Emmanuel Vitale
| Emmanuele Vitale | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 April 1758 Rabat, Malta |
| Died | 8 October 1802 (aged 44) Gozo |
| Allegiance |
.svg){kind=small} Malta
|
| Years of service | 1798–1800 |
| Rank | Generale Commandante |
| Unit | National Congress Battalions |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Malta (1798–1800) |
Emmanuele Vitale (30 April 1758 – 8 October 1802) was a Maltese notary, commander and statesman. During the Siege of Malta, he commanded 10,000 irregular Maltese soldiers.
Emmanuel Vitale was born in Rabat on 30 April 1758. He was the son of Notary Saverio Vitale and Rosa née Caruana. Influenced by his father, he studied in Malta and became a notary. Also between 1785 and 1795, he succeeded his father and held the position of Chancellor of the Università at Mdina, for whom he was a great benefactor.
The French seized Malta from the Knights of St. John in 1798. The French troops left in Malta, under the command of General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois, immediately became unpopular. They frequently looted the churches of Malta, which led to Vitale hiding the treasures of the Church of Saint Joseph (Rabat) in his house. When the French attempted to loot damask and silver from a convent in Mdina, through Vitale's efforts, an angry mob amassed in order to prevent the French from doing so. The protests soon became an insurrection against the French, and Vitale was made commander-in-chief of the Maltese irregular forces (with the exception of the forces from Zebbug and Siggiewi who recognized Canon Francesco Saverio Caruana as their general). Under his command, they pushed the French out of Mdina, using a passageway behind St. Paul's Cathedral and by the following day the Maltese recaptured Imdina for themselves, massacaring the French garrison there. Taken by surprise, the French retreated into Valletta, where they held out throughout the rest of the siege.
...
Wikipedia