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100-622: The Citadel ( Maltese : Iċ-Ċittadella ), also known as the Castello ( Maltese : Il-Kastell ), is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo , Malta. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age , and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic - Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas . During the medieval period ,

200-548: A clock tower in 1858. A small gunpowder magazine is located at the junction between St. John's Demi-Bastion and the medieval enceinte. The bastions are linked together by curtain walls. The one between St. Martin's Demi-Bastion and St. Michael's Bastion contains the Main Gate, a modern arched opening and a clock tower. The wall between St. Michael's Bastion and St. John's Demi-Bastion is known as St. Philip's Curtain, and its upper part contains slit-like openings which open into

300-505: A castle. The first reference to the castrum of Gozo dates back to 1241. It was sacked by the Genoese in 1274, and a report on its fortifications was ordered two years later. At this point, one-third of Gozo's population lived in or around the Cittadella, and the island's inhabitants were required to spend the night within the citadel. By the end of the 13th century, the Cittadella housed noblemen from Sicily and mainland Italy who represented

400-416: A large number of borrowings from Romance sources ( Sicilian , Italian , and French ) and, more recently, Germanic ones (from English ). The historical source of modern Maltese vocabulary is 52% Italian/Sicilian, 32% Arabic/Siculo-Arabic, and 6% English, with some of the remainder being French. Today, most function words are Arabic, so despite only making up about a third of the vocabulary, they are

500-608: A leisure area. A breach in the bastions was closed off with a door, and accessibility and safety measures were undertaken. The 19th-century reservoir in the ditch was also converted into the Cittadella Visitors' Centre, with this project being entrusted to Martin Xuereb & Associates and Sarner International. The restored Cittadella was inaugurated on 30 June 2016. The Cittadella Visitors' Centre has won multiple local and international awards since its inauguration. During

600-474: A local government elected by the local nobility to safe guard their rights in the islands and maintain day-to-day management. They maintained the lobby to remain part of the Crown of Aragon , which they were until 1420. Alfonso V of Aragon was in need of both money and support, since he had undertaken several Mediterranean campaigns. Consequently, he granted the islands to Gonsalvo Monroy . The contract of payment

700-478: A month, while the remaining 10,000 florins were to be paid by October 1428. By the end of this deadline, the Universita still had to pay 10,000 florins. This led to a stall in negotiations, until April 1429. By this time, Gonsalvo Monroy was on his deathbed. He decided to pardon the remaining debt of 10,000 florins. Therefore, the islands were returned to the royal domain by 1429. Whether or not this outcome

800-475: A provisional government led by Saverio Cassar and briefly administered the island as the independent state La Nazione Gozitana . When the Gozo Aqueduct was built between 1839 and 1843, a water reservoir was constructed in the Cittadella's ditch. A commemorative obelisk was also built near the reservoir. A road leading from it-Tokk to the Cittadella was constructed in 1854, allowing easier access to

900-993: A sample of 1,821 Quranic Arabic roots were found in Maltese, considerably lower than that found in Moroccan (58%) and Lebanese (72%) varieties of Arabic. An analysis of the etymology of the 41,000 words in Aquilina's Maltese–English Dictionary shows that 32% of the Maltese vocabulary is of Arabic origin, although another source claims 40%. Usually, words expressing basic concepts and ideas, such as raġel (man), mara (woman), tifel (boy), dar (house), xemx (sun), sajf (summer), are of Arabic origin. Moreover, belles-lettres in Maltese aim to maximise their use of vocabulary belonging to this group. Notes: * from Arabic استقصى ( istaqṣā ) "to investigate", ** from Arabic اشتاق ( ištāqa ) "to yearn for ". Count of Malta The first Count of Malta

1000-402: A series of magazines which are now used as craft shops. These rooms support a walkway along the ramparts. Cavaliers were also built close to each demi-bastion. St. Martin's Cavalier is located between the medieval enceinte and St. Martin's Demi-Bastion, and it is only partially intact, its upper portions having been pulled down. St. John's Cavalier, which is found near St. John's Demi-Bastion and

1100-457: A variety of historical Arabic that has no diglossic relationship with Classical or Modern Standard Arabic . Maltese is thus classified separately from the 30 varieties constituting the modern Arabic macrolanguage . Maltese is also distinguished from Arabic and other Semitic languages since its morphology has been deeply influenced by Romance languages , namely Italian and Sicilian . The original Arabic base comprises around one-third of

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1200-456: A wall with three gates known as Putirjal , Bieb il-Għajn and Bieb il-Għarb . At this point Malta and Gozo were ruled by the Crown of Aragon , and the Cittadella's fortifications were strengthened. The oldest surviving parts of the walls date back from this period. Emperor Charles V handed over Malta and Gozo to the Order of St. John in 1530. The Order was in a state of perpetual war against

