Ms.

S.E

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Form

3

His

tory

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1. The New City: Valletta

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

Imdina, economy, courtyard, Pope Pius V, seawater, Europe, drainage,

Sicily , Laparelli, Turks, politics, King Philip II, Xebb ir-Ras, Birgu, Grand

Harbour, La Vallette

During the Great Siege an important lesson had been learnt because the

experiences of the Great Siege had shown that if any attacker got hold of the

"Sciberras" Peninsula (as the Turks did in

1565), Malta would be lost. Therefore, ____

________ decided to eliminate this threat

by constructing an entirely new fortified city

on the "Sciberras" (also known as "_______

______") Peninsula.

At the same time La Vallette's wish to have a new centre or city for the Knights

of Malta would be accomplished. So his idea was to have a new fortified city on

this Peninsula which could protect better the entrance to the________

_________.

La Vallette, a cultured man with vision, decided that the

new city should not only serve as a powerful fort, but

should also become a strongpoint of culture, ________

and _________ in the world. He therefore decided

that Valletta should become "a city built by gentlemen

for gentlemen." In honour of its founder, it was to be

known as Valletta. It was to become Malta's capital city

instead of__________.

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_______ _________ ____ sent his military engineer and famous Italian

architect Francesco Laparelli (one of the best in Europe at the time) to help in

the design of the new city and gave the Knights a great deal of money for the

building of their new city. ______ _______ ___ of Spain and the King

Sebastian of Portugal also sent money. Other princes sent weapons.

________ designed the bastions

surrounding the new city. At first he

was going to have winding streets. The

idea was abandoned and instead he

chose to have parallel streets crossing

each other in the form of a grid. Work

started immediately because the

Knights wanted to have the city ready as

soon as possible for it was rumoured

that the ________ were preparing

another army to attack on Malta.

On March 28th 1566, the foundation stone was laid in position by Grand Master

La Vallette himself. Donations flowed in from all over ________ and the city of

Valletta soon began to take shape. Thousands of slaves together with specially

chosen workers from _______ and day labourers from the surrounding villages

crowded the hills of "Sciberras" Peninsula. The area was levelled and drainage

was built.

Laparelli built a garbage disposal and a _________ system. The city was laid

out on a regular grid-plan with broad underground ditches and channels. This

meant that the inhabitants could simply throw their garbage into a pit in their

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_________ and every morning an army of slaves would come round to collect

the waste. Twice a day, the ditches were flushed with fresh _________ while

drain water was directed into remote parts of the sea by a separate pipe

system, thus saving Valletta's inhabitants from the suffocating decay, which

infested most other European cities.

The Grid Design

Also unique, was the "grid-iron," street

alignment, planned to allow the breezes free

entry to the city, in order to lower the heat

during the summer time. In the previous

capital, "________", the Knights of Malta had

suffered greatly from the soaring heat of

those summer months.

Planning Regulations

1. Buildings were not allowed to be extended out into the street.

2. Front gardens and gaps between houses were forbidden.

3. Every building had to have a sculpture on each corner.

4. Each house had to be equipped with a well to collect rainwater.

5. Every house had to be connected to the public drainage system.

The Maltese Creator of Valletta

After Laparelli left Malta in 1570, his able Maltese assistant, Glormu Cassar,

continued the work. Cassar's name, rather more than Laparelli the planner, is

associated with the city. As a masterpiece of construction, Valletta became a

centre of political, economic and cultural life in Europe, in which trade,

handicrafts and the arts flourished.

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2. Building Valletta

The Grand Master didn’t live to see the completion of

the new city because he died in 1568. His successor,

Pietro del Monte continued with the work at the same

pace. By 1571, the Knights transferred their quarters

from Vittoriosa (Birgu) to their new capital.

Glormu Cassar

Architect Laparelli left Malta in 1570. He was

replaced by his assistant Glormu Cassar, who had

spent some months in Rome, where he had observed

the new style of buildings. Cassar designed and

supervised most of the early buildings, including the

Sacra Infermeria, St John's Co-Cathedral, the

Grandmaster's Palace and the seven Auberges.

By the 16th century, people from all parts of the island went to live within its

safe fortifications especially as Mdina, until then Malta's capital, lost much of

its lure.

In the ensuing years, the style of Cassar's structures gave way to the more

lavish palaces and churches with graceful facades and rich sculptural motifs.

The new city, with its strong fortresses and deep ditches, became a

fortification of great strategic importance. Based on a more or less uniform

grid, some of the streets in Valletta fall steeply as you get closer to the tip of

the peninsula. The stairs in some of the streets do not conform to normal

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dimensions since they were constructed in a way so as to allow knights in heavy

armour to be able to climb the steps.

Match the buildings with their respective name.

The Sacra Infermeria

St John's Co-Cathedral

The Grandmaster's Palace

Auberge de (of) Castille

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3. Il-Mandragg

On the 18th March 1571, Grand Master Pietro del Monte moved the

headquarters of the Order to the new city Valletta. The last areas to be

developed in the new city were the Mandraggio, and the area of the Ghetto

Valley (the area now bounded by Marsamxett Road, St. Sebastian Road, Old

Bakery Street and St. Christopher Street).

