https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/3337 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:37:59 GMT 2026-06-08T09:37:59Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76520 Title: The Hospitaller commandery of the Santissima Trinita of Ferrara 1680-1790 : religious and economic aspects Abstract: This dissertation is about the Commandery of the Santissima Trinita in Ferrara. The period in focus spans 110 years, between 1680 and 1790. This is not an arbitrary period of time. It reflects the available primary sources in Malta. It is an interesting period leading to the virtual suppression of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in many places. The commandery system of the Order, grown from the carefully managed endowments and patronage of its benefactors over almost 6 centuries, was the resource backbone of the Order. The system provided all the resources required, money, recruits and temporal power through seigniorial rights and influence. The sudden upheaval brought on by the French Revolution and the ensuing loss of so many commanderies weakened the Order immeasurably. The consequences are well known. The present dissertation gives some insight into the management of just one of these commanderies. A small commandery of the Grand Priory of Venice, situated within the city of Ferrara, a Legation of the Pope. During the period under discussion, the Counter Reformation had rallied the power of the Roman Catholic Church and the Order as a Military Religious Order of the same church was well established and enjoyed privileges and exemptions of its own. However, not all was well. Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76520 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76517 Title: Women in Hospitaller Malta : 1565-1610 Abstract: This dissertation focuses on the role of women in the later half of the sixteenth century following the Siege of 1565 and the Council of Trent. The choice of period needs some explanation. These years form a distinct period: that of 'early modem Europe', characterized by the spread of Renaissance culture, voyages of discovery as well as religious conflicts with the Reformation and Counter-Reformation taking place. This was a period during which Malta was undergoing cultural, social and economic changes, with the definitive settling down of the Order of St John on the island. Yet, for women - especially for Maltese women - the process moved at a different pace and differed from that of the mainstream population. So, how did women, particularly Maltese women, live this phase in history? The role of Maltese women will be examined vis-a-vis that of their European counterparts. Different kinds of women's lives are examined, including the lives and experiences of women whose social status diverged from the norm. This dissertation focuses mainly on the social aspect of women living in this period because as McGrath points out: The human body is constructed, not born. The concepts and in part the material facts of our bodies are socially/linguistically produced and can be socially/linguistically changed. The body always functions by reference to historically situated and politically motivated texts . Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76517 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76513 Title: Fra Marcello Sacchetti, Hospitaller ambassador to the Papal states : his official correspondence Abstract: Once his caravane was over and hopefully, with great expectation acquired a longed-for commandery, a knight could possibly find himself designated to fulfil his duties as an ambassador. The Knights were endowed with gargantuan wealth in Catholic Europe. Discords and conflicts invariably arose with monarchs and the Papacy who intermittently sought to gain possession of the Order's valuable Italian commanderies to confer them at their whim to their favourites or retain them for themselves. The pontificate of Innocent XI, who was well disposed towards the Order in view of his ambition to unite Christian princes against the traditional enemy, proved to be a welcome respite. nut the crusading ideal was an anachronism and the Order could easily become a relic from an idealistic past. One can conclude that thanks to the able skill of the ambassadors, among other factors, the Order's sovereignty was still widely acknowledged towards the end of the seventeenth century. The ambassadors' 'sensitivity to all the subtleties of diplomacy' earned them great recognition Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76513 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76512 Title: A study on the correspondence between Grand Master Despuig and the ambassador to the Holy See De Schade 1736-1741 Abstract: This dissertation seeks to uncover what was going on between the Catalan Grand Master Despuig (1736-1741) and the Holy See. The main primary sources used for this dissertation are the correspondence between the Grand Master and the Ambassador to the Holy See de Schade. The events that occurred in the Sacra Rota Romana regarding disputes over commanderies, corso and religious affairs are the main points that this dissertation tries to unveil and to add to our knowledge. Other important points that come out from this dissertation concern the knights as individual members of the Order and what they were interested in during their career as knights of the Order of St. John. Given the fact that during this period there were a number of aristocratic families who worked hand in hand with the higher authority of the Roman Catholic Church, this dissertation seeks to unveil what were their intensions and what was their interest in the Order of St. John. The magistracy of Despuig started in December 1736 after his predecessor Grand Master Manoel who was beloved by all the [people of Malta died due to severe bad health. He suffered from difficulties in the passage of urine, colds, fever, lack of appetite and vomiting. Description: M.A.HOSPITALLER STUD. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/76512 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z