood and jurats, with a particular focus on Rhodiot jurats. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/118621 2024-02-19T10:04:31Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Sustaining the island fortress of Malta during the Second World War Abstract: The main objectives of this dissertation are to examine and analyse the precise means by which Malta was sustained by the Allies during the Second World War. The primary focus of this study will be the years 1940 through 1943, which are crucial to understanding Malta's Second World War supply history. This dissertation will also try to shed new light on the supply organisations set up on Malta and the Middle East, which were vital in organising the successful supply of the island. The dissertation will also take a close look at the decisions made by the British top brass regarding the supply of Malta, how those choices were carried out, and how they impacted the provisioning of the island. Additionally, while convoys of ships transporting supplies were the primary and bestknown method of delivering supplies to Malta during the Second World War, this dissertation will also make an effort to thoroughly examine the numerous other strategies employed by the British to deliver supplies, equipment, and reinforcements to the beleaguered island. This dissertation is divided into eight chapters with each chapter dealing with one or part of the different supply periods of Malta’s supply history during the Second World War. The introductory chapter of this dissertation covers the pre-war period and the period leading up to 10 June 1940. This chapter will examine how preparations were made to supply Malta in the event that it was dragged into the Second World War and what was done and what was not done by the British top brass to prepare for this eventuality. The second chapter of this dissertation concentrates on the first supply period, which ran from June 1940 to September 1940, during which Malta was assaulted by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. This chapter will attempt to examine in detail the setting up of the supply organisations which helped to organise the supply of Malta during the war, as well as examining all of the important decisions made by the British high command during this initial supply period. The third chapter of this study will tackle the first phase of Malta’s second supply period which spanned from September 1940 until December 1940. This chapter will investigate how Malta was revictualed during this period which was the first time convoys began to arrive in the Grand Harbour. Further to this the chapter will strive to investigate the important decisions made by the British top brass to keep Malta sustained. The fourth chapter will look into the second phase of the second supply period of Malta’s supply history, which took place between January 1941 and May 1941. This chapter will examine in detail how Malta was supplied after the arrival of the German Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean, which caused great problems for the British in their efforts to keep the island provisioned. The fifth chapter will cover Malta’s third supply period which started in June 1941 and ended in September 1941. This chapter will look into how Malta was supplied during a time when it was once again only attacked by the Regia Aeronautica, due to the withdrawal of the Luftwaffe from Sicily which in-turn led the British to step-up their efforts to resupply the beleaguered island. The sixth chapter will look into the fourth supply period of Malta’s supply history, which was from October 1941 to April 1942. This chapter will explore how the British top brass attempted to provision Malta during this turbulent period which saw an ever decreasing amount of supply ships reaching the besieged island which was mainly due to the return of the Luftwaffe on Sicily. The seventh chapter will examine the fifth supply period which lasted from May 1942 until November 1942. This chapter will investigate the reasons why only one tanker and six ships were able to reach Malta during this supply period, as well as delving into the reasons for the catastrophic supply crisis that the island was experiencing at the time. The final and concluding chapter of this dissertation will talk about Malta's sixth supply period, which lasted from November 1942 to April 1943. This chapter will examine how the Allied successes in North Africa and the arrival of consecutive convoys in Malta helped to stabilise the supply situation, ultimately resulting in Malta's salvation. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/118619 2024-02-19T09:53:32Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The evolution of Anglo-Maltese relations before and during the Second World War (1936-1942) Abstract: The aim of this dissertation is to determine the reason why the Maltese nation answered the call to serve King and Country and suffered the tribulations of war, all in service to an Empire which had largely prioritised the maintenance of the military base on Malta over the wellbeing of the islanders. At face value, the British administration did not provide stable employment unless a ship was in harbour for mending, nor did it acknowledge the Maltese as equals, despite the island nation being acknowledged as a European nation with a deeply rooted Christian background. In the social hierarchy, British service personnel outranked their colonial counterparts, particularly in the Royal Navy where no Maltese was ever admitted as an officer despite possessing the qualifications. In the face of this reality, the emerging Italian Fascist state began campaigning for a united Mediterranean under the guise of its leadership. The Maltese scene had been dominated by the Language Question which saw the pro-Italian faction command much influence in local politics, society, and culture. It was