Archivist sheds fresh doubts on name of the Grand Master

Four-hundred-and-fifty years after his death, Malta’s most famous wartime Grand Master is still locked in battle – over two letters in his name. Popularly known as Jean de La Valette, scholars have recently argued that the French nobleman who led the 1565 Great Siege against the Ottomans had no ‘La’ prefixed to his name and was simply Jean de Valette. But the head of the Vatican’s secret archives has now cast fresh doubts on that claim, telling a local researcher that letters sent from the Holy See were always addressed to “Jean de La Valette”. The letter, sent by archive prefect Archbishop Sergio Pagano, states that “in pontifical correspondence addressed to him, the person is always referred to as Jean de La Valette”. Mgr Pagano wrote the letter to enterprising amateur researcher Eman Bonnici, 24, who last month had written to the Vatican seeking clarification over the matter. “I first tried to hunt down correspondence of his at the National Archives, but was told they only had one signed document. One signature isn’t enough to determine a name. “So instead I wrote to the Vatican, explained the issue and asked for permission to go through their archives. Two days ago, I...