Before Valletta, port activities prior to the Great Siege

Abstract

The aim of the following paper is to provide a micro-study of the daily lives and activities of the people who lived around the harbour area before the building of Valletta. The Notarial Archives, situated in Valletta, have lent themselves splendidly for this purpose and served to open up small windows on a world which would have otherwise been lost to present day generations. The contracts found there are not only representative of abstract agreements but on the contrary, they open up a whole world of emotions - fear, love, hate, revenge, friendship and trust to name a few. The first part of this paper discusses the merits and limits of using these primary sources for the study of history. Subsequently, the study shall be directed to evaluate the implications which Malta's novel role as the headquarters of the Order of St. John brought with it. What was the reaction of the local population to these new challenges? Was there any interaction between the established local merchant community and the new masters and their entourage? It is hoped that by answering such questions one may finally arrive to answer one last, but fundamental question; was the harbour area an 'isolated world' or a cosmopolitan city bursting with activity?