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- History, History of the Mediterranean, Military Orders, Hospitaller Order of St John, Intelligence, Consular networks, and 8 moreCommunications, Circulation of News, Early Modern History, Seventeenth Century, History of Genoa, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Hospitaller Malta-Genoese relations, and Financial Revolutionedit
- Academic in Mediterranean maritime History and researcher on Hospitaller Malta. In 2017 obtained my PhD in History (U... moreAcademic in Mediterranean maritime History and researcher on Hospitaller Malta. In 2017 obtained my PhD in History (University of Malta) with a dissertation entitled 'Hospitaller Malta's Communication System with the Mediterranean World in the Early Seventeenth Century' (2016). Presented papers in History conferences at Genoa, Corfu, Messina, San Marino, Greenwich, Barcelona, and Siena and attended History meetings at Cohimbra (Portugal), Pisa, and Valencia. Collaborated in the set-up of EMMHS (Europan Masters in Mediterranean Historical Studies), an EU-funded project promoted by the History Dept of the University of Malta. Published in Malta, Messina, Pisa, Genoa, Leiden, Canada, and Barcelona.edit
When the religious military Order of St John settled on the archipelago of Malta in 1530 after centuries of sojourn in the eastern Mediterranean, it had to adapt itself and its new island-base to a new geopolitical setting, starting with... more
When the religious military Order of St John settled on the archipelago of Malta in 1530 after centuries of sojourn in the eastern Mediterranean, it had to adapt itself and its new island-base to a new geopolitical setting, starting with a readjustment and reinvigoration of its contacts with Sicily. As claimed in my doctoral dissertation, in post-1530 early modernity, Malta's destiny became more Sicily-centric than ever before due to a surge in the contacts with the entire littoral of the mother-island to the north, and with southern Sicily in particular. The southern Sicilian town of Scicli, largely inconsequential to the major Mediterranean traffic and salient events of any age, became of vital relevance to Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798). In this study, which will mainly focus on the seventeenth century and particularly on Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt's administration (1601-1622), it will be argued how the Malta-Scicli connection can constitute a most apposite example of microhistory, potentially adding yet another small chapter to the many that collectively constitute the history of the Mediterranean.
Research Interests: European History, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Postal History, Mediterranean Studies, and 12 moreCommunications History, History of the Mediterranean, Early Modern economic and social history, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Sicily, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, Ordine Di Malta, Scicli, Knights Hospitaller, and Knights of Malta
The Hospitaller Order of St John was a religious institution of hospice keepers which originated in eleventh-century Syria to provide care and assistance to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Throughout the first few centuries of its... more
The Hospitaller Order of St John was a religious institution of hospice keepers which originated in eleventh-century Syria to provide care and assistance to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Throughout the first few centuries of its existence, the Order accumulated a vast amount of landed property across Christendom through bequests, donations, and direct purchase. The income and its transfer from these estates allowed the knights hospitallers to sustain for centuries on end the dual function of caregivers and military antagonists of Islam, a role which they took up in the twelfth century. By the time the Order settled on the Maltese archipelago in 1530, after lengthy sojourns in Cyprus and Rhodes, the Hospitaller fund-relocation practice was an established mechanism, absolutely fundamental for the survival of the Order and its island-base. This study analyses the Order's mobilization of funds in early modernity, with specific reference to the first few decades of the seventeenth century, and particularly Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt's administration (1601-1622), when Malta was integrated in the pax hispanica and was a protagonist in the Habsburg-Ottoman rivalry which dominated Mediterranean affairs.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONS TO THIS ACADEMIA.EDU VERSION:
1. The Abstract, which was inexplicably omitted in the original online version of the Journal of Maltese History, an editorial decision which was never explained to the authors.
2. The subtitle: 'Hospitaller Malta and Sicily: Market Intelligence, Financial Policy, and Grain Export Strategy', in page 24.
ERRATA CORRIGE:
In page 19, footnote 146, 'Henry VII' should obviously read 'Henry VIII'.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONS TO THIS ACADEMIA.EDU VERSION:
1. The Abstract, which was inexplicably omitted in the original online version of the Journal of Maltese History, an editorial decision which was never explained to the authors.
2. The subtitle: 'Hospitaller Malta and Sicily: Market Intelligence, Financial Policy, and Grain Export Strategy', in page 24.