1300-469: A ḡ fir lanā ḏ unūbanā , kamā na ḡ firu na ḥ nu ʔ ay ḍ an lil-muḏnibīn ʔ ilaynā. wa lā tud ḵ ilna fī tajāriba , lākin najjinā min a š-š irrīr. ʔā mīn hab lan lahmo d-sunqonan yowmono washbuq lan hawbayn wahtohayn aykano doph hnan shbaqan l-hayobayn lo ta`lan l-nesyuno elo paso lan men bisho Amin Although the original vocabulary of Maltese was Siculo-Arabic , it has incorporated

1400-543: Is a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata . It is spoken by the Maltese people and is the national language of Malta , and the only official Semitic and Afroasiatic language of the European Union . Maltese is considered a North African dialect of Colloquial Arabic that was brought to Malta by Arab and Berber ( Aghlabids ), who in 869/870 CE seized control of

1500-424: Is a naturally defensible hill, dominating the surrounding countryside and having views of large parts of the coastline. The fortifications of the Cittadella consist of a semi-circular enceinte in the northern end of the city, and bastions linked together with curtain walls in the south. The northern walls are built on the perimeter of the natural plateau, so they were difficult to attack. They were originally built in

1600-587: Is descended from Siculo-Arabic, a Semitic language within the Afroasiatic family . In the course of its history , Maltese has been influenced by Sicilian, Italian, to a lesser extent by French , and more recently by English. Today, the core vocabulary (including both the most commonly used vocabulary and function words ) is Semitic, with a large number of loanwords . Due to the Sicilian influence on Siculo-Arabic, Maltese has many language contact features and

1700-849: Is distinctive word-medially and word-finally in Maltese. The distinction is most rigid intervocalically after a stressed vowel. Stressed, word-final closed syllables with short vowels end in a long consonant, and those with a long vowel in a single consonant; the only exception is where historic *ʕ and *ɣ meant the compensatory lengthening of the succeeding vowel. Some speakers have lost length distinction in clusters. The two nasals /m/ and /n/ assimilate for place of articulation in clusters. /t/ and /d/ are usually dental , whereas /t͡s d͡z s z n r l/ are all alveolar. /t͡s d͡z/ are found mostly in words of Italian origin, retaining length (if not word-initial). /d͡z/ and /ʒ/ are only found in loanwords, e.g. /ɡad͡zd͡zɛtta/ "newspaper" and /tɛlɛˈviʒin/ "television". The pharyngeal fricative /ħ/

1800-654: Is less distant from its Siculo-Arabic ancestor than is Standard Maltese. Voiceless stops are only lightly aspirated and voiced stops are fully voiced. Voicing is carried over from the last segment in obstruent clusters ; thus, two- and three-obstruent clusters are either voiceless or voiced throughout, e.g. /niktbu/ is realised [ˈniɡdbu] "we write" (similar assimilation phenomena occur in languages like French or Czech). Maltese has final-obstruent devoicing of voiced obstruents and word-final voiceless stops have no audible release , making voiceless–voiced pairs phonetically indistinguishable in word-final position. Gemination

1900-747: Is most commonly described as a language with a large number of loanwords. Maltese has historically been classified in various ways, with some claiming that it was derived from ancient Punic (another Semitic language) instead of Siculo-Arabic, and others claiming it is one of the Berber languages (another language family within Afroasiatic). Less plausibly, Fascist Italy classified it as regional Italian . Urban varieties of Maltese are closer to Standard Maltese than rural varieties, which have some characteristics that distinguish them from Standard Maltese. They tend to show some archaic features such as

2000-473: Is not known. Afterwards the title and fief were regained by his son Niccolò de Malta in 1232. Throughout the period during which he used the title (1232–1266), there seem to be present in Malta a number of royal governors. They included Paulino de Malta (1239–1240) and Gililberto Abbate (1240-?). During the period of Abbate's term in office, there was written one of the most well known and important documents from

2100-467: Is only limited evidence of Neolithic remains in the Cittadella or Victoria, it is likely that the area has been inhabited since the Stone Age , given its size and strategic position. Ceramics discovered inside the Cittadella suggest that the area was a settlement in prehistory. Archaeological remains such as pottery show that the site of the Cittadella was definitely inhabited during the Bronze Age , in

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2200-404: Is part of the supercontinent of Eurasia'), while not understanding a single word of a basic sentence such as Ir-raġel qiegħed fid-dar ('The man is in the house'), which would be easily understood by any Arabic speaker. At that time Malta was thoroughly Arabized. The conquerors brought to the island the vulgar (colloquial) variation of Arabic, not the classical one (Classical Arabic), Therefore

2300-510: Is said to them in Maltese. This reported level of asymmetric intelligibility is considerably lower than the mutual intelligibility found between other varieties of Arabic. Maltese has always been written in the Latin script , the earliest surviving example dating from the late Middle Ages . It is the only standardised Semitic language written exclusively in the Latin script. The origins of

