WETTINGER, GODFREY (22.12.1929), Historian.
Born at Mosta, Wettinger received his education at the Lyceum and St. Michael’s
College. Lived at Mellieha, 1931-64 and at St Julian’s 1964- . He taught in primary
schools, at the Lyceum and at the Junior College. Wettinger graduated BA in History as
an external student of London University (1953), MA (1965), and Ph.D. (1971). Lectured
at the UM from 1972 onwards, and later became Head of the Department of History,
Chairman of the Faculty of Arts, Professor (1991), and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. For
several times he was a member of Senate. He often spent long spells abroad at London,
Oxford, Palermo and other places of archival research. A founding member (1951), past
editor of the journal Melita Historica, and past president of the Malta Historical Society,
Wettinger was nominated member of the National Order of Merit (MOM) in 1996.
Publications:
‘Coron Captives in Malta: an Episode in the History of Slave-dealing’, Melita Historica, Journal
of the Malta Historical Society, ii, 4 (1959), 216-23.
‘The Slave-convicts and Buonavoglia in Malta during the Rule of the Order’, Journal of the
Faculty of Arts (University of Malta), iii, 2 (1965), 29-37.
‘The Distribution of Surnames in Malta in 1419 and the 1480s’, Journal of Maltese Studies
(University of Malta), 5 (1968), 25-48.
‘The Militia List of 1419-20: a New Starting Point for the Study of Malta’s Population’, Melita
Historica Journal of the Malta Historical Society, v, 2 (1969), 80-106.
‘Late Medieval Maltese Nicknames’, Journal of Maltese Studies, 6 (1971), 34-46.
‘Arabo-Berber Influences in Malta: Onomastic Evidence’, Proceedings of the First Congress on
Mediterranean Studies of Arabo-Berber Influence (Algiers, 1973), 484-95.
‘Our Medieval Historical Archives and their Care’, Maltese History: What Future?, ed. A.
Williams and R. Vella Bonavita (Malta, 1974), 94-101.
‘Il-Ġrajja Bikrija tal-Knisja Matriċi t’Għawdex, 1435-1551’, in Tliet Mija u Ħamsin Sena
Kolleġġjata, 1623-1973 (Gozo, 1974), 18-49. Also published separately with slight
changes and additions.
‘Early Maltese Popular Attitudes to the Government of the Order of St. John’, Melita Historica,
vi, 3 (1974), 255-78.
‘The Lost Villages and Hamlets of Malta’, in Medieval Malta: Studies on Malta before the
Knights, ed. A.T Luttrell, (London, 1975), 181-216.
‘Some Medieval Maltese Place-names of Archaeological Interest’, Atti del Colloquio
Internazionale di Archeologia Medievale 1974 (Palermo, 1976), 329-365.
‘The Gold Hoard of 1525’, Melita Historica, vii, 1 (1976), 25-33.
‘The Village of Ħal Millieri: 1419-1530’ in Ħal Millieri: a Maltese Casale, its Churches and
Paintings, ed. A.T. Luttrell (Malta, 1977), 36-68.
‘Artistic Patronage in Malta: 1418-1538’, in ibid., 108-15.
‘The Gozitan Captives of 1551’, Malta Year Book 1977, (Malta, 1977), 427-30.
‘Concubinage among the Clergy of Malta and Gozo, ca. 1420-1550’, Journal of the Faculty of
Arts (University of Malta), vi, 4 (1977), 165-88.
‘Non Arabo-Berber Influences on Malta’s Medieval Nomenclature’, Proceedings of the Second
International Congress of Studies on Cultures of the Western Mediterranean (Algiers,
1978), 199-213.
‘Looking Back on the Cantilena of Peter Caxaro’, Journal of Maltese Studies, 112 (1978), 88105.
‘The Pawning of Malta to Monroy (in 1421)’, Melita Historica, vii, 3 (1978), 265-83.
‘The Militia Roster of 1417’, The Armed Forces of Malta Journal, 32 (1979), 25-42.
