In 1397, the Kingdom of Aragon was restored in Sicily after a large-scale military intervention, and Martin I (1376-1409) was recognised as the Maltese islands’ sovereign.

All pockets of resistance, including the disaffected Castrum Maris (literally ‘castle by the sea’, now known as Fort St Angelo), were overcome by 1398, and a parliament held in Syracuse in October 1497 established Malta, including its city and castles, as an integral part of the royal demesne, together with favours for having supported the royal takeover.

The medieval Castrum Maris (castle by the sea) on the site where Fort St Angelo now stands.

However, Martin I’s death in 1409 and his short-lived successor Martin II (1356-1410), both without legitimate issue, brought about a crisis. The crown passed on to the Castillian Prince Ferdinand (1380-1416) who, in 1416, was succeeded by his son Alfonso (1396-1458), known as the Magnanimous, ever eager to expand his dominions, including the capture of Naples from the Angevins, who were not finally ousted before 1442. Ever in need of funds to finance his costly wars Alfonso, therefore, pawned the Maltese islands to Don Gonsalvo Monroy for 30,000 florins in January 1421.

A bronze medal of King Alfonso V of Aragon (1396-1458) showing Antonio Pisano, known as Pisanello (1395-1455). Photo: Wikipedia Commons

King Alfonso V of Aragon’s coat-of-arms. Photo: Wikipedia.com

The Aragonese King Martin I (1376-1409) who incorporated Malta within the royal demesne in 1397. Photo: Wikipedia.com

The Aragonese King Martin II (1356-1410) who reigned for just one year. Photo: Wikiwand

The Castillian King Ferdinand (1380-1416), the father of King Alfonso who pawned Malta to Gonsalvo de Monroy in 1421. Photo: Wikiwand

The Monroy family was based in the Estramadura in Castille, Spain, but Gonsalvo Monroy (who died in 1429), like a number of Spanish knights, made his fortune in Sicily, which was part of the Aragonese Empire in the Mediterranean. He became a successful galley captain and was, in fact, one of King Alfonso’s trusted servants.

Don Gonsalvo de Monroy, who died in 1429. Photo: Wikipedia.com

Don Gonsalvo de Monroy’s coat-of-arms. Photo: Wikipedia.com

The first folio of the document by which Malta was pawned to Don Gonsalvo de Monroy in Protonotaro del Regno, Vol. 23, folio 204, olim 186, at the Archivio di Stato di Palermo. Photo courtesy of the Palermo State Archives

In the 1421 pawning of Malta, Monroy was represented by the Viceroy of Sicily Don Antonio de Cardona, and, in February, the Maltese swore their loyalty on condition that the new lord would honour all their rights and privileges. Things worked out badly, and a Gozitan rebellion in 1425 was quickly followed by a Maltese revolt in 1426. Monroy’s men, and his wife Donna Costanza, were blockaded in the Castrum Maris.

In March 1427, Alfonso asked his two viceroys in Sicily – Nicola de Speciale and Guglielmo de Muntayans – for information on what had occurred; so one of them, de Muntayans, travelled to Malta to assess the situation for himself on the spot. While he was in Malta, he was insulted and, on his return to Sicily, the population was outlawed and preparations were made to attack the Maltese islands and subdue the revolt by force.

However, on May 12, 1427, two Maltese representatives, the clergymen Canon Don Cataldo Cusburella and Don Gregorio di Bonello, acting on behalf of the Maltese Universitas (the town council of Mdina), met the viceroys in Palermo where assurances were given that the islands wanted to remain subject to King Alfonso and that there was a wish for a peaceful solution to resolve the impasse. The viceroys were not impressed and insisted that crimes and injuries had been committed by the rebels against the people in the king’s service.

The document dated February 11, 1421, in which the Maltese swear allegiance to Don Antonio Cardona, who was deputising for Don Gonsalvo Monroy. Photo: Courtesy of The National Library of Malta

An artist's impression of medieval Mdina. Photo and design by Stephen C. Spiteri

The medieval coat-of-arms of Malta’s Universitas at the Cathedral Museum, Mdina. Photo: Daniel Cilia, courtesy of The Cathedral Museum, Mdina

Meanwhile, other representatives were sent to King Alfonso asking for a royal pardon while, concurrently, meetings with the viceroys continued to be held. In addition to pledges of loyalty and pleas for the suspension of military operations against Malta, the Maltese made another claim: the right to redeem the Maltese islands by paying Monroy the sum of 30,000 florins that he had paid to the king when the monarch had pawned the islands (to Monroy). In return, there would be a royal pardon for all the crimes committed (including the insults addressed at de Muntayans) and a guarantee that Malta would always be part of the royal demesne.

