# The Inquisition in Malta: Faith, Fear, and the Knights

An episode of [The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1895465859), 29 Jul 2026, 6:52.

Audio: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-malta/episode-0183.mp3

In 1561, just after the Great Siege, a new power arrived on Malta: the Roman Inquisition. Lucas and Luna explore how the Holy Office of the Inquisition shaped Maltese society for over two centuries. They discuss the arrival of the first Inquisitor, Pietro Dusina, the uneasy relationship with the Knights of St. John, and the Inquisition's role in regulating privateering and morality. The episode delves into notable cases, including the trial of a Maltese priest accused of sorcery, and the Inquisition's gradual decline before its abolition by Napoleon in 1798. A look at the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio in Birgu and its later move to Valletta reveals how the Inquisition operated from the shadows of the fortress island. #Malta #Inquisition #KnightsOfStJohn #PietroDusina #SantUffizio #Birgu #Valletta #CatholicReformation #1561 #GrandMasterDeValette #PalazzodelSantUffizio #Corsair #MoralityPolice #NapoleonMalta #1798 #ReligiousHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

## Transcript

Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about the Knights of St. John and their exploits — the Great Siege, the corsairs, the building of Valletta. But there's another institution that arrived on Malta just a few years after the siege, and it's one that often doesn't get as much attention: the Roman Inquisition.
Luna: The Inquisition? In Malta? I thought that was mainly in Spain and Italy.
Lucas: You're right to think that — the Spanish Inquisition is the famous one. But after the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church set up local inquisitions all over the Catholic world to root out heresy and enforce orthodoxy. Malta, being a fiercely Catholic island ruled by a religious order, was a natural place for it. In 1561, just a year before the Great Siege, Pope Pius IV officially established the Maltese Inquisition.
Lucas: The first Inquisitor was a man named Pietro Dusina. He arrived on the island in 1574 — actually, that was a bit later, after some delays. But his arrival marked the beginning of a long and often tense relationship between the Inquisition and the Knights.
Luna: Tense? But the Knights were a religious order themselves. Why would they be at odds?
Lucas: Great question. On the surface, they shared the same faith. But the Knights had their own authority — the Grand Master was basically a sovereign ruler. The Inquisition represented papal authority, and that meant oversight. The Grand Master, especially Jean de Valette at the time, was not thrilled about having a papal agent poking into the affairs of his knights and subjects.
Lucas: There were constant jurisdictional squabbles. The Inquisitor claimed authority over all Christians on the island, including the Knights. The Grand Master argued that his order was exempt. This led to standoffs — sometimes even armed escorts escorting prisoners from one jurisdiction to another.
Luna: So who usually won?
Lucas: It varied. Over time, the Inquisition carved out a clear domain: it handled cases involving heresy, blasphemy, bigamy, sorcery, and even some moral offenses like sodomy. The Knights kept control of military and political matters. But the Inquisition also got involved in something surprising: the corsair trade.
Luna: Wait — the Inquisition regulated corsairs?
Lucas: Indirectly, yes. The Knights' galleys, the squadra, needed licenses to raid Muslim shipping. The Inquisition issued something called 'licenze di corso' — letters of marque — to privateers. But they also investigated complaints about corsairs overstepping, like attacking Christian ships or enslaving Christians. So the Inquisition acted as a kind of oversight body for the corso.
Luna: Huh. So it wasn't just about heresy — it was about commerce and morality too.
Lucas: Exactly. And that extended to the treatment of slaves. The Inquisitor had a say in the slave market, the Piazza degli Schiavi, ensuring that baptized Christians were not enslaved. They also managed the bagnio, the slave prison, and could free slaves who converted to Catholicism.
Lucas: Now, let me tell you about a fascinating case. In 1592, a Maltese priest named Don Matteo Callus was arrested by the Inquisition, accused of using sorcery to attract women and cure illnesses. He was tried in the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio in Birgu.
Luna: What happened to him?
Lucas: He was found guilty and forced to abjure his errors in a public ceremony. His punishment was relatively light — he was banned from hearing confessions for a few years. But other cases were harsher. A few people were burned at the stake for heresy, though that was rare in Malta compared to Spain.
Lucas: The Inquisition's headquarters originally was in Birgu, in a building near the Sacre Infermeria. Later, when Valletta was built, they moved to a palace in the new city — the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio, which still stands today, near St. John's Co-Cathedral.
Luna: So the Inquisition was a presence for over two centuries. When did it end?
Lucas: It ended abruptly in 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte captured the island. The French expelled the last Inquisitor, and the Holy Office was abolished. By then, the Inquisition had become fairly mild, but it was still a symbol of Church authority. Napoleon didn't want that.
Lucas: But let me step back for a moment. You know, it's interesting — as we dig into topics like this, I realize how much listener support keeps these deep dives possible.
Luna: Yeah, we don't run ads, and that's intentional. It means people can listen without interruptions.
Lucas: If you've been getting something out of these episodes — about the corsairs, the Inquisition, the Knights — a tiny contribution goes a long way. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a couple of dollars a month, and it honestly makes a huge difference in keeping the show going.
Luna: I'll second that. So back to the Inquisition — I've heard that the Inquisitors sometimes clashed with the Grand Master over their residence. Is that true?
Lucas: Absolutely. The Inquisitor wanted a prominent building in Valletta, but the Knights resisted giving them prime property. Eventually, in the early 1600s, they secured a palace on Merchants Street, but even then there were disputes over ceremonies and precedence. At one point, the Grand Master refused to acknowledge the Inquisitor's authority to bless the city's guns.
Luna: It sounds like a constant power struggle.
Lucas: It was. But over time, the Inquisition became an accepted part of Maltese life. It even contributed to the island's culture — the Inquisitor was often a bibliophile, building up libraries. The last Inquisitor, a man named Giulio Carpegna, left a large collection of books that later became part of the National Library of Malta.
Lucas: So while the Inquisition is often remembered for its dark side, it also had a more mundane, bureaucratic role. It kept records — detailed records — that are now a treasure trove for historians studying Maltese society in the early modern period. Those archives are still in the Cathedral Museum in Mdina.
Luna: That's fascinating. I'd love to look into those records someday.
Lucas: Maybe that's a story for another episode. For now, I think we've scratched the surface of how the Inquisition shaped Malta — from the slave market to the library shelves.

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