ERRATA CORRIGE:
In page 19, footnote 146, 'Henry VII' should obviously read 'Henry VIII'.
Research Interests: Economic History, Ottoman History, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Seventeenth Century, and 10 moreHistory of Capitalism, History of the Mediterranean, Military Orders, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Venice, History of Genoa, History of Commerce, History of Genoa, History of the Mediterranean, Mediterranean Studies, and Maritime History, Trade routes, Mediterranean, Ports, Port cities, Islands, and Knights Hospitaller
In 1530 the Knights Hospitallers were granted the Maltese islands by Charles V. The administration of an archipelago on the Mediterranean war frontier required constant knowledge on the enemy. This article reconstructs Hospitaller Malta's... more
In 1530 the Knights Hospitallers were granted the Maltese islands by Charles V. The administration of an archipelago on the Mediterranean war frontier required constant knowledge on the enemy. This article reconstructs Hospitaller Malta's principal intelligence collection and transmission channels during the seventeenth century, particularly during the magistracy of Alof de Wignacourt from 1601 to 1622, two important decades of infrastructural changes for the archipelago. These specialised communication channels allowed Malta to carve out a special place for itself within the Habsburg-Ottoman rivalry and, in a way, contributed to the gestation period which saw the island evolve from a medieval Spanish fief into an early modern state.
Keywords Hospitaller Malta-Intelligence-Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry-Seventeenth century-Communications-News transmission-Order of St John-Knights of St John
Keywords Hospitaller Malta-Intelligence-Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry-Seventeenth century-Communications-News transmission-Order of St John-Knights of St John
Research Interests: Military Intelligence, Ottoman History, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Seventeenth Century, and 11 moreHistory of the Mediterranean, History of the Eastern Mediterranean, Military Orders, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Ottoman Habsburg Rivalry, Order of St John, Knights Hospitaller, and Knights of Malta
Communication with the outside world is vital for the survival of any community, regardless of time and geography. This is particularly so for an island community. Lying uncomfortably on the North-South, East-West, Muslim-Christian divide... more
Communication with the outside world is vital for the survival of any community, regardless of time and geography. This is particularly so for an island community. Lying uncomfortably on the North-South, East-West, Muslim-Christian divide of the Inland Sea in the Early Modern era, and forever wary of the threat from Barbary to the South and the Ottomans to the East, Hospitaller Malta lived in a constant state of readiness for war and in a perpetual state of dependence for subsistence on Sicily and beyond. The need to maintain open the lines of communication with the mainland of Europe, and to be constantly updated on the maritime movements of the enemy was absolutely essential for the survival of the island. The present study, based mostly on the outgoing correspondence of the various Hospitaller magistracies throughout the seventeenth century, will attempt to analyse the Knights’ endeavours to keep open communication lines with foreign states and territories.
Le isole hanno da sempre attirato l'interesse della storiografia marittima a prescindere dalla loro dimensione, posizione geografica o rilevanza storica. Il loro ruolo, la loro condizione, la loro importanza per il flusso delle merci e la diffusione delle culture e, soprattutto, il loro presunto isolamento esercitano tuttora un fascino particolare sugli studiosi delle scienze sociali. Per Braudel il mare che le circonda unisce e divide allo stesso tempo, mentre viceversa alcune zone montagnose sono addirittura piu isolate di certe isole nel Mediterraneo. Horden e Purcell bacchettano senza tanti mezzi termini quelli che le considerano dei mondi isolati e dimenticati. Per Matvejevic sono dei 'luoghi particolari' le cui caratteristiche sono fortemente condizionate dalla loro distanza dalla costa. Per Mollat du Jourdin sono soprattutto il frutto di fenomeni sismici. Du Jourdin si sofferma sulle ispirazioni mitiche che le isole hanno da sempre evocato - per l'uomo, nelle sue divagazioni oniriche, l'isola rappresentava un mondo idealizzato, il paradiso perduto, la tanta sospirata Itaca.