2400-860: Is the Lord's Prayer in Maltese compared to other Semitic languages ( Arabic and Syriac ) with cognates highlighted: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen Ħobżna ta' kuljum agħtina llum . Aħfrilna dnubietna , bħal ma naħfru lil min hu ħati għalina . U la ddaħħalniex fit-tiġrib , iżda eħlisna mid-deni. Ammen ʔabāna , alla ḏ i fī as-samāwāt , li- yataqaddas ismuka , li- yaʔti malakūtuka, li-takun ma šī ʔatuka, kamā fī as-samāʔi ka ḏ ālika ʕa lā al-ar ḍ . ḵ ubzana kafāfanā ʔaʕṭi nā alyawm , wa

2500-425: Is velar ( [ x ] ), uvular ( [ χ ] ), or glottal ( [ h ] ) for some speakers. Maltese has five short vowels, /ɐ ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ , written a e i o u; six long vowels, /ɐː ɛː ɪː iː ɔː ʊː/ , written a, e, ie, i, o, u, all of which (with the exception of ie /ɪː/ ) can be known to represent long vowels in writing only if they are followed by an orthographic għ or h (otherwise, one needs to know

2600-525: Is well-remembered in Malta, although it was not the first. The initial violence erupted in Gozo and spilled into Malta by 1426. Control of the islands fell in the hands of the rebelling populations, while Monroy's garrison and wife Lady Constance de Monroy were encircled in the Castrum Maris. The tension remained until 1427 when Alfonso V decided that the Universita could buy the fief if they could pay

2700-571: The Count of Malta . The Cittadella was called terra by the mid-14th century, and an administrative council known as the Università was founded in 1350. In a testament of 1299 it was called castri Gaudisii . Over time, the Cittadella became too small for the growing population, and by the 15th century the suburb of Rabat began to develop on the site of the Roman town. This settlement was surrounded by

2800-666: The Italo-Normans ended Arab rule of the islands, a written form of the language was not developed for a long time after the Arabs' expulsion in the middle of the thirteenth century. Under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller , both French and Italian were used for official documents and correspondence. During the British colonial period , the use of English was encouraged through education, with Italian being regarded as

2900-557: The Kingdom of Sicily by military invasion. In 1197, on the death of Henry VI, the title was given to Guglielmo Grasso , a Genoese pirate. He was one of many North Italian and German warlords who had great interests in the new territory that was now open to them. Some accounts indicate that he was also admiral to the King of Sicily. It is also attested that he was a conspirator along with Markward von Annweiler , in an attempt to remove

3000-542: The Mediterranean , in his enterprise as a major corsair. It seems that he was employed in pirating activities against mainly Venetian and Arab vessels, but also seems to have been active in internal strife in Sicily. At around 1218 though, he was also elevated to the rank of Admiral for the King of Sicily. It seems that at around 1221 he may have lost the fief due to dispute with the crown. Whether he regained it or not

3100-640: The Ottoman Empire , which had expelled it from its previous base at Rhodes in 1522. At the time the Cittadella was still a medieval castle, and it provided refuge for the Gozitans during Ottoman or Barbary attacks. The largest attack on the Cittadella took place in July 1551, when a large Ottoman force, led by admiral Sinan Pasha , invaded Gozo and besieged the Cittadella. Governor Gelatian de Sessa offered terms of surrender, but they were refused, and

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3200-470: The Sicilian Vespers uprising, it appears that the island was easily taken over by the Crown of Aragon , with local aid. Aragonese control initially excluded the Castrum Maris, which did not fall until 1283, following after the naval Battle of Malta . It was therefore in 1282 that Andreolo da Genova was given the title of Count of Malta. He and his family had supported the native rebels in aiding

3300-579: The Tarxien Cemetery and Borġ in-Nadur phases of Maltese prehistory. Bronze Age silos were discovered outside the Cittadella in the 19th century, suggesting that during this period the settlement was larger than the present-day citadel. The Victoria area remained the main settlement on Gozo throughout the Phoenician and Roman periods, and it became a settlement known as Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas . The city consisted of an acropolis on

3400-527: The diaspora . Most speakers also use English. The largest diaspora community of Maltese speakers is in Australia , with 36,000 speakers reported in 2006 (down from 45,000 in 1996, and expected to decline further). The Maltese linguistic community in Tunisia originated in the 18th century. Numbering several thousand in the 19th century, it was reported to be only 100 to 200 people as of 2017. Maltese

3500-519: The 11th century, and it was dedicated to Nicholas of Bari . The present building was built in 1625, possibly to designs of Vittorio Cassar , and it might incorporate parts of the original chapel. The other chapel is dedicated to Saint Barbara , and it is known as "within the Walls". Its site was originally occupied by a chapel dedicated to John the Baptist , but this was deconsecrated in 1575. The site

