History of the Order of St John in Malta

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history of the Order of St John in Malta, including their arrival, the Great Siege, the building of Valletta, social life, and the French/British transitions.

Order of St John

A religious group made up of noble Christian knights and a naval power that ruled Malta from $1530$ to $1798$.

Grand Master

The absolute ruler of the Knights who usually held the position until death and had the final say in the ruling of the land.

Grand Council

A group of several knights that discussed important matters regarding the ruling of the land and provided suggestions to the Grand Master.

Kunsill Popolari OR Popular Council

A type of parliament in Medieval Malta left to the Maltese nobles to manage the wheat (Tratte) coming from Sicily.

Castellania

A court created by the Knights in Malta to handle legal matters.

Bandu

The process of announcing a new law where three men with a trumpet would go around villages to read it out.

L’Ile Adam

The first Grand Master of the Order in Malta, arriving in $1530$ on the ship known as the 'Gran Karakka'.

Magna Carta

A promise made by the King of Aragon to the Maltese that the islands would no longer be given to feudal lords.

Feudal Falcon

An annual tribute of one hunting bird given by the Knights to King Charles V as a condition for holding the Maltese Islands.

Auberges

Palace-like residences where Knights lived, grouped according to the eight different parts of Europe (Langues) they came from.

Collachio

A separate zone in Birgu where auberges were built, reserved exclusively for the Knights and away from the Maltese population.

Sacra Infermeria

A hospital built by the Knights (first in Birgu, then in Valletta) that became one of the best in Europe, using silver objects for hygiene.

Manderaggio

An entryway or shelter in the sea where the Knights could place their ships for protection in case of an attack.

Dragut

A famous Ottoman corsair leader who attacked Malta and Gozo in $1551$ and died during the Great Siege of $1565$.

Victory Day

Commemorated on $8$ September, marking the date the Ottomans retreated back to Turkey after the Great Siege of $1565$.

Toni Bajada

A messenger for the Grand Master during the Great Siege who swam across the harbor to gather and pass important information.

Francesco Laparelli

An Italian architect sent by Pope Pius V who designed the grid-style map of Valletta with straight, wide roads.

Girolamo Cassar

The architect who designed the most important buildings in Valletta, including the auberges, the Grand Master's Palace, and the Co-Cathedral.

St. John's Co-Cathedral

Built in a Renaissance/Mannerist style on the outside and a Baroque style on the inside, it served as the national chapel of the Order.

Mattia Preti

An Italian painter and knight who painted the roof of St John's Co-Cathedral and worked in many Maltese churches.

Caravaggio

A famous artist who painted 'The Beheading of St John the Baptist' in the Oratory of the Co-Cathedral, the only work he ever signed.

Monte di Pietà

A bank created by knights and rich individuals to help poor people borrow money at low interest rates by using gold as collateral.

Manoel Theatre

Built in $1731$ by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, it is the third oldest theatre in Europe and featured Baroque interior decorations.

Patakka

A copper coin used to pay the Maltese workers during the building of Valletta, inscribed with "not copper, but fiduciary" (trust).

Verdala Palace

A fortified castle-style palace in Buskett used as a summer residence for the Grand Masters, designed by Girolamo Cassar.

Nafra

A signal fire lit by watchmen on coastal towers to warn other towers and the central administration of approaching enemy ships.

Fougasse

Holes dug into the ground at the coast used to place explosive bombs for defense in case an enemy reached land.

Girna

A stone structure in the fields where farmers kept tools and rested from the sun.

Rubble Wall (ħajt tas-sejjieħ)

A wall built without cement used to divide fields and protect soil from wind and rain.

Għajn tal-Ħasselin

A spring with natural water where village housewives would go to wash clothes before households had clean water.

The Corso

An industry of legalized piracy where the Grand Master issued licenses to Maltese corsairs to attack and plunder Muslim vessels.

Qlafat

Workers who filled the gaps between the wood of ships using tar and straw.

Inquisition

A church court established to fight false teachings (heresy) and ensure the population followed the Catholic religion.

Mgr. Pietru Dusina

The first official Inquisitor in Malta sent by the Pope to mediate between the Grand Master and the Bishop.

Grand Master Hompesch

The last Grand Master of the Order in Malta who signed the Capitulation and handed the islands to Napoleon in $1798$.

Blockade

A two-year period ($1798$-$1800$) where the Maltese, with help from the British and Portuguese, trapped the French army inside the harbor fortifications.

Dun Mikiel Xerri

A priest and patriot from Żebbuġ who was shot dead by the French after a failed plot to end the blockade in Valletta.

Alexander Ball

A British captain chosen by the Maltese as President of the National Council who later became the Civil Commissioner of Malta.