Godfrey Wettinger (22 December 1929 – 22 May 2015) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

historian. He is known for his discovery, together with Fr. Mikiel Fsadni, of ''

Il-Kantilena ''Il-Kantilena'' is the oldest known literary text in the Maltese language. It dates from the 15th century (no later than 1485, the death of its author, and probably from the 1470s), but was not found until 1966 by historians Godfrey Wettinger an ...

'', 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 () 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 unsupported ...

. His father, the headmaster of schools in

Mellieħa 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, natural environment, and Popeye Village nearby. Etymology The n ...

and

Għargħur Għargħur () is a village in the Eastern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and has a population of 2,768, as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village celebrates a different patron saint or two de ...

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, Malta, 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 ca ...

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 degr ...

, 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 (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. Wettinger wrote extensively about

slavery in Malta Slavery () was practiced in Malta from classical antiquity to the early modern period, as was the case in many countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Sources dating back to when the islands were under Arab rule during the Middle Ages attest t ...

and published a comprehensive history on the subject in 2002.

References

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