3600-498: The 15th century, although large portions of the walls were rebuilt by the Hospitallers or in modern times. The northern walls include the remains of a collapsed medieval wall tower , a blocked-up sally port , a lookout post and some walled-up windows. Masonry revetments are built in depressions within the cliff face below the northern walls. The southern perimeter of the city consists of a 17th-century bastioned enceinte which

3700-450: The 1980s, together with a grammar, the Regole per la Lingua Maltese , attributed to a French knight named Thezan. The first systematic lexicon is that of Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis , who also wrote the first systematic grammar of the language and proposed a standard orthography . Ethnologue reports a total of 530,000 Maltese speakers: 450,000 in Malta and 79,000 in

3800-413: The Arabs . A second church was built in the medieval period, and the earliest mentions of a parish church within the Cittadella date back to the 13th century. This church was enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it was damaged in the 1551 attack, although it was repaired within a few years. The building was damaged during the 1693 Sicily earthquake , and it was subsequently demolished to make way for

3900-575: The Aragonese claimants to the Sicilian throne. In 1300, Roger of Lauria was given the title of Count of Malta by the Kingdom of Naples , after loss of support in the King of Sicily's fleet . He had allied himself with the Angevin crown. It seems though that he never had control over the islands. They were still strictly Aragonese possessions following the Battle of Malta, which he himself had won for

4000-452: The Aragonese crown. The heir apparent of the fief was Guglielmo de Malta, nephew of Count Andreolo. Guglielmo died in 1299, leaving all possessions to his daughter Lukina. It appears that during the period between 1300 and 1320, no Count of Malta held the fief. Lukina held on to the rights she had inherited from her father, without actually holding any title or power. The most important positions were filled by natives and people appointed by

4100-529: The Chiaramonte family were divided by Martin I of Sicily between Guglielmo Raimondo Moncada and the Cabrera Family. During this period, the fief was elevated to a marquisate . Guglielmo Riamondo Moncada was granted the fief, because he wa a great grandson of Lukina de Malta, and a descendant of Henry, Count of Malta. At this time, the greatest threat to the crown was Artale II Alagona . Artale

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4200-677: The Cittadella, which is known as Pjazza tal-Katidral (Cathedral Square), contains the Law Courts. These are housed in two buildings, one of which was purpose-built as a courthouse , and another, which was formerly the Governor 's Palace, built in the early 17th century. Opposite the Governor's Palace is the Bishop's Palace. Adjoining the Chapel of St. Joseph, there is a residential palace that

4300-455: The Crown. At around 1320, Frederick III of Sicily granted the title to William II, Duke of Athens . William was Frederick's son by Eleanor of Anjou . In 1330, William invested the county of Malta to his half-brother Alfonso Fadrique . Although no records are known to substantiate the traditional narrative, it is maintained that Alfonso held the fief until his death in 1349. At this date

4400-604: The Levant. The Norman conquest in 1091 , followed by the expulsion of the Muslims , complete by 1249, permanently isolated the vernacular from its Arabic source, creating the conditions for its evolution into a distinct language. In contrast to Sicily, where Siculo-Arabic became extinct and was replaced by Sicilian , the vernacular in Malta continued to develop alongside Italian, eventually replacing it as official language in 1934, alongside English. The first written reference to

4500-481: The Low Battery but now begins at St. Michael's Bastion due to 19th-century alterations. A covertway with a single place-of-arms runs along the ditch. A steep glacis was located outside the covertway, but this has been built up. A small triangular ravelin stands near the entrance to the city, but this has lost most of its original stonework and has been converted into a garden, losing its legibility as part of

4600-508: The Maltese language are attributed to the arrival, early in the 11th century, of settlers from neighbouring Sicily, where Siculo-Arabic was spoken, reversing the Fatimid Caliphate 's conquest of the island at the end of the 9th century. This claim has been corroborated by genetic studies, which show that contemporary Maltese people share common ancestry with Sicilians and Calabrians , with little genetic input from North Africa and

4700-508: The Maltese language differs from Classical Arabic in the same way as the Arabic dialects differ from Classical Arabic. the Maltese language also comprises a considerable number of Maghrebi features, in other ways it can be closer to other Arabic dialects, or closer to Classical Arabic than to the other dialects as in the word ra ('to see'). Arabic supplies between 32% and 40% of the language's vocabulary. Żammit (2000) found that 40% of

4800-485: The Maltese language is in a will of 1436, where it is called lingua maltensi . The oldest known document in Maltese, Il-Kantilena ( Xidew il-Qada ) by Pietru Caxaro , dates from the 15th century. The earliest known Maltese dictionary was a 16th-century manuscript entitled "Maltese-Italiano"; it was included in the Biblioteca Maltese of Mifsud in 1764, but is now lost. A list of Maltese words