Le isole hanno da sempre attirato l'interesse della storiografia marittima a prescindere dalla loro dimensione, posizione geografica o rilevanza storica. Il loro ruolo, la loro condizione, la loro importanza per il flusso delle merci e la diffusione delle culture e, soprattutto, il loro presunto isolamento esercitano tuttora un fascino particolare sugli studiosi delle scienze sociali. Per Braudel il mare che le circonda unisce e divide allo stesso tempo, mentre viceversa alcune zone montagnose sono addirittura piu isolate di certe isole nel Mediterraneo. Horden e Purcell bacchettano senza tanti mezzi termini quelli che le considerano dei mondi isolati e dimenticati. Per Matvejevic sono dei 'luoghi particolari' le cui caratteristiche sono fortemente condizionate dalla loro distanza dalla costa. Per Mollat du Jourdin sono soprattutto il frutto di fenomeni sismici. Du Jourdin si sofferma sulle ispirazioni mitiche che le isole hanno da sempre evocato - per l'uomo, nelle sue divagazioni oniriche, l'isola rappresentava un mondo idealizzato, il paradiso perduto, la tanta sospirata Itaca.
Research Interests: Intelligence, Maritime History, Eighteenth Century History, Seventeenth Century, History of the Mediterranean, and 12 moreHistory of Communication, Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, Sicilia, Sicilian History and Culture, Military religious orders, Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Ordine Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta, Ordine di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, and Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta
The paper traces the 'implications' of maritime ceremony on the relations - diplomatic and otherwise - between Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798) and the Republic of Genoa in the seventeenth century. Apart from outlining the Baroque psyche... more
The paper traces the 'implications' of maritime ceremony on the relations - diplomatic and otherwise - between Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798) and the Republic of Genoa in the seventeenth century. Apart from outlining the Baroque psyche through the elaborate maritime & court ceremonials and questions of precedence of the age, the paper traces the commercial and financial relevance of Genoa for Hospitaller Malta, apart from outlining a similar diplomatic episode between early modern Malta and Venice.
In età moderna le istruzioni impartite alle navi di stato sopra il comportamento da tenere in ambito marittimo erano molto dettagliate. I manoscritti che riportano i trattati sui vari schieramenti delle unità marittime nelle flotte cristiane, i decreti sulla forma dei saluti da fare, le interminabili relazioni sugli incidenti occorsi e le minuzie dialettiche adoperate nelle trattative diplomatiche che ne scaturivano offrono allo storico una documentazione ricchissima. La lettura di tali documenti, anche se può risultare nauseante, non ultimo per l' ossessiva ripetitività del lessico adoperato, rappresenta una sorta di immersione nel costume e nella psiche di un'intera epoca, quella che Benedetto Croce e la storiografia in generale degli ultimi decenni hanno definito come "barocca".
In età moderna le istruzioni impartite alle navi di stato sopra il comportamento da tenere in ambito marittimo erano molto dettagliate. I manoscritti che riportano i trattati sui vari schieramenti delle unità marittime nelle flotte cristiane, i decreti sulla forma dei saluti da fare, le interminabili relazioni sugli incidenti occorsi e le minuzie dialettiche adoperate nelle trattative diplomatiche che ne scaturivano offrono allo storico una documentazione ricchissima. La lettura di tali documenti, anche se può risultare nauseante, non ultimo per l' ossessiva ripetitività del lessico adoperato, rappresenta una sorta di immersione nel costume e nella psiche di un'intera epoca, quella che Benedetto Croce e la storiografia in generale degli ultimi decenni hanno definito come "barocca".
Research Interests: Military History, Early Modern History, Seventeenth Century, Diplomacy, History of the Mediterranean, and 14 moreHistory of Diplomacy, Military Orders, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, Venezia, History of Venice, Genova, Order of St John, Ordine Di Malta, Cavalieri Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta, and Cavalieri di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme
The paper is a study in the financial management of a property of the Hospitaller Order of St John in Genoa in the 1600s. The backdrop to the events in question is the jurisdictional confrontation between the Order and the Papacy on the... more
The paper is a study in the financial management of a property of the Hospitaller Order of St John in Genoa in the 1600s. The backdrop to the events in question is the jurisdictional confrontation between the Order and the Papacy on the management of immovable assets. The paper analyses the attempts by members of the Orsini family to alienate Hospitaller property & increment the income of the benefice they were administrating through financial investments.
PUBLISHED IN: Riviera di Levante tra Emilia e Toscana. Un crocevia per l'Ordine di San Giovanni. Atti del Convegno Genova-Chiavari-Rapallo, 9-12 settembre 1999 a cura di Josepha Costa Restagno (GENOVA BORDIGHERA, 2001), pp. 155-169.
