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M A L T A

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Bianca
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« Reply #15 on: June 30, 2008, 11:11:02 am »











Ancient Phoenicians



The Ancient Phoenicians inhabited the Maltese Islands from around 700 BCE, and made extensive
use of their sheltered harbours.

By 480 BCE, with the ascendancy of Carthage in the western Mediterranean, Malta became a Punic colony.

Traditional Maltese folklore suggests Phoenician origins for the Maltese people and their customs; however, modern scholars dispute whether any pre-Arab, Phoenician substratum still survives today
in the language, culture and traditions of Malta.

Algerian legend claims that the ancestors of the present Maltese, together with the first Algerians,
fled from their original homeland of Aram, with some choosing to settle in Malta and others in North Africa, which would suggest that the prototypical Maltese culture had Aramaean origins.

Another legend suggests that the Maltese are descended from shepherd tribes who fled Bethlehem
in the face of an advancing enemy, set sail from Jaffa, and settled in Malta.

There is also some evidence that at least one North African tribe, the Oulad Said, claim that they
share common ancestry with the Maltese.
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« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2008, 11:18:34 am »











Arab conquest



A period of Arabization is said to have followed the conquest of Malta by the Arabs. However, it is difficult to trace a continuous line of cultural development during this time, since various historians
have reported that the Maltese Islands were depopulated, or sparsely populated, following the Arab invasion of 870 CE.

Some historians have speculated that the Maltese were decimated during the invasion, or carried off into slavery, or perhaps that they escaped to Sicily and elsewhere.

According to the Rawd al-mi'ṭār fī khabar al-aqṭār ("The Scented Garden of Information about Places"), after the capture of Malta by the Aghlabids, the islands were left depopulated, wasted and abandoned ("khirba ghayr āhila"), visited by Arabs from time to time solely for the purpose of gathering honey and timber, and catching fish.

A small commune of Muslims from neighbouring Sicily refounded the city of Mdina in 1040.

Up to two hundred years after the conquest of Malta by Count Roger the Norman, there continued
to be significant differences between the customs and usages of the inhabitants of Malta as com-
pared to those prevalent in other parts of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies:


"homines insularum ipsarum vivunt aliis moribus et constitutionibus, quam alii homines regni nostri Sicilie."


The marble gravestone of an Arab girl named Majmuna (pr. My-moona), found in the Xewkija area of Gozo and dating back to 1173, confirms that Arabs were still present in Maltese society in the years following the Norman invasion. It should be noted, however, that the population of Malta at that time amounted to no more than 1,119 households, of whom 836 were described as "Saracens".

Arab influence is evident in traditional Maltese architecture, in the names of many Maltese towns and villages, and in the Maltese language.
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« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2008, 11:23:39 am »











Slavery



Semitic influences over Maltese customs and traditions are now believed to have continued un-
abated during the 268-year rule of the Knights of St. John over Malta, due in part to trade
between the Knights and North Africa, but primarily due to the large numbers of slaves present
in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries: upwards of 2,000 at any given time (or about 5%
of the population of Malta), of whom 40-45 per cent were Moors, and the remainder Turks, Jews
and Africans.

The slaves were engaged in construction, in shipbuilding and repair, baking, the manufacture of
armour, cloth and rope and the transportation of Knights and noble Maltese by sedan-chair. They
were also occasionally permitted to engage in their own trades for their own account, including hairdressing, shoemaking, woodcarving, as water vendors and cooks, which would have brought
them into close, and frequent contact with the local population in towns and villages.

Inquisitor Federico Borromeo (iuniore) reported in 1653 that:

"[the slaves] strolled along the street of Valletta under the pretext of selling merchandise, spread-
ing among the women and simple-minded persons any kind of superstition, charms, love-remedies
and other similar vanities."

A significant number of slaves converted to Christianity, were emancipated, or even adopted by
their Maltese patrons, granted permission to marry, and essentially integrated into the Maltese population, which may have further entrenched their native customs and beliefs into Maltese
culture.
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« Reply #18 on: June 30, 2008, 11:29:05 am »











Jewish presence



A number of Jewish families resided in Malta almost consistently from approximately 1500 BCE
to the 1492 Edict of Expulsion, and again from the time of the Knights of Malta through to the
present. This can be seen as yet another source of Semitic influence in Maltese culture.

