# The Corsair Captain Who Defied the Inquisition

An episode of [The Story of Malta: The Fortress Island of the Mediterranean — Fexingo History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1895465859), 21 Jul 2026, 6:38.

Audio: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-malta/episode-0169.mp3

In 17th century Malta, a corsair captain named Fra' Girolamo di Pietro dared to challenge the authority of the Inquisition. This episode explores the tense relationship between the Knights of St. John's lucrative corso—privateering against Muslim shipping—and the Church's moral and legal oversight. Di Pietro, a knight of the Order, was arrested by the Inquisitor for capturing a ship under dubious circumstances, sparking a legal battle that pitted the Order's traditions against ecclesiastical power. We delve into the shifting rules of corsair warfare, the role of the Sacra Congregazione, and the fate of a man who sailed too close to the wind. Featuring the Inquisitor's palace in Birgu, the Castellania prison, and the galleys of the Grand Harbour. #Corsair #Inquisition #Malta #KnightsOfStJohn #Corso #FraGirolamoDiPietro #Birgu #Castellania #SacraCongregazione #GrandHarbour #Privateering #17thCentury #MediterraneanHistory #Hospitaller #Slavery #NavalHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

## Transcript

Lucas: If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know the Knights of St. John weren't just pious defenders of Christendom. They were also some of the most aggressive privateers in the Mediterranean.
Luna: Right, we've talked a lot about the corso — the licensed raiding.
Lucas: Exactly. The corso was the economic engine of Malta for centuries. But it also created constant friction with the Church. Because while the Knights saw it as holy war, the Pope's Inquisitor on the island had his own ideas about what was lawful and what was piracy.
Luna: So the corsairs were answerable to the Inquisition too?
Lucas: Absolutely. And that's exactly what happened to a knight-captain named Fra' Girolamo di Pietro in the 1630s. He was a seasoned corsair, but he made one capture too many — or maybe just one capture that stepped on the wrong toes. The Inquisitor had him thrown into the Castellania prison in Valletta.
Luna: Wait, the Inquisition arrested a Knight of St. John?
Lucas: They did. The Inquisitor in Malta was a direct representative of the Pope, and he had jurisdiction over moral and religious matters — including the legality of corsair prizes. If a captured ship turned out to have a valid pass from a Christian prince, or if the crew included Christians who were enslaved, that could land the captain in serious trouble.
Lucas: Di Pietro's case was a landmark. He had captured a vessel that he claimed was Ottoman, but the Inquisitor suspected it was actually flying under French protection. And the captain had allegedly tortured the crew to force confessions. The Order's own laws against excessive cruelty were supposed to prevent that.
Luna: So the Inquisition was policing the corsairs' rules of engagement.
Lucas: Exactly. The Sacra Congregazione in Rome got involved. Di Pietro was put on trial in Birgu, at the Inquisitor's palace. The records from that trial are still in the archives — they give us a vivid picture of how the corso actually operated, beyond the heroic tales.
Lucas: The defence argued that di Pietro was acting within the age-old traditions of the Order — that capturing infidel ships was the Knights' very reason for being. But the prosecution pointed to specific papal bulls that limited corsair activities, especially regarding neutral ships and the treatment of captives.
Luna: What happened to him in the end?
Lucas: He was found guilty, stripped of his command, and imprisoned for several years. It was a huge blow to his reputation. But the case also sent a message to other corsairs: the Inquisition was watching. And the rules were not optional.
Lucas: Of course, in practice, many captains continued to push boundaries. The corso remained a brutal business. But the di Pietro case is a reminder that the Knights were not above the law — they operated within a complex legal and religious framework that could punish them just as harshly as it punished others.
Luna: Yeah, it's listener support that keeps us independent and free to explore corners like this.
Lucas: Now, back to the corsairs: one of the most fascinating things about the di Pietro case is what it reveals about the slave market in Valletta. The Piazza degli Schiavi — the Slave Square — was the centre of a bustling trade in captives. And the Inquisition's records include depositions from slaves who testified against their former captors.
Luna: Slaves testifying in court? That's extraordinary for the 17th century.
Lucas: It was remarkable. In di Pietro's trial, several Muslim slaves from the captured ship gave sworn statements about how they were treated. The Inquisition took their testimony seriously, because if the ship was legally protected, enslaving its crew was a crime. So these voices — usually silenced — were heard, at least in the legal record.
Lucas: The depositions describe the violence of the capture, the chaining, the conditions in the hold. One slave, a man named Mustafa, testified that he had been a free merchant before the corsairs took him. He even produced a document — a pass from the French consul in Algiers — that the court examined.
Luna: So the Inquisition was practically acting as a maritime court.
Lucas: In many ways, yes. The Inquisitor's palace in Birgu — which still stands, by the way — housed a tribunal that dealt with everything from heresy to corsair disputes. It had its own prison, its own archives, and a network of informants across the island. The Knights resented this intrusion into their affairs, but they couldn't openly defy the Pope.
Lucas: The tension between the Order and the Inquisition simmered for decades. There were moments of open conflict — like when the Inquisitor excommunicated a knight who refused to hand over a slave. But usually, it was a quiet war of letters and legal manoeuvres.
Luna: Was there ever a knight who got away with something like this?
Lucas: Many did. The corso was too lucrative for the Order to police it too strictly. But when a case like di Pietro's became a public scandal, the Inquisition had to act. It was as much about asserting authority as it was about justice.
Lucas: What I find striking is how the di Pietro case reveals the limits of the Knights' power. They were sovereign rulers of Malta, but they were also subjects of the Pope. And the Inquisition was a reminder that even grand masters could be called to account.
Luna: So in a way, the Inquisition acted as a check on the Knights' worst impulses.
Lucas: Exactly. It wasn't a perfect system — the Inquisition had its own dark side, of course — but it did create a legal space where slaves could speak, where captains could be punished for brutality, and where the rules of war were debated. That's a side of corsair history we don't often hear.
Lucas: If you ever visit Birgu, you can see the Inquisitor's palace on the main square. It's a beautiful building, with a grand staircase and a chapel. And just a few steps away is the old slave market square. Those two places — the palace of justice and the market of human flesh — are the twin poles of this story.
Luna: I've walked through that square without knowing any of this. Now I'll never see it the same way.
Lucas: That's the power of these stories. They change how we see the stones beneath our feet.

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