The development of the Mandraggio was

delayed because the stone for the

construction of the city was cut from this

area, with the main objective of forming a

sheltered basin within the fortifications.

The plan was subsequently abandoned, and the area was developed.

Between 1575 and 1600, a number of

shacks and rooms were being built in

the Mandraggio, none of which

followed any conformity to the grid-

iron plan of Valletta. Most buildings

were inhabited by workers who came

to Valletta during its building boom

and even later to seek their fortune in

the new city. Many scraped a living doing any work that could be found. Others

were unemployed and turned to crime, which was common amongst the poor in

any European city of the time.

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The houses in the Mandraggio continued to increase which gave the area a

totally different ambience from the rest of the city; its streets were nothing

but a labyrinth of narrow and dark alleys. Poverty and all that goes with it

prevailed. Due to the height discrepancy, some of the houses close to the

fortification were as high as eight floors high, while those on higher grounds

were only of two floors.

4. Beautiful Valletta

By the 16th century, Valletta had grown

into a sizeable city. People from all parts

of the island went to live within its safe

fortifications. In the years that

followed, the style of Cassar's

structures gave way to the more lavish

palaces and churches with graceful

facades and rich sculptural motifs.

With its brilliant baroque architecture and floodlit bastions, numerous beautiful

churches, palaces and lively people, Valletta is a delightful city.

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Glormu Cassar was the architect who continued the work on the city when

Laparelli left. Combining the two architects work, Valletta remains the beautiful

and elegant baroque city they imagined. Valletta suffered greatly with World

War II as well as in the hands of successive governments who perhaps could

have done more to maintain it but the

two original architects vision still

manages to shine through.

Various restoration projects are in

progress, in preparation for Valletta

as European City of Culture in 2018.

5. Important buildings in the City

The Palace of the Grand Masters

The Palace of the Grand Masters, currently known as the Presidential Palace,

was built in the late 16th century to the design of the Maltese architect Glormu

Cassar.

The first structure on this site

was built during the reign of

Grandmaster Jean de La Cassiere

(1572-1581) in order to serve as

the Grandmaster's Palace.

Subsequent Grandmasters enlarged

and embellished the original

structure until it took its present shape during the mid-18th century. Following

the French occupation between 1798 and 1800 The Palace was taken over by the

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British administration, thereby serving as the Palace of the Governor. It also

saw Malta's constitutional

development as it was the seat

of Malta's first Constitutional

Parliament in 1921 and, following

Independence in 1964, the seat

of Parliament and also of the

Head of State.

Today, the Palace continues to serve as a vibrant center of political and

administrative activity.

The auberges

Being away from their country of origin, many Knights of the Order of St. John

would probably have felt homesick without their hostels in Malta, the auberges.

Each of the eight European territories that were present in the Order built its

own auberge, which served as accommodation for its members but also for

pilgrims and visitors from its home country. Moreover, the hostels were used

for meetings, dining and other social activities.

After the foundation of Valletta in 1566, the Order obviously had to “move”

their auberges to the new city. Therefore, new hostels had to be constructed

for all languages with the exception of the English one, which was forced to

disband due to the Reformation of 1534. The Maltese architect Glormu Cassar

was commissioned with the design of the seven auberges.

Each langue was responsible for the financing of the building, and it was

supposed to build the auberge in a certain part of Valletta, namely near the

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section of the fortification where the langue was responsible for the defence

of the new city. At the same time, the hostels had to have a central location.

The Auberge was administered by a grand gentleman knight known as the bali,

also known as the Grand Conservator, who was responsible for the purchasing of

food and clothing and for the provision of transport and everything necessary

for both the hospitals and the troops.

The eight Auberges

1. Auberge D’Allemagne was

demolished to make room for

the Anglican Cathedral of St

Paul.

2. Auberge D’Auvergne was

demolished during the war

and it has now been replaced

by the Law Courts.

3. Auberge De France was also demolished during the war and it has now been

replaced by the Worker’s Memorial Building.

4. Auberge De Castille et Leon, by far the most magnificent of the eight,

today houses the Office of the Prime Minister.

5. Auberge D’Aragon, just opposite the former Auberge D’Allemagne today

houses the Ministry for Home Affairs.

6. Auberge D’Italie today houses the Malta Tourism Authority, having housed

the Law Courts in former times.

7. Auberge De Provence today houses the National Museums of Archaeology.

8. Auberge De Baviere et Angleterre today houses the main offices of the

GPD, having been a Primary School in former times.

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The Cathedral of St. John

This was the convent church of the Knights of the Order of St John. It was

designed by our Maltese architect Glormu Cassar between the years 1573 and

1577. The Knights of the Order of St John were essentially a religious order.

They took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Before Valletta was built

the Order of St John lived in Vittoriosa and used the parish church of St

Lawrence as their convent church.