‘Late Medieval Judaeo-Arabic Poetry in Vatican MS 411. Links with Maltese and Sicilian
Arabic’, Journal of Maltese Studies, 13 (1979), 1-16.
‘The Place-names and the Personal Nomenclature of Gozo, 1372-1600’, in Oriental Studies
presented to Benedict S. J. Isserlin by Friends and colleagues on the occasion of his
sixtieth birthday (Leiden, 1980), 173-198.
‘Honour and Shame in Late Fifteenth Century Malta’, Melita Historica, viii, 1 (1980), 65-77.
‘Late Medieval Judaeo-Arabic Poetry in Vatican Hebrew MS411: a Postscript’, ibid., 14 (1981),
56-58.
‘The Abolition of Slavery in Malta’, Archivum, Journal of Maltese Historical Research, 1
(Malta, 1981), 1-19.
‘Agriculture in Malta in the Late Middle Ages’, Proceedings of History Week, 1981 (Malta,
1982), 1-48. Also published separately in a slightly amended edition (Malta, 1982).
‘The Archives of Palermo and Maltese Medieval History: a First Report’, Proceedings of History
Week, 1982 (Malta, 1983), 59-68.
‘Some Grammatical Characteristics of the Place-names of Malta and Gozo in Early Modern
Times’, Journal of Maltese Studies, 15 (1983), 31-68.
‘Burials in Maltese Churches: 1419-1530s’ Hyphen, iv, 2 (Malta, 1984), 39-45; also published
with a few minor emendations in Excavations at Ħal Millieri Malta ed. T. F. C. Bragg, A.
Bonanno, , A. T. Luttrell (Malta, 1990), 135-40.
‘Ħal Qormi Qabel il-Miġja tal-Kavallieri’, in Il-Knisja Parrokkjali ta’ San Ġorġ, Ħal Qormi:
Erba’ Sekli ta’ Storja, ed. J.F. Grima (Malta, 1984), 3-6.
‘Nineteen Eighty-Four: the way I see it’, in Orwell 1984: Myths and Realities: Man, the State
and Society, ed. D. Massa (Malta, 1984),119-23.
‘The Arabs in Malta’, Mid-Med Bank Limited: Report and Accounts, 1984 (Malta, 1985), 22-37.
‘The Jews of Malta in the Late Middle Ages’ (1985)
‘The Arabs in Malta’, second and much lengthened edition, in Malta: Studies of its Heritage and
History (Malta, 1986), 87-104.
‘The nature of Maltese Politics, c. 870-1964’, The British Colonial Experience, 1800-1964: the
Impact on Maltese Society, ed. V. Mallia Milanes (Malta, 1988), 19-33.
‘The Early Place-names of Malta and Gozo’, Civilization (Malta, 1982 onwards),a total of 184
pages now incorporated, upgraded and completed in Place-names of the Maltese Islands
(see below).
‘Malta fiż-Żmien Nofsani’, Kungress Nazzjonali: L-Identita’ Kulturali ta’ Malta (Malta, 1989),
207-23.
‘Aspects of Maltese Life’, Maltese Baroque, ed. J. Mangion (Malta, 1989), 60-62.
‘A Land grant by Bishop Ilario to Bochius de Bochio at St. Paul’s Grotto 1366’, in St Paul’s
Grotto, Church and Museum at Rabat, Malta, ed. J. Azzopardi (Malta, 1990), 65-67.
‘The History of Gozo from the Early Middle Ages to Modern Times’, Gozo: the Roots of an
Island, ed. C. Cini (Malta, 1990), 47-81.
‘Aspects of Daily Life in Late Medieval Malta and Gozo’, Malta: a Case Study in International
Cross-Currents, ed. S. Fiorini and V. Mallia Milanes (Malta, 1991), 81-90.
‘Linguistic Pluralism and Cultural Change in the Maltese Islands during the Middle Ages’,
Colloque International sur le Pluralisme linguistique dans la société médiévale, Institut
d’Études médiévales, Université de Montreal, 29 April -3 May 1986, now published in
Mediterranean Language Review, 6-7 (1990-93), (Wiesbaden, 1993), 144-60.