According to local legend, the earliest Jewish residents arrived in Malta some 3,500 years ago,
when the seafaring tribes of Zebulon and Asher accompanied the ancient Phoenicians in their
voyages across the Mediterranean.

The earliest evidence of a Jewish presence on Malta is an inscription in the inner apse of the
southern temple of Ġgantija in Xagħra, which says, in the Phoenician alphabet:


                                      "To the love of our Father Jahwe".


There is also evidence of a Jewish community on Malta during the Roman period, in the form of
carved menorahs the catacombs in Malta.

Members of the Malta's Jewish community are known to have risen to the highest ranks of the
civil service during the period of Arab occupation, including the rank of Vizier.

By 1240, according to a report prepared for Emperor Frederick II, there were 47 Christian and 25
Jewish families on Malta, and 200 Christian and 8 Jewish families on Gozo.

Unlike the Jewish experience in the rest of Europe, throughout the Middle Ages the Jews of Malta generally resided among the general population rather than in ghettos, frequently becoming land-
owners. The Jewish population of Malta had flourished throughout the period of Norman rule, such
that one third of the population of Malta's ancient capital, Mdina, is said to have been Jewish.

 
Alhambra DecreeIn 1492, in response to the Alhambra Decree the Royal Council had argued - unsuccessfully - that the expulsion of the Jews would radically reduce the total population of the Maltese Islands, and that Malta should therefore be treated as a special case within the Spanish
Empire.

Nonetheless, the decree of expulsion was signed in Palermo on June 18, 1492, giving the Jewish population of Malta and Sicily three months to leave. Numerous forced conversions to Catholicism,
or exile, followed. Evidence of these conversions can be found in many Maltese family names that
still survive today, such as the families Ellul, Salamone, Mamo, Cohen, and Azzopardi.

A new, but much smaller Jewish community developed under the rule of the Knights of Malta, but
this consisted primarily of slaves and emancipated slaves. During this period, the Jews were fre-
quently ordered to reside in Valletta's prisons at night, while by day they remained free to transact business, trade and commerce among the general population.

Traces of a significant Jewish presence on Malta can still be found in local place names, such as Bir Meyru (Meyer's Well), Ġnien il-Lhud (The Jew's Garden) and Ħal-Muxi (Moshé's Farm).
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« Reply #19 on: June 30, 2008, 11:31:42 am »



ALHAMBRA DECREE
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« Reply #20 on: June 30, 2008, 11:34:38 am »










National calamities



Frequent national calamities - including loss of property, forced labour and enslavement - suffered
by the Maltese from the 9th century through to the early 16th century due to piracy and raids of
their islands, primarily at the hands of the Hafsids of North Africa and Turkish corsairs also had an
effect on Maltese culture.

Most of these involved incursions by Moslem Arabs and Turks, which naturally led the population to
turn toward Christian Europe for aid and relief.

The most recent, and arguably, most devastating of such incidents occurred in 1551, when the Saracens, led by Dragut Reis, raided Gozo, taking almost the entire population of that island, some 5,000 inhabitants, away into slavery, and in 1565, when the Ottoman Empire again, led by Dragut, invaded and besieged Malta.

Although the Knights and the Maltese were ultimately victorious against the Ottoman forces, victory came at a high cost: one third of the population of Malta is said to have perished in battle.

These dramatic incidents remain etched in the collective memory of the Maltese, and are reflected
in some Maltese superstitions, beliefs, sayings and proverbs including Maltese literature, with works
such as Anton Manwel Caruana's Ineż Farruġ (1889) and the traditional ballad l-Gharusa tal-Mosta, detailing the kidnap of a Maltese maiden by Turkish pirates.

The poem is popularly included in Malta's għana repertoire.
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« Reply #21 on: June 30, 2008, 11:38:28 am »










                                          Sources of Latin European influence






Roman municipium



From 218 BCE to 395 CE, Malta was under Roman political control, initially as a praetorship of Sicily.

The islands were eventually elevated to the status of Roman municipium, with the power to control domestic affairs, mint their own money, and send ambassadors to Rome.