The facade of St John's Co

Cathedral is more like a fort

as Cassar had helped with

the planning of Valletta and

he always had this thing in

mind - defence. But from

the inside St John's is a

splendid baroque and, quite

breath-taking to take in,

after the severe exterior.

Although the facade is not so impressive it has, albeit, some interesting

features. On the right are three clocks - one shows the time, one shows the day

of the week and the other shows the date.

In the middle is a balcony with balustrades. From this balcony was announced

the name of the newly-elected grand-master. It was customary for the grand-

master to throw golden coins on the people who were waiting in the square for

the news. Under the balcony are three coat of arms. One is of Grand Master La

Cassiere, who paid for the building of the Cathedral, one is of Bishop Torres

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who opened the Cathedral and the third is the coat of arms of religion. The

columns on the main door are Tuscan, therefore massive and impressive.

The Sacra Infermeria

The Sacra Infermeria (Holy Infirmary) occupies a large site which overlooks

the Grand Harbour, very near Fort St. Elmo. This hospital, one of the first

buildings of Valletta, started to function in 1574 under Grand Master Jean de la

Cassiere. Originally, it consisted of a

large ward. Under the rule of Grand

Master Nicholas Cottoner (1663 - 80),

the hall was enlarged; and in 1712 Grand

Master Perellos commissioned a new

building alongside Merchants Street,

which included a chapel and a pharmacy.

The infirmary provided about 900 beds

for male patients who included knights,

soldiers, sailors and foreigners. Maltese

patients and slaves were accommodated

in another large hall below the Main

Ward.

When the Knights were forced to leave

the Island in 1798, Napoleons' troops

used the hospital for their own

personnel. The British, who took over

Malta's government in 1800, renamed the Infirmary 'Station Hospital', and

used it as such until the end of the First World War.

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6. The shift in time

Fast forward a few centuries and

the city built by gentlemen for

gentlemen came under the

_______ troops. The French

domination of the Maltese islands

was short and turbulent. The

troops were initially welcomed by

the Maltese. However, this was

prompted more by a growing dislike

of the rulers, the Order of St. John, than by any real affection for the

revolutionary ideals of France.

The French troops remained in Malta

until __________ 1800 when they

surrendered to the _______ forces who

had been called in to assist the Maltese

in gaining their freedom. The British

fleet entered Grand Harbour, marking

the start of a century and a half of

British rule.

Building projects in Valletta resumed

under British rule. These projects included widening ________, demolishing and

rebuilding structures, widening newer _______ over the years, and installing

civic projects. But air raids throughout World War II caused much destruction.

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The _______________ _________,

constructed at the city entrance in the

19th century, was one of the buildings lost

to the raids.

World War II brought chaos to Malta.

_________ was badly battered by the

________, but the city withstood the terrible blow and, within a few years, it

rose again. During the post-war years, Valletta lost many of its citizens who

moved out to more modern houses in other localities and its population

decreased to 9,000 ____________.

However, in the last few

years many individuals with

a flair for unique

___________ are trickling

back into the city and

investing in old properties.

Valletta, the smallest

capital of the _________

________, is now the

island’s major commercial

and financial centre and is

visited daily by many tourists who are eager to experience the city’s rich

________.

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7. Preserving and Restoring the Heritage of the Knights

Church of Our Lady of Victory

Our Lady of Victory Church is the first

building and the first church of Valletta. La

_________, Grand Master of the Order of

Knight of Malta, dedicated it to Blessed

________ after his victory over the

Ottoman invader at the lifting of the Great

Siege on the eve of 8 September 1565,

annual feast of the Nativity of the

Virgin. When he died in 1568, La Valette

was buried in the crypt below the church.

In 1716, Grand Master _________ (1697

to 1720) commissioned the magnificent vault paints of the Life of the Virgin by

Alessio Erardi.

The splendid baroque facade,

with its bronze bust of Pope

Innocent XII was added in 1752

by order of Grand Master

_________ (1741-1773). In

2000 a joint project was set up

between Din l-______

__________, the Valletta Rehabilitation Project and the Museums Department

to carry out restoration work on the structure and the paintings. Shortly

afterwards restoration was carried out on the roof and part of the belfry. The

restoration of the external structure was completed in 2004.

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Notre Dame de Liesse Church

The Notre Dame De

Liesse church at

Valletta was first

built in 1620 and

rebuilt between

1737 and 1740 after

the design of

Architect Andrea

________ and under

the supervision of the capo maestro Clement _________. The church was

severely damaged in the Second World War during which 85% of buildings were

damaged or destroyed, but was reopened for worship in 1952. The architectonic

detail for which this church is most renowned is its dome, designed in a way so

that it could be visually admired from a higher view-point such as the

_________ Barrakka. The works included the restoration of this dome since

rainwater was seeping through the inner structure of the church.

