Godfrey Wettinger (December 22, 1929 – May 22, 2015) was a Maltese historian. He is known for his discovery, together with Fr. Mikiel Fsadni, of '' Il-Kantilena'', a document that is widely considered to be the oldest work of Maltese literature.

Biography

Wettinger was born on 22 December 1929 in

Mosta Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest ...

. His father, the headmaster of schools in

Mellieħa Mellieħa ( mt, il-Mellieħa ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. It has a population of 10,087 as of March 2014. Mellieħa is also a tourist resort, popular for its sandy beaches and natural environment. Etymology The name ''M ...

and

Għargħur Għargħur ( mt, Ħal Għargħur) is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and it has a population of 2,768 as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village celebrates a different ...

died from cancer during Wettinger's childhood. Following his father's death, he was raised in Mellieħa by his mother and attended the Lyceum in

Ħamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as '' ...

as a student. He later studied history by correspondence at

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, where he graduated with a BA in History in 1953, MA in 1965 and PhD in 1971. Wettinger remained a bachelor throughout his life and died on 22 May 2015 at the age of 85. He was awarded the National Order of Merit in 1996.

Career

Wettinger started lecturing at the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

in 1972 and held various posts at the university throughout his career, including Head of the Department of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He also held various terms as the President of the

Malta Historical Society The Malta Historical Society is a society devoted to the history of Malta. It was founded in 1950 after a public appeal by professor Arturo Bonnici in ''Lehen is-Sewwa'', the Catholic Action newspaper. Bonnici was subsequently elected the first p ...

(1984-1986, 1989-1992, 1997-1999, 2003-2005) and was a founding member and editor of Melita Historica, the society's official journal. In 2014, Wettinger was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution to literature during the National Book Prize, held by Malta's National Book Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wettinger, Godfrey Maltese historians 1929 births 2015 deaths Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) People from Mosta Academic staff of the University of Malta Maltese non-fiction writers