It was during this period that St. Paul was shipwrecked on the Maltese Islands and introduced Christianity.

Few archeological relics survive in Malta today from the Roman period, the sole exception being the Roman Domus, just outside the walls of Mdina.

From a cultural perspective, the Roman period is notable for the arrival in Malta of several highly
placed Roman families, whose progeny form part of the Maltese nation today. These include the Testaferrata family (originally, "Capo di Ferro"), today one of Malta's premier noble families.

Whether the origins of Maltese culture can be found in the Eastern Mediterranean or North Africa,
the impact on Malta of Punic culture is believed to have persisted long after the Island's incorpo-
ration into the Roman Republic in 218 BCE:



"...at least during the first few centuries of Roman rule, tradition, customs and language were still
Punic despite romanization of the place.

This is in agreement with what can be read in the Acts of the Apostles, which call the Maltese "barbarians", that is using a language that was neither Greek nor Latin, but Punic."



With the division of the Roman Empire, in 395 CE, Malta was given to the eastern portion ruled
from Constantinople, and this introduced several Greek families to the Maltese collective, who
brought with them various superstitions, proverbs, and traditions that linger within Maltese
culture today.
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« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2008, 11:46:20 am »










Catholicism



It is said that in Malta, Gozo, and Comino there are more than 360 churches, or one church for
every 1,000 residents. The parish church (Maltese: "il-parroċċa", or "il-knisja parrokjali") is the architectural and geographic focal point of every Maltese town and village, and its main source
of civic pride.

This civic pride manifests itself in spectacular fashion during the local village festas, which mark
the feast day of the patron saint of each parish with marching bands, religious processions,
special Masses, fireworks (especially petards), and other festivities.

Making allowances for a possible break in the appointment of bishops to Malta during the period
of Arab rule (869 to 1127 CE), the Maltese Church is frequently referred to today as the only ex-
tant Apostolic See, other than Rome itself.

According to tradition, and as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the Church in Malta was
founded by St. Paul in 70 CE, following his shipwreck on these Islands. The earliest Christian
place of worship in Malta is therefore said to be the cavern on the north-east of Malta, now
known as St. Paul's Grotto, where St. Paul was reputedly imprisoned during his stay on Malta.

There is evidence of Christian burials and rituals having taken place in the general vicinity of
the Grotto, but these date back to no earlier than the 3rd century CE.

Further evidence of Christian practices and beliefs during the period of Roman persecution can
be found in the many catacombs that lie beneath various parts of Malta, including St Paul’s
Catacombs and St Agatha’s Catacombs in Rabat, just outside the walls of Mdina. The latter, in particular, were beautifully frescoed between 1200 and 1480, although they were defaced by
marauding Turks in the 1550s.

There are also a number of cave churches, including the grotto at Mellieħa, which is a Shrine of
the Nativity of Our Lady where, according to legend, St. Luke painted a picture of the Madonna.
It has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times.

The writings of classic Maltese historian, Gianfrancesco Abela, are in large part responsible for the widely held belief that following their conversion to Christianity at the hand of St. Paul, the Maltese somehow retained their ancient Punic language and their new Christian religion, despite 258 years
of Moslem rule.

This was the dominant myth of Maltese identity, which survived largely unscathed until the 1960s.

It is now recognized that Abela's writings were in part designed to assist the Knights of Malta in
their efforts to win the hearts and minds of the Maltese, by demonstrating that Malta had been
ordained by God as a


"bulwark of Christian, European civilization against the spread of Mediterranean Islam."


Modern historians now accept that Christianity largely disappeared from Malta under the Arabs
and did not resume its role as the religion of the majority of Maltese until Norman rule over Malta brought mass immigration to Malta from Italy in the 12th and 13th centuries.

For centuries, leadership over the Church in Malta was generally provided by the Diocese of Paler-
mo, except under Charles of Anjou, who caused Maltese bishops to be appointed, as did - on rare occasions - the Spanish and later, the Knights. This further enhanced Malta's cultural connections
with Sicily and Italy, and may have contributed to the entrenchment, from the 15th century to the early 20th century, of Italian as Malta's primary language of culture and learning.

