Immersive exhibition on 1749 failed slaves’ revolt opens next month
The exhibition marks 275 years since the failed plot
An immersive exhibition about a thwarted plot by Muslim slaves to take over Malta in 1749 will open next month at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu.
Heritage Malta’s ‘Betrayal and Vengeance: The Slaves’ Conspiracy of 1749 in 19 Historical Drawings’ exhibition will feature 19 recently restored illustrations from the time depicting the brutal repercussions visited upon the conspirators.
The exhibition, which marks the 275th anniversary of the plot, will explore the plot through 58 news sheets exchanged between Catholic officials between 1748 and 1751 while delving into the geopolitical landscape of the time through other historical documents.
Photo: Heritage Malta.
Photo: Heritage Malta.
In 1749, a group of Muslim slaves hatched an audacious plot: taking over the island.
The slaves planned to poison guests at a banquet before assassinating the grand master of the day, Manuel Pinto da Fonseca. They would then raid the armouries and take over the island's strategic points before signalling a nearby Ottoman fleet to invade.
But the plan came to nought after a small group of the conspirators were overheard in a tavern trying to recruit a member of the grand master’s guard to join the plot and were later turned in by the owner of the establishment.
Historical accounts of the repercussions on the slaves tell of brutal torture and gruesome capital punishments.
The events were set in motion by the arrival in Malta of a mutinied Ottoman ship and its captured owner, Mustafa, who planned the revolt but managed to escape punishment at the insistence of France.
According to Heritage Malta, “Visitors to the exhibition will be taken on a journey through time, exploring the dramatic events... [that] could have dramatically altered the trajectory of Malta’s history.”