Significant restoration work was done on the ________ because of the dust

and corrosion which accumulated over the years. Other works included the

restoration of the bell-tower, the church facade, the rebuilding of the ceiling

of the sacristy which had been in danger of collapsing.

National library

The idea of a public Library in Malta originated in 1555. But it was not until

1776, that the formal foundation of a ___________ ________ was decreed at

the Chapter General of the Order convened by Grand Master Emmanuel de

________. The building, situated in the heart of Malta’s capital city, Valletta,

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was completed in 1796 but two years

later the Order of St. John was

expelled from Malta by Napoleon and

during the French 2-year period, the

books remained at their former

premises. It was only in 1812 – during

the British administration – that the new premises were officially inaugurated

by the British Civil Commissioner, Sir Hildebrand __________.

After the restoration of the

building’s façade, a long-

term project is being carried

out with the aim to restore

numerous priceless books

found at the National

Library to their original

condition.

Fortifications

Malta has often been called the ‘_________ ________ ' due to the great

mass of military architecture that can be seen everywhere. This is a legacy of

the islands' history

which saw them being

fought over, time and

again, due to their

strategic location and

deep, safe harbours.

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The fortifications that can be seen today come from two distinct periods: those

of the ____________ and those of the _________ era. These imposing

reminders of the islands' wartime past fascinate not only because they are a

feat of military engineering, but also because they are reminiscent of an age of

chivalry, crusading, heroism and legendary battles.

To this end, four major sites were chosen for restoration, namely the land front

of the fortified city of VALLETTA, Malta’s most important work of military

architecture, the fortresses of ___________ and ___________, and the

________________ in Gozo.

8. Fortifications

The fortification of Valletta had top priority. The most important element of

this was the huge ditch, which ran between the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett

Harbour, separating Valletta from the mainland. Almost 1,000 metres long, 20

metres wide and 18 metres deep, this would afford Valletta the greatest

protection. Within the short space of 5 years, the workers, often more than

8,000 a day, managed to complete the imposing fortifications and bastions

around Valletta that can be seen nowadays.

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Fort St Angelo

According to legend, the fort stands on the site of a fortified Roman

settlement.

When the Knights arrived on the Island

in 1530, the Fort became the seat of

the Grand Master of the Order. It was

to play a heroic role in the Great Siege

of 1565, when, against all odds, it

managed to resist the Turks. The epic

resistance of the Knights during the

three-month siege gave the Fort its

legendary status.

Fort St Elmo

Guarding the approaches to both

Grand and Marsamxett Harbours is

Fort St Elmo. It was the scene of a

heroic defence during the Great

Siege of 1565.

When the Knights arrived in Malta,

Mount Sciberras, on which Valletta

was later to stand, was a rocky headland with a small fort built in 1488 during

Aragonese rule of the Islands. The Knights set about reinforcing the fort's

defences to the extent that this once small fort managed to repel a month of

attack from the Ottomans at the outset of the Great Siege. It was eventually

captured with the loss of 1500 Knights and local defenders. But testimony to

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the Fort's strength is the fact that the attackers lost four times that number

of men in taking the St Elmo. When the siege was over, the victorious Knights

rebuilt Fort St Elmo and strengthened further its defences.

Fort Manoel

Fort Manoel is a fortification located

on Manoel Island in Marsamxett

Harbour to the north west of Valletta

and commands the entrance to

Marsamxett Harbour and the

anchorage of Sliema Creek.

Fort Rinella

British Royal Engineers built Fort

Rinella between 1878 and 1886 at

a time when the Islands were

threatened by the supremacy of

the Italian navy. The fort was

therefore equipped with a massive

100-ton gun as a coastal battery,

designed to become the world’s

largest cannon.

During WWII, the fort served as a coastal watching point for the British

forces. The fort museum depicts the life of the British barracks based here

and shows how the great gun was operated. It also houses a collection of

militaria and ordnance.

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Fort Tigné

Fort Tigné was begun in 1793 and

was a very small work by

eighteenth century standards,

actually more of a large redoubt,

but its design was probably the

most revolutionary and influential

of all the fortifications built by

the knights in Malta.

Designed by the Order’s chief engineer, Stephan de Tousard, its most

important features were the lack of bastions. The new style of fortification

known as the polygonal system, of

which Fort Tigné is one of the

earliest examples, was to dominate

the art of military architecture

through most of the following

century. Fort Tigné was the last

major work of fortification built by

the Order in Malta.

Coastal Towers

For centuries the coastline of Malta has been dotted with lookout posts or

watch towers that were built by the Knights during the 17th century. These

towers were manned nightly to watch the seaward approaches and to raise the

alarm in the event of imminent threat. The positioning of these towers was

planned as such so that one could see both neighbouring towers, which acted as

an early warning system against invaders. As soon as one tower spotted a

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suspicious event, a fire signal was started which was picked up by the

neighbouring towers, in so doing carrying on the message.