4900-645: The Maltese vocabulary, especially words that denote basic ideas and the function words , but about half of the vocabulary is derived from standard Italian and Sicilian; and English words make up between 6% and 20% of the vocabulary. A 2016 study shows that, in terms of basic everyday language, speakers of Maltese are able to understand around a third of what is said to them in Tunisian Arabic and Libyan Arabic , which are Maghrebi Arabic dialects related to Siculo-Arabic, whereas speakers of Tunisian Arabic and Libyan Arabic are able to understand about 40% of what

5000-660: The Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail. L-Unjoni hija bbażata fuq il-valuri tar-rispett għad-dinjità tal-bniedem, il-libertà, id-demokrazija, l-ugwaljanza, l-istat tad-dritt u r-rispett għad-drittijiet tal-bniedem, inklużi d-drittijiet ta' persuni li jagħmlu parti minn minoranzi. Dawn il-valuri huma komuni għall-Istati Membri f'soċjetà fejn jipprevalu l-pluraliżmu, in-non-diskriminazzjoni, it-tolleranza, il-ġustizzja, is-solidarjetà u l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel. Below

5100-544: The Punic-Roman fortifications of Gaulos have been discovered. In 1969, traces of massive walls were discovered during building works in Main Gate Street ( Maltese : Triq Putirjal ), to the south of the Cittadella. Further remains were discovered close to the Cittadella during an archaeological excavation in 2017. During the medieval period, the Roman town was abandoned, and the acropolis was transformed into

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5200-406: The acropolis was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. A suburb began to develop outside its walls by the 15th century, and this area now forms the historic core of Victoria. The castle's defences were obsolete by the 16th century, and in 1551 an Ottoman force invaded Gozo and sacked the Cittadella. A major reconstruction of the southern walls of the Cittadella

5300-497: The bastions of the Cittadella. The Cittadella's fortifications, including part of the medieval enceinte, are intact. The southern part of the city, where the cathedral and other buildings are located, is in good condition, but the buildings in the northern part are largely in ruins. Most of these ruins date back to the medieval period, and they contain archaeological deposits. Since 1998, the citadel has been included on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . In 2006,

5400-485: The building is most famous for a remarkable trompe-l'œil on its ceiling, which depicts the interior of a dome that was never built. This was painted by the Sicilian artist Antonio Manuele. A small building behind the cathedral houses the Cathedral Museum. Two chapels are also found inside the Cittadella. The Chapel of St. Joseph , known as ta' fuq is-sur ("on the bastions"), was originally built in around

5500-509: The castle fell within a matter of days. The castle was then sacked, and most of the 6,000 Gozitans, who took refuge there, were taken as slaves. The attack left the castle in ruins, but it was rebuilt soon afterwards, although, initially, no efforts were made to modernize it. The Cittadella was undamaged during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Although there had been proposals to demolish the castle and evacuate its inhabitants to Sicily ,

5600-529: The castle served an important role during the siege, as it maintained a communication link between besieged Birgu and Christian vessels, and it also reported Ottoman movements to the Order. After the siege, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and military engineer Francesco Laparelli visited the Cittadella in order to modernize it, but nothing materialized since at the time the Order was busy constructing its new capital Valletta on mainland Malta. The Cittadella

5700-484: The control of Giacomo de Pellegrino. Giacomo was a Messinese man who had settled in Malta. From 1356 to 1372, he held various titles and administrative positions. He also owned a lucrative cotton cloth warehouse, along with a privateering business. Giacomo took over political control of the fiefdom. He was finally removed from power following an invasion of Malta from an allied force of the Genoese and Sicilian navies. There

5800-629: The course of restoration, various architectural features and archaeological remains were unearthed. A small structure consisting of two sets of stones in circular arrangements was discovered in Cathedral Square in December 2014. Its age and purpose are unknown. Bronze Age silos were also rediscovered. Parts of the Hospitaller fortifications which had been obscured by British interventions in the mid-19th century were also rediscovered during

5900-420: The demolition was never done. The engineer Antonio Maurizio Valperga suggested to rebuild the wall around the suburb and further strengthen the Cittadella, but there were no funds for this proposal. By the early 18th century the Cittadella had assumed the role of a fortress, with a significant proportion of its houses falling into ruin or being in a poor state. An attack on Gozo took place in 1708, and, in 1715,

6000-534: The engineer Louis François d'Aubigné de Tigné made the same suggestions as Valperga, but a lack of funds prevented any work from being carried out. On 10 June 1798, the Maltese Islands were invaded by the French . Troops led by Jean Reynier landed near Ramla in the early afternoon, and part of the 95th Demi-Brigade marched to the Cittadella. The fortress held out for some time, but by nightfall it fell to

6100-534: The fee that Monroy paid in 1421. The fee amounted to 30,000 Aragonese florins over 4 months, an effectively impossible task for both the poor population of the island and the relatively wealthy local nobility. By the end of 1427 they had not collected the money and had to bargain for a new deal. Viceroy Muntayans held onto the worth of 15,000 Aragonese florins in seized Maltese assets in Sicily. Meanwhile 400 uncias were given by Francesco Gatto and Marciano Falco, local noble men. The Universita were to pay 5000 florins within

