The attack on Gozo of 1551 and its effect on the population

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to primarily provide a better understanding of what really happened following this infamous event in Gozitan history. This ensures a better prospective of the daily life of the remaining inhabitants and of those who moved fresh to Gozo following this event. With this in mind I hope to be able to understand the whole situation better. My other aim is to create a single work on this topic since currently there is no single work about it. This dissertation is mainly a work of synthesis since I plan to merge all the different sources of information into one work. The Gozo Archives and the Bishop’s Curia in Victoria proved to be a mine of information with regard to the subject. Both Mgr Dr Bezzina and Dr Buttigieg helped me in this respect by suggesting books and primary sources which I should go through. First I started with secondary sources mainly the book Victoria by Mgr Dr Bezzina and the collective works Focus on Gozo and Gozo and its culture. These proved to be very useful as they had a lot of relevant material by several authors on the subject. Following this I started to go through several primary sources. The first were Bosio’s and Dal Pozzo’s books which gave me a comprehensive insight into the events of the attack of 1551 and their aftermath. Then I consulted two volumes from the Documentary Sources of Malta entitled Documentary Sources of Malta History Part V Document in the Curia of the Archbishop of Malta Number One Registrum Fundationum Beneficiorum Insulae Gaudisii, 1435-1545 and Documentary Sources of Malta History, Documents in the Vatican. In this way I gained a general idea of how life was before 1551 and what occurred after through the report of Mgr Dusina’s Apostolic Visit. These highlighted the position of the Church in Gozo especially through the Registrum Fundationum Beneficiorum Insulae Gaudisii. The article by Cassar-Pullicino was also an important primary source with regard to Dusina’s visit. The next step was to look into primary sources which had to do with the post attack situation; the register of the Matrice Church which was published by Horatio Ceaser Vella under the title Earliest Church Register and the Archivum Episcopale Gaudisiense of the Victoria Curia. Meanwhile I collected more information from other secondary sources in order to better my work of synthesis. This work is divided into three main chapters, the first of which is a sort of technical chapter that provides a general picture of the situation from several points of view prior to the attack of July 1551. A small review of the actual events of the attack and the role of the Governor are also considered. Then a more technical aspect is achieved through the analysis of the main primary sources and the debates surrounding 1551. The second chapter deals with the post economic situation following 1551 by looking at such features as administration and population. The third chapter is about the social situation following this event. In this regard the records of the visit of Mgr Dusina are a mine of information which underscores the role played by Don Lorenzo de Apapis.