Wignacourt Towers

A total of seven towers were built under

order of Grand Master Fra Alof de

Wignacourt, of which five remain today. The

Wignacourt towers were the first to be built,

and the Maltese watch tower grid was to be

expanded by the Grand Master’s two

successors.

The Wignacourt Towers:

St Lucian Tower – Marsaxlokk

St Thomas Tower – Marsascala

St. Paul’s Bay Tower – St. Paul’s Bay

St Mary’s Tower – Comino (island)

Marsalforn Tower – Gozo (demolished)

Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower – Xhajra

(demolished)

Lascaris Towers

Under the reign of Grand Master Juan de

Lascaris-Castellar, seven towers were built in the

period 1637 – 1640. As well as Wignacourt, Grand

Master Lascaris paid for the building of these

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towers out of his own pocket, such was his dedication to fortifying Malta’s

coastal defences. With the exception of St. Agatha’s Tower in Mellieha (built in

Wignacourt’s style), the Lascaris towers are smaller than Wignacourt’s and

consisted of two storeys, a flat roof and a parapet. On some of the Lascaris

towers a cannon was positioned.

The Lascaris Towers:

Ta’ Lippija Tower – Gnejna Bay

Ghajn Tuffieha Tower – Ghajn Tuffieha Bay

Nadur Tower – Bingemma (Malta)

Qawra Tower – Qawra (also known as Ta’ Fra Ben tower)

St. George’s Bay Tower – St. Julian’s

Wied iz-Zurrieq Tower – Zurrieq

St. Agatha’s Tower – Mellieha (built in Wignacourt style)

De Redin’s Towers

When Grand Master Lascaris died aged 97, having ruled for 21 years, he was

succeeded by Grand Master Marino de Redin, a Frenchman. He was a seasoned

soldier and diplomat who was deeply concerned about the Island’s security and

vulnerability to seaward attack.

Aware of the deficiencies of the existing system, de Redin devised a coast-

guarding plan whose main features were:

Each tower would be inter-visible and able to communicate with its

neighbours by day or night

Each tower would be manned by 4 man on a daily 24 hour guard basis. The

guardsmen would be equipped with a musket and paid a regular monthly

salary

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Each tower would be mounted with a small gun.

Grand Master de Redin built thirteen such towers at his own expense at key

tactical sites in Malta, starting from Mellieha in the North, eastwards to

Zonqor, round to Benghajsa and ending near Zurrieq.

The cost of the thirteen towers amounted about €1,246 today, making the

average cost of each tower about €96.

De Redin Towers:

Ghajn Hadid Tower – Ghajn Hadid cliffs near Mellieha

Għallis Tower – Salina Bay

St. Mark’s Tower or Qalet Marku Tower – Bahar ic-Caghaq

Madliena Tower – Madliena

St.Julians Tower – St. Julian’s

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Ahrax (White) Tower – near Armier Bay at the Northern most tip of Malta

Benghisa Tower – Benghisa

Triq Il-Wisgha Tower – towards the East of Valletta

Xrob l-Ghagin Tower – near Marsaxlokk

Delimara Tower – Delimara point, near Pretty Bay, Birzebbuga

Zonqor Tower

Hamrija Tower – close to Siggiewi

Wardija Tower – between Zurrieq and Hal Far

Unfortunately the successor Grand Masters after de Redin did not share the

enthusiasm for building new towers and by the late 17th century the watch

towers had fallen into disrepair, but eventually did receive attention and were

maintained for future generations (and rulers of the Maltese islands).

Coastal batteries

Coastal fortifications were an

important component of the

Order’s defensive strategy

throughout the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries.

Initially, the Knights defensive

scheme was conceived as a sort

of early-warning system

intended to warn of approaching danger but this strategy was eventually

augmented, by the end of the eighteenth century, with a wider network of

defensive positions redesigned to serve as a series of physical obstacles against

invasion.

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When the knights took possession of

the Maltese islands in 1530, they were

unwilling to construct any but the

most essential defensive works and,

right up to the end of the

cinquecento, the Order confined its

attention primarily to the fortification of the harbour area. As far as the

defence of the coastline was concerned, the Hospitallers continued to rely upon

the same system of militia watch-posts that had long since been employed by

the Maltese. Few military outposts were erected beyond the Harbour area until

the turn of the seventeenth century when the knights embarked upon a spree of

tower-building but it was the eighteenth century, however, which was to witness

the heaviest and most widespread investment in coastal works of fortification.

Although many of the batteries which took root around the islands' shores,

materialized in the years 1715–16, the idea for these French style coastal

defences had been first mooted in 1714.

9. Renaissance: Art and Architecture

The French word renaissance,

meaning rebirth, is used to

describe a period of Western

European history between the 15th

and 17th centuries. Before the

Renaissance, Europeans lived in a

period we call the Middle Ages.

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Middle Ages

Europeans were concerned with the church and religion.

Everyone’s activities centered on getting to heaven.

No individualism.

Black Death a plague during the Middle Ages killed one third of Europe's

people.

Black Death made most European

scary.

To escape the danger, at least in

their minds, people turned to God and

the church.