therefore able to make quite a bit of noise in criticising the imperialists for their lack of consideration towards the ancient Italo-Maltese culture. Until the 1930s, the British did not see this group of people as a significant threat for the military base on Malta, however, they did see them as a nuisance which prevented the smooth execution of imperial interests. The Italian invasion of Abyssinia facilitated a change of approach in British colonial policy for Malta. Mussolini’s increased ambition in Africa and the Mediterranean facilitated the need for a change which necessitated absolute loyalty from the Maltese side. To ensure this loyalty, the British appointed the diplomatic yet stern Charles Bonham-Carter to govern Malta. BonhamCarter was tasked with going ahead with the anglicisation of the Maltese population and the removal of Italian cultural penetration. In his efforts, he paved the way for the creation of a colonial nation loyal towards the British war effort. The initial section of this written work consists of an introductory which gives the reader the historical context in terms of the diplomatic situation of the Mediterranean during the 1930s as well as that of the working of the Colonial Office during the period. The international situation both in terms of diplomacy and the decreasing popularity of imperialism convinced the British to change up their game as to how colonial policy should be conducted. The first chapter explains the methodology used to tackle the question as to how anglicisation was achieved in the years before and during the Second World War, and how it impacted the British perception of the Maltese. It goes over the primary sources used on which the research was based, namely government documentation, newspapers, autobiographies, memoirs, diaries, and testimonies. It also discusses some of the main secondary sources which supported my research. A small section is dedicated to the importance of digitising archival material as part of the evolution of historical research. The second chapter goes over the state of Anglo-Maltese interaction and the British perception of his Maltese counterparts throughout the colonial period until the 1930s. In this chapter the reader will become aware of the seclusion which existed between the British personnel and local Maltese, despite the two having inter-linked existence on Malta. The third chapter brings the reader to the Bonham-Carter administration during which time new policies were implemented to suppress Italian cultural penetration. It also establishes the means through which anglicisation took place, primarily in terms of education, language, social activities, the ideal of monarchy and civic duty, journalism and propaganda, and public relations. The fourth chapter covers the interim between the British declaration of war on Germany and Italy’s entry into the war. This chapter cover anglicisation in terms of getting the Maltese in the home front mentality and getting the colonial population to support the war effort by taking part in voluntary schemes and obeying new regulations. The last chapter focuses on the Siege of Malta between 1940 and 1942 during which time the main challenge for the colonial authorities was to keep up Maltese morale. This chapter goes over how the Maltese contribution to the war effort facilitated a sort of self-inflicted anglicisation which came about as part of the home front mentality. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/118617 2024-02-19T09:51:09Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots : women, power, and historiography in sixteenth century Europe Abstract: The sixteenth century holds an enigma, by which the latter half of the century was dominated by women. For the purpose of this dissertation, the primary focus is on Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and Queen Mary of Scotland (1542-1587). The reversed gendered roles altered the political and social structures of the time, consequentially affecting the European dynamic. The aim of this dissertation is to recapture the histories of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots through an analysis based on feminist theory in conjunction with gender theory. While both monarchs have had their respective histories analysed over the centuries, the current approach to women in power has in recent years emerged as a topic in need of reinterpretation. This is mainly attributed to a surge in awareness of female empowerment. In re-analysing the histories of the Queen of England and Scotland, this dissertation will be able to consolidate the past with the present approach to further understand women in terms of power. The purpose of this dissertation is to further enhance the histories of Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Stuart, by utilizing the doctrine of feminist and gender theories. The first chapter of this dissertation will act as an introduction to the study, by providing the reader with the fundamentals to the study of writing women’s history and a general historical context of the sixteenth century. This chapter will also include a review of the methodology and historiography utilised throughout this dissertation. The main part of this dissertation will be divided thematically, with the second chapter dedicated to power, focusing mainly on the queenship garnered at the Queen’s court by the Queens and her councillors. The third chapter will follow the question of religion, concerning the lives of Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Tudor and how the religious conflict affected their reigns. The penultimate chapter will focus on marriage, by primarily discussing various scenarios related to marriage or personal relationships of both Queens. The final chapter will serve as a conclusion, in which final remarks shall be discussed. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z