Since 1808 all bishops of Malta have been Maltese.

As a result of the Norman and Spanish periods, and the rule of the Knights, Malta became the de-
vout Catholic nation that it is today. It is worth noting that the Office of the Holy Inquisitor had
a very long tenure in Malta following its establishment in 1530: the last Inquisitor departed from
the Islands in 1798, after the Knights capitulated to the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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« Reply #23 on: June 30, 2008, 11:49:44 am »



ROGER II OF SICILY








The Normans
 


Under Roger II, King of Sicily, Arab influence over Malta was virtually eliminatedThe later years of
Norman rule over Malta brought massive waves of immigration to the Islands from both Sicily and
from the Italian mainland, including Sicilian and Southern European clergy and notaries.

Sicilian became the sole written language of Malta, as evidenced by notarial deeds from this period,
but this was eventually supplanted by Tuscan Italian, which became the primary literary language,
and the medium of legal and commercial transactions in Malta.

A large number of Sicilian and Italian words were adopted into the local vernacular.

Traces of Siculo-Norman architecture can still be found in Malta's ancient capital of Mdina and in
Vittoriosa, most notably in the Palaces of the Santa Sofia, Gatto Murina, Inguanez and Falzon families.
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« Reply #24 on: June 30, 2008, 11:54:56 am »



The wooden balconies and wrought-iron railings of Valletta







Spain
 


Traces of the ascendancy of the Crown of Aragon in the Mediterranean, and Spanish governance over
Malta from 1282 to 1530, are still evident in Maltese culture today.

These include culinary, religious, and musical influences. Two examples are the enduring importance of
the Spanish guitar (Maltese: il-kitarra Spanjola) in Maltese folk music, and the enclosed wooden balco-
nies (Maltese: gallerija) that grace traditional Maltese homes today. It is also possible that the tradi-
tional Maltese costume, the Faldetta, is a local variation of the Spanish mantilla.

The Spanish period also saw the establishment of the Maltese nobility, with the creation of Malta's old-
est extent title, the Barony of Djar-il-Bniet e Buqana and numerous others. Under Spanish rule Malta
developed into a feudal state.

From time to time during this period, the Islands were nominally ruled by various Counts of Malta, who
were typically illegitimate sons of the reigning Aragonese monarch; however, the day-to-day admini-
stration of the country was essentially in the hands of the local nobility, through their governing coun-
cil known as the Università.

Some of Malta's premier noble families including the Inguanez family, settled in Malta from Spain and
Sicily during this time. Other Maltese families of Spanish origin include: Calleja, Alagona, Aragona,
Abela, Flores, Guzman and Xerri.

The period of Spanish rule over Malta lasted roughly as long as the period of Arab rule; however, this
appears to have had little impact on the language spoken in rural Malta, which remained heavily in-
fluenced by Arabic, with Semitic morphemes. This is evident in Pietro Caxaro's Il-Cantilena, the old-
est known literary text in Maltese, which was written prior to 1485, at the height of the Spanish period.
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« Reply #25 on: June 30, 2008, 12:05:41 pm »











The Knights of St. John



The population of Malta increased considerably during the rule of the Knights, from 25,000
in 1535 to over 40,000 in 1621, to over 54,463 in 1632.

This was primarily due to immigration from Western Europe, but also due to generally impro-
ved health and welfare conditions, and the reduced incidence of raids from North African
and Turkish corsairs. By 1798, when the Knights surrendered Malta to the forces of Napo-
leon Bonaparte, the population of Malta had increased to 114,000.

The period of the Knights is often referred to as Malta's Golden Age, as a result of the ar-
chitectural and artistic embellishment of the Islands by their resident rulers, and as a result
of advances in the overall health, education and prosperity of the local population during
this period.

Music, literature, theatre and the visual arts all flourished in Malta during this period, which
also saw the foundation and development of many of the Renaissance and Baroque towns
and villages, palaces and gardens of Malta, the most notable of which is the capital city,
Valletta.

Contact between the Maltese and the many Sicilian and Italian mariners and traders who
called at Valletta's busy Grand Harbour expanded under Knights, while at the same time,
a significant number of Western European nobles, clerics and civil servants relocated to
Malta during this period.