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6200-461: The fief until his death in 1391. The fief was then inherited by his eldest child Elisabetta Chiaramonte. The actual management of the County was probably undertaken by her brother Andrea Chiaramonte . Andrea Chiaramonte was executed in 1392, having been accused as a major conspirator in the anti-Aragonese unrest during the early reign of Maria, Queen of Sicily . All the territories that were held by

6300-460: The fief was inherited by his son Peter Fadrique . In 1350, Louis, King of Sicily incorporated the islands to the royal domain, apparently after petitioning from the local nobility. During this period, Joanna I of Naples appointed Niccolò Acciaioli as Count of Malta. Acciaioli claimed the title until 1360. In 1360, Frederick the Simple granted the fief to Guido Ventimiglia. By 1366, the fief

6400-540: The first plans were made to restore the Cittadella, as part of a project that also included the restoration of the fortifications of Valletta , Birgu and Mdina on mainland Malta. The restoration of the Cittadella consisted of two projects which were co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund . The first was aimed at stabilizing and consolidating the fortifications and their underlying bedrock, and it began in 2008. This project

6500-522: The fortified city. The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment moved its Gozo headquarters from the Cittadella to Fort Chambray in 1856, and the fortifications of the Cittadella were decommissioned by the British on 1 April 1868. The Cittadella's fortifications and the ruined buildings within the city were included on the Antiquities List of 1925. During World War II , air raid shelters were dug under

6600-674: The fortress in the process. One of the major landmarks in the Cittadella is the Cathedral of the Assumption , which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo . According to tradition, it stands on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Juno , which was eventually converted to a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary . The cathedral is believed to have been destroyed after the Maltese islands fell to

6700-447: The fortress surrendered without much of a fight. It remained a military installation until it was decommissioned by the British on 1 April 1868. The Cittadella contains churches and other historic buildings, including the Cathedral of the Assumption , which was built between 1697 and 1711 on the site of an earlier church. The citadel has been included in Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998. Although there

6800-527: The increasing influence of Romance and English words. In 1992 the academy issued the Aġġornament tat-Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija , which updated the previous works. The National Council for the Maltese Language (KNM) is the main regulator of the Maltese language (see Maltese Language Act, below). However, the academy's orthography rules are still valid and official. Since Maltese evolved after

6900-416: The invaders. The invasion was followed by a French military occupation , but within three months discontent among the population led to revolt on the main island of Malta. The Gozitans rebelled on 3 September, and the French garrison withdrew to the Cittadella, until they capitulated on 28 October after some negotiations. A day later, the British transferred control of the Cittadella to the Gozitans, who set up

7000-587: The island from the Byzantine Empire. It is also said that it descents from Siculo-Arabic, which developed as a Maghrebi Arabic dialect in the Emirate of Sicily between 831 and 1091. As a result of the Norman invasion of Malta and the subsequent re-Christianization of the islands , Maltese evolved independently of Classical Arabic in a gradual process of latinisation. It is therefore exceptional as

7100-466: The most used when speaking the language. In this way, Maltese is similar to English , a Germanic language that has been strongly influenced by Norman French and Latin (58% of English vocabulary). As a result of this, Romance language-speakers (and to a lesser extent English speakers) can often easily understand more technical ideas expressed in Maltese, such as Ġeografikament, l-Ewropa hi parti tas-superkontinent ta' l-Ewrasja ('Geographically, Europe

7200-405: The next-most important language. In the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century, philologists and academics such as Mikiel Anton Vassalli made a concerted effort to standardise written Maltese. Many examples of written Maltese exist from before this period, always in the Latin alphabet, Il-Kantilena from the 15th century being the earliest example of written Maltese. In 1934, Maltese

7300-414: The northern walls were also rebuilt by the Hospitallers, although they retained a medieval form. The walls surrounding the suburb Rabat were probably demolished at this point. The reconstruction to Rinaldini's and Cassar's designs was completed in around 1622. Gozo's population stayed within the walls of the Cittadella between dusk and dawn until this curfew was lifted on 15 April 1637. The castle remained

7400-399: The only fortified refuge against attack for the island's inhabitants until Fort Chambray was built in the mid-18th century. Soon after the reconstruction was complete, the Cittadella's defences were again criticized. In the 1640s, plans were made to demolish the citadel and build a new fortress at Marsalforn . Mines were actually built under the bastions to destroy them, if necessary, but

7500-546: The other using Romance loanwords (from the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe Archived 2015-12-29 at the Wayback Machine , see p. 17 Archived 2020-08-04 at the Wayback Machine ): The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to