PUBLISHED IN: Riviera di Levante tra Emilia e Toscana. Un crocevia per l'Ordine di San Giovanni. Atti del Convegno Genova-Chiavari-Rapallo, 9-12 settembre 1999 a cura di Josepha Costa Restagno (GENOVA BORDIGHERA, 2001), pp. 155-169.
Research Interests: Seventeenth Century, Mediterranean Studies, Early Modern Europe, Mediterranean, History of the Mediterranean, and 13 moreReligious History, Military Orders, Financial History, Early Modern Period, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Papacy (Early Modern and Modern Church History), History of Genoa, Order of St John, Cavalieri Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, and Cavalieri di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme
The paper chronicles the confiscation of the property of the Hospitaller Order of St John in the District of Liguria (Italy) in the wake of the French Revolution, and particularly following Hospitaller Malta's financial crisis of 1792,... more
The paper chronicles the confiscation of the property of the Hospitaller Order of St John in the District of Liguria (Italy) in the wake of the French Revolution, and particularly following Hospitaller Malta's financial crisis of 1792, when the Order - among other things - was not in a position to repay a debt contracted in Genoa. Published in 'Cavalieri di San Giovanni e Territorio. La Liguria tra Provenza e Lombardia nei secoli XIII-XVII. Atti del Convegno Genova-Imperia-Cervo, 11-14 settembre 1997', Josepha Costa Restagno (ed.), Bordighera, 1999, pp. 207-217.
Research Interests: French Revolution, Eighteenth Century History, History of Finance, Military Orders, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and 6 moreThe military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Order of St John, and Knights Hospitaller
The Order of St John of Jerusalem, which governed the Maltese archipelago between 1530 and 1798, had to grapple with its fair share of problems created by manpower shortages. While discussing these difficulties and the ensuing... more
The Order of St John of Jerusalem, which governed the Maltese archipelago between 1530 and 1798, had to grapple with its fair share of problems created by manpower shortages. While discussing these difficulties and the ensuing implications, the paper elaborates on the Order’s endeavours to find remedies and recruit labour from whichever source was possible, through purchase, negotiation, or violence during the 1600s, a century which, according to Faruk Tabak, experienced a demographic slowdown.
Published in: Carmel Vassallo and Simon Mercieca (eds), 'The Port of Malta' (Malta, 2018), pp. 75-96.
Published in: Carmel Vassallo and Simon Mercieca (eds), 'The Port of Malta' (Malta, 2018), pp. 75-96.
Research Interests: European History, Military History, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Eighteenth Century History, and 13 moreSeventeenth Century, Mediterranean, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Crete during the Venetian Rule, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, History of Crete, Order of St John, Manpower Supply, Cavalieri Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta, and Cavalieri di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme
Plague brought social disruption and physical devastation on a large scale in pre-industrial society. This study provides an overview of the occurrence and socio-economic impact on society of the pestilence in the Mediterranean world and... more
Plague brought social disruption and physical devastation on a large scale in pre-industrial society. This study provides an overview of the occurrence and socio-economic impact on society of the pestilence in the Mediterranean world and beyond from Antiquity up to the nineteenth century, with considerations on recent historiographical trends regarding the analysis of the outbreak and spread of the phenomenon based on a multi-disciplinary approach. Aspects discussed in the paper are the biological origins of the disease, how it spread across territories along trading and maritime routes, and the different religious approaches to the epidemic. The paper makes special reference to the fight against plague from within an island context in early modernity, with special reference to Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798). Focusing on seventeenth-century Malta in particular, the paper analyses the collaborative efforts between Mediterranean maritime centres for mutual alarm regarding possible contagion, and Malta's early warning system based on an international contact network which helped the Knights Hospitallers and the islanders they governed in their attempts to prevent plague.
Research Interests: Communication, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Seventeenth Century, Mediterranean Studies, and 14 moreHistory of the Mediterranean, Black Death, Military Orders, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Plague, Contagion, Order of St John, Ordine Di Malta, Cavalieri Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, Knights of St John, and Knights of Malta
From the foundation of the Order of St John in 11th century Syria as a community of lay brethren intent on providing shelter, care and assistance to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land, the destiny of the Hospitaller Knights was irremediably... more
From the foundation of the Order of St John in 11th century Syria as a community of lay brethren intent on providing shelter, care and assistance to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land, the destiny of the Hospitaller Knights was irremediably moulded for most of the next millennium. Geography, circumstance, religious ideology, and the pursuit of wealth all conspired to transform the future of the Hospitallers into a violent one, in keeping with the surrounding environment of the Middle East and the rest of the Mediterranean. The Order’s attitude to conflict changed, however, when the theatre of war shifted from the Mediterranean to mainland Europe. The acquisition of property in Latin Syria helped chart the course of the Order’s history, rendering the Hospitallers sensitive to events on the continent. Any land property in Europe was at risk of intrusion, occupation or exploitation by armies on the move, and the Hospital’s property was no exception. This study is an analysis of the Order of St John’s contrasting attitudes to violence, and the geographical, political, religious and historical situations that generated such an approach.