‘The Castrum Maris and its Suburb of Birgu during the Middle Ages’, in Birgu: Malta’s
maritime City (Malta, 1993), I, 31-71.
‘Acta Juratorum et Consilii Civitatis et Insulae Maltae’ (Palermo, 1993), a complete transcript
and edition of the minutes of the town council of Malta in the second half of the fifteenth
century
‘Malta and Jerba, 1240-1798’, a Paper read at the Congress International de l’Ile de Jerba, April
1882, published in Liber Amicorum Dr. Albert Ganado, ed. J. Schiro’ and others (Malta,
1994), 33-44.
‘The “Norman” Heritage of Malta’, Treasures of Malta, I, 3 (1995), 334-39.
‘The Young Widow on Gozo who Remarried too Soon’, Melita Historica, xii, 2 (1997), 139-50
‘Jerġa’ Jissewwa Bieb il-Mistra’, Leħen l-Imperial (Vitorja ’98), 67-69.
‘L-Imqabba fiż-Żmien Nofsani’, L-Imqabba mal-Medda taż-Żmien, ed. Charles Farrugia, 1998.
21-26.
‘The Origins of the ‘Maltese’ Surnames’, Melita Historica, xii 4 (1999), 333-344.
‘Place-names of the Maltese Islands’ (1999)
‘Donna Simona de Baldes, materfamilias’, in Melita Historica, (2001).
‘L-Inħawi tal-Mellieħa fiż-Żmien Nofsani’, in Il-Mellieħa mal-Milja taż-Żmien (2002)
‘Mellieħa in the Middle Ages’, in Mellieħa through the Tides of Time (2002)
‘Priests in Court: a Harassed Schoolmaster and his Traducer’, Festschrift for Mgr John Azzopardi
(2002).
‘Iż-Żejtun qabel l-Ordni’ in Iż-Żejtun fiż-Żminijiet tan-Nofs (Kunsill Lokali Żejtun, Malta, 2002)
‘The Falzon Family and the Capomastro of its House at Mdina, Storja 2003-2004, 20-33.
‘Corsairs in Gozo in 1533’, 427-440. De Triremibus. Festschrift in Honour of Joseph Muscat
(Malta, 2005).
‘A Cleric is Disciplined’, Melita Historica, XIV, no. 2 (2005).
‘Kliem Malti Qadim’ (Malta, 2006).
‘Black African Slaves in Malta,’, Mediterranean Seascapes, ed. Simon Mercieca, (Malta, 2007),
65-81.
‘Wiċċ Malta qabel ma ġie l-Ordni’, Il-Malti, Malta, 2007.
‘Slavery in the Maltese Islands, ca. 1000 AD to 1814’, with which Prof. Wettinger returns to his
original intellectual interests and for half of which he had obtained Ph.D. in 1971 from
the University of London
In collaboration with:
Fr. Michael Fsadni OP, Peter Caxaro’s Cantilena, a Poem in Medieval Maltese (1968)
Fr. Michael Fsadni OP, L-Għanja ta’ Pietru Caxaru, Poeżija bil-Malti Medjevali (1983).
Julio del Amo García and Stanley Fiorini, Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Archivum Cathedralis
Melitae Miscellanea 33: 1405-1542, “Documentary Sources of Maltese History, Part III,
Documents of the Maltese Universitas, No. 1 (2001).
Festschrift:
Karissime Gotifride: Historical Essays presented to Professor Godfrey Wettinger on his Seventieth
Birthday, ed. Paul Xuereb, Malta, 1999.
Bibliography:
‘Godfrey Wettinger ta iktar dawl liż-Żmien Nofsani ta’ Malta’, Joe Mikallef jintervista “il-Bieraħ u
l-Lum”, Il-Mument, 29 ta’ Settembru 1991.
Mikiel Fsadni, Esperjenzi ta’ Kittieb (1994)
Ray Bugeja, ‘Encounter with Prof. Godfrey Wettinger. The Medieval Chronicler’, Malta this month
August 1999 (The In-flight Magazine of Air Malta), 18-20.