The wealth and influence of Malta's noble families - many of whom trace their ancestry
back to the Norman and Spanish monarchs who ruled Malta prior to the Knights - was
also greatly enhanced during this period.

Maltese education, in particular, took a significant leap forward under the Knights, with
the foundation, in 1530, of the Collegium Melitensæ, precursor to today's University of
Malta, through the intercession of Pope Clement VIII.

As a result, the University of Malta is one of the oldest extant universities in Europe, and
the oldest Commonwealth university outside of the United Kingdom. The School of Anato-
my and Surgery was established by Grand Master Fra Nicolas Cotoner at the Sacra Infer-
meria in Valletta, in 1676.

The Sacra Infermeria itself was known as one of the finest and most advanced hospitals
in Europe.
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« Reply #26 on: June 30, 2008, 12:11:46 pm »











Sicily and the Italian Mainland



Located just 60 miles to the north, Sicily has provided Malta with a virtually continuous ex-
change of knowledge, ideas, customs and beliefs throughout history.

Many modern Maltese families trace their origins to various parts of Sicily and Southern Italy.

The geographic proximity has facilitated a considerable amount of intermarriage, cross-migra-
tion, and trade between the two groups of islands. It is likely that this was just as true dur-
ing the period of Arab domination over Sicily as it has been since the Norman liberation of
Sicily in 1060 CE.

Accordingly, it is difficult to determine whether some of the Semitic influences on Maltese cul-
ture were originally imported to Malta from North Africa, or from Sicily.

The Sicilian influence on Maltese culture is extensive, and is especially evident in the local cui-
sine, with its emphasis on olive oil, pasta, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the
tomato), traditional appetizers such as caponata (Maltese: "kapunata") and rice balls (arancini), speciality dishes such as rice timbale (Maltese: "ross fil-forn"), and sweets such as the cassata
and cannoli.

Sicilian influence is also evident in many of the local superstitions, in simple children's nursery
rhymes, and in the devotion to certain saints, especially St. Agatha. Centuries of dependence
on the Diocese of Palermo brought many Sicilian religious traditions to Malta, including the
Christmas crib (Maltese: "il-presepju"), the ritual visiting of several Altars of Repose on Good
Friday (Maltese: "is-sepulkri"), and the graphic, grim realism of traditional Maltese religious
images and sculpture.

Ironically, despite Malta's rapid transformation into a strategic naval base during the British
period, the influence of Italian culture on Malta strengthened considerably throughout the 19th
century. This was due in part to increasing levels of literacy among the Maltese, the increased availability of Italian newspapers, and an influx of Italian intelligentsia to Malta.

Several leaders of the Italian risorgimento movement were exiled in Malta by the Bourbon monarchs during this period, including Francesco Crispi, and Ruggiero Settimo. Malta was also the proposed destination of Giuseppe Garibaldi when he was ordered into exile; however, this never came to pass.

The political writings of Garibaldi and his colleague, Giuseppe Mazzini - who believed that Malta
was, at heart, part of the emerging Italian nation - resonated among many of Malta's upper-and
middle-classes.
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« Reply #27 on: June 30, 2008, 12:16:06 pm »










French rule



French rule over Malta, although brief, left a deep and lasting impression on Maltese culture
and society.

Several of the Grand Masters of the Knights of Malta had been French, and though some French customs and expressions had crept into common usage in Malta as a result (such as the expressions "bonġu" for "good day", and "bonswa" for "good evening", still in use today), Napo-
leon's garrison had a much deeper impact on Maltese culture.

Within six days following the capitulation by Grand Master Hompesch on board l'Orient, Bona-
parte had given Malta a Constitution and introduced the Republican concept of Liberté, Egalite, Fraternité to Malta.

Slavery was abolished, and the scions of Maltese nobility were ordered to burn their patents
and other written evidence of their pedigrees before the arbre de la liberté that had been hastily erected in St. George's Square, at the centre of Valletta.

A secondary school system was established, the university system was revised extensively,
and a new Civil Code of law was introduced to the legal system of Malta.

