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Maltese Personalities in History

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Giovanni Francesco Abela - Malta's first Historian

Doctor Giuseppe Matteo Callus - Patriot (hanged by La Valette)

Dun Mikiel Xerri - Rebel Priest (executed by the French)

L-irvell tal-Qassisin - Revolt against the Order

Dun Gætan Mannarino - Rebel Priest (jailed by Gr.Master Ximenes)

Maltese Personalities from more Recent Times

Giovanni Francesco Abela

Born of the noble Habela family in 1582, Giovanni Francesco is generally considered to be the father of Maltese History.

Abela was a member of the Order of St. John and graduated in Church and Civil Law at the University of Bologna. At the age of 65, he published a study entitled: "Della Descrittione di Malta, Isola nel Mare Siciliano, con le sue Antichita'; ed Altre Notizie."

His version of history, though, may be somewhat lacking in objectivity and concentrates on heroics and myth, having himself been born shortly after the Great Siege, at time when narratives were largely transmitted by word of mouth. Moreover, his lack of description of the state of affairs in Malta is sometimes attributed to the prevalent fear of further ottoman attacks. In fact, this being the aftermath of the Great Siege (of 1565) and there having been regular Corsair assaults on the Maltese Islands, it would have been considered unwise to give too much away.

Another view, however, may be that since Abela was himself of noble blood and deeply associated with the upper (educated and ruling) classes, i.e. the Church and the Order of St.John, he appears to have recorded events in a somewhat biased way, making little or no reference to the social situation of the population in general; though it is unlikely that he himself could ever have experienced it!

to be continued

He died in 1655 at the age of 73 and was buried at the Conventual Church of the Order of Saint John in Valletta.



Doctor  Gius. Matteo Callus

This scholarly Maltese citizen was imprisoned by the Order during Grand Master La Vallette's rule when a document he had prepared, to be presented to Philip II of Spain (the emperor's son), was intercepted.

This document contained harsh criticism of the Order at a time when the people had had enough of the capricious behaviour of the knights, while the populace faced hard times and the country feared further Ottoman attacks.   For this act, considered by the Order as treason, Dr Giuseppe Matteo Callus was convicted and later hanged!

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" L-Irvell tal- Qassisin"

In the years that followed Malta's triumph over the besieging Ottoman fleet, the Maltese people continued to endure the contempt of their overbearing rulers. Matteo Callus' efforts to restore his nation's lawful rights had been smothered by La Vallette and now, some 200 years later, decadence and misery set in all over the nation. All kinds of prudent intervention had failed, so desperate measures were needed!

On the night of September 8th, 1775, two hundred and ten years to the day following the Maltese Victory over the Turkish fleet, popular riots broke out against the Grand Master Ximenes.

The uprising was called 'The Insurrection of the Priests' for it was a young priest who had rallied and convinced the people's leaders to take up arms as a means to an end; that of inciting the Grand Master to restore the nation's rights and reduce the price of grain. The riots had disastrous consequences.

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Dun Gejtan Mannarinu

This young priest was behind the people's rebellion of 1775, which was meant to show the despotic Grand Master Francisco Ximenes (1773-75) that his subjects were not to be treated disrespectfully.

Ximenes at first agreed to all the demands of the Maltese insurrectionists, but immediately went back on his word once fort Saint Elmo (which had been ceased) was handed back to the authorities. The Grand Master had some of the rebels beheaded and others exiled or imprisoned.

Rev. Mannarino was jailed for life, but was released from the dungeons of fort S. Elmo 25 years later by Napoleon Buonaparte, who acclaimed him as 'the greatest amongst Maltese men' -- an honour which the French General did not attribute to Dun Mikiel Xerri when the latter revolted against French rule. 

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Dun Mikiel Xerri

This Maltese patriot was executed for having formed part of a conspiracy to overthrow the new French masters.

Like his predecessor, Dun Gejtan Mannarinu, Dun Mikiel Xerri was convinced that a revolt was the only way to regain the people's rights. Ironically though, while Napoleon had freed Dun Gætan Mannarino following his coup against the Order, declaring him as the greatest amongst Maltese men, Dun Mikiel Xerri's fate was different, for he had wronged the French garrison, not the Order who had by now been expelled.

To be continued

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Maltese Personalities from More Recent Times