Christian-Muslim relations in the Inquisition Malta 1605

In 1605 a Moorish slave of the Knights of St. John, Sellem Bin al-Sheikh Mansur, was put on trial by the Roman Inquisition on Malta accused of practising magic among the Christians on the island. The Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project Magic in Malta, 1605 examines this one magic trial in detail, and will use the evidence contained therein to open up a myriad of aspects of life in early-modern Malta, including the place of slaves, Christian-Muslim relations, and the roles of magic and of the Inquisition. In this lecture the project team Professor Dionisius A. Agius, Dr Catherine Rider and Dr Alex Mallett will present the background to the project, including the island's communities (Christians and slaves) at the time, the trial document, and aspects of popular magic.