Renaissance

Europe experienced financial, artistic, social,

scientific and political growth.

A rebirth that occurred throughout most of

Europe but the changes that we associate with

the Renaissance first occurred in the Italian city

of Florence.

Much of the financial growth was used to support

the creation of art and architecture.

New materials, subjects and techniques established during the Renaissance

remain with us today.

New trade routes across the Atlantic Ocean aided by innovations in

navigation and cartography led explorers to sources of exotic foods, spices,

silks, gold and silver. Significant inventions and advancements were made in

mathematics, machinery, medicine, astronomy and physics.

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Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance

Occurred first.

o Focused on the city-states of

northern Italy and Rome.

o Interested in human

achievement (instead of religious or

spiritual achievement).

o Figures in their artwork looked

like Greek or Roman gods, i.e. perfect.

Tended to be more worldly with

a great emphasis on secular pursuits,

the humanities, and the arts.

Knowledge was the key.

Occurred later.

Regions of Northern Europe.

England, Spain, France, the

Netherlands.

Focus was more religious.

Many sought religious reform

and a return of the Church to its true

mission and spirituality.

Figures believed that education

and literacy were key to social and

religious reform.

Advocated the translation of

the scriptures into the vernacular

languages.

Medieval art Renaissance art

No perspective

No proportion

Little kid drawings?

Many religious themes.

Shows how central religion was.

Everyday scenes

More realistic

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Major innovations of the Renaissance

Printing Press

1455

Moveable type printing

Developed in Germany

Associated with Gutenburg

1456 the first Gutenburg Bible was printed

Printing press allowed for the spread of

knowledge and ideas throughout Europe

The Clock

The idea of quantification developed

The universe came to be conceived in more

quantifiable terms (measurable terms)

Allowed for more precise measurements

Changed the focus of daily life which had

been guided by the rhythms of the Church

10. Renaissance: Impact on Malta

Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

1608

Saint John's Co-Cathedral, La Valletta

This is the most important painting that

Caravaggio made in Malta. It is still in the

Oratorio di San Giovanni (now St John

Museum) in La Valletta. This is one of

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Caravaggio's most extraordinary creations, for many it is his greatest

masterpiece.

St Jerome Writing

1607

Caravaggio depicts the saint seated on

his bed, writing. St Jerome is known

for translating the bible from Greek

into Latin. On the table is one modest

volume in which he writes. Placed close

to the edge of the table are a stone, a

skull and a crucifix.

The coat-of-arms on the painting is that of Fra Ippolito Malaspina. It was after

his death that this painting was donated to the chapel of Italy in the church of

St John.

11. The Maltese village and the Maltese life

During the Order's rule, the

population of the Maltese Islands

increased considerably from

approximately 25,000 in 1530 to

91,273. A large number of churches

were built in the towns and villages on

the designs of Maltese architects such as Glormu Cassar and his son Vittorio,

Tommaso Dingli and Lorenzo Gafa'.

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These churches were embellished with works of art, the product of foreign and

Maltese artists, such as Mattia Preti, Stefano and Alessio Erardi and Frencesco

Zahra.

The rapid growth of Valletta in the

end of the 16th century had an

opposite effect on the surrounding

towns. The Three Cities were

temporarily depressed, but with the

revival of the island's economy and

the increase in population, all urban

areas around the harbours began to grow. In contrast to the urban growth,

which took place around the harbours, the older, inland urban centres failed to

prosper. For example, the rise of Valletta led to a decline in status and

population of Mdina.

A Changing Pattern of Villages

In 1632, Malta had

approximately thirty-five villages

and hamlets (communities). By 1798

there were twenty four. The larger

places prospered and grew. Small

places shrank and some were

abandoned.

There were three classes of rural settlement in the seventeenth and eighteenth

centuries. Settlements at the heart of the medieval parishes grew in size with

the exceptions of Mellieha and Tartarni. Secondly, most villages attaining parish

status in the seventeenth century struggled to maintain population numbers,

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although new churches were built. Attard,

Lija, Balzan and Luqa were no larger at the end

of the eighteenth century than they were at

the beginning of the seventeenth. Safi and

Kirkop declined in population numbers

between 1614 and 1797. Tarxien and Żabbar,

close to Grand Harbour, grew. Thirdly, many

hamlets ceased to exist. Some were absorbed

into adjoining, larger places but more,

including Hal Millieri and Hal Farrug, were deserted.

In the time of the Order the

population of Malta grew five fold.

The increase was not evenly

distributed. By 1798 approximately

forty per cent of Malta's

population lived in the towns and

cities around Grand Harbour. In the

countryside the larger villages with

the long standing advantage of

medieval, parish status grew in numbers, attracting people from smaller places.

Economically, socially, and ecclesiastically they were more attractive than the

hamlets and villages struggling to maintain numbers.