7600-407: The populations of Malta and Gozo, along with the nobility, were divided on the question on who should be Marquis of Malta. This led to widespread violence throughout both islands, especially after Moncada lost the favour in Sicily. He finally lost Malta in 1397. Artale II Alagona held to the Castrum Maris until 1398. From 1398 to 1420 de facto control of the islands was held by the early Universita,

7700-423: The present structure, which is a Baroque building constructed between 1697 and 1711 to designs of Lorenzo Gafà , a Maltese architect who also built the Cathedral of Mdina on mainland Malta. Extensive remains of a Roman temple were found during construction, and some remains from this era still survive beneath the cathedral. The church became a cathedral with the establishment of the diocese of Gozo in 1864. Today,

7800-486: The pronunciation; e.g. nar (fire) is pronounced /nɐːr/ ); and seven diphthongs , /ɐɪ ɐʊ ɛɪ ɛʊ ɪʊ ɔɪ ɔʊ/ , written aj or għi, aw or għu, ej or għi, ew, iw, oj, and ow or għu. The original Arabic consonant system has undergone partial collapse under European influence, with many Classical Arabic consonants having undergone mergers and modifications in Maltese: The modern system of Maltese orthography

7900-570: The realisation of ⟨kh⟩ and ⟨gh⟩ and the imāla of Arabic ā into ē (or ī especially in Gozo), considered archaic because they are reminiscent of 15th-century transcriptions of this sound. Another archaic feature is the realisation of Standard Maltese ā as ō in rural dialects. There is also a tendency to diphthongise simple vowels, e.g., ū becomes eo or eu. Rural dialects also tend to employ more Semitic roots and broken plurals than Standard Maltese. In general, rural Maltese

8000-432: The rear of the cathedral, was completed in 1614. A freestanding room was constructed on its roof in 1701 for use as a gunpowder magazine. A pentagonal artillery battery known as the Low Battery is grafted below the walls at the easternmost extremity of the fortress, close to St. John's Demi-Bastion. The southern perimeter of the Cittadella is surrounded by a ditch, which originally extended from St. Martin's Demi-Bastion to

8100-400: The restoration works. These include a ramp with a drawbridge which served as the original entrance to the fortress, and a sally port within a flank of St. Michael's Bastion. The archaeological discoveries were incorporated into the final design of the project. The Cittadella is built on a promontory overlooking the present day city of Victoria . This location was originally chosen because it

8200-432: The site of the Cittadella, and a fortified town in an area now occupied by part of Victoria. A temple dedicated to Juno is said to have stood on the site now occupied by the cathedral . A few inscriptions and architectural fragments from Gaulos have survived, including a 2nd-century AD Latin inscription on a limestone block that was reused in the main gate of the Cittadella. Remains of walls which might have formed part of

8300-479: The structure of the Maltese language are recorded in the official guidebook Tagħrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija (English: Knowledge on Writing in Maltese ) issued by the Akkademja tal-Malti (Academy of the Maltese language). The first edition of this book was printed in 1924 by the Maltese government's printing press. The rules were further expanded in the 1984 book, iż-Żieda mat-Tagħrif , which focused mainly on

8400-535: The time: the report of Giliberto Abbate., It seems that Niccolò lost the fief in 1266, when the Kingdom of Sicily was conquered by Charles I of Anjou . The title was than re-instated to him, even though he held nominal power. Apparently it was in this period that the local nobility started to form, which is attested by a number of petitions sent to the crown. These petitions were sent by a number of distinct locals on matters of local significance. In 1282, during

8500-420: The young Frederick II from the throne. He was therefore in conflict with the crown. It is also attested that he was a corsair first and foremost, with the population of Malta rising up against him by 1198 on various issues. Henry, Count of Malta inherited the fief from Guglielmo Grasso in 1203, apparently because he was his son-in-law and the latter had no sons. He used the islands in his exploits throughout

8600-553: Was Margaritus of Brindisi , a sailor of Greek descent or origin from the city of Brindisi ( Southern Italy ). He was granted the fief by Tancred of Lecce , then King of Sicily, for his service as admiral for the Kingdom, known at the time as ammiratus ammiratorum . The title was granted in 1192, perhaps for his unexpected success in capturing Empress Constance the contender for Sicilian crown against Tancred. In 1194, Margaritus then lost his fiefs, including Malta, when Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor , husband of Constance, took control of

8700-475: Was a 2-month siege of Mdina by both these forces and Maltese rebels. The Maltese rebels included both peasants and noblemen. Giacomo's power in local politics and administration made him many enemies on the islands. He was also considered a political enemy to the Sicilian claimants to the county, while his privateering business made him enemies in both Sicily and the Republic of Genoa . Manfredi Chiaramonte held

