Women in early sixteenth-century Malta

Abstract

The following dissertation, as the title suggests, will examine the role of women in Malta in the first half of the sixteenth century, at a time when the island was going through a period of political transition, with the arrival of the Knights Hospitallers on the island in 1530. This study wills incorporate the role of women in Malta into the broader Mediterranean framework. The role of women vis-a-vis the local religious framework and the teachings of the Church will also be examined. The dissertation will focus mainly on the social and economic position of Maltese women during this period. Each chapter will tackle the condition of women at different stages of their life cycle, i.e. as daughters, wives, mothers and widows. The role of women outside married life will also be discussed with special reference to nuns, slaves and concubines. What follows is a discussion of some definitions and standardisations of terms, made, in an attempt to ensure a better understanding of the subject under examination.