| PEOPLE AFFECTED |
VIEWS |
| GRANDMASTER HOMPESCH |
This was
inevitable. The balance of power within the Order has long been shifting
towards the French. |
| CLERGY |
The role of
the Church in Malta is certainly going to change under the devil Napoleon!
We must get ready for hard times. |
| MALTESE ARISTOCRACY |
Already they
are taking down coats-of-arms all over the island. Our position of privilege
is threatened ! |
| MALTESE INTELLIGENTSIA |
The yoke of
the Church and the Order over our thoughts and minds is sure to be lifted.
Let us welcome the Enlightenment. |
| ARTISTS |
Under the
Order our art was often limited to the religious. The French will hopefully
bring a breath of fresh air in the artistic life on the island. |
| PEASANTS |
A new master
is not necessarily a bad master. We will just have to wait and see. |
| THE BRITISH |
Malta's
strategic position in the Mediterranean is a prime location for
a naval base. Napoleon's conquest of the island is a blow to our effort in
stopping the spread of the French Empire. |
| THE RUSSIANS |
Our eyes were long on the
Maltese Islands. It's a pity that we were not better placed to seize the
islands for ourselves. |
The
year is 1798 and after more than 250 years of rule by the Knights of St. John,
the French occupation starts. Do
an O.P.V. for different people or groups of people living in Malta and
also those concerned groups not living on the island. First make a list of the
people affected and then write the words or thoughts of the different
people in the first person.