https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8008 2026-04-14T04:51:35Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/72130 Title: The cost of providing hospital care in Malta : 1733-1798 Abstract: In a sense, of the two roles of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, the military one is the junior role because it evolved later to support the first vocation to provide a refuge and nursing for pilgrims and the sick poor in the Holy Land. But the persistence and intensity of its participation in the military struggle against the Muslim in the eastern Mediterranean inevitably left deeper marks on the early modern world's perception of the Order. The successes in the siege of Malta and the sea battle near Lepanto a few years later further underscored its military prowess and image. The Knights themselves, however, still clung true to their original Hospitaller calling. Even during their near nomadic existence in 1522-30, when they were forced to move their base on several occasions, they started a hospital for the benefit of their Lords, the poor sick, wherever they could. These were all rather modest manifestations of their benevolence, reflecting the transience of their intended presence in that particular place. But once they felt firmly established on Malta, their new hospital was to be the emblem of the Order's renewal of its ancient Hospitaller traditions, showering munificence on the poor sick. The Sacra lnfermeria was modelled on the leading Italian Renaissance hospitals of the time, providing the best medical care science could provide to cure the body, and a pious environment that also brought comfort and salvation to the patients' soul. Despite the vast sums of money invested in developing fortifications and operating a navy, there was always enough left to operate the hospital and the other healthcare institutions. But around the middle of the eighteenth century, the word 'deficit' started to feature progressively more frequently in the Treasury's vocabulary. After the severe blow of the Loi Spoliateur in 1792 it became the salient subject. The Order was now in deep financial crisis and needed to find new ways to increase income and reduce expenditure. The Sacra lnfermeria cost much less than the navy or the fortifications to operate and maintain, but was arguably the least important in terms of the Order's own short term survival. How would this impact the Order's strategy on hospital care? What decisions were taken in relation to the Infirmary? Was any of the staff discharged to reduce costs? Where patients turned away, or worse turned out? Where any services discontinued? Where patients made to contribute to the cost of their treatment? Where the standards of care lowered in any way? The usual way to answer such questions would be to examine contemporary books, reports, and official and unofficial correspondence in which so-called independent sources would have expressed an opinion on the relevant points. Unfortunately, very few such testimonies exist, and those that do, apart from the usual concerns of competence, independence, prejudices, personal perceptions, hidden agenda, etc., only provide a single opinion at a specific point in time. No single source provides multiple opinions at different points in time to facilitate a before-and-after comparison where personal bias, etc., would at least be a constant. In this study I have tried to arrive at these answers through a different route. Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8742 Title: Gozo after the siege of Malta : a study of the acts of notary Tomaso Gauci, 1566-68 Abstract: Ever since I was introduced to History I have always been fascinated by the 'history from below', by that history which has to do with the people who actually lived the events which I studied along the years. My interest in this kind of history has deepened during the years which I have spent reading history at the University of Malta and thus when the time came for the writing of my dissertation, I could not but choose something which had to do with social history. Thus, the aim of this dissertation is to open a window, however small it may be, on the life in Gozo following the Siege of Malta, between 1566 and 1568. The main primary source for this work are the acts of Notary Tomaso Gauci, through which one is able to paint a cohesive picture of the society at the time. Coming from the mouths of the people, one gets to know certain experiences which these inhabitants went through and can then understand this society which had gone through so much in the previous twenty years. The 1560s were the years when the society of Gozo was being rebuilt after the disaster of 1551 and thus one gets a glimpse of the shape which this reconstruction was taking. The first chapter of this dissertation looks into the situation in Malta and Gozo in the 1560s, taking into account the coming of the Knights of St. John in 1530, the sacking of Gozo in 1551, the Great Siege of 1565 and the subsequent developments including the building of Valletta, and puts these events into a wider Mediterranean context. The second chapter considers the importance of the notarial archives as a primary source for the studying of history as well as gives a manuscript analysis. The third chapter deals with the social makeup of the population of Gozo and how this society was rebuilding itself. The fourth chapter focuses on the economic sector of society which was mainly based on agriculture but also incorporated other activities such as trade and corsairing. The fifth chapter is a general conclusion. Description: B.A.(HONS)HISTORY 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8721 Title: The development of the hospitaller commandery of St Oswald in Würzburg from 1200-1805 Abstract: In this dissertation I present a general overview of the commandery of Würzburg, starting with its foundation in 1192 and ending in 1806, following the annexation of the commandery by the Grand Duchy of Würzburg. There seem to be no studies thus far that relate to this particular commandery in depth, neither in German, nor English or Maltese and as such my research will largely be based on primary sources. It however seems prudent to provide a context in which a commandery, as the smallest administrative unit of the Order operated. This will be achieved using secondary sources as this area is, if not better documented, at least more researched. These documents are quite frequent during medieval times and clearly show the ups and downs the commandery experiences and the conflicts it has to ?fight? with the local church and lords. It also shows the strong papal support the Order of St John was experiencing and the backing of the kings of Germany. Predominant are financial issues that even lead to the selling of the commandery of Biebelried which after being rebought was combined with the commandery in Würzburg. From this one can gain an insight into the importance of a competent commander, as well as the process of a large landholder during medieval times. Description: B.A.(HONS)HISTORY 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8720 Title: Entertainment in Malta during the first half of the twentieth century : a study of the beginning and development of entertainment sectors within the Maltese society Abstract: The aim of this dissertation is to give a view of the different entertainment sectors in Malta during the beginning and the middle of the twentieth century. In my work I study the beginning and development of these sectors, and the role which different entertainment sectors played within Maltese social life. The interest in this subject commenced during my first year of studies when together with three fellow students we made a presentation about entertainment in Malta during the inter-war period. Immediately as I started to research the subject I noted that there were different sectors of entertainment which people from different levels of society attended. This topic started to fascinate me more and although the period which I had to tackle was entertainment during the inter-war period I still furthered my readings about this topic during different periods. For this reason, since I found this subject so much interesting, I decided that the topic of my dissertation would be about entertainment in Malta during the beginning and middle of the twentieth century. Description: B.A.(HONS)HISTORY 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z