The Grand Master we know

A researcher has invoked Malta’s “collective memory” to suggest that the Grand Master who founded Valletta should continue to be referred to as de La Valette and not de Valette. For centuries, people have referred to the 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta as Jean de La Valette and this cannot be ignored, despite archival evidence showing his name as de Valette, according to Francophile Charles Xuereb. “Despite archival evidence traced in Malta or elsewhere, one can never ignore the collective memory surrounding the famous chevalier from Provence,” he said, adding it was always wise to balance archival and collective memory in history. The veteran broadcaster is doing academic research about France in the Maltese collective mem-ory, analysing the perceptions and interpretation of the 1798 uprising and France’s place in the national memory. Last year he was admitted to the French National Order of the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier, nominated by then President Nicolas Sarkozy for his long and dedicated service to the dissemination of French culture. The controversy on the correct spelling of the Grand Master’s name was brought up again in November during the unveiling of a...