German, French and Spanish rule ends with the ceding of Malta to Knights of St. John

Malta remained under German rule from 1194 until 1266 in a period where western influence diminished the imprint of the Muslim population. The population continued to grow with immigrants arriving from the northern areas of what is now Italy and from the nearby island of Sicily. The entire male population of Celano, Sicily, was exiled to the island in 1223, and a garrison was established in 1240. In 1224 all remaining Muslims who were not Moors were expelled from the country. Malta was declared a marquisate, and a fortified garrison was established.

Philippe Villiers de L’Isle-Adam takes possession of the island of Malta, 26 October 1530. | WIKIMEDIA

Around 1240 or 1241, a report written by Gililberto Abbate, who was the royal governor of Frederick II, noted that the islands of Malta and Gozo had 836 Muslim families, 250 Christian families and 33 Jewish families. Somewhere around 1249, a group of Maltese Muslims were sent to the Italian colony of Lucera which had been established for Sicilian Muslims. This event is considered, by some historians, to mark the end of Islam in Malta though there would still be Muslims on the island who, by the end of the 15th century, were forced to convert to Christianity and had to find ways to mask their previous identities by adopting new surnames. Arab rule greatly influenced much of the culture and buildings which remains to this day.

In 1266 the island became a fiefdom under Charles of Anjou, the brother of King Louis IX of France. He imposed high taxes, and a previous fragile religious coexistence was threatened by his intolerance of any religion other than Catholicism. When he attacked the republic of Genoa in 1275 the island of Gozo was invaded and pillaged. In nearby Sicily, a large revolt (The Sicilian Vespers) followed, and Malta fell under the rule of the Arogenese in 1282. Once again, events off the island would change the destiny of Maltwa’s populace.

Under Spanish rule various relatives of Aragone rulers were given the title of “Count of Malta” By 1397 there was a fight for the title between two families and the King abolished the title only to later reinstate it. This led to an uprising led by local nobility and the Maltese populace pledged their loyalty to the Sicilian Crown. By 1409 the island was once again under the rule of the king and not his delegates and the city of Mdina was given the title of Città Notabile.

In September 1429, Muslims from the Middle East made another attempt to capture Malta but were defeated by the Maltese. They did, however, ransack the countryside and took about 3,000 citizens as slaves.

In 1530, Emperor Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain, ceded the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John. Once more the island’s populace found themselves under the control of a different foreign ruler. Maltese citizens recognized the order would bring protection and some prosperity under the Knights control and they coexisted fairly peacefully for over 200 years.

Next month: The abiding impact of the Knights of Malta.