Maltese nobility (2) : under the Knights of St. John

Abstract

On March 23rd, 1530, Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Suzerain of Sicily and Malta ceded the Maltese Islands to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem on the condition that each year, the Grand Master ruling over Malta, should present a falcon to the Viceroy of Sicily as an acknowledgement of feudal fealty. This cession was in direct violation of the 1427 act of incorporation referred to in the previous article and was not at all welcomed by the Maltese, especially the Maltese Nobility. Initially, relations between the Order and the Nobility were very bad indeed; the Nobles regarded the Order as a foreign usurping power while the latter regarded the former as an arrogant nuisance and set about trying to clip their wings.