Under the rule of General Vaubois civil marriages were introduced to Malta, and all non-Maltese clergymen and women were ordered to leave the Islands. A wholesale plundering of the gold,
silver and precious art of Maltese churches followed, and several monasteries were forcibly
taken from the religious orders.

The Maltese were scandalized by the desecration of their churches.

A popular uprising culminated with the "defenestration" of Citizen Masson, commandant of the
French garrison, and the summary execution of a handful of Maltese patriots, led by Dun Mikiel
Xerri. With the French blockaded behind the walls of Valletta, a National Assembly of Maltese
was formed. Petitions were sent out to the King of the Two Sicilies, and to Lord Nelson, solicit-
ing their aid and support.

The French garrison capitulated to Nelson in Grand Harbour, on September 5, 1800.
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« Reply #28 on: June 30, 2008, 12:19:40 pm »



Malta was an important link in Britain's naval routes across the Mediterranean










British Malta



British rule, from 1800 to 1964, radically and permanently transformed the language, culture and
politics of Malta.

Malta's position in the British Empire was unique in that it did not come about by conquest or by colonization, but at the voluntary request of the Maltese people.

Britain found in Malta an ancient, Christian culture, strongly influenced by neighbouring Italy and
Sicily, and loyal to the Roman Catholic Church. Malta's primary utility to Great Britain was its ex-
cellent natural harbours, and its strategic location, and for many decades, Malta was essentially
a "fortress colony".

Throughout the 19th century, Malta benefited from increased defence spending by Britain, par-
ticularly from the development of the dockyards and the harbour facilities.

The Crimean War and the opening of the Suez Canal further enhanced Malta's importance as a
supply station and as a naval base.

Prosperity brought with it a dramatic rise in the population, from 114,000 in 1842, to 124,000 in
1851, 140,000 in 1870, and double that amount by 1914. Malta became increasingly urbanized,
with the majority of the population inhabiting the Valletta and the Three Cities.

Ironically, Malta's fortunes waned during times of peace in the early 20th century, and again
after World War II, leading to massive waves of emigration.

Although Malta remained heavily dependent on British military spending, successive British gov-
ernors brought advances in medicine, education, industry and agriculture to Malta.

The British legacy in Malta is evident in the widespread use of the English language in Malta
today. English was adopted as one of Malta's two national languages in 1936, and it has now
firmly replaced Italian as the primary language of tertiary education, business, and commerce
in Malta.

The British period introduced the Neoclassical style of architecture to Malta, evident in several
palaces built during this period, in the Greek revival portico of the parish church of Sta. Marija
Assunta in Mosta, and in the soaring spire of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral which, alongside the
massive Baroque dome of a nearby Catholic church, dominates the Valletta skyline.

Neogothic architecture was also introduced to Malta during this period, in the Chapel of Santa
Maria Addolorata at Malta's main cemetery, and in the Carmelite Church in Sliema. Sliema itself,
which developed from a sleepy fishing village into a bustling, cosmopolitan town during the
British period, once boasted an elegant seafront that was famed for its Regency style architec-
ture, that was strongly reminiscent of the British seaside town of Brighton.
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« Reply #29 on: June 30, 2008, 12:34:08 pm »











Impact of World War II



Perhaps as an indirect result of the brutal devastation suffered by the Maltese at the hands
of Mussolini's Reggia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe during World War II, the United Kingdom
has arguably replaced neighbouring Italy and Sicily as the dominant source of cultural influen-
ces on modern Malta.

The George Cross was awarded to the people of Malta by King George VI of the United King-
dom in a letter dated 15 April 1942 to the island's Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William
Dobbie, so as to "bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people" during the great
siege it underwent in the early parts of World War II.

The George Cross is woven into the Flag of Malta and can be seen wherever the flag is flown.

The "culture clash" between pro-British and pro-Italian elements in Malta reached its apex in
February 1942, when British Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie ordered the de-
portation of 47 notable Maltese, including Enrico Mizzi, leader of the Nationalist Party, and
Sir Arturo Mercieca, Chief Justice of Malta, who were suspected by the Colonial authorities
of being sympathetic to the fascist cause.

Their exile in Uganda, which lasted until March 8 1945, was and remains a source of con-
troversy among the Maltese.
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