Direct employment of the Maltese with the Order of Saint John, 1775-1798

Abstract

In Malta we often hear the complaint that we know so much about the history of the Knights of St. John and so little about that of the Maltese people as such. The complaint is, in my opinion, justified, but the deficiency remains explicable. Abundant material concerning the Order is so readily available, while a good amount of documents directly connected with the history of the common people are in the possession of private families and inaccessible to the average research-worker. The idea behind my choice of subject has been precisely this: to throw a light, however faint it may be, on the living conditions of the average man in the street in Malta between 1775 and 1798.