Research Interests: European History, Military History, Economic History, Violence, Early Modern History, and 13 moreMaritime History, Urban History, Eighteenth Century History, Seventeenth Century, Ottoman-Habsburg relations, History of the Mediterranean, Religious History, Military Orders, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Order of St John, Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and Cavalieri Di Malta
Communication with the outside world is vital for the survival of any community, regardless of time and geography. This is particularly so for an island community. Lying uncomfortably on the North-South, East-West, Muslim-Christian divide... more
Communication with the outside world is vital for the survival of any community, regardless of time and geography. This is particularly so for an island community. Lying uncomfortably on the North-South, East-West, Muslim-Christian divide of the Inland Sea in the Early Modern era, and forever wary of the threat from Barbary to the South and the Ottomans to the East, Hospitaller Malta lived in a constant state of readiness for war and in a perpetual state of dependence for subsistence on Sicily and beyond. The need to maintain open the lines of communication with the mainland of Europe, and to be constantly updated on the maritime movements of the enemy was absolutely essential for the survival of the island. The present study, based mostly on the outgoing correspondence of the various Hospitaller magistracies throughout the seventeenth century, analyses the Knights’ endeavours to keep open communication lines with foreign states and territories.
Research Interests: Military History, Military Intelligence, Communication, Ottoman History, Early Modern History, and 12 moreMaritime History, Seventeenth Century, Mediterranean, Military Orders, the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Plague, Ordine Di Malta, Cavalieri Di Malta, Knights Hospitaller, and Knights of Malta
The availability of capital was a common problem for European and Mediterraenan states in early modernity. The paper traces the attempts by Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798) to balance the accounts of its Treasury mainly through the... more
The availability of capital was a common problem for European and Mediterraenan states in early modernity. The paper traces the attempts by Hospitaller Malta (1530-1798) to balance the accounts of its Treasury mainly through the relocation of income from the Knights Hospitallers’ property on the continent. Malta, a small island south of Sicily, was actively engaged on the Habsburg-Ottoman war frontier and its constant need for credit forced its government, the religious military Order of St John, to seek alternative means to bolster its coffers. Connections with Genoa, still a significant financial centre after the ‘golden age’ of the sixteenth century, were fostered for this purpose. This study re-creates credit-transfer patterns on the Genoa-Malta route in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, highlighting the role of Palermo and Messina in northern Sicily as two principal remittance stations in Hospitaller Malta’s financial network, and analysing the impact of the Ottoman threat and diplomacy on these connections.
... | Ayuda. Flow of Capital in the Mediterranean: Financial Connections between Genoa and Hospitaller Malta in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Autores: Ivan Grech; Localización: International journal of maritime history, ISSN 0843-8714, Vol. 17, Nº. 2, 2005 , pags. ...
... | Ayuda. Flow of Capital in the Mediterranean: Financial Connections between Genoa and Hospitaller Malta in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Autores: Ivan Grech; Localización: International journal of maritime history, ISSN 0843-8714, Vol. 17, Nº. 2, 2005 , pags. ...
Research Interests: Military History, Military Intelligence, Early Modern History, Maritime History, Eighteenth Century History, and 15 moreSeventeenth Century, History of Capitalism, Ottoman-Habsburg relations, History of the Mediterranean, Sicily (History), the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Hospitaller Order of St John, History of Malta, Financial Revolution, Genoa, Order of St John, Knights Hospitaller, Communications, and Hospitaller Orders
Book Review of Shipping, Trade and Crusade in the Medieval Mediterranean. Studies in Honour of John Pryor. Ruthy Gertwagen and Elizabeth Jeffreys (eds.), 2017. London and New York, Routledge, xix + 417 pp. ISBN 978-1-138-118324