8800-462: Was a member of the Alagona family, which was a major player in the unrest of 1377–1392. Guglielmo Raimond Moncada ceded the fiefdom back to the crown, so it could be used in negotiations with Artale II Alagona. In 1393, the fief was transferred to Artale II Alagona. He controlled the fief until 1396, after which King Martin I once again gave the islands back to Guglielmo Riamondo Moncada. Apparently

8900-421: Was attacked again by corsairs in 1583. In 1599, a major reconstruction of the Cittadella begun, under designs of the military engineer Giovanni Rinaldini and under the direction of Vittorio Cassar . The southern walls of the city were completely rebuilt as a bastioned enceinte with a single bastion and two demi-bastions linked by curtain walls , along with two cavaliers , a ditch and outworks . Parts of

9000-486: Was built by Bishop Baldassare Cagliares in 1620. A fountain against a wall is a commemoration of the naming of the city as Victoria, the then Queen of Great Britain, on 10 June 1887. The following buildings are now open to the public as museums: These four museums are run by Heritage Malta . [REDACTED] Media related to Cittadella (Gozo) at Wikimedia Commons Maltese language Maltese (Maltese: Malti , also L-Ilsien Malti or Lingwa Maltija )

9100-407: Was built by the Hospitallers. A large arrowhead-shaped bastion known as St. Michael's Bastion is built at the southernmost end of the city, while two demi-bastions – St. Martin's and St. John's Demi-Bastions – are located at the west and east ends of the city. Flat-roofed échauguettes are built on the salient of each demi-bastion. St. Michael's Bastion also had an echaugette but this was replaced by

9200-594: Was given to the Confraternity of St. Barbara in 1598, who built the existing chapel in the early 17th century, during the magistracy of Alof de Wignacourt and around the same time when the fortifications were being reconstructed. This chapel is annexed to the cathedral. Other chapels dedicated to Saint Lawrence and Our Saviour existed within the Cittadella during the medieval period. These were deconsecrated following Inquisitor Pietro Dusina 's visit in 1575, and no remains have survived today. The main square of

9300-606: Was included in both the Thesaurus Polyglottus (1603) and Propugnaculum Europae (1606) of Hieronymus Megiser , who had visited Malta in 1588–1589; Domenico Magri gave the etymologies of some Maltese words in his Hierolexicon, sive sacrum dictionarium (1677). An early manuscript dictionary, Dizionario Italiano e Maltese , was discovered in the Biblioteca Vallicelliana in Rome in

9400-404: Was introduced in 1924. Below is the Maltese alphabet, with IPA symbols and approximate English pronunciation: Final vowels with grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) are also found in some Maltese words of Italian origin, such as libertà ' freedom ' , sigurtà (old Italian: sicurtà ' security ' ), or soċjetà (Italian: società ' society ' ). The official rules governing

9500-476: Was passed by the crown to Manfredi Chiaramonte . In 1370, Frederick the Simple entrusted the fief to his illegitimate son, Guglielmo d’Aragona. Manfredi Chiaramonte served as Admiral for the King of Sicily, Captain of Djerba and the Kerkenna Islands, and Count of Modica. He regained control of the County following the death of Frederick in 1377. For much of this period, the County was de facto under

9600-493: Was positive for the natives is debatable. In this period, the islands faced frequent corsair attacks, chronic poverty, and periodic famines. Afterwards the titles and fief of the Marquisate of Malta were never given to any individual ruler of the islands. The period of dominion status for Malta and Gozo than came to an end in 1530 when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ceded the islands to the Knights Hospitaller . This started

9700-500: Was recognised as an official language. Maltese has both Semitic vocabulary and words derived from Romance languages , primarily Italian . Words such as tweġiba (Arabic origin) and risposta (Italian origin) have the same meaning ('answer') but are both used in Maltese (rather like 'answer' and 'response' in English. Below are two versions of the same translations, one with vocabulary mostly derived from Semitic root words and

9800-467: Was signed, and the payment made through the Viceroy of Sicily , Antonio de Cardona on behalf of Monroy. This agreement caused great trouble in Malta and Gozo. The islands pledged allegiance to Cardona and not Monroy, following the transfer of jurisdiction to Monroy on the 7 March, 1421. Little is known about the period from 1421 to 1425. The rebellion of the Maltese and Gozitan populations of 1425-1428

9900-515: Was undertaken between 1599–1622, transforming it into a gunpowder fortress. The northern walls were left intact, and today they still retain a largely medieval form. The new fortifications were criticized in later decades, and plans to demolish the entire citadel were made multiple times in the 17th and 18th centuries, but were never carried out. The Cittadella briefly saw action during the French invasion and subsequent uprising in 1798; in both cases

10000-522: Was undertaken by the Restoration Unit at a cost of around €7 million. The second project was undertaken by the Ministry for Gozo between 2014 and 2016 at a cost of €14 million. The façades of the main buildings in the Cittadella were restored, while the ruins were acquired by the government and were cleaned and consolidated. The piazza and streets were paved, and the ditch was rehabilitated as

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