The state of the Universita` of Mdina (Malta) in the early 1700s

Abstract

The introductory chapter describes the historiography of the subject and the documentary sources that are available. The first chapter then analyses the common origins, similarities and differences in structure and functions of the universitas of Sicily and of Mdina. The subsequent chapters discuss, in turn, the courts at Mdina that were run by the universita`, its principal officers and minor staff, the various functions entrusted to it, such as the fixing of maximum prices on commodities, and the institutions that were under its jurisdiction, namely the hospital of Santo Spirito, the cumoli di carita` and the massa delle vettovaglie. The later chapters deal with other aspects of the universita`, such as the revenues of the universita` derived from property, taxation and fines and the types of expenses incurred in performing its functions. The concluding chapter discusses the last years of the institutions until its abolition by the British Colonial Government in 1818.