Collecting 30,000 florins was no mean feat, almost an impossible one

The main problem now was how an impoverished country could put together the 30,000 florins promised to Monroy.

In late 1427, Viceroy de Speciale went to Malta and found that the collection of the agreed sum was still way off the mark, thus necessitating a fresh round of negotiations, this time with Antoni Desguanes and Antonio Bagnolo, who were representing the Maltese Universitas.

King Alfonso was insistent on Monroy being paid the agreed sum but his viceroys supported a Maltese proposal that was agreed upon on December 30, 1427. The Maltese agreed to deposit 15,000 florins’ worth of assets held in Sicily, convince the Universitas to pay 5,000 florins to Donna Costanza de Monroy and, finally, pay the remaining 10,000 florins by October 31, 1428. Monroy wanted hostages to guarantee that the agreement was carried out, so Antoni Desguanes agreed that two of his children would be placed under Monroy’s control.

Collecting the sum of 30,000 florins was no mean feat, almost an impossible one, because it was no less than the incomes of the Maltese and Gozitan secrezie for 10 years. Everyone, including the Jews and the clergy without exception, were liable to be taxed to make up the agreed sum. Although many were willing to pay their share, there were others, including several prominent citizens and clergymen, who either disputed the rate they were being taxed or refused to pay outright.

By October 1428, only 20,000 florins had been collected and 10,000 remained outstanding. Then an unexpected windfall altered matters. But, before the unexpected windfall, an important event happened: King Alfonso issued a royal charter in favour of the Maltese islands, a charter known as the Charter of Liberties. It was in Valencia, on June 20, 1428, that this charter was issued.

In a nutshell, it renewed the pledge given by Martin I in 1397 that the Maltese islands would remain part of the royal demesne as already mentioned earlier. However, the charter went even further than this because it also reviewed why the Maltese (and Gozitans) had revolted. In the charter, it was maintained that the revolt had occurred in the name of the king with the demand that the islands would be permanently united with the crown.

The charter also includes a number of sops to the Maltese ego by referring to the islanders as “a noteworthy and conspicuous limb and gemstone of the royal crown”. However, a much more important clause was the following: “the crown granted the islands the right to resist by force of arms (manu forti) if Malta would be given in fief in the future”.

The crown granted the islands the right to resist by force of arms

The abovementioned windfall came about with the death of Monroy in April, 1429. Whereas he had always maintained his right to be given his 30,000 florins, on his deathbed he had a change of heart: on April 12, 1429, the Sicilian viceroys informed the Maltese Universitas that, in his will, Monroy stipulated that out of the 20,000 florins that had already been paid, half was to be handed to King Alfonso and the other half was to be redistributed among the Maltese population.

This meant that Malta’s outstanding debt of 10,000 florins was wiped clean off the slate. Even so, it was the Aragonese crown that came off best because it pocketed 40,000 florins: the 30,000 paid in 1421 plus the 10,000 bequeathed in 1429. On their part, the Maltese had paid out 10,000 florins.

Emperor Charles V’s 1530 Act of Donation by which Malta was given in fief to the Order of St John, thus disregarding the 1428 Charter of Liberties. Photo: Courtesy of The National Library of Malta

The charter of 1428 gave the Maltese islands rights and privileges that made it a political milestone that marked the relationship between Malta and the Aragonese crown for just over the next century, till 1530 to be exact. In that year, notwithstanding the charter and the Maltese right to resist even by force of arms any future attempted enfeoffment of the islands, Emperor Charles V disregarded the rights/privileges extant in the charter and donated the islands in fief to the Knights of the Order of St John, with the Maltese being powerless to resist.

It was another typical example of ‘might is right’.

Joseph F. Grima is a retired casual history lecturer and assistant director of education.