Details
Georgio Scala, a young man of humble origins, from Damiata, was captured on a trading vessel by the Knights of Malta in 1590 not far from his home town. He was enslaved in spite of his protestations that he was a Christian and so began the story of his life in the island of Malta. After gaining his freedom some years later, Scala made a life for himself in Valletta, the new capital and married Bernardina Mendicino. Outwardly a good Christian, his behaviour and his consorting with Moorish slaves, however, caused some to question his religious beliefs, leading to his appearance before the Inquisition in 1598, accused of apostasy. The proceedings of his trial were discovered in the Cathedral Archives, Mdina, Malta and provide a vivid picture of the times, the interaction between the various communities in Valletta and the all-important role of the Inquisition. Among the folios of the proceedings were found three letters, written in the Arabic dialect of Sfax (Tunisia) by a scribe for Moorish galley slaves. The letters are a unique find, giving
first-hand accounts of the misery of their lives at sea and on shore.
This book is the result of collaboration among ten researchers from Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds and Malta, each revealing a different aspect of Scala’s world. The end product is a fascinating study of Malta in the late 1600s, in which we hear, first hand, the voices of the common people, with all their immediacy and spontaneity, something not usually found in the dry dust of formal and legal documents.
first-hand accounts of the misery of their lives at sea and on shore.
This book is the result of collaboration among ten researchers from Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds and Malta, each revealing a different aspect of Scala’s world. The end product is a fascinating study of Malta in the late 1600s, in which we hear, first hand, the voices of the common people, with all their immediacy and spontaneity, something not usually found in the dry dust of formal and legal documents.
Table of Contents
Part One:
Chapter 1: An Introduction to the inquisition of Georgio Scala (Dionisius A. Agius)
Part Two:
Chapter 2: The trial of Georgio Scala at the inquisition in Malta in 1598 (Monica Borg / Charles Dalli);
Chapter 3: The case of Georgio Scala 1598: The story of a slave, a notary, and a palimpsest translation (Monica Borg);
Chapter 4: Who was Georgio Scala? (Joan Abela);
Chapter 5: Conniving connectivities (Charles Dalli);
Chapter 6: ‘The date palm and the olive tree’: Safeguarding the Catholic frontier in Malta (c.1595–c.1605) (Frans Ciappara)
Part Three:
Chapter 7: The letters of the Moorish slaves in sixteenth-century Malta: A translation, and a
linguistic analysis (Martin R. Zammit / El Mustapha Lahlali);
Chapter 8: Writing private letters: Breaking with Islamic
and literary Arabic traditions (El Mustapha Lahlali / Dionisius A Agius);
Chapter 9: Slaves on land and sea (Joseph
Muscat / Dionisius A. Agius);
Chapter 10: The diet of ordinary people and slaves in the 1590s (Liam Gauci)
Part Four:
Chapter 11: The paper, ink, and watermarks (Joseph Schirò)
Part Five: Chapter 12: A man and his times: Concluding remarks (Dionisius A. Agius)
Appendices: On Georgio Scala being baptized a Christian – 1591; List of slaves – 1595; Marriage contract between Bernardina Mendicino and Georgio Scala – 1598; List of members of the tribunal, witnesses, and people mentioned in the proceedings of Georgio Scala –1598; The final trial 1598–99
Chapter 1: An Introduction to the inquisition of Georgio Scala (Dionisius A. Agius)
Part Two:
Chapter 2: The trial of Georgio Scala at the inquisition in Malta in 1598 (Monica Borg / Charles Dalli);
Chapter 3: The case of Georgio Scala 1598: The story of a slave, a notary, and a palimpsest translation (Monica Borg);
Chapter 4: Who was Georgio Scala? (Joan Abela);
Chapter 5: Conniving connectivities (Charles Dalli);
Chapter 6: ‘The date palm and the olive tree’: Safeguarding the Catholic frontier in Malta (c.1595–c.1605) (Frans Ciappara)
Part Three:
Chapter 7: The letters of the Moorish slaves in sixteenth-century Malta: A translation, and a
linguistic analysis (Martin R. Zammit / El Mustapha Lahlali);
Chapter 8: Writing private letters: Breaking with Islamic
and literary Arabic traditions (El Mustapha Lahlali / Dionisius A Agius);
Chapter 9: Slaves on land and sea (Joseph
Muscat / Dionisius A. Agius);
Chapter 10: The diet of ordinary people and slaves in the 1590s (Liam Gauci)
Part Four:
Chapter 11: The paper, ink, and watermarks (Joseph Schirò)
Part Five: Chapter 12: A man and his times: Concluding remarks (Dionisius A. Agius)
Appendices: On Georgio Scala being baptized a Christian – 1591; List of slaves – 1595; Marriage contract between Bernardina Mendicino and Georgio Scala – 1598; List of members of the tribunal, witnesses, and people mentioned in the proceedings of Georgio Scala –1598; The final trial 1598–99