1592–1593 Malta Plague Epidemic
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The 1592–1593 Malta plague epidemic was a major outbreak of plague () on the island of
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, then ruled by the Order of St John. It occurred in three waves between June 1592 and September 1593, during the
second plague pandemic The second plague pandemic was a major series of epidemics of Plague (disease), plague that started with the Black Death, which reached medieval Europe in 1346 and killed up to half of the population of Eurasia in the next four years. It followed ...
, and it resulted in approximately 3000 deaths, which amounted to about 11% of the population. The disease was imported to Malta by Tuscan galleys that had captured vessels from
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. In 1593, the Order requested assistance from Sicily to deal with the epidemic, and the measures taken were effective in containing plague.


Background

At the time of the outbreak, Malta was ruled by the Order of St John. Some sources state that plague was introduced in Malta in about 1575, but there are records of outbreaks of the disease in Malta before the arrival of the Order. Epidemics had occurred in 1427–1428 and 1523, with the latter being confined to the town of
Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...
.


Epidemic

The plague epidemic which began in 1592 arrived in Malta indirectly from
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in Ottoman-ruled Egypt. Four galleys of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...
or the
Order of Saint Stephen The Order of Saint Stephen (officially ''Sacro Militare Ordine di Santo Stefano Papa e Martire'', 'Holy Military Order of St. Stephen Pope and Martyr') is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created ...
had captured two vessels from Alexandria, and took their cargo and about 150 Turkish captives with them to Malta. While en route to Malta, an outbreak of the plague began on board the ships, killing 20 crew members. The galleys arrived in Malta on 7 May 1592. The plague spread in Malta in various waves, the first of which began in June 1592. When the outbreak occurred, it was initially mistaken to be a venereal disease. The epidemic subsided by September, but a second wave began in November. This had subsided by January 1593, and it was believed that the epidemic was over. A third and final wave began in March 1593, and this was the most severe and spread quickly throughout the island. The outbreak finally ended by September 1593.


Containment measures

In 1592, the ''Infermeria delle Schiavi'' of Birgu, a hospital for galley slaves which had previously housed the ''Sacra Infermeria'' before its transfer to Valletta in 1575, was converted into an isolation hospital. When the epidemic was on the decline by early 1593, its patients were transferred into a private house and the temporary hospital was closed in February. After the outbreak became more severe in March, Grand Master Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle requested assistance from the
Viceroy of Sicily A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
, who sent the Pietro Parisi from
Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...
, a doctor who had experience with contagious diseases. Upon the latter's arrival on 15 May, he took control of dealing with the outbreak along with the Health Commissioners and the Maltese doctor Gregorio Mamo. A temporary isolation hospital was set up on the island in
Marsamxett Harbour Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
known as the ''Isolotto'' (which later became known as
Manoel Island Manoel Island (), formerly known as Bishop's Island (, ) or the ''Isolotto'', is a small island which forms part of the municipality of Gżira in Marsamxett Harbour, Malta. It is named after the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, ...
). 900 suspected and confirmed cases were sent there, and they were kept separate from each other. The rest of the population was told to self-isolate in their own houses, with only one person per family being allowed to go out daily for errands. These measures was enforced with harsh penalties including flogging and death. Washing places near the sea were set up in
Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
,
Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...
and
Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...
allowing suspected cases to wash in an attempt to purify themselves and their clothes. Walls of houses with confirmed or suspected cases of the disease were washed with seawater and whitewashed with lime, and similar measures were undertaken in burial grounds. In the capital, dogs were killed but cats were not, since they were seen as useful in controlling the rat population, even though at the time it was not known that rats were the cause of the disease. The epidemic began to subside by June 1593, and attempts were made to purify the island to remove any traces of the disease which might have been left. The temporary hospital was demolished in October 1593, and pratique was granted in January 1594.


Impact


Death toll and demographic impact

The death toll from the epidemic is believed to be about 3000 people, which amounted to 11% of the islands' population. A number of small villages or hamlets lost most of their populations during the epidemic, and were later abandoned or absorbed into nearby settlements.


Cemeteries

During the plague of 1592–1593, the deceased were not buried in churches but in extramural plague cemeteries which were specially set up to deal with the epidemic. This was the first recorded instance that such cemeteries were established in Malta, and similar ones would also be set up in later major outbreaks of the disease, such as in 1675–1676 and 1813–1814.


Legacy

Plague broke out again in Malta in 1623, although this outbreak was much smaller than the 1592–1593 epidemic. The outbreak began in the household of the Port Chief Sanitary Officer, and it is possible that it was caused by handling refuse from the earlier epidemic. Strict measures were taken and the 1623 outbreak was contained with only 40 deaths. Two further outbreaks would occur in Hospitaller-ruled Malta, a limited outbreak in 1655 which killed 20 people and a massive epidemic in 1675–1676 which killed some 11,300 people, a considerable part of the island's population. In the 17th century, a permanent Lazzaretto was built on the ''Isolotto'', on the site of the temporary plague hospital of 1592–1593.


See also

* Epidemics in Malta


References


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malta plague, 1592-1593 1592 in Malta 1593 in Malta 1592 disasters 1592 in health 16th-century disease outbreaks 1593 disasters 1593 in health 16th-century epidemics Second plague pandemic 1592-1593 plague