Description
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 a first-hand account 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. Hardcover. Published by Midsea Books Ltd 2002