The smaller number of villages that evolved during the Order's rule were strong

communities. The parish priest was a powerful figure, and the church the

organizing social institution. The strength of the village communities

was revealed in September, 1798. The French had occupied the harbour towns in

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June but did not control the countryside and the rural communities. At Mdina,

on September 2, 1798, the French garrison was attacked by the Maltese;

the revolution spread swiftly to the villages.

When Captain Alexander Ball arrived to

command allied ships blockading the French in

the harbours, he quickly appreciated the

strength of the village communities, and their

fighting units. In February, 1799, Ball

convened a Congress of Chiefs at Mdina. The

Congress included military leaders,

representatives of the bishop, and the judges,

but the majority present were village

leaders, including several parish priests. The

nobility was not represented. The Congress made decisions on a range of issues

and successfully coordinated the fight against the French, who surrendered in

September, 1800.

___________________________________________________________

Write around 200 words on the following:

1. Imagine how a typical Maltese Village used to be:

The village core

narrow streets and alleys

buildings and churches

Statues and small Chapels - Evidence of Christian beliefs.

2. Compare and contrast the modern cities to the old cities

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12. Work and employment

The main mission of the Order was to defend the Mediterranean from Muslim

rule. For this purpose the Order held a small fleet just in case the enemy

attacks.

The Maltese people used to work:

a. In the ‘SIBI’

b. On the galleys of the Knights.

The ‘SIBI’: the "corso" or piracy provided work for many Maltese seamen. Of

course it was the cause of death for many of them, but some managed to make a

lot of money from this activity. The Order was issuing licenses for the ‘SIBI’.

Many Maltese worked on the galleys of the Knights. The work on the galleys was

divided into:

a) The Aguzzino: or Oppressor - who

was in charge of the rowers.

b) The forced – the people who were

forced to work on the galleys.

c) The Buonvoglie: when there was

little work on the galleys, some people

were enlisted as rowers on the galleys for a small wage.

d) The slaves - they were sentenced for rowing. Generally they were either men

who believed in another religion and captured from foreign lands, or those who

were sentenced to prison.

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There was also a lot of work in the shipyards: carpenters, kurdara (make

ropes), rowers etc. The Order used to employee many different people as

rowers, masters, doctors, secretaries, people involved in building and repairing

ships. Still farming and fishing remained two very important sources of income

for many Maltese people.

The construction of the aqueduct

In 1610, work began on an _________

planned by Grand Master Alof de

__________ to bring water down to the town

from natural springs under the hills near

Mdina. When the terrain proved too difficult

for underground channels, engineer Bontadino

de Bontadini of Bologna constructed stone

arches to carry water from Balzan to Hamrun,

then on to the city in underground channels.

This project employed around ______

workers for five full years.

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Mdina and the earthquake of 1693

In January 1693, a huge earthquake which

killed roughly between 60,000 and 93,000

people in Sicily, destroyed many historic cities

and sites in Catania. Huge landslides were

followed by a gigantic tsunami which struck the

Sicilian coast. At the city of Augusta the large

waves caused considerable damage to several

galleys belonging to the Knights of Malta who

were sailing in the area and which ended up

being grounded on the shore.

Just over the horizon, the Maltese were suffering their own small-scale

catastrophe. Although not a single human soul was reported dying directly as a

result of the earthquake, many buildings in Malta and Gozo collapsed or were

left severely affected by the quake.

Mdina suffered the biggest

damage because it was an old

city and had been neglected

for many years. The Cathedral

of ________ _________ in

Mdina collapsed something

which actually was not wholly

catastrophic as plans already

existed to pull the Norman

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building down sooner or later and rebuild a new edifice in the Baroque style. On

the 3rd November 1722, Manoel de Vilhena with the help of the French

architect Mondion started the restoration of Mdina . Mondion worked on the

restoration of Mdina between 1722 and 1733. Among the works and projects

undertaken by Mondion in Mdina are:

The main gate and bridge

The inside of the main gate of Mdina : depicts the three saints protectors of

Malta : St Publius , Saint Paul and Saint Agata

The new square at the entrance

The De Vilhena Palace in Mdina

13. The French Revolution

France in 1789 was one of the richest and most powerful nations in ________.

Nonetheless, a popular rebellion

would first to bring the regime of

King ________ XVI of France

under control of a constitution,

then to depose, imprison, try, and

execute the king and, later, his

wife _______ ____________.

Many factors led to the _____________; to some extent the old order

succumbed to its own rigidity in the face of a changing world; to some extent, it

fell to the ambitions of a rising bourgeoisie, allied with aggrieved peasants and

wage-earners and with individuals of all classes who were influenced by the

ideas of the Enlightenment.

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As the revolution proceeded and

as power devolved from the

monarchy to legislative bodies,

the conflicting interests of

these initially allied groups

would become the source of

conflict.

Certainly, all of the following must be counted among the causes of the

revolution:

Royal _____________

Rising ____________

The rise of ________________ ideals

An unmanageable national ______________

Food __________

France in 1789 was a monarchy, an increasingly unpopular form of government at

the time.

