A Maltese rural village in the first years of the Order’s rule – the case of Mosta (1530-1565)

Abstract

It was on 23 March 1530 that Emperor Charles V signed the decree by which the Maltese archipelago and the city of Tripoli were handed over to the Order of St John after seven years in which the Knights had wondered around Europe, homeless and rather disoriented. The island of Rhodes which they had lost by the Siege of Rhodes of 1522 was still quite fresh and vivid in their minds and the nostalgia for that lost home had kept· their hopes high that at some point they would return. However, at the moment this seemed a far-off dream and thus, after asking for some concessions from the Emperor, they reluctantly accepted the royal donation made to them. On 25 April 1530 the Order thus signed the legal document by which they accepted to take over Malta and make it their home. Though they wished not to include Tripoli, this was not permitted and the package had to be accepted as offered.