Uwe Jens Rudolf - Historical Dictionary of Malta

The historical dictionaries present essential information on a broad range of subjects, including American and world history, art, business, cities, countries, cultures, customs, film, global conflicts, international relations, literature, music, philosophy, religion, sports, and theater. Written by experts, all contain highly informative introductory essays of the topic and detailed chronologies that, in some cases, cover vast historical time periods but still manage to heavily feature more recent events.

Brief AZ entries describe the main people, events, politics, social issues, institutions, and policies that make the topic unique, and entries are cross-referenced for ease of browsing. Extensive bibliographies are divided into several general subject areas, providing excellent access points for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more. Additionally, maps, photographs, and appendixes of supplemental information aid high school and college students doing term papers or introductory research projects. In short, the historical dictionaries are the perfect starting point for anyone looking to research in these fields.

Historical Dictionaries of Europe

Jon Woronoff, Series Editor

Greece, by Thanos M. Veremis and Mark Dragoumis. 1995.

Romania, by Kurt W. Treptow and Marcel Popa. 1996.

United Kingdom: Volume 1, England and the United Kingdom; Volume 2, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, by Kenneth J. Panton and Keith A. Cowlard. 1997, 1998.

Hungary, by Steven Bla Vrdy. 1997.

Ireland, by Colin Thomas and Avril Thomas. 1997.

Russia, by Boris Raymond and Paul Duffy. 1998.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, by Zeljan Suster. 1999.

Poland, 2nd edition, by George Sanford. 2003.

Finland, 2nd edition, by George Maude. 2007.

Belgium, 2nd edition, by Robert Stallaerts. 2007.

Moldova, 2nd edition, by Andrei Brezianu and Vlad Spnu. 2007.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2nd edition, by Ante uvalo. 2007.

Modern Italy, 2nd edition, by Mark F. Gilbert and K. Robert Nilsson. 2007.

Contemporary United Kingdom, by Kenneth J. Panton and Keith A. Cowlard. 2008.

Norway, by Jan Sjvik. 2008.

France, 2nd edition, by Gino Raymond. 2008.

Republic of Macedonia, by Dimitar Bechev. 2009.

Cyprus, by Farid Mirbagheri. 2010.

Austria, 2nd edition, by Paula Sutter Fichtner. 2009.

Modern Greece, by Dimitris Keridis. 2009.

Czech State, 2nd edition, by Rick Fawn and Ji Hochman. 2010.

Portugal, 3rd edition, by Douglas L. Wheeler and Walter C. Opello Jr. 2010.

Croatia, 3rd edition, by Robert Stallaerts. 2010.

Albania, 2nd edition, by Robert Elsie. 2010.

Armenia, 2nd edition, by Rouben Paul Adalian. 2010.

Russian Federation, by Robert A. Saunders and Vlad Strukov. 2010.

Kosovo, 2nd edition, by Robert Elsie. 2011.

Lithuania, 2nd edition, by Saulius Suiedlis. 2011.

Ukraine, 2nd edition, by Ivan Katchanovski, Zenon E. Kohut, Bohdan Y. Nebesio, and Myroslav Yurkevich. 2013.

Ireland, new edition, by Frank A. Biletz. 2014.

Slovakia, 3rd edition, by Stanislav J. Kirschbaum. 2014.

Switzerland, 2nd edition, by Leo Schelbert. 2014.

Bulgaria, 3rd edition, by Raymond Detrez. 2015.

Georgia, 2nd edition, by Alexander Mikaberidze. 2015.

Estonia, 2nd edition, by Toivo Miljan. 2015.

Sweden, 3rd edition, by Elisabeth Elgn and Irene Scobbie. 2015.

Netherlands, 3rd edition, by Joop W. Koopmans. 2015.

Iceland, 2nd edition, by Sverrir Jakobsson and Gumunder Hlfdanarson. 2016.

Denmark, 3rd edition, by Alastair H. Thomas. 2016.

Contemporary Germany, 2nd edition, by Derek Lewis with Ulrike Zitzlsperger. 2016.

Latvia, 3rd edition, by Aldis Purs and Andrejs Plakans. 2017.

Slovenia, 3rd edition, by Leopoldina Plut-Pregelj, Gregor Kranjc, arko Lazarevi, and Carole Rogel. 2018.

Spain, 3rd edition, by Angel Smith. 2018.

Turkey, 4th edition, by Metin Heper, Duygu ztrk-Tunel, and Nur Bilge Criss. 2018.

Belarus, 3rd edition, by Grigory Ioffe and Vitali Silitski Jr. 2018.

Malta, 3rd edition, by Uwe Jens Rudolf. 2018.

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York Toronto Plymouth, UK

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rudolf, Uwe Jens, author.

Title: Historical dictionary of Malta / Uwe Jens Rudolf.

Description: Third edition. | Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. | Series: Historical dictionaries of Europe | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018027740 (print) | LCCN 2018027919 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538119181 (electronic) | ISBN 9781538119174 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: MaltaHistoryDictionaries.

Classification: LCC DG989.8 (ebook) | LCC DG989.8 .R83 2019 (print) | DDC 945.8/5003dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018027740

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To
Ruth, Stephanie, Michael, Benjamin, Marianna,
My mentor Warren Berg and his wife, Jan, and
The people of Malta

If ever a country was strategically located, it is Malta. Over the centuries, this was more of a curse than a blessing, involving the country in repeated attacks and periodic invasions as it passed from the hands of one foreign power to another. It was bitterly fought over by European rulers and the Turks, and the balance between Christianity and Islam was often determined here. During World War II, it suffered like no other place. Now that it has finally become independent and the Mediterranean enjoys relative peace and prosperity, Maltas location is more of a blessing, providing commercial advantages and attracting hordes of tourists (but also illegal immigrants). Long a bastion of the West, it has become a member of the European Union and is working more closely with its partners while maintaining beneficial, if sometimes difficult, contacts with North Africa.

Yet for all its strategic significance and closer relations, Malta is not very well known abroad, and that is a pity. While small in size if somewhat larger in population, consisting only of two major islands, it remains strategically important within the Mediterranean context. It boasts an extraordinary history, one that appears not only in books but also in the visible remnants of older periods, which abound. It clings to an exceptional culture, a mixture of the elements of many other cultures that have been absorbed and assimilated, and the landscape is visually stunning. Many of these facets are described and amplified in this historical dictionary of Malta, which first traces its long and often exciting history in the chronology and then puts the island nation into its proper context in the introduction. The dictionary section contains numerous entries on significant persons, places, events, and institutions as well as essential facets of Maltas politics, economy, society, and culture. More can then be learned by consulting some of the titles in the bibliography.