The large and growing _______ class -- and some of

the nobility and of the ________ class had

absorbed. Unlike the trading nations, France could

not rely almost solely on tariffs to generate income.

While average tax rates were higher in Britain, the

burden on the common people was greater in France.

Taxes such as the extremely unpopular gabelle were contracted out to private

collectors ("tax farmers") who were permitted to rise far more than the

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government requested. The system excluded the nobles and the clergy from

having to pay taxes. The tax burden was thus paid by the peasants, wage

earners, and the professional and business classes. These groups were also cut

off from most positions of power in the regime, causing unrest.

These problems were all compounded by a

great scarcity of food in the 1780s.

Different crop failures in the 1780s

caused these shortages, which of course

led to high prices for bread. Perhaps no

cause more motivated the Paris mob that

was the engine of the revolution more than

the shortage of bread.

The poor conditions in the countryside had forced rural residents to move into

Paris, and the city was overcrowded and filled with the hungry and disaffected.

The peasants suffered doubly from the economic and agricultural problems.

14. Napoleon and the arrival of French

fleet

The French invasion of the Maltese islands

led by the General __________

__________ on the 12th of June 1798 did

not occur by surprise. The French invasion of

the Maltese Islands had been planned at

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least since 26th May 1797. Historical records show that, in the second half of

the 18th century, the Order of St John was in a state of __________ despair

and many Maltese considered this Order as an old-fashioned organisation that

belonged to Malta’s past.

So, the French troops

passed on information and

were ready to help promote

a popular movement against

the Order of St John and

their aristocratic style of

government. Lack of

materials, treacherous

captains and general

confusion, led to the capitulation of the Order within days. The Maltese Islands

became another jewel in the crown of Napoleon.

Besides, many __________ knights of the Order, now inspired by the

Republican ideals of the fresh French Revolution (1789-94), also considered

their Order as an autocratic and one that lacked important democratic

principles. In fact, historical records show that, in the last years of the Order’s

rule, in Malta, there were several French Knights who somehow paved the way

for Napoleon’s invasion of these islands.

During the second half of the 18th century there were various other mighty

empires that looked at these islands with particular interest, particularly

because of their ideal strategic position. Apart from France, there was also

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Russia and England, the latter of which was developing at this time a very

powerful empire in the Mediterranean Sea.

Napoleon’s invasion met very little

resistance from the Order’s side. In

an agreement reached between the

Order and Napoleon it was established

that the Knights had to leave Malta

within _____ hours, leaving all their

possessions on these islands. For 6

days, General Bonaparte resided at

Parisio Palace in Valletta while the

French troops established themselves in the fortified towns and the other

fortresses.

15. Changes and Reforms

The Maltese islanders initially favored Napoleon's takeover of the island in

1798, because the Knights had resisted many reforms favored by the

Enlightenment. Napoleon ended the Inquisition, the use of judicial torture, and

privilege based on birth.

During his short stay in Malta, Napoleon organised the country’s administrative

system, launched a new _________ system, abolished slavery and gave religious

freedom to the local ______ community. In these days he also managed to

appropriate around 6,000 francs from the treasury of Malta.

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But the French quickly fell out of favor with the Maltese because they stripped

the churches of relics, paintings, gold, and silver. Napoleon shipped the riches

of Malta to finance his campaigns in Egypt, but they were lost when the ship

sank. Furthermore, the French refused to pay the Knights' debts and pensions

to the islanders. This increased interest rates, created new taxes, altered

leases, and caused the loss of jobs. The Maltese became angry with the new

regime's religious insensitivity and economic exploitation.

The Maltese rebelled in __________ on 2nd September 1798. Napoleon had

left only a small garrison in Malta when he continued on to ________, so the

rebellion quickly spread throughout the countryside. The French troops

retreated behind the walls of Valletta, where the Maltese held them under

siege. The arrival of a British fleet to blockade the island completed the defeat

of the French in __________.

16. Malta under the British Military

Following the French capitulation, the Maltese

Islands were placed under the special protection

of His ________ ________. The Maltese Islands

were administered by the British Government and

Sir Alexander Ball was appointed by the first Civil

Commissioner.

Hostilities between __________ and ________

came to an end in 1802, with the Treaty of

__________. According to this Treaty, the British were to evacuate Malta

which was to revert back to the Order of St John. The majority of the Maltese

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objected to this decision. Difficulties ensued, the British did not evacuate

Malta and in May 1803, war broke out again between Britain and France.

The war between England and France came to an end in 1814 and according to

the Treaty of ________ (1814) the Maltese Islands formally became part of

the British Empire. Although still under foreign rule, the Maltese had their

first taste of freedom and to create their own destiny. The British used the

islands as naval and defense bases. This gave great opportunity to the Maltese

to improve their academic and trade practices.

Maltese art and culture became as good as any found in Europe at that time.

This great progress was abruptly halted with the commencement of World War

I and World War II.

Ultimately, Malta remained under British government for 164 years, gaining

independence in 1964.