L’Ordine di Malta tra Rivoluzione e Restaurazione. La nazionalizzazione della Lingua d’Italia

Between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, the Order of Malta went through a critical phase of its history, in which its very existence was in jeopardy. Indeed, the Order had long been the target of the Catholic European states’ jurisdictional policies: in particular, in 1784 the Langue of Italy was ‘nationalised’ by the sovereigns and princes of the Italian peninsula with the abolition of ‘promiscuity’ in the granting of commanderies, which from that moment onwards could be assigned only to knights born within the borders of their respective priorate. The loss of the island of Malta in 1798 – conquered first by France and then by the United Kingdom – represented a major disruption for the Order. The latter diplomatic efforts during peace congresses to claim back its ancient see were all in vain: on top of this, it saw its patrimony confiscated (although a small part was retrieved in the wake of the post-Napoleonic Restoration) and for about forty years was forced to transfer its Convent in various cities. However, the Order showed a remarkable ability to resist and adapt to adverse circumstances. The hospitaller vocation of its origins was rediscovered as the state of affairs mirrored its current predicaments: the appointment of an external commissioner by the Pontiff, the approval of new constitutions, the